Refund Policy

Last Updated: January 11, 2025 Effective Date: January 11, 2025

1. Introduction and Scope

This Refund Policy governs all refund, cancellation, and payment reversal requests for services provided by CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL ("we", "us", "our", "Company") through the CMG Workflow platform (the "Service").

1.1 Applicable Services

This policy applies to:

Monthly Subscription Plans - Recurring monthly billing cycles
Annual Subscription Plans - Recurring annual billing cycles with discounted pricing
Add-on Modules - Optional features purchased separately (Lead Management, AI Automation, WhatsApp Integration, Client Management)
Usage-Based Billing - WhatsApp message consumption, AI conversation tokens, additional storage

1.2 Consumer Rights Under Romanian Law

IMPORTANT FOR ROMANIAN CONSUMERS: If you are a consumer (natural person acting outside professional/commercial activity) purchasing services for personal use, you have additional rights under Romanian consumer protection law (OUG 34/2014) including:

14-Day Withdrawal Right - Right to cancel distance contracts within 14 calendar days without providing reason (subject to exceptions for digital content/services where performance has begun with consent)
Clear Pre-Contractual Information - Right to receive complete pricing, characteristics, and terms before purchase
Refund Within 14 Days - If withdrawal right exercised, refund within 14 days of cancellation notice

NOTE: This policy complies with and exceeds Romanian consumer protection requirements. Where Romanian law provides greater protection, Romanian law prevails.

1.3 Business (B2B) Customers

For business customers (organizations, companies, sole traders purchasing for commercial activity), refunds are governed by this policy and the Terms of Service. Statutory withdrawal rights for consumers do not apply to B2B transactions under Romanian law.

2. Money-Back Guarantee (First-Time Customers)

2.1 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Eligibility:

First-time subscribers only - Applies to the first subscription purchase by a new organization/customer
All subscription tiers - Starter, Professional, Enterprise plans
First billing cycle only - Monthly or annual (whichever is purchased first)
Within 14 calendar days - From the date of initial subscription activation

How It Works:

Subscribe to any plan (monthly or annual)
Evaluate the Service for up to 14 calendar days from activation
If unsatisfied for any reason (or no reason), request full refund
Receive 100% refund of subscription fee paid

What Happens After Refund:

Immediate service termination upon refund processing
All data exported within 72 hours (after that, permanently deleted)
No access to Service after refund confirmation
Organization account marked as "refunded" (prevents abuse)

Exclusions:

Usage-based charges - WhatsApp messages sent, AI tokens consumed, external API calls during evaluation period are NON-REFUNDABLE (third-party costs incurred)
Add-on purchases - Separate add-on module purchases not eligible (only base subscription)
Renewal subscriptions - Second month/year renewals not eligible
Free trials - If promotional free trial used before paid subscription, money-back guarantee may be reduced or excluded (terms specified at time of trial)

2.2 How to Request Money-Back Guarantee Refund

Step 1: Submit Request Email support@cmgworkflow.com within 14 calendar days of activation with:

Organization name and account email
Subscription purchase date and order ID
Confirmation of refund request under 14-day money-back guarantee
(Optional) Feedback on why the Service didn't meet your needs

Step 2: Data Export (Optional) We will provide 48-hour window to export your data before account termination:

Leads data (CSV export)
Clients data (CSV export)
Conversation logs (JSON export)
Custom fields and settings (JSON export)

Step 3: Refund Processing

Approval Time: Within 24-48 hours of request
Refund Method: Original payment method (Stripe processed)
Refund Timeline: 5-10 business days for funds to appear in bank account (depends on bank processing)
Confirmation: Email confirmation sent when refund initiated

Step 4: Account Termination Upon refund processing:

Service access immediately revoked
Data retained for 72 hours (for export if needed)
After 72 hours, all data permanently deleted per GDPR Article 17 (Right to Erasure)

3. Subscription Cancellation and Refunds

3.1 Monthly Subscription Cancellations

How Cancellation Works:

Cancel anytime from Account Settings → Billing → "Cancel Subscription"
Access continues until end of current billing period (you keep access for time already paid)
No prorated refunds - Cancelling mid-cycle does NOT result in partial refund for unused days
No automatic renewal - Subscription does not renew at end of cancelled billing period
Data retention - After subscription ends, data retained for 30 days then permanently deleted (unless you export it)

Example:

You subscribe on January 10 (monthly plan, €50/month)
You cancel on January 25
Access continues until February 10 (end of paid billing cycle)
No refund for January 25-February 10 unused portion
On February 10, subscription ends (no renewal charge)

Rationale for No Prorated Refunds:

Monthly pricing already reflects pay-as-you-go flexibility
Administrative costs of processing partial refunds exceed value
Service resources (database, storage, API quotas) allocated monthly regardless of usage
Industry standard practice for SaaS monthly subscriptions

3.2 Annual Subscription Cancellations

Prorated Refund Policy: Annual subscriptions (12-month prepaid plans) are eligible for prorated refunds if cancelled before 50% of annual period elapses.

