Refund Policy

1. Overview

ABWcurious Pvt Ltd ("Company", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to ensuring client satisfaction across all our services and products. This Refund Policy outlines the circumstances under which refunds may be issued for our cybersecurity, VAPT, digital forensics, web development, app development, AI Learning, digital marketing, AMC services, and IT support, as well as our products including CyberIntelligence360, TheCodeArena, StudySpark, and Restaurant360.

This policy is designed in compliance with the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020. We encourage you to read this policy carefully before engaging our services or purchasing our products. By making a payment, you acknowledge and agree to this Refund Policy.

2. Professional Services Refund Policy

2.1 Cybersecurity and VAPT Services

Cybersecurity and VAPT engagements are professional services that require significant resource allocation, including dedicated security researchers, specialized tools, and time commitments. Due to the nature of these services:

• Before engagement commencement: If you cancel the engagement before work has commenced, a full refund of any advance payment will be issued within 15 business days, minus a 5% processing fee to cover administrative costs
• After engagement commencement: Once our security team has begun the assessment, refunds are not available for completed work. Partial refunds may be considered for the unexecuted portion of the engagement on a pro-rata basis, subject to mutual agreement
• Deliverable disputes: If you believe the deliverables do not meet the scope defined in the Statement of Work (SOW), you may raise a dispute within 15 business days of delivery. We will review the deliverables against the SOW and, if the dispute is valid, we will either revise the deliverables at no additional cost or issue a partial refund for the deficient portion
• Scope changes: Refunds are not applicable if the client changes the scope of the engagement after work has commenced, resulting in a modified deliverable set

2.2 Digital Forensics Services

Digital forensics engagements involve time-sensitive evidence preservation and analysis. Due to the nature of forensic work:

• No refunds are available for forensic services once evidence collection and analysis has commenced, as the resources and time committed cannot be recovered
• If the engagement is cancelled before evidence collection begins, a refund will be issued for the advance payment minus a 10% administrative fee
• If forensic analysis is unable to yield meaningful results due to factors beyond our control (e.g., evidence has been tampered with, insufficient log retention), refunds are not applicable as the professional effort has been expended

2.3 Web and App Development Services

Development projects typically follow a milestone-based payment structure. Refund terms for development services are as follows:

• Before project kickoff: Full refund of any advance payment, minus a 5% processing fee, if cancellation is requested before development work begins
• During development: Refunds are calculated on a pro-rata basis for uncompleted milestones. Completed milestones that have been approved by the client are non-refundable
• After delivery: Post-delivery refund requests will be evaluated based on the warranty terms specified in the development agreement. Bug fixes and maintenance within the warranty period are provided at no additional cost
• Client-initiated termination: If the client terminates the project before completion, payment for completed work is due in full, and any advance for uncompleted work will be refunded on a pro-rata basis after deducting costs incurred

3. Product Subscription Refund Policy

3.1 CyberIntelligence360

CyberIntelligence360 is offered as a subscription-based threat intelligence and security monitoring platform:

• Annual subscriptions: A full refund is available within 14 calendar days from the date of purchase if you are not satisfied with the platform. After 14 days, a pro-rata refund may be issued for the remaining unused period of the subscription, subject to a 15% early termination fee
• Monthly subscriptions: No refunds for the current billing month. You may cancel at any time, and the cancellation will take effect at the end of the current billing period
• Enterprise plans: Refund terms are governed by the specific Enterprise Service Level Agreement (SLA) executed between ABWcurious Pvt Ltd and the enterprise client
• Free trials: No payment is required during the free trial period, and therefore no refund is applicable

3.2 TheCodeArena

TheCodeArena offers coding challenges and skill development features:

• Premium subscriptions: A full refund within 7 calendar days of purchase if you have not extensively used premium features (defined as accessing more than 3 premium challenges or resources). After 7 days, subscriptions are non-refundable
• Contest entry fees: Entry fees for competitive coding contests are non-refundable once the contest has commenced. If a contest is cancelled by ABWcurious Pvt Ltd, a full refund of the entry fee will be issued

3.3 StudySpark

StudySpark provides AI-powered learning and educational content:

