Refund Policy

Our refund policy is designed to be fair and reasonable while protecting both our customers and our business interests. Refunds are evaluated on a case-by-case basis according to the guidelines outlined in this policy.

Important Notes:

• All refund requests must be submitted in writing to contact@zenith-cloud-ops.com
• Refunds are processed within 10-15 business days of approval
• Refunds are issued to the original payment method
• Partial refunds may be issued for pro-rated service periods
• This policy does not affect your statutory rights

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for new customers on eligible services.

Eligibility Requirements:

• You are a first-time customer of Zenith Cloud Ops
• The refund request is made within 30 days of your initial service activation
• You have not previously received a refund under this guarantee
• The service has not been used in violation of our Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policy
• You have made a good-faith effort to work with our support team to resolve any issues

Covered Services:

• Cloud Infrastructure Management (monthly plans)
• Kubernetes Orchestration (monthly plans)
• Security & Compliance (monthly plans)
• 24/7 Monitoring & Analytics (monthly plans)
• DevOps Automation (monthly plans)

How to Request:

1. Contact our billing team at contact@zenith-cloud-ops.com
2. Include your account details and reason for the refund request
3. Our team will review your request within 2 business days
4. If approved, the refund will be processed within 10-15 business days

For customers who cancel their services mid-billing cycle, we offer pro-rated refunds under certain circumstances.

Eligible Scenarios:

• Service Downtime: If we fail to meet our 99.99% uptime SLA and you choose to cancel
• Service Degradation: If service quality significantly deteriorates and cannot be resolved within 7 days
• Billing Errors: If you were incorrectly charged or billed for services not received
• Early Termination (Annual Plans): Subject to early termination fees as outlined in your Service Agreement

Calculation Method:

Pro-rated refunds are calculated based on the number of unused days in your billing cycle:

Refund Amount = (Monthly Fee ÷ Days in Month) × Unused Days

Limitations:

• Minimum service period of 7 days must be completed
• Setup fees and one-time charges are non-refundable
• Pro-rated refunds do not apply to promotional or discounted pricing
• Resource usage charges are deducted from the refund amount

The following items and services are non-refundable under any circumstances:

• Setup and Onboarding Fees: One-time fees for account setup, configuration, and initial onboarding
• Custom Development: Any custom development, scripting, or integration work performed
• Consulting Services: Time spent on consulting, planning, or advisory services
• Third-Party Costs: Fees paid to third-party providers (cloud platforms, software licenses, etc.)
• Data Transfer Fees: Costs associated with data migration, transfer, or egress
• Training Services: Completed training sessions or workshops
• Emergency Support: After-hours or emergency support services rendered
• Completed Migrations: Cloud migration services after successful completion
• Used Resources: Actual cloud resources consumed (compute, storage, bandwidth)
• Violation Terminations: Services terminated due to Terms of Service violations

In addition to refunds, we offer service credits when we fail to meet our Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Uptime SLA Credits:

How Service Credits Work:

• Credits are automatically calculated based on verified downtime
• Credits must be claimed within 30 days of the incident
• Credits are applied to your next billing cycle
• Credits cannot be redeemed for cash
• Credits expire after 12 months if unused

Exclusions from SLA:

• Scheduled maintenance (with 72-hour notice)
• Issues caused by your infrastructure or applications
• Third-party service provider outages
• Force majeure events
• DDoS attacks or malicious activities

To request a refund, please follow these steps:

1. Submit a Request: Email contact@zenith-cloud-ops.com with the subject line "Refund Request - [Your Account ID]"
2. Provide Information: Include:
   • Your full name and account email
   • Account ID or invoice number
   • Service(s) for which you're requesting a refund
   • Detailed reason for the refund request
   • Any supporting documentation (screenshots, error logs, etc.)
3. Initial Review: Our billing team will acknowledge your request within 1 business day
4. Investigation: We will review your account history, service usage, and the circumstances of your request (2-5 business days)
5. Decision: You will receive a written decision via email, including:
   • Approval or denial of the refund
   • Refund amount (if approved)
   • Explanation of the decision
   • Expected refund timeline
6. Processing: If approved, refunds are processed within 10-15 business days
7. Confirmation: You will receive confirmation once the refund has been issued

Please Contact Us First:

Before initiating a chargeback with your credit card company or payment provider, we strongly encourage you to contact us directly. Most issues can be resolved quickly through our refund process.

Chargeback Consequences:

• Immediate suspension of all services
• Account termination if chargeback is upheld
• Potential legal action to recover costs and damages
• Chargeback fees ($25-$100) will be added to your account
• Inability to use our services in the future

Fraudulent Chargebacks:

Initiating a chargeback for services that were properly delivered constitutes fraud. We reserve the right to:

• Dispute the chargeback with your payment provider
• Provide evidence of service delivery
• Pursue legal remedies for fraudulent chargebacks
• Report fraudulent activity to relevant authorities

Annual plans offer significant savings but have different refund terms than monthly plans.

Within First 30 Days:

• Full refund available under our 30-day money-back guarantee
• No early termination fees apply

After 30 Days:

• Early termination fee of 25% of remaining contract value
• Pro-rated refund of unused months minus termination fee
• Minimum 3-month commitment required

Example Calculation:

No Refund Scenarios:

• Cancellation due to Terms of Service violations
• Non-payment or account suspension
• After 10 months of a 12-month contract

Processing Time:

• Request Review: 2-5 business days
• Approval Decision: 1-2 business days after review
• Refund Processing: 10-15 business days after approval
• Bank Processing: 3-5 business days (varies by institution)

Refund Methods:

• Refunds are issued to the original payment method
• Credit card refunds appear as a credit on your statement
• Bank transfer refunds are sent to the account on file
• PayPal refunds are returned to your PayPal account

Special Circumstances:

• If the original payment method is no longer valid, alternative arrangements will be made
• International refunds may take longer due to currency conversion and banking processes
• Large refunds (over $10,000) may require additional verification

We understand that exceptional circumstances may arise. We will consider refund requests outside our standard policy for:

• Medical Emergencies: Documented medical emergencies affecting your ability to use services
• Natural Disasters: Events that prevent you from operating your business
• Business Closure: Documented permanent closure of your business
• Service Failures: Significant service failures on our part that we cannot resolve
• Billing Errors: Errors in billing or charges that were not authorized

These requests require:

• Written explanation of circumstances
• Supporting documentation
• Review by senior management
• Decision within 10 business days

We reserve the right to modify this Refund Policy at any time. Changes will be effective immediately upon posting to our website with an updated "Last Updated" date.

Notification of Changes:

• Material changes will be communicated via email
• Continued use of services constitutes acceptance of changes
• Existing refund requests will be processed under the policy in effect at the time of purchase

Grandfathering:

If you have an active service agreement, the refund terms in effect at the time of your purchase will apply for the duration of that agreement, unless the changes are more favorable to you.

This Refund Policy does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer. Depending on your location, you may have additional rights under consumer protection laws.

Consumer Rights (US):

• Right to dispute charges with your credit card company
• Protection under state consumer protection laws
• Right to file complaints with the FTC or state attorney general

Consumer Rights (EU/UK):

• 14-day cooling-off period for distance contracts (may not apply to fully performed services)
• Right to refund for services not as described
• Protection under Consumer Rights Act 2015 (UK) or Consumer Rights Directive (EU)