This Return and Refund Policy governs the procedures and conditions under which Clients may request a refund for Security Consulting as a Service (SCaaS) Projects facilitated through the Provendor.net Platform.
1. General Principles
- Service-Based: This policy applies to services rendered by independent Consultants, not physical goods.
- Escrow System: Funds for a Project are held in an escrow account managed by the Platform or its payment processor until the Client approves the deliverables or a formal resolution is reached.
- Final Acceptance: Once a Client formally approves the final deliverables or the Project is auto-completed according to the Project terms, the funds are released to the Consultant, and the transaction is generally considered final and non-refundable.
2. Conditions for a Refund Request
A Client may initiate a formal refund request only under the following circumstances:
| Condition | Description |
| Incomplete Deliverables | The Consultant fails to provide all the key deliverables (e.g., final report, executive summary, code review findings) as explicitly defined in the agreed-upon Project scope. |
| Breach of Contract/Scope | The Consultant clearly and materially breaches the signed Project agreement (Statement of Work) by delivering work that is fundamentally different from the agreed-upon scope (e.g., delivering a Vulnerability Assessment instead of a Penetration Test). |
| Non-Performance | The Consultant fails to start the Project within the agreed-upon start date and/or becomes unresponsive or unavailable for a period of [X] business days or more. |
| Quality Issues (Disputed) | The Client believes the quality of the service provided is materially substandard, as determined by a neutral third party or the Platform’s Dispute Resolution Team, and is not simply a disagreement over methodology. |
3. Refund Process and Dispute Resolution
3.1. Informal Resolution (Mandatory First Step)
- The Client must first attempt to resolve the issue directly with the Consultant via the Platform’s messaging system.
- The Client must clearly articulate the reason for dissatisfaction and provide the Consultant with a reasonable opportunity (e.g., [72 hours]) to remedy the issue, revise the work, or offer a partial refund.
3.2. Formal Dispute Initiation
- If informal resolution fails, the Client may initiate a formal Dispute Resolution request through the Platform. This must be done within [7 days] of the scheduled Project completion date or the last deliverable being submitted.
- The Client must submit all relevant evidence, including the Project Scope, communication logs, and the alleged deficient deliverables.
3.3. Platform Review
- The Platform’s Dispute Resolution Team will review the submitted evidence, the original Project scope, and the Consultant’s counter-arguments.
- The team may attempt mediation, recommend revisions, or consult a technical expert to assess the quality claim.
3.4. Refund Decision
Based on the review, the Platform will issue a final, binding decision, which may include:
- Full Refund: Granted if the Consultant demonstrably failed to deliver the core service and cannot remedy the failure.
- Partial Refund: Granted if a portion of the service was rendered satisfactorily, but a material part was not completed or was fundamentally flawed. This is often based on the ratio of completed to uncompleted work.
- No Refund: Granted if the Consultant met the explicit terms of the Project scope, the Client’s dissatisfaction is due to factors outside the scope, or if the Client approved the work prior to initiating the dispute.
4. Non-Refundable Scenarios
Refunds will not be granted in the following scenarios:
- Client Changes Mind: The Client decides they no longer need the service after work has commenced.
- Change in Internal Requirements: The Client’s internal requirements or budget changes after the Project has been defined and started.
- Subjective Disagreement: Disagreement over minor stylistic points or consulting methodology that was not explicitly guaranteed in the Project scope.
- Non-Cooperation: The Client fails to provide necessary access, data, or cooperation required for the Consultant to complete the Project on time.
- Scope Creep Issues: The Client is requesting services or deliverables beyond the original, agreed-upon scope of work.
- Direct Payments: Any funds paid directly to the Consultant outside of the Platform’s escrow system are not protected by this policy.
5. Platform Service Fee Refunds
The Platform’s Service Fee (the commission charged to facilitate the connection and process payments) is generally non-refundable unless the Platform itself cancels the Project due to a clear violation of the Terms of Service by the Consultant.
6. Contact
If you have questions about this Refund Policy, please contact our Dispute Resolution team at:
Email: provendor.net@gmail.com