Payments, Cancellations & Refunds Policy (Phicient)

1) Definitions

• Engagement Fee: the initial payment required to reserve capacity, confirm scope, and begin delivery.
• Milestone Payments: interim payments due at agreed stages of an engagement.
• Delivery Start: the point at which Phicient begins work, including (without limitation) planning, discovery, system review, setup, analysis, documentation, implementation, or any pre-work activity.
• Business Day: Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays.

2) Payment structure (projects paid by invoice)

Most project engagements are billed in 2–3 parts (depending on scope and size), typically:

1. Engagement Fee (upfront) — required to reserve delivery capacity and begin work
2. Midway Payment — due at the agreed project midpoint (date-based)
3. Final Payment — due at the agreed completion point (date-based), subject to the review/acceptance window in Section 7

Engagement Fee (non-negotiable)

The Engagement Fee must be paid before Phicient will:

• schedule delivery start,
• reserve delivery capacity,
• deploy or share deliverables beyond proposal materials, or
• commence any work.

The Engagement Fee is non-refundable once paid.

3) Proof Sprint (£997) — Cancellation & Refund Terms

Applies to: Proof Sprint and any other fixed-scope sprint/package explicitly paid upfront.

3.1 Cancellation before kickoff (14-day window)

If you cancel within 14 days of purchase and before the kickoff call, you can request a full refund, provided no work has started.

“Work started” includes any pre-kickoff review, setup, access configuration, analysis, sprint planning, or any delivery activity performed by Phicient.

3.2 Once kickoff happens or work starts

Because the Proof Sprint is a fixed-scope delivery service and we reserve capacity immediately, payments are non-refundable once the kickoff call has taken place or delivery work has started (whichever happens first).

3.3 Rescheduling

You may reschedule the kickoff once with at least 24 hours’ notice, to a date within 30 days of the original booking.

3.4 Late cancellations / no-shows

If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice or do not attend the kickoff, the payment is non-refundable. We will offer one replacement kickoff slot (subject to availability) if requested within 7 days.

3.5 Credit (where a refund isn’t available)

Where a refund is not available, we may offer a credit equal to the amount paid, valid for 90 days, which can be applied to a rescheduled Proof Sprint or a higher-tier engagement.

3.6 Prerequisites and readiness

If prerequisites are not completed at least 24 hours before kickoff, we may need to reschedule to protect delivery quality. This is not a cancellation and does not trigger a refund.

4) Project engagements (invoice-based) — Cancellation & Refund Terms

4.1 Cancellation before Delivery Start (after Engagement Fee paid)

If you cancel after paying the Engagement Fee but before Delivery Start:

• the Engagement Fee remains non-refundable; and
• any additional amounts paid (if any) may be refunded at Phicient’s discretion, less unrecoverable costs already incurred (see Section 9), unless otherwise agreed in writing.

4.2 Cancellation after Delivery Start

If you cancel after Delivery Start:

• fees paid are non-refundable for work completed and capacity reserved; and
• Phicient may (at its discretion) do one or more of the following:

• deliver work completed up to the cancellation date,
• invoice for work performed up to that date (including time reserved),
• offer a credit (not cash) for unused delivery time, valid for 90 days, to be applied to a future engagement.

5) Milestone payment timing (date-based)

To avoid delays caused by extended internal finance processes, Milestone Payments are due by the invoice due date (date-based), not solely on “sign-off”.

If a Milestone Payment is overdue, Phicient may:

• pause work immediately, and/or
• release reserved delivery capacity for other clients.

Pausing due to non-payment does not create a right to a refund.

6) Pause policy (client-caused delays)

Phicient’s timelines assume timely access, inputs, and decisions. If progress is blocked due to client-side delay (including lack of access, missing data, unavailable owners, or delayed approvals):

• Phicient may pause delivery until required inputs are received.
• Scheduled delivery windows may be released and rebooked based on availability.
• Pauses or rescheduling caused by client delay do not create a right to a refund.
• If delays extend beyond 30 days, Phicient may treat the engagement as cancelled by the client (see Section 4.2), and any continuation will require re-scheduling based on capacity.

7) Review, approval, and acceptance (prevents “sign-off delay”)

Where deliverables are subject to client review:

• the client must provide feedback, approval, or a written list of required changes within 5 business days of delivery (unless otherwise agreed in writing);
• if no feedback is received within that window, the deliverable will be treated as accepted; and
• acceptance triggers progression to the next stage and/or final invoicing as applicable.

8) Meetings: rescheduling, late cancellations, and no-shows

Unless otherwise stated in writing for a specific engagement:

• meetings may be rescheduled with at least 24 hours’ notice;
• late cancellations (<24 hours) or no-shows may be counted as delivered time and may not be rebooked; and
• repeated rescheduling may require re-slotting into the next available delivery window.

9) Third-party costs and pass-through fees

Any fees paid to third parties (including software subscriptions, licences, hosting, contractors, transaction fees, or tools purchased specifically for the engagement) are non-refundable and remain payable by the client where incurred for the engagement.

10) Chargebacks and payment disputes

If the client initiates a chargeback or payment dispute, Phicient may suspend services immediately until the dispute is resolved.

Where a chargeback is found in Phicient’s favour, the client remains liable for:

• all outstanding fees; and
• any associated dispute, administration, or recovery costs.

11) Statutory rights (consumer vs business customers)

Phicient primarily provides services to business customers. Where consumer statutory cancellation rights apply, they are not affected by this policy.

Where permitted by law, if the client requests that delivery begins immediately, the client acknowledges that cancellation rights may be limited once services have started.

12) How to request cancellation, rescheduling, or a refund review

Email support@phicient.com and include:

• company name,
• purchase/invoice email address,
• invoice number (if applicable),
• service purchased,
• requested action (cancel / reschedule / refund request), and
• a brief reason.

13) Contact

Questions about this policy: support@phicient.com

Phicient LLC
16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, DE 19958, USA
Operating location: Kidderminster, UK