• Course purchases: Full refund within 14 calendar days of purchase if you have completed less than 25% of the course content. No refund is available after completing 25% or more of the course material
• Subscription plans: Full refund within 7 days of the initial purchase. Subsequent renewals are non-refundable but may be cancelled to prevent future billing
• AI credits/packages: Unused AI credits are non-refundable but remain available in your account for 12 months from the date of purchase

3.4 Restaurant360

Restaurant360 is currently in development ("coming soon"). Refund terms for this product will be published upon official launch. If you have enrolled in an early access or pre-order program:

• Full refund is available at any time before the product launch date
• Post-launch refund terms will be communicated via email to all pre-order customers prior to launch

4. AMC and IT Support Refund Policy

Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) and IT Support services are provided on a retainer basis:

• AMC contracts: A pro-rata refund for the remaining contract period may be issued if you wish to terminate the AMC early, subject to a 20% early termination fee and deduction for services already rendered
• Monthly IT support retainers: No refunds for the current month. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period
• Ad-hoc IT support: No refunds for completed support sessions. If a support session does not resolve the reported issue, a follow-up session will be provided at no additional cost
• Service level disputes: If we fail to meet the response time or resolution commitments defined in the AMC SLA, service credits will be applied to your account as per the SLA terms, in lieu of cash refunds

5. Digital Marketing Services Refund Policy

Digital marketing services involve ongoing campaign management and optimization:

• Setup fees: Non-refundable once campaign setup and strategy development has been completed
• Monthly management fees: No refunds for the current billing month. Cancellation will take effect from the next billing period
• Ad spend: Advertising spend on third-party platforms (Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.) is paid directly to those platforms and is governed by their respective refund policies. ABWcurious Pvt Ltd does not control or refund third-party ad spend
• Campaign performance: As noted in our Disclaimer, we do not guarantee specific marketing outcomes. Refunds are not available based on campaign performance metrics alone

6. Refund Request Process

To request a refund, please follow these steps:

1. Submit a request: Send an email to info@abwcurious.com with the subject line "Refund Request — [Your Company/Name]" including your invoice number, service details, and reason for the refund request
2. Review period: Our team will review your request within 5 business days and may reach out for additional information
3. Decision: You will receive a written decision on your refund request within 10 business days of submission
4. Processing: Approved refunds will be processed within 15 business days from the date of approval. Refunds will be issued using the original payment method unless otherwise agreed

7. Refund Methods

Refunds will be issued through the following methods:

• Original Payment Method: Refunds will be credited back to the original payment method (credit card, debit card, UPI, bank transfer) used for the purchase
• Bank Transfer: If the original payment method is no longer available, a refund will be issued via NEFT/RTGS bank transfer to an account designated by you
• Service Credits: In certain cases, we may offer service credits as an alternative to cash refunds, subject to your acceptance. Service credits can be applied toward future services or product subscriptions

Please note that banking processing times may vary. Credit card refunds may take 5-10 business days to appear on your statement, while bank transfers typically take 3-5 business days.

8. Non-Refundable Items

The following are explicitly non-refundable:

• Services that have been fully delivered and accepted by the client
• Consulting fees for completed advisory sessions or strategy workshops
• Custom reports and assessments that have been delivered and reviewed
• Training sessions or workshops that have been conducted
• Third-party licensing fees, domain registrations, and hosting charges passed through at cost
• Late payment fees or penalty charges
• Services rendered under a fixed-price contract where deliverables have been completed per the SOW
• Expired or unused AI credits past the 12-month validity period on StudySpark

9. Dispute Resolution

If you disagree with our refund decision, you may escalate the matter as follows:

• Internal escalation: Request a review by our senior management team by emailing info@abwcurious.com with "Refund Escalation" in the subject line
• Consumer forum: You have the right to approach the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019
• Arbitration: As per our Terms and Conditions, unresolved disputes may be referred to binding arbitration in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

10. Changes to This Refund Policy

We reserve the right to update or modify this Refund Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Changes to this policy will not affect refund requests that have already been submitted. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed of any updates.

11. Contact Us

For refund requests or any questions about this Refund Policy, please contact us: