Refund & Cancellation Policy

Last updated: 23 May 2026

Overview

This policy explains refunds and cancellations for bespoke work commissioned from Web Development UK Studios (James Hoy). It supplements our Client Terms.

Custom design and development is labour-intensive. Each payment you make is for agreed work on your project — not a generic product you can return unused.

Card payments are processed by Stripe. Refunds we approve are issued to the original payment method via Stripe. We do not issue refunds simply because you change your mind after work has begun, except where the law requires otherwise or we agree in writing.

Before you pay

Submitting a brief is not a commitment to buy. We review each brief personally.

If we cannot take the project on, we will tell you — you will not be asked to pay.

If we accept the project, you receive a Studio Briefing Pack and dashboard access to choose milestone payments or upfront payment. No Stripe link is created until we open payment for your quote.

If scope, milestones, or amounts look wrong, contact us before paying. Paying a Stripe link means you accept the quoted scope and this policy for that payment.

Declined or withdrawn briefs

If we decline your brief or you withdraw before any payment, no charges apply.

If you have not paid, there is nothing to refund.

Payments, milestones, and what you are buying

Your quote and dashboard describe what each payment covers (for example a milestone deposit, milestone balance, or a single upfront amount).

Each Stripe checkout is for the specific amount and phase shown at checkout. You are paying for studio time and deliverables allocated to that phase, not a refundable deposit you can reclaim at will.

Work on a phase generally begins after we receive the payment required to start that phase, as set out in your briefing pack or quote.

If you choose milestone payments, later milestones are separate — you are not obliged to pay a future milestone, and we are not obliged to continue work until that payment is made.

When work has started

For refund purposes, work on a paid phase is treated as started when any of the following happens (whichever is earliest): we begin scheduled production on your project; we deliver work-in-progress or a preview for your review; we hold an agreed kickoff or working session; or we confirm in writing (email or dashboard) that work on that phase has started.

Once work on a paid phase has started, that payment is treated as earned against that phase except where the law requires otherwise or we agree a different outcome in writing.

If you cancel or stop the project

You may stop the project at any time by telling us in writing, but that does not automatically entitle you to a refund of amounts already paid for work that has started or been delivered.

If you cancel after work has started on a paid phase, we do not refund that phase payment except for any portion we agree in writing has not been performed and could not reasonably be applied elsewhere.

If you cancel before work has started on a specific payment, we may refund that payment minus reasonable costs already incurred (for example reserved time, third-party purchases, or non-recoverable setup), or we may agree to apply it to a rescheduled start.

Deliverables you have accepted (or treated as accepted by using them in production, publishing them, or not raising a material defect within a reasonable time after delivery) are not refundable for that phase.

If you paid upfront for the whole project, we allocate your payment across the agreed phases in line with your quote. On cancellation, any refund is limited to the part of the fee that fairly relates to work not yet performed, minus reasonable costs incurred — not the full remaining balance by default.

If we cancel or cannot deliver

If we cancel without delivering the agreed scope for a phase you have paid for, we will refund amounts paid for that undelivered work, or agree a fair alternative (for example completing the phase or crediting toward other work).

If we are unable to continue for reasons outside your control and no substitute delivery is agreed, we will refund prepaid amounts attributable to work not performed.

Defects and dissatisfaction

If you believe deliverables do not match the agreed scope, tell us promptly with specifics. We will use reasonable efforts to put matters right within the agreed scope before any refund is considered.

Dissatisfaction with style or subjective preferences, where we followed agreed scope and your supplied direction, is not grounds for a full refund of completed work.

Asking for a refund

Email info@jameshoy.dev with your project reference, which payment you are disputing, and why. We will review dashboard records, milestone scope, chat, and deliverables.

We aim to respond within 14 working days. Any refund we offer is at our discretion except where the law requires a remedy.

Partial refunds, credits, or completing remaining work may be offered where fair to both sides.

Scope changes and pauses

If the project changes materially, we agree new pricing in writing before additional work proceeds.

If the project is paused by mutual agreement, prepaid amounts are handled as agreed in email — paused work does not by itself create a right to a full refund of earned phases.

How refunds are processed

Approved refunds are processed through Stripe. Depending on your bank, funds usually appear within 5–10 business days.

We may send a refund advisory notice by email when a refund is initiated so you know what to expect.

Disputes and chargebacks

Filing a card chargeback without giving us a reasonable chance to respond may be treated as a dispute of the contract. We may pause work and provide the card issuer with evidence of the agreed scope, payments, communications, and work performed.

Unjustified chargebacks for work delivered or properly in progress may lead to project closure and recovery of costs where permitted by law.

Calls and scheduling

If we schedule a call or meeting as part of your project, you may reschedule by replying to the studio email. Repeated no-shows without notice may affect scheduling priority and may count toward work started where preparation was undertaken.

UK consumers

If you are a consumer, you have statutory rights including that services are performed with reasonable care and skill. Nothing in this policy removes those rights.

Bespoke digital services made to your specification often cannot be cancelled on a “change of mind” basis once performance has begun with your express request and agreement — including when you pay to start a milestone or phase. We will point to the relevant parts of your quote where helpful.

Where statutory remedies apply, we will comply with the law. This policy explains our normal commercial position for commissioned studio work.