Refund Calculation:

Refund Amount = (Annual Fee Paid) × (Months Remaining / 12) × 0.80

20% Administrative Fee Deducted:

Covers payment processing fees (Stripe charges non-refundable)
Administrative costs of refund processing
Discounted annual pricing benefit already received

Eligibility Requirements:

✅ Cancellation requested within first 6 months of annual period
✅ No Terms of Service violations (see Section 6)
✅ Account in good standing (no chargebacks, payment disputes)
❌ After 50% of annual period (6 months), NO refunds (too much benefit already received)

Example 1 - Eligible for Prorated Refund:

Annual subscription: €500/year (purchased January 1, 2025)
Cancellation requested: April 15, 2025 (3.5 months into 12-month period)
Months remaining: 8.5 months
Calculation: €500 × (8.5/12) × 0.80 = €283.33 refund
You received €216.67 value for 3.5 months (equivalent to €62/month vs €50/month if monthly plan)

Example 2 - NOT Eligible for Refund:

Annual subscription: €500/year (purchased January 1, 2025)
Cancellation requested: August 1, 2025 (7 months into 12-month period)
No refund - Past 50% threshold (6 months)
Access continues until December 31, 2025 (end of annual period)

How to Cancel Annual Subscription: Email support@cmgworkflow.com with:

Organization name and account email
Annual subscription purchase date and order ID
Cancellation reason (optional but appreciated)
Confirmation you understand prorated refund calculation (if within 6 months)

Processing Time:

Refund approval: 3-5 business days
Refund processing: 7-10 business days from approval
Total timeline: ~2 weeks from request to bank account credit

3.3 Automatic Renewal Refunds

Policy: Automatic subscription renewals (monthly or annual) are generally NON-REFUNDABLE unless:

✅ Payment processing error - Charged incorrect amount, duplicate charge, technical error
✅ Cancellation not honored - You cancelled before renewal date but system renewed anyway (our error)
✅ Unauthorized renewal - Account compromised, payment method used without authorization
❌ Forgot to cancel - Not eligible for refund (renewal reminder emails sent 7 days before renewal)

Renewal Reminder System: We send email reminders:

7 days before renewal - "Your subscription renews in 7 days"
24 hours before renewal - "Final reminder: Subscription renews tomorrow"
Sent to organization admin email and billing contact email

If You Miss Cancellation Deadline:

Contact us immediately: support@cmgworkflow.com
Explain the situation (we review on case-by-case basis)
Goodwill refunds - We MAY offer partial or full refund at our sole discretion (first-time customers, extenuating circumstances)
Not guaranteed - Goodwill refunds are exception, not policy entitlement

4. Usage-Based Billing and Third-Party Service Costs

4.1 Non-Refundable Usage Charges

The following usage-based charges are 100% NON-REFUNDABLE under all circumstances:

WhatsApp Business API Messages:

Cost: Per message sent via WhatsApp Business Cloud API (Meta charges us per message)
Why Non-Refundable: Messages are sent to recipients in real-time; cannot be "unsent" or reversed
Third-Party Cost: Meta (Facebook) charges CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL for each message; we cannot recover these costs
Your Control: You control message sending through templates, automation rules, manual sends
Billing: Charged in arrears (billed after messages sent, typically monthly)

Google Gemini AI Conversation Tokens:

Cost: Per 1,000 tokens consumed by AI conversations (Google charges us per token)
Why Non-Refundable: AI processing occurs in real-time; computational resources consumed immediately
Third-Party Cost: Google Cloud AI services charge CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL per API call; we cannot recover these costs
Your Control: You control AI automation rules, conversation triggers, token limits
Billing: Charged in arrears (billed after consumption, typically monthly)

Supabase Storage Overage:

Cost: Storage beyond included plan limits (per GB per month)
Why Non-Refundable: Database storage resources allocated and cannot be reversed
Third-Party Cost: Supabase charges us for storage overages
Your Control: Monitor storage usage in dashboard, delete unused data, upgrade plan for higher limits

Stripe Payment Processing Fees:

Cost: 2.9% + €0.25 per successful payment transaction
Why Non-Refundable: Stripe keeps processing fees even when we issue refunds (we pay fee twice: once for charge, once for refund)
Impact on Refunds: When we refund subscription, we absorb Stripe's processing fees (not passed to you)

4.2 Estimating Usage-Based Costs

Before Enabling Usage-Based Features: We provide usage estimates and cost projections:

WhatsApp message pricing calculator (estimate monthly message volume)
AI conversation token estimator (average tokens per conversation)
Storage usage monitor (current usage + projected growth)

Setting Budget Limits: You can set hard budget caps:

WhatsApp Message Cap: Stop sending messages after X messages/month
AI Token Cap: Disable AI automation after X tokens/month
Alerts: Email alerts at 50%, 80%, 100% of budget cap

Reviewing Usage Before Billing:

Real-time usage dashboard (view current month consumption)
Projected invoice preview (estimated charges for current billing period)
Historical usage reports (analyze past months to optimize)

Our Recommendation: Start with conservative budget caps during first month, then adjust based on actual usage patterns and ROI.

