Cancellation and Complaints Policy

This policy applies to Elmhurst Codecraft’s web development and maintenance services. It explains a practical process for cancellation requests and complaints. An accepted project proposal may include specific milestones, notice periods or financial terms that apply to that engagement.

A local project brief confirmation is not a paid order and does not reserve a service. If no project has been accepted, there is normally no active engagement to cancel. Mandatory rights under applicable law take precedence over any contractual term that cannot lawfully limit them.

Send a written request to projects@elmhurstcodecraft.com from the client contact authorized for the project. Identify the business, the relevant proposal or invoice, the service to be stopped and the requested effective date. If you use another agreed business channel, make clear that the message is a cancellation request.

The on-page brief checker does not deliver messages and must not be used to give cancellation notice. Keep a copy of the request. If you have not received an acknowledgement, follow up through the published contact details; do not assume that a local browser reference has reached us.

If a project is cancelled before substantive work begins, we review whether any payment has been received and whether approved, unavoidable third-party costs have already been incurred. A reservation or setup fee applies only if it was clearly disclosed and agreed before the engagement.

We will explain any proposed deduction rather than treating every deposit as automatically non-refundable. Money paid for unperformed work should be considered separately from a clearly agreed fee or an approved external commitment. Any mandatory cancellation or refund right remains available where applicable.

If cancellation occurs after work has started, the settlement takes account of completed work, work genuinely in progress at the effective stop date, and approved third-party commitments that cannot reasonably be cancelled. The accepted project terms determine how those amounts are calculated.

We provide a reasonable explanation of the relevant work and costs. We do not add new scope after receiving a valid stop request merely to increase a cancellation charge. If the client has paid more than the amount properly due, the remaining balance is reviewed for refund; if less, an itemized balance may be invoiced.

A website project may be divided into planning, design, development and launch stages. Cancelling during a stage can leave some materials incomplete or unsuitable for production. A partial handover is not a representation that an unfinished website is ready to launch.

We agree on which completed materials and access details can be handed over under the project’s ownership and payment terms. Pre-existing tools and third-party materials remain subject to their licenses. Private account credentials should be transferred through an appropriate channel, and access that is no longer needed should be removed.

Domains, hosting, paid themes, plugins, applications and integration subscriptions may have their own renewal and refund rules. A purchase should be authorized and its account responsibility identified before it is made. An external provider’s non-refundable cost cannot be assumed to be refundable by Elmhurst Codecraft.

Where possible, clients should hold production services in their own business accounts so that they can control cancellation and renewal directly. We can clarify which subscriptions relate to a project, but cancelling development work does not automatically cancel every external account.

Website Maintenance is a separate monthly service for up to 2 hours of agreed work. The accepted maintenance agreement identifies its billing cycle, notice period and any minimum term. We do not infer an unlimited support commitment from a maintenance subscription.

If the written agreement does not set a different lawful notice rule, ask to stop renewal before the next billing period begins. Already completed work and the current agreed period are reviewed under the service terms. Unused included hours do not roll over. Any exceptional refund or credit should be agreed in writing.

If you need to pause rather than cancel a project, tell us as early as possible and explain the expected restart date. A pause should be agreed in writing, including how completed work, access, payments and future scheduling will be handled.

A restart date may depend on availability and on changes to the original requirements. Content delays or unavailable access can affect the schedule, but they do not justify undisclosed fees. If a pause becomes indefinite, the parties should agree whether to close the current engagement and scope a future restart separately.

Send a complaint to projects@elmhurstcodecraft.com with the project or invoice reference, a clear description of the concern, the relevant dates and the outcome you are seeking. Screenshots, page addresses and an explanation of the expected behavior can help us understand a technical issue.

Please avoid sending passwords, full payment-card details or unnecessary sensitive personal information. Identify whether the issue concerns scope, billing, communication, a technical defect, a cancellation calculation or another matter so that the relevant records can be reviewed.

We aim to acknowledge a written complaint within 5 business days and give a substantive response or a progress update within 15 business days. These are service targets rather than a promise that every technical investigation can be completed in that time. An applicable statutory deadline takes precedence.

The review may involve comparing the accepted scope, approval records, delivered work and relevant invoices. We may ask for further details or controlled access needed to reproduce a problem. If more time is required, we aim to explain what remains under review and provide the next expected update.

A suitable remedy depends on the concern and the agreed service. It can include correcting a confirmed in-scope defect, supplying a missing agreed deliverable, clarifying a handover, revising an incorrect invoice, or agreeing an appropriate credit, partial refund or other settlement.

A preference for new features or a different design direction is not automatically a defect in delivered work. Equally, a genuine failure to supply an agreed deliverable should not be dismissed as a scope change. We assess the issue against the actual agreement and applicable law.

If a refund is agreed or legally required, we confirm the amount, reason and intended payment method. We aim to arrange the refund within 10 business days after the amount and necessary payment details are settled, subject to applicable legal deadlines and the processing time of the payment provider.

Where possible, a refund should return through the original payment channel. We do not require an unnecessary purchase or additional fee to release an agreed refund. If an amount remains disputed, the undisputed part should be identified clearly so that it can be addressed without waiting for unrelated matters.

If you disagree with the initial response, ask for a further review and explain which findings or proposed remedy you dispute. Include any additional evidence that may affect the assessment. The parties can consider a mutually agreed mediation or other lawful dispute process where appropriate.

This policy does not prevent either party from using a right or remedy available under applicable law, and it does not require compulsory arbitration. Consumer cooling-off or withdrawal rights, where applicable, must be assessed for the actual contract and the client’s circumstances.

The last updated date identifies the current website version. A revised policy does not automatically replace cancellation or complaint terms already accepted for an active project, except where an applicable legal requirement demands a change.

Questions about a cancellation, maintenance renewal or complaint should be sent directly through the business contact details below. Keep relevant project correspondence so that the work and any resolution can be understood clearly.