Refund Policy

Definitions and Scope

For the purposes of this Policy, the term "engagement" refers to any discrete, scoped project accepted by ZeroOneSecure pursuant to a written statement of work, letter of agreement, or equivalent instrument. The term "retainer" refers to an ongoing quarterly subscription to our trend-monitoring services. The term "deposit" refers to the initial payment required to reserve analyst capacity and to initiate project setup. The term "milestone" refers to a predefined analytical deliverable within a multi-phase engagement.

This Policy applies exclusively to services rendered directly by ZeroOneSecure. It does not govern third-party data license fees, software subscription fees paid through external vendors, or any disbursements for which a separate refund regime has been established by the vendor in question.

General Refund Principles

Our approach rests on three foundational principles that apply across every category of engagement. First, the client is always entitled to know, with reasonable specificity, the status of analytical work attributable to any fee already paid. Second, no refund request is evaluated on the basis of dissatisfaction with a strategic conclusion that was competently produced; the test is whether the work itself conformed to the agreed scope and professional standard, not whether the findings matched the client's preferred narrative. Third, once a refund determination has been issued, it will be honored promptly and without administrative friction.

All fees are quoted in United States Dollars, and all refunds are issued in the same currency and through the same payment channel that originally transmitted the funds, unless an alternative method is expressly agreed in writing.

Refund Eligibility Matrix

The following matrix summarizes the standard refund eligibility applicable to a fixed-scope engagement. Individual statements of work may introduce more favorable terms but may not introduce less favorable ones without the explicit written consent of the client.

Non-Refundable Amounts

Certain charges reflect irrecoverable costs incurred by ZeroOneSecure at the outset of a project and are therefore not subject to refund under any circumstance, except where required by applicable law. These include, without limitation:

• The initial engagement deposit, representing the reservation of analyst capacity that has been withheld from other prospective work.
• Fees paid to third-party data providers, research panels, survey administrators, or specialty databases procured at the client's request or as reasonably necessary to perform the engagement.
• Travel, accommodations, and related disbursements incurred at the client's request, to the extent such disbursements are non-cancellable at the time of the refund request.
• Administrative fees associated with priority scheduling, accelerated turnaround, or non-standard confidentiality protocols, where such fees have been specifically itemized in the statement of work.

Quarterly Retainers

Our trend-monitoring retainer is billed on a quarterly basis and entitles the client to continuous monitoring, interim memoranda, and a consolidated end-of-quarter briefing. Because analyst capacity is reserved on a rolling basis, retainer fees are non-refundable once the quarter has commenced. However, a client may elect not to renew the retainer at the conclusion of any quarter without penalty, provided written notice of non-renewal is received no later than fourteen calendar days prior to the start of the subsequent quarter.

In the unusual event that ZeroOneSecure materially fails to deliver a core retainer obligation during any single month, the client may request a pro-rata credit equal to one-third of the current quarter's retainer fee, to be applied either as a refund or as credit against the next invoice, at the client's election.

Cancellation by the Client

Clients may cancel an active engagement at any time by providing written notice to our engagement manager. Upon receipt of such notice, we will immediately pause further analytical work, calculate the value of work completed through the date of cancellation, issue a final accounting statement, and refund any unearned portion of the fees previously paid. Cancellation does not relieve the client of its obligation to pay for work already performed in good faith prior to the date of notice, nor does it relieve ZeroOneSecure of its continuing confidentiality obligations with respect to client information.

Where cancellation occurs after the transmission of preliminary findings but prior to the issuance of the final report, the client acknowledges that the preliminary findings remain the confidential property of ZeroOneSecure and may not be cited, relied upon, or reproduced without a separate licensing arrangement.

Cancellation by ZeroOneSecure

ZeroOneSecure reserves the right to terminate an engagement prior to completion in the following narrowly defined circumstances: (a) material breach by the client of its obligations under the statement of work, including non-payment of an invoice not cured within fifteen days of written notice; (b) request by the client to perform analytical work that would violate applicable law, professional ethics, or our internal confidentiality standards; (c) discovery of a material conflict of interest that could not have been reasonably ascertained at the time of engagement acceptance; or (d) force majeure events of sustained duration, as further described below.

In the event of termination by ZeroOneSecure other than for cause (a) or (b) above, the client shall be refunded all fees attributable to analytical work that has not yet been performed as of the date of termination, along with a reasonable allowance for any inconvenience caused by the firm's withdrawal.

Refund Request Procedure

A client wishing to request a refund must submit a written statement to our engagement manager describing the relevant circumstances, the phase of the engagement at which the request is being made, and the specific amount being requested. We will acknowledge receipt of any refund request within five business days and will issue a final determination within fifteen business days thereafter, subject to any reasonable extension required to collect information from affected parties.

If the client disagrees with our final determination, the client may escalate the matter to a senior principal of the firm by submitting a written appeal within ten business days of the determination. The senior principal's review of the appeal shall be conducted in good faith and shall be concluded within thirty calendar days. Nothing in this procedure shall be construed to limit any rights or remedies otherwise available to the client under applicable law.

Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

We ask that clients who believe a refund is warranted follow the request procedure described above rather than initiating a chargeback or payment dispute through a third-party processor. Premature chargebacks frequently result in disputed funds being frozen in escrow for extended periods, which is inconvenient for both parties and does not accelerate resolution. ZeroOneSecure reserves the right to present its accounting documentation in response to any unfounded chargeback and to seek recovery of reasonable administrative costs associated with such disputes.

Force Majeure

Neither party shall be liable for any delay or failure to perform its obligations under an engagement where such delay or failure results from an event beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, severe weather, fire, flood, earthquake, epidemic, civil disturbance, act of terror, governmental action, or failure of telecommunications infrastructure. In the event that a force majeure event materially suspends performance for a period exceeding thirty consecutive days, either party may terminate the affected engagement upon written notice, and any unearned portion of the fees shall be refunded to the client consistent with the general principles set forth in this Policy.

Modifications to This Policy

ZeroOneSecure reserves the right to modify this Refund Policy from time to time. Any modifications shall be posted on our website and shall apply prospectively to engagements accepted on or after the effective date of the revised Policy. Modifications shall not affect the refund rights applicable to engagements already in progress as of the effective date, which shall continue to be governed by the version of this Policy in effect at the time the engagement was accepted.

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

This Refund Policy, and any dispute arising out of or relating to the payment of fees and the administration of refunds, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The parties agree to attempt resolution of any dispute through good-faith discussion between senior representatives prior to initiating formal proceedings. If a dispute cannot be resolved through discussion, the parties shall submit the matter to confidential binding arbitration conducted in Fort Collins, Colorado, before a single arbitrator with demonstrated experience in professional-services contracts.

Contact Regarding Refunds

All refund-related correspondence, including requests, appeals, and general questions regarding this Policy, should be directed to the contact coordinates listed below. We commit to acknowledging every well-formed inquiry within a reasonable time and to responding substantively within the timeframes described elsewhere in this document.