5. Service Failures and Technical Issues

5.1 Service Availability Refunds

Our Service Level Commitment:

Uptime Target: 99.5% monthly uptime (excluding scheduled maintenance)
Scheduled Maintenance: Announced 48 hours in advance, during low-traffic hours (typically 2am-6am EET)
Unscheduled Outages: We strive for <4 hours total unscheduled downtime per month

Refund Eligibility for Outages: If Service is unavailable (returns errors, inaccessible, non-functional) for more than 24 consecutive hours due to our infrastructure failure (not third-party services):

Prorated refund for days of unavailability
Calculation: (Monthly Subscription Fee / 30 days) × (Days Unavailable)
Automatic credit applied to next billing cycle (or cash refund if requested)

Example:

Monthly subscription: €50/month
Service down for 48 consecutive hours (2 days)
Refund: €50 / 30 × 2 = €3.33 credit

What Does NOT Qualify:

❌ Third-party service failures - WhatsApp API outage, Google Gemini API downtime, Supabase database issues (outside our control)
❌ Scheduled maintenance - Announced maintenance windows (you were notified in advance)
❌ Your internet/device issues - Service is available, but you cannot access due to local connectivity
❌ User error - Incorrect configuration, account suspension for Terms violation
❌ Force majeure - Natural disasters, war, government action, internet backbone failures

How to Request Service Availability Refund: Email support@cmgworkflow.com within 14 days of outage with:

Date and time of unavailability (include timezone)
Description of error/inaccessibility
Screenshots or error logs (if available)
Impact on your business (context helpful but not required)

We will investigate using our server logs and confirm:

Duration of outage
Root cause (our infrastructure vs third-party)
Eligibility for refund under this policy
Refund amount or service credit

Processing Time: 5-7 business days for investigation and refund approval.

5.2 Data Loss or Corruption

Our Data Protection Commitment:

Daily backups - Full database backup every 24 hours
Point-in-time recovery - Restore to any point within last 7 days
Redundant storage - Data replicated across 3 availability zones (Supabase infrastructure)
99.99% data durability - Supabase PostgreSQL with automated backups

Refund Eligibility for Data Loss: If your organization's data is permanently lost or corrupted due to our negligence or system failure (not your actions):

Full refund of most recent billing cycle (monthly or annual prorated)
Data recovery costs - We cover reasonable costs of recreating lost data (up to 3× monthly subscription fee)
Service credit - 3 months free service (if you choose to continue using Service after incident)

What Does NOT Qualify:

❌ User-initiated deletion - You or your team members deleted data intentionally or accidentally
❌ No backups requested - You did not request backup restoration within 7-day retention window
❌ Third-party integration failures - Data lost due to WhatsApp API, external CRM sync, etc.
❌ Account termination - You cancelled subscription and data was deleted per retention policy

Data Loss Prevention - Your Responsibilities:

Export data regularly - Use CSV export feature monthly
Monitor team member permissions - Restrict delete permissions to admins only
Request backup restoration immediately - Contact us within 7 days if you notice missing data
Keep local copies - For critical data (client contracts, lead sources), maintain local backups

How to Report Data Loss: Email support@cmgworkflow.com IMMEDIATELY with:

Date/time you noticed data missing
Description of missing data (leads, clients, conversations, etc.)
Last known time data was present
Any recent actions (imports, deletions, integrations) that may be related

We will investigate:

Check daily backups for data presence
Review audit logs for deletion events
Determine root cause (system failure vs user action)
Restore data from backups if available
Determine refund eligibility

Processing Time: Data restoration prioritized (within 24 hours); refund decision within 7 days.

6. Non-Refundable Scenarios

6.1 Terms of Service Violations

NO REFUNDS if your account is suspended or terminated due to violations of our Terms of Service, including but not limited to:

WhatsApp Policy Violations:

Sending spam messages or unsolicited marketing
Quality rating dropped to Red status (>10% user block rate)
Violating Meta's WhatsApp Business Policy
Using templates for purposes other than approved categories
Phone number banned by Meta

Prohibited Content:

Sending illegal, harmful, or fraudulent messages
Violating intellectual property rights
Harassment or abusive behavior toward customers
Sending adult content, gambling promotions (without Meta approval)

Platform Abuse:

Creating multiple accounts to circumvent limitations
Reverse engineering or unauthorized API access
Attempting to bypass usage-based billing
Exploiting system vulnerabilities

Payment Fraud:

Chargebacks (disputing legitimate charges with bank)
Using stolen credit cards
Providing false billing information

Rationale: When you violate Terms, we incur costs (legal review, abuse investigation, third-party service penalties) without receiving service benefit. Refunds would subsidize prohibited behavior.

