Refund & Delivery Policy

1. Overview

Alterwaves provides custom WordPress plugin development and implementation services. Because each engagement is bespoke and consumes development time that cannot be recovered, our refund terms are tailored to services rather than returnable goods. We aim to be fair and clear: this policy sets out how and when we deliver, and the circumstances in which refunds apply.

2. How and when work is delivered

There is no physical shipment. Delivery of our services means:

• Plugin code delivered as a downloadable package (zip) and/or through a Git repository you can access.
• Implementation packages additionally include installation and activation of the plugin on your designated WordPress environment (staging and/or production), confirmed working against your current WordPress and PHP versions.
• Documentation — installation steps and a short usage guide; developer/handoff notes for larger builds.

Work is considered delivered when the agreed deliverables in your approved specification are provided to you and function materially as specified.

3. Timelines and milestones

Each quote includes an estimated timeline. As a guide, a single custom plugin typically takes two to four weeks from approved specification, and a multi-plugin or integration build typically takes four to eight weeks. Larger projects are split into milestones, each with its own deliverable and, where applicable, payment. The timeline begins once you approve the specification and any required deposit has cleared.

4. What we need from you

Delivery timelines assume timely cooperation. Delays in providing access (staging, credentials, API keys), content, decisions, or approvals will extend the timeline accordingly. We will tell you promptly if something we are waiting on is holding up delivery.

5. Deposits and project payments

Fixed-scope projects are usually billed as a deposit to begin and the balance on delivery, as stated in your quote. Milestone-based projects are billed per milestone. All payments are processed securely by Stripe in US dollars (USD) unless your quote states otherwise. Your card or bank statement will show ALTERWAVES.

6. Refunds

• Before work begins. If you cancel before we start work (discovery/coding), your deposit is fully refundable.
• After work begins. Once work has started, fees for work already performed are non-refundable, because that time cannot be recovered. The deposit covers discovery, planning, and initial work completed; if you choose not to proceed, you owe nothing further.
• Milestone projects. Completed and accepted milestones are non-refundable. Any prepaid amount for milestones not yet started is refundable.
• If we cannot deliver. If we are unable to deliver the agreed scope, we will refund the portion of fees that corresponds to undelivered work.
• Remedy first. If a delivered item does not meet the approved specification, our first remedy is to fix or re-perform the work within the warranty window (section 9) at no extra cost.

7. Project cancellation

Either party may cancel a project in writing. On cancellation, you are billed only for work performed and accepted up to the cancellation date; any prepaid amount beyond that is refunded as described in section 6. We will hand over work completed to date.

8. Care & Maintenance plan cancellation

• The Care plan is a monthly subscription billed in advance and renews automatically until cancelled.
• You may cancel at any time by emailing [email protected]. Cancellation stops future renewals and takes effect at the end of the current paid month.
• The current month is not prorated or refunded after it has begun, unless required by law. There is no cancellation fee.

9. Warranty and post-launch fixes

Every project includes a post-launch window during which we fix qualifying defects on the delivered scope at no additional cost: 30 days for a single plugin and 45 days for a larger build, unless your quote states otherwise. This warranty covers defects in the delivered work, not new feature requests or issues caused by changes made by others, third-party services, or unrelated parts of your site.

10. How to request a refund

Email [email protected] with your name, the project or invoice reference, the payment date, and the reason for the request. We respond to refund requests within 5 business days and, where a refund is due, process it within 5–10 business days to the original payment method through Stripe. The time for funds to appear depends on your bank or card issuer.

11. Disputes and chargebacks

If something is wrong, please contact us first — most issues are resolved quickly by email. Filing a chargeback before contacting us can delay resolution. We keep records of specifications, approvals, and deliverables and will provide them if a payment dispute arises.

12. Contact

Questions about delivery, refunds, or cancellation? Email [email protected] or use our contact page. This policy forms part of our Terms of Service.