Refund & Cancellation Policy
Last updated: 6 July 2026 · Zenith Valor, Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa
We keep this simple and fair. Every project runs on a written, electronically signed service agreement, and payments are structured so you only ever pay in step with the work you receive. This policy explains what happens if a project is cancelled, paused, or doesn't go ahead.
1. How our payments work
Each project is quoted at a fixed price, agreed and signed before any money changes hands. Clients choose one of three payment plans:
- Pay in full — the full amount upfront, with a 10% discount on the subtotal.
- 50/50 — a 50% initiation fee to begin, and the balance before the website goes live.
- 50/25/25 — 50% to begin, 25% when the design is approved, and 25% before go-live.
No work starts before the first payment clears, and each later payment only becomes due once the client has seen and approved the corresponding progress.
2. The initiation fee
The initiation fee (the first 50%, or the initiation portion of a full upfront payment) is non-refundable and non-transferable once work has commenced. It covers the scoping, planning, design, and development time committed to the project from day one.
If a client pays but cancels in writing before any work has started, we will refund the amount paid less any costs already incurred on the project's behalf (such as domain registration or licences purchased for the project).
3. Cancellation by the client
Either party may terminate a project with 7 days' written notice, as set out in the service agreement. If the client cancels mid-project:
- All work completed up to the termination date remains billable.
- Amounts already paid for completed stages (for example, an approved design under the 50/25/25 plan) are not refundable.
- If the client has paid in full and cancels before completion, we refund the portion of the payment that exceeds the value of the work completed plus the non-refundable initiation fee.
- Any refund due is paid to the original payment method within 14 business days of the final reconciliation.
4. Cancellation by Zenith Valor
If we are unable to complete a project for reasons within our control, the client receives a full refund of all amounts paid for work not yet delivered — including the initiation fee if no meaningful work has been performed.
5. After delivery
Once the final payment has cleared, the website has been handed over, and the client has completed the completion approval confirming satisfaction, the project is closed and payments are no longer refundable. Defects or issues raised after handover are addressed through the included revision rounds or the maintenance arrangement — not through refunds.
6. Client delays and paused projects
Payments do not become refundable because a project is paused while we wait for client content, feedback, or approvals. As set out in the service agreement, client-side delays pause the project timeline; they do not cancel the project.
7. Third-party costs
Domain registrations, hosting, and third-party licences are billed separately and are subject to the refund terms of the providers concerned. Once purchased on the client's behalf, these are generally non-refundable by us.
8. Events beyond our control
Where delivery is delayed by events beyond our reasonable control (load shedding, provider outages, and similar — see the force majeure clause in the service agreement), the project timeline is extended at no extra cost. Such delays do not create a right to a refund.
9. How to cancel or request a refund
Send us written notice on WhatsApp at 073 376 3011 or by email, quoting your invoice reference (for example, ZV-001-060726). We confirm receipt within one working day and reconcile within 14 business days.