6.2 Third-Party Service Restrictions

NO REFUNDS if you are unable to use the Service due to third-party service restrictions outside our control:

WhatsApp Business API:

Meta rejects your Business Verification (required for WhatsApp API access)
Meta suspends your WhatsApp Business Account
Your phone number quality rating drops to Red (Meta restriction, not our platform)
Meta changes API policies making your use case non-compliant

Your Responsibility: Before subscribing, ensure:

You meet Meta's WhatsApp Business API requirements (registered business, verified identity)
Your use case complies with Meta's Business Policy (get customer consent, provide opt-out)
You understand quality rating system (too many blocks = phone number restriction)

Mitigation: We provide:

Pre-signup checklist (verify Meta eligibility before purchasing)
Quality rating monitoring (alerts when approaching Red status)
Best practices documentation (how to maintain Green quality rating)

6.3 Change of Mind or Business Needs

LIMITED REFUNDS if you simply change your mind or business needs shift:

Covered by 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee:

✅ First-time customers can get full refund within 14 days (see Section 2)

NOT Covered After 14 Days:

❌ "We decided to use a different CRM" - Not eligible for refund (use cancellation process)
❌ "We're shutting down our business" - Not eligible for refund (cancel subscription to stop future charges)
❌ "We're not using it as much as expected" - Not eligible for refund (cancel to prevent renewal)
❌ "It's too expensive" - Not eligible for refund (downgrade to lower tier before renewal)

Mitigation:

Use free trial (if available) before subscribing
Start with monthly plan (flexibility to cancel anytime)
Review pricing and features carefully before annual commitment
Contact sales for demo if unsure: support@cmgworkflow.com

6.4 Feature Requests and Product Changes

NO REFUNDS if:

We deprecate a feature you were using (30-day notice provided before deprecation)
A requested feature is not added to roadmap
Product changes in a way you dislike (pricing changes, UI redesign, feature modifications)

Your Rights:

Cancel subscription before renewal if dissatisfied with product changes
Export your data before cancellation
Provide feedback on changes (we consider all customer input for product decisions)

Our Commitment:

No retroactive price increases - Price locked for duration of current subscription (monthly or annual period)
30-day notice - Material changes to features announced 30 days in advance
Downgrade option - If new pricing announced, option to downgrade to grandfathered plan (lower price, fewer features)

7. Refund Request Process

7.1 How to Submit a Refund Request

Email Method (Recommended): Send email to support@cmgworkflow.com with:

Subject Line: "Refund Request - [Your Organization Name] - [Order ID]"

Required Information:

Organization name (as registered in account)
Account email address
Subscription purchase date (e.g., "January 10, 2025")
Order ID or Stripe payment intent ID (found in billing receipt email)
Refund reason (select one or describe):
- 14-day money-back guarantee (first-time customer)
- Annual subscription cancellation (prorated refund)
- Service availability issue (24+ hour outage)
- Payment processing error
- Other (please describe)
(Optional) Additional context or feedback

Dashboard Method (Future): Self-service refund requests (coming Q2 2025):

Account Settings → Billing → "Request Refund"
Select reason from dropdown
Automated eligibility check
Instant approval for qualifying requests (14-day money-back guarantee, payment errors)

7.2 Review and Approval Process

Step 1: Initial Review (24-48 hours) Our billing team reviews your request:

Verify account details and purchase information
Check refund eligibility under policy sections
Review usage data (messages sent, AI tokens consumed, service access logs)
Determine applicable refund amount

Step 2: Eligibility Decision You receive email response:

APPROVED - Refund amount, processing timeline, next steps
PARTIALLY APPROVED - Adjusted refund amount (e.g., usage charges deducted), explanation, next steps
DENIED - Reason for denial, policy section cited, alternative options (service credit, plan downgrade)

Step 3: Refund Processing (If Approved) We initiate refund via Stripe:

Original payment method credited (same card/bank account used for purchase)
Stripe processing: 5-10 business days for funds to appear in bank account
You receive email confirmation with Stripe refund ID

Step 4: Account Status Depending on refund type:

14-day money-back guarantee - Account immediately terminated, data retained 72 hours for export
Annual prorated refund - Subscription cancelled, access continues until end of current month
Service availability credit - Credit applied to next billing cycle, no account change

Total Timeline:

Standard refunds: 7-14 business days (request → bank account credit)
Complex cases: Up to 21 business days (requires escalation or investigation)

7.3 Refund Method and Currency

Payment Method:

Refunds processed to original payment method only (Stripe requirement)
Cannot refund to different card/account
If original payment method expired/closed, contact us: support@cmgworkflow.com (alternative arrangements possible)

Currency:

Refund in same currency as original payment
Exchange rate fluctuations: We refund exact amount charged (if you paid €50, refund €50, even if exchange rate changed)

