1. Introduction
This Refund Policy explains how Synotech handles cancellations, refunds, credits, service disputes, and billing adjustments for our software development, consulting, cloud, DevOps, cybersecurity, AI, support, maintenance, design, and related technology services.
This policy applies unless a signed agreement, statement of work, proposal, quotation, support agreement, or invoice states a different refund or cancellation process. Where applicable consumer protection law grants rights that cannot be excluded, those rights apply despite anything in this policy.
2. Nature of Synotech Services
Most Synotech services are professional services, custom software development services, digital services, consulting services, project work, support services, or technology implementation services.
Because these services involve professional time, technical analysis, planning, design, engineering, configuration, research, project management, testing, documentation, and resource allocation, fees are generally linked to work performed, milestones completed, resources reserved, or third-party costs incurred.
3. General Refund Principles
Unless otherwise agreed in writing:
- Fees for completed work are not refundable.
- Fees for accepted milestones are not refundable.
- Fees for time spent, consulting delivered, workshops completed, discovery completed, analysis performed, designs produced, code written, environments configured, deployments completed, support delivered, or reports issued are not refundable.
- Deposits and advance payments may be applied to work performed, committed resources, third-party costs, and cancellation charges.
- Third-party costs are not refundable once incurred or committed.
- Subscription, support, retainer, hosting, cloud, licence, or managed service fees are not refundable for periods already started unless required by law or agreed in writing.
- Refunds, where approved, are processed using a reasonable payment method selected by Synotech or the original payment method where available.
4. Cancellations Before Work Starts
If you cancel a service before Synotech has started work and before we have committed resources or third-party costs, we may refund prepaid amounts, minus any bank charges, payment gateway charges, currency conversion fees, administrative costs, and non-recoverable costs already incurred.
Work is considered to have started when we perform any project activity, including discovery, meetings, requirements review, planning, architecture, design, development, research, setup, account configuration, onboarding, procurement, testing, deployment, documentation, project management, security review, or support.
5. Cancellations After Work Starts
If you cancel after work has started, you must pay for:
- Work completed up to the cancellation date.
- Work in progress.
- Approved or committed milestones.
- Resource commitments that cannot reasonably be reallocated.
- Third-party costs, licences, hosting, tools, subscriptions, contractors, and supplier costs.
- Reasonable handover, close-out, documentation, data export, repository transfer, and administrative work.
- Any cancellation charges stated in the applicable agreement.
If prepaid amounts exceed the amount due for completed work, committed work, and non-recoverable costs, Synotech may issue a refund or credit for the balance.
6. Deposits
Deposits secure project planning, resource allocation, onboarding, and commencement of work. Unless a written agreement states otherwise, deposits are non-refundable once work starts or resources are reserved.
Where a deposit is paid and the project is cancelled before any work starts and before resources or costs are committed, Synotech may refund part or all of the deposit after deducting reasonable administrative, payment, and non-recoverable costs.
7. Milestone-Based Projects
For milestone-based projects:
- Each milestone is billed and assessed according to the agreed milestone scope.
- Once a milestone is delivered and accepted, fees for that milestone are not refundable.
- If a milestone is rejected for valid reasons against the agreed acceptance criteria, Synotech will be given a reasonable opportunity to correct the issue.
- A refund is not available merely because business priorities changed, internal approval was withdrawn, the client no longer requires the deliverable, the client changed strategy, or the client requested a different solution after approval.
8. Time-and-Materials Services
For time-and-materials services, clients pay for time spent and expenses incurred. Fees for properly recorded time and approved expenses are not refundable.
Where the client disputes recorded time, the client must notify Synotech in writing within 7 calendar days after receiving the relevant invoice or report. Synotech will review the dispute and may issue a correction, credit, or explanation.
9. Retainers and Support Plans
Retainers, support plans, and maintenance plans provide access to capacity, availability, response handling, support resources, and service management.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing:
- Retainer and support fees are payable in advance.
- Unused hours or capacity do not automatically roll over unless the applicable agreement says they do.
- Fees are not refundable for a billing period that has already started.
