Refund Policy

Overview and Scope

This Refund Policy ("Policy") outlines the conditions under which Hardware & Software Lifecycle Support ("HSLS," "Company," "we," "us," "our") may issue refunds, service credits, or pro-rata adjustments to clients ("Client," "you," "your") for services rendered under an active service agreement. This Policy applies to all service modules offered by HSLS, including System Health Diagnostics, Peripheral Integration Support, Internal Database Cleanup, Endpoint Configuration, and Operational Uptime Monitoring, whether engaged individually or as part of a bundled service package.

Because HSLS provides professional IT maintenance and managed services that require significant upfront investment in onboarding, infrastructure assessment, tool deployment, and configuration, our services are generally non-refundable once active service delivery has commenced. However, we recognize that certain circumstances may warrant partial refunds or service credits, and this Policy sets forth the specific conditions under which such adjustments may be granted.

Cancellation Before Service Commencement

If you cancel your service agreement before the onboarding process has begun and before any active service delivery has commenced, you are entitled to a full refund of any prepaid service fees, less any non-refundable administrative or setup fees that were disclosed and agreed upon at the time of signing.

Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to our administrative team. Upon receipt of your cancellation request, we will process your refund within fourteen (14) business days. The refund will be issued to the original payment method used at the time of purchase.

2.1 Cancellation During Onboarding

If you cancel your service agreement after the onboarding process has begun but before the transition to active managed service status, you may be eligible for a partial refund. The refund amount will be calculated as the total prepaid fees minus the value of work already completed during the onboarding phase, including but not limited to: hours spent on infrastructure assessment, tool deployment, configuration work, documentation, and any third-party costs incurred on your behalf.

HSLS will provide a detailed accounting of onboarding work completed and associated costs within ten (10) business days of receiving your cancellation request. Any eligible refund will be processed within fourteen (14) business days of the accounting being finalized.

Cancellation After Active Service Delivery

Once active managed service delivery has commenced (i.e., the onboarding process is complete and service modules are operational), service fees for the current billing period are non-refundable. This is because HSLS allocates dedicated resources, monitoring infrastructure, and personnel to your account from the moment active service begins.

3.1 Mid-Cycle Cancellation

If you terminate your service agreement mid-cycle (i.e., partway through a billing period), you will not receive a refund for the remainder of the current billing period. However, no further charges will be incurred beyond the current billing period, provided your cancellation complies with the notice requirements specified in your service agreement and our Terms of Service.

3.2 Annual or Multi-Month Prepayment

If you have prepaid for multiple months or an annual term and wish to cancel before the end of the prepaid period, you may be eligible for a pro-rata refund of unused months, subject to the following conditions:

• Cancellation must be submitted in writing at least thirty (30) days before the desired effective date of termination.
• Any discounts applied for multi-month or annual prepayment will be recalculated. The refund will be based on the standard monthly rate for the number of months of service actually used, not the discounted rate.
• An early termination fee equal to one (1) month of service at the standard monthly rate may be deducted from the refund amount, as specified in your service agreement.
• The pro-rata refund will be calculated from the first day of the month following the effective termination date through the end of the prepaid period.

Service Credits for SLA Failures

If HSLS fails to meet the Service Level Agreement targets specified in your service agreement, you may be eligible for service credits rather than monetary refunds. Service credits are applied to future invoices and cannot be redeemed for cash.

4.1 Eligibility for Service Credits

To qualify for a service credit, the following conditions must be met:

• The SLA failure must be attributable to HSLS's systems, processes, or personnel and not to Client actions, third-party service failures, force majeure events, or scheduled maintenance windows.
• The Client must submit a written service credit request within fifteen (15) business days of the SLA failure occurrence, including a description of the incident, the affected systems, and the duration of the service disruption.
• The Client's account must be in good standing with no overdue balances at the time of the service credit request.

4.2 Service Credit Calculation

Service credits are calculated based on the severity and duration of the SLA failure relative to the monthly service fee for the affected module. The specific credit percentages are defined in your service agreement, but the following standard schedule applies unless otherwise negotiated:

• Uptime between 99.0% and 99.96%: Credit of 10% of the monthly fee for the affected module.
• Uptime between 95.0% and 98.99%: Credit of 25% of the monthly fee for the affected module.
• Uptime between 90.0% and 94.99%: Credit of 50% of the monthly fee for the affected module.
• Uptime below 90.0%: Credit of 100% of the monthly fee for the affected module.

The maximum service credit for any single month shall not exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the total monthly service fee for the affected module. Service credits are the sole and exclusive remedy for SLA failures and do not constitute an admission of liability or fault by HSLS.

Non-Refundable Items

The following fees and charges are non-refundable under any circumstances:

• Setup and onboarding fees: Any one-time fees charged for initial infrastructure assessment, tool deployment, and onboarding configuration work, once such work has commenced.
• Emergency or after-hours service fees: Charges for emergency incident response or after-hours support requested outside the scope of your standard service agreement.
• Third-party costs: Fees paid to third-party vendors, software providers, or hardware suppliers on your behalf, including but not limited to software licenses, hardware purchases, cloud service subscriptions, or shipping costs.
• Project-based or consulting fees: Charges for one-time project work, consulting engagements, or professional services delivered outside the scope of your recurring managed service agreement.
• Custom development or scripting: Fees for custom automation scripts, integration development, or bespoke tooling created specifically for your environment.

Refund Request Process

All refund requests must be submitted in writing to HSLS's administrative team. Your request should include the following information:

• Your full legal name and company name as it appears on your service agreement.
• The service agreement number or account identifier.
• A detailed description of the reason for your refund request.
• The specific billing period(s) and service module(s) for which you are requesting a refund.
• Any supporting documentation, including incident reports, correspondence, or other evidence relevant to your request.

Upon receipt of a complete refund request, HSLS will review the request and respond with a determination within ten (10) business days. If additional information is required to process your request, HSLS will notify you promptly, and the review period will be extended accordingly. If your refund request is approved, the refund will be processed within fourteen (14) business days of the approval date using the original payment method, unless an alternative arrangement is agreed upon in writing.

Disputes and Escalation

If you disagree with HSLS's determination regarding your refund request, you may escalate the matter by submitting a written appeal within fifteen (15) business days of receiving the initial determination. Appeals should include any additional information or documentation that supports your position. HSLS's management team will review the appeal and provide a final determination within fifteen (15) business days.

If the dispute remains unresolved after the appeal process, both parties agree to attempt resolution through good-faith mediation before pursuing any formal legal remedies, in accordance with the dispute resolution provisions set forth in our Terms of Service.

Modifications to This Policy

HSLS reserves the right to modify this Refund Policy at any time. Any changes will be effective upon posting of the revised Policy with an updated "Last Updated" date. Changes to this Policy will not apply retroactively to refund requests submitted before the effective date of the modification. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed of any updates.