Partial Refunds: For prorated refunds or usage charge deductions:

Calculation shown in approval email (transparent breakdown)
Example: "€500 annual fee - €120 usage charges - €76 administrative fee (20%) = €304 refund"

8. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

8.1 Chargeback Policy

Chargebacks (disputing a charge with your bank/credit card company) have severe consequences:

Immediate Consequences:

⚠️ Account suspended - Service access immediately revoked
⚠️ Chargeback fee - €15-25 fee charged by Stripe (passed to you if chargeback found invalid)
⚠️ Usage charges still due - WhatsApp messages, AI tokens consumed are non-refundable; you remain liable

Investigation Process:

We receive chargeback notification from Stripe
We provide evidence to bank (purchase records, Terms acceptance, service access logs)
Bank makes decision (30-90 days process)
If chargeback reversed (bank sides with us):
- You owe original charge + chargeback fee (€15-25)
- Account remains suspended until payment received
- Collections process may be initiated
If chargeback upheld (bank sides with you):
- You keep refunded amount
- Account permanently closed
- Banned from future Service use (fraud prevention)

Why Chargebacks Are Problematic:

Bypasses our refund policy (denies us opportunity to resolve issue)
Causes additional costs (Stripe fees, administrative burden)
Damages merchant reputation (too many chargebacks = Stripe penalties)

Proper Dispute Process: If you believe a charge is incorrect:

✅ Contact us FIRST: support@cmgworkflow.com (we resolve 95% of disputes within 48 hours)
✅ Provide details: Date of charge, amount, reason you believe it's incorrect
✅ Allow investigation: We review billing records and usage data
✅ Accept resolution: Refund if error, explanation if charge was correct

Only Initiate Chargeback If:

You contacted us and received no response within 7 days (unusual - our support responds within 24-48 hours)
We refused to refund a clearly erroneous charge (duplicate charge, wrong amount, unauthorized transaction)
Fraud/Unauthorized Use: You did not authorize the subscription (account compromised, stolen payment method)

8.2 Fraud Prevention

How We Detect Fraud:

Multiple chargebacks from same organization/user
Signup → immediate chargeback pattern (service used then refunded)
Use of stolen payment methods
Creating multiple accounts after chargeback
VPN/proxy use to mask location (not inherently fraudulent, but monitored)

Consequences for Fraudulent Activity:

Permanent ban from Service (all associated email addresses, IP ranges)
Report to Stripe Radar (fraud database shared across merchants)
Legal action for amounts exceeding €500 (Romanian Criminal Code Article 244 - fraud)
Cooperation with law enforcement if requested

Protecting Yourself from Fraud:

Use strong passwords (12+ characters, unique to CMG Workflow)
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) when available
Monitor billing emails (review all charge notifications)
Report unauthorized access immediately: support@cmgworkflow.com

9. Romanian Consumer Protection Law Compliance

9.1 OUG 34/2014 (E-Commerce Directive Transposition)

For Romanian Consumers Only:

Under Ordonanța de Urgență nr. 34/2014 (Romanian E-commerce Law), consumers have specific rights when purchasing services online:

Right of Withdrawal (Dreptul de retragere):

14 calendar days from date of contract conclusion to withdraw without reason
Applies to distance contracts (online purchases)
EXCEPTION: Digital content/services where performance has begun with consumer's consent (Article 16, paragraph 1, letter m)

How This Applies to CMG Workflow: When you subscribe, you explicitly agree:

"I consent to immediate access to the Service upon subscription"
"I acknowledge that my right of withdrawal under OUG 34/2014 may be waived if I access the Service during the 14-day period"

Our Implementation:

We provide 14-day money-back guarantee (Section 2) which exceeds statutory withdrawal right (you can use Service AND still get refund)
If you do NOT access the Service during first 14 days, full refund available (statutory right preserved)
If you DO access the Service during first 14 days, our money-back guarantee still applies (more generous than law requires)

Pre-Contractual Information (Article 4-6): Before subscribing, we provide:

✅ Full pricing (monthly/annual rates, add-on costs, usage-based charges)
✅ Service characteristics (features, limitations, third-party dependencies)
✅ Identity and contact details (CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL, București address, support email)
✅ Payment methods and refund policy
✅ Duration of contract (monthly or annual, auto-renewal terms)

Unfair Terms (Article 4, paragraph 2): Romanian consumer law prohibits unfair contract terms:

❌ We do NOT disclaim liability for death/personal injury caused by our negligence (not applicable to digital services)
❌ We do NOT prevent you from taking legal action
❌ We do NOT unilaterally change terms without notice (30-day notice required)
✅ Liability limitations in Terms of Service are reasonable and standard for B2B SaaS

Dispute Resolution: Romanian consumers can:

File complaint with ANPC (Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor)
Use SOL (Soluționarea Online a Litigiilor) platform: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr
Sue in Romanian courts (București jurisdiction)

9.2 Refund Processing Timeline Under Romanian Law

ANPC Requirements: Refunds must be processed within 14 days of withdrawal notice (OUG 34/2014, Article 18, paragraph 1).