- Either party may end an ongoing retainer or support plan by giving 20 business days’ written notice, unless a different notice period is agreed.
- Work requested during the notice period remains billable.
10. Digital Products, Source Code, and Deliverables
Digital deliverables, including source code, designs, documentation, reports, prototypes, compiled applications, cloud configurations, scripts, integrations, and technical assets, are not returnable in the same way as physical goods.
Once digital deliverables are provided, downloaded, accessed, deployed, transferred, or used, fees are not refundable unless the deliverable materially fails to meet agreed acceptance criteria and Synotech is unable to correct the issue within a reasonable time.
11. Defects and Service Issues
If you believe a deliverable has a defect or does not meet agreed acceptance criteria, you must notify Synotech in writing with sufficient detail to reproduce or assess the issue.
A valid defect report should include:
- The affected deliverable or service.
- The expected result based on the agreed scope.
- The actual result.
- Steps to reproduce the issue where applicable.
- Screenshots, logs, data samples, or error messages where relevant.
- The environment where the issue occurred.
Synotech will review valid defect reports and may provide correction, workaround, replacement, service credit, or another reasonable remedy depending on the agreement and applicable law.
A defect does not include issues caused by third-party changes, unauthorised modifications, misuse, incorrect configuration by the client, unsupported environments, user error, changed requirements, incomplete client data, expired licences, infrastructure failures, or matters outside the agreed scope.
12. Consumer Rights
Nothing in this policy limits consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Where applicable, consumer protection laws in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa may provide rights relating to fair dealing, cancellation, refunds, repair, replacement, defective goods, defective services, unsafe goods, misleading advertising, delivery, electronic transactions, or quality standards.
Where a consumer has a statutory right to a refund, repair, replacement, cancellation, or other remedy, Synotech will comply with that right.
13. Online Transactions and Cooling-Off Rights
Where an online transaction is subject to a statutory cooling-off period and the client qualifies for that protection, Synotech will honour the applicable statutory cancellation right.
Where a client requests immediate commencement of services, digital delivery, access to digital content, project onboarding, discovery, consulting, support, or development work during a cooling-off period, the client may be responsible for the reasonable value of services performed, digital deliverables supplied, and costs incurred before cancellation, to the extent permitted by law.
14. Non-Refundable Items
The following are generally non-refundable unless required by law:
- Completed consulting sessions, workshops, and meetings.
- Discovery, research, audit, assessment, or technical due diligence work already performed.
- Accepted designs, wireframes, documentation, prototypes, reports, or code.
- Development, testing, deployment, support, DevOps, cloud, or cybersecurity work already performed.
- Third-party licences, subscriptions, cloud costs, hosting fees, domain fees, software tools, stock assets, contractor fees, app store fees, payment provider fees, and procurement costs.
- Emergency work, out-of-hours support, incident response, or urgent remediation work.
- Custom integrations, bespoke development, and configuration work already started.
- Administrative costs, payment charges, bank fees, currency conversion fees, and taxes not recoverable by Synotech.
15. Refund Request Process
To request a refund, credit, or billing review, email [email protected] with:
- Your name and organisation.
- Invoice number or project reference.
- Date of payment.
- Amount paid.
- Reason for the request.
- Supporting documents or evidence.
- Preferred resolution.
Synotech will review the request and respond within a reasonable time. We may request additional information to assess the request.
16. Approved Refunds
If a refund is approved:
- Refunds will be processed to the original payment method where reasonably possible.
- Processing times depend on banks, payment processors, currency controls, and financial service providers.
- Refunds may be reduced by non-recoverable bank charges, payment fees, currency conversion charges, taxes, and third-party costs where permitted by law.
- Synotech may issue a credit note instead of a cash refund where agreed or where appropriate for ongoing business clients.
17. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes
Before initiating a chargeback or bank dispute, contact us at [email protected] so that we can review and attempt to resolve the matter.
Unjustified chargebacks may result in suspension of services, withholding of deliverables, recovery of fees, and recovery of chargeback costs to the extent permitted by law.
18. Contact
For refund, cancellation, credit, or billing questions, contact:
Synotech
Website: www.synotech.dev
Email: [email protected]