Our Compliance:

14-day money-back guarantee refunds: Processed within 7-10 business days (faster than legal requirement)
Annual prorated refunds: Processed within 14 business days (meets legal requirement)
Service availability refunds: Processed within 14 business days (meets legal requirement)

Refund Delays: If refund exceeds 14 days due to exceptional circumstances (bank processing delays, payment method issues):

We notify you via email with explanation
We provide expected refund date
You can escalate to ANPC if delay exceeds 30 days

10. Special Circumstances and Exceptions

10.1 Force Majeure and Extraordinary Events

Definition: Force majeure events are unforeseeable circumstances beyond our reasonable control that prevent Service provision.

Examples:

Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, fires affecting data centers)
War, terrorism, civil unrest
Government actions (internet shutdowns, service bans, data center seizures)
Internet backbone failures (submarine cable cuts, DNS outages)
Pandemics affecting workforce availability
Cyberattacks (DDoS attacks, ransomware) of unprecedented scale

Refund Policy During Force Majeure:

No refunds for Service unavailability caused by force majeure (beyond our control)
Service credit - We provide prorated service credit for extended outages (>7 consecutive days)
Subscription suspension - Option to suspend subscription (no charges) until Service restored

Communication: During force majeure events:

Status page updates every 4-8 hours: status.cmgworkflow.com
Email notifications to all subscribers
Estimated restoration timeline (if available)
Alternative access methods (if available, e.g., degraded mode, API-only access)

10.2 Goodwill Refunds and Discretionary Credits

Our Philosophy: While this policy defines strict refund eligibility, we value customer satisfaction and long-term relationships.

Discretionary Refunds: In exceptional circumstances not covered by this policy, we MAY offer goodwill refunds at our sole discretion:

Examples of Discretionary Refunds:

Customer experienced personal hardship (medical emergency, business closure due to economic conditions)
Miscommunication about Service capabilities during sales process (we set incorrect expectations)
Technical issues that significantly impaired (but did not completely prevent) Service use for extended period
First-time renewal where customer genuinely forgot to cancel despite no reminder issues (we may refund as goodwill gesture)

How to Request Discretionary Refund: Email support@cmgworkflow.com with:

Explanation of circumstances
Why situation is exceptional and not covered by standard policy
Any supporting documentation (medical bills, business closure notices, etc.)
What resolution you're requesting (full refund, partial refund, service credit)

Our Review Process:

Case-by-case evaluation (no guarantees)
Consider customer history (long-term customers, first-time issue vs repeat requests)
Consider business impact (high-value customer, strategic partner, etc.)
Decision made within 5-7 business days
Response explains decision rationale

Important Notes:

Goodwill refunds are NOT precedents (one approval doesn't guarantee future approvals)
We reserve right to deny all goodwill refund requests (policy compliance is primary standard)
Abusing goodwill refund requests (frequent requests, dishonest claims) may result in account termination

10.3 Prorated Refunds for Service Degradation

Partial Service Availability: If Service is partially available (degraded performance, some features unavailable, but not complete outage):

Eligibility for Prorated Credit:

Degradation lasts more than 7 consecutive days
Degradation impacts core functionality (leads management, client management, WhatsApp integration)
Not third-party service issue (WhatsApp API, Gemini AI, Supabase)

Credit Calculation:

Credit = (Monthly Subscription Fee / 30 days) × (Days Degraded) × (Severity Factor)

Severity Factors:

Critical (core feature unusable): 0.50 (50% credit per day)
Major (significant performance impact): 0.30 (30% credit per day)
Minor (cosmetic issues, non-core features): 0.10 (10% credit per day)

Example:

Monthly subscription: €50/month
Leads Kanban board not loading for 10 days (Critical severity)
Credit: €50 / 30 × 10 × 0.50 = €8.33

How to Report Degradation: Email support@cmgworkflow.com with:

Feature/functionality affected
Date degradation started
Description of impact (what you cannot do)
Screenshots or error logs

We will:

Investigate and confirm degradation
Determine severity classification
Calculate prorated credit
Apply credit to next billing cycle (or cash refund if requested)

11. Data Export and Account Closure

11.1 Data Export Before Refund

Your Right to Data: Under GDPR Article 20 (Right to Data Portability), you can request export of your data before account closure.

Available Export Formats:

Leads: CSV export (name, phone, email, status, custom fields, timestamps)
Clients: CSV export (contact info, company details, address, relationship data)
Conversations: JSON export (message logs, WhatsApp conversations, AI responses)
Templates: JSON export (WhatsApp message templates, automation rules)
Users: CSV export (team members, roles, permissions)
Settings: JSON export (organization settings, branding, integrations)

Export Process:

Request refund and mention you need data export
We provide 48-hour window before account termination
Login to dashboard → Settings → Data Export → "Export All Data"
Download ZIP file (contains all CSVs and JSONs)
Confirm export completed → We proceed with account termination

Post-Refund Data Access: After refund processed:

72-hour grace period - Data accessible for export
After 72 hours - Data permanently deleted (GDPR Article 17 compliance)
No recovery - Once deleted, data cannot be restored (backups also purged)

11.2 Account Reactivation After Refund

14-Day Money-Back Guarantee Refunds: If you received full refund under 14-day guarantee:

❌ Cannot reactivate same account (prevents money-back guarantee abuse)
✅ Can create new account (treated as new customer, eligible for 14-day guarantee again after 12-month cooling-off period)
⚠️ Data not restored - Previous data permanently deleted, start fresh

Annual Prorated Refunds: If you received prorated refund for annual cancellation:

✅ Can resubscribe immediately (no restrictions)
❌ Data not restored - Data deleted per retention policy, cannot recover
⚠️ No second 14-day guarantee - Prorated refund consumed first-time customer benefit

Policy Rationale: Prevents abuse patterns (subscribe → use for 13 days → refund → repeat monthly).

12. Contact Information for Refund Requests

12.1 Primary Contact Methods

Email (Recommended):

Primary: support@cmgworkflow.com
Alternative: contact@cmgworkflow.com
Response Time: 24-48 hours (business days)

Phone:

+40 772 125 155 (Romanian mobile)
Available: Monday-Friday, 9:00-17:00 EET (Eastern European Time, UTC+2/UTC+3 during DST)
For urgent refund issues only (payment errors, duplicate charges)

Mailing Address (Written Notices): CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL Attention: Billing Department Drumul NISIPOASA, Nr. 46-52, Lot 1/2 Bl. C, Scara C7, Etaj P, Ap. 3 București, Romania

Legal/Compliance Inquiries: contact@cmgworkflow.com (For legal notices, GDPR requests, ANPC complaints)

12.2 Expected Response Times

Refund Request Acknowledgment:

24 hours - Confirmation we received your request (automated email)
48 hours - Initial review and eligibility assessment (human review)

Refund Decision:

Simple cases (14-day money-back, payment errors): 1-2 business days
Standard cases (annual prorated, service availability): 3-5 business days
Complex cases (disputes, investigations, goodwill requests): 5-10 business days

Refund Processing:

Stripe refund initiation: Within 24 hours of approval
Bank account credit: 5-10 business days (depends on your bank)

Escalation Process: If you don't receive response within stated timeframes:

Reply to original email with "ESCALATION REQUEST" in subject line
We prioritize escalated requests (reviewed within 24 hours)
Senior billing manager reviews case and responds

If Still No Response (Unusual): Contact Romanian consumer protection:

ANPC (Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor)
Phone: +40 21 9551 (consumer hotline)
Online: https://reclamatii.anpc.gov.ro

13. Changes to This Refund Policy

13.1 Policy Updates

Our Right to Modify: We reserve the right to update this Refund Policy to reflect:

Changes in Romanian or EU consumer protection law
Changes in payment processor (Stripe) refund policies
Changes in third-party service costs (WhatsApp API, Gemini AI pricing)
Changes in business model or subscription tiers
Clarifications based on customer questions or disputes

Notice of Changes:

30 days advance notice - Email notification to all active subscribers
Effective date - Changes apply to subscriptions purchased after effective date
Grandfathering - Active subscriptions governed by policy in effect at time of purchase (for duration of current subscription period)

Example:

You subscribe January 1, 2025 (Policy Version 1.0 applies)
We update policy March 1, 2025 (Policy Version 2.0)
Your refund rights: Governed by Version 1.0 until your subscription renews
Renewals after March 1: Governed by Version 2.0

Material Changes Requiring Consent: If changes significantly reduce your refund rights (e.g., eliminating 14-day money-back guarantee, reducing annual prorated refund period):

We notify you 60 days in advance
Option to cancel subscription before change effective date (full access until end of billing period)
Continuing subscription past effective date = acceptance of new policy

13.2 Viewing Policy History

Version Archive: All previous versions of this Refund Policy available at:

Dashboard → Legal → Refund Policy → "View Previous Versions"
Direct link: https://cmgworkflow.com/legal/refund-policy/history

Policy Versions:

Version 1.0 - Effective January 11, 2025 (current version)

14. Definitions

Annual Subscription: 12-month prepaid subscription with discounted pricing (typically 15-20% discount vs monthly plan).

Business Day: Monday through Friday, excluding Romanian public holidays and December 25-January 1.

Chargeback: Dispute initiated with bank/credit card company to reverse a payment, bypassing merchant's refund process.

Consumer: Natural person (individual) acting outside professional, commercial, or business activity (Romanian Law definition).

Force Majeure: Unforeseeable circumstances beyond reasonable control preventing contract performance (natural disasters, war, government action, etc.).

Goodwill Refund: Discretionary refund granted outside standard policy terms at Company's sole discretion.

Monthly Subscription: Recurring subscription billed every 30 days (month-to-month commitment).

Money-Back Guarantee: 14-day full refund policy for first-time customers (Section 2).

Organization: Business entity (company, sole trader, NGO) that subscribes to the Service (equivalent to "tenant" in multi-tenant architecture).

Prorated Refund: Partial refund calculated proportionally based on unused service period.

Quality Rating: WhatsApp Business API metric (Green/Yellow/Red) based on user block rate; Red status restricts messaging.

Service: CMG Workflow platform including all features (Lead Management, Client Management, WhatsApp Integration, AI Automation, etc.).

Service Credit: Account credit applied to future billing cycle (alternative to cash refund).

Usage-Based Charges: Variable costs based on consumption (WhatsApp messages sent, AI tokens used, storage overages).

15. Acceptance of This Policy

By subscribing to the CMG Workflow Service, you acknowledge that you have:

✅ Read this Refund Policy in full
✅ Understand the refund eligibility criteria and non-refundable scenarios
✅ Understand that usage-based charges (WhatsApp messages, AI tokens) are non-refundable
✅ Understand the 14-day money-back guarantee terms and limitations
✅ Understand annual subscription prorated refund calculation (20% administrative fee)
✅ Understand Romanian consumer protection rights (if applicable)
✅ Agree to contact us before initiating chargebacks
✅ Agree to export your data before account closure (cannot be recovered after deletion)

Questions About This Policy: If anything in this Refund Policy is unclear, please contact us before subscribing:

Email: support@cmgworkflow.com or contact@cmgworkflow.com
Phone: +40 772 125 155

We're happy to clarify refund terms, provide examples, or discuss your specific use case to ensure the Service meets your needs.

Thank you for choosing CMG Workflow. We're committed to fair refund practices and exceptional customer service.

CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL București, Romania Last Updated: January 11, 2025

Refund Policy

Last Updated: January 11, 2025 Effective Date: January 11, 2025

1. Introduction and Scope

1.1 Applicable Services

This policy applies to:

Monthly Subscription Plans - Recurring monthly billing cycles
Annual Subscription Plans - Recurring annual billing cycles with discounted pricing
Add-on Modules - Optional features purchased separately (Lead Management, AI Automation, WhatsApp Integration, Client Management)
Usage-Based Billing - WhatsApp message consumption, AI conversation tokens, additional storage

1.2 Consumer Rights Under Romanian Law

14-Day Withdrawal Right - Right to cancel distance contracts within 14 calendar days without providing reason (subject to exceptions for digital content/services where performance has begun with consent)
Clear Pre-Contractual Information - Right to receive complete pricing, characteristics, and terms before purchase
Refund Within 14 Days - If withdrawal right exercised, refund within 14 days of cancellation notice

NOTE: This policy complies with and exceeds Romanian consumer protection requirements. Where Romanian law provides greater protection, Romanian law prevails.

1.3 Business (B2B) Customers

2. Money-Back Guarantee (First-Time Customers)

2.1 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Eligibility:

First-time subscribers only - Applies to the first subscription purchase by a new organization/customer
All subscription tiers - Starter, Professional, Enterprise plans
First billing cycle only - Monthly or annual (whichever is purchased first)
Within 14 calendar days - From the date of initial subscription activation

How It Works:

Subscribe to any plan (monthly or annual)
Evaluate the Service for up to 14 calendar days from activation
If unsatisfied for any reason (or no reason), request full refund
Receive 100% refund of subscription fee paid

What Happens After Refund:

Immediate service termination upon refund processing
All data exported within 72 hours (after that, permanently deleted)
No access to Service after refund confirmation
Organization account marked as "refunded" (prevents abuse)

Exclusions:

Usage-based charges - WhatsApp messages sent, AI tokens consumed, external API calls during evaluation period are NON-REFUNDABLE (third-party costs incurred)
Add-on purchases - Separate add-on module purchases not eligible (only base subscription)
Renewal subscriptions - Second month/year renewals not eligible
Free trials - If promotional free trial used before paid subscription, money-back guarantee may be reduced or excluded (terms specified at time of trial)

2.2 How to Request Money-Back Guarantee Refund

Step 1: Submit Request Email support@cmgworkflow.com within 14 calendar days of activation with:

Organization name and account email
Subscription purchase date and order ID
Confirmation of refund request under 14-day money-back guarantee
(Optional) Feedback on why the Service didn't meet your needs

Step 2: Data Export (Optional) We will provide 48-hour window to export your data before account termination:

Leads data (CSV export)
Clients data (CSV export)
Conversation logs (JSON export)
Custom fields and settings (JSON export)

Step 3: Refund Processing

Approval Time: Within 24-48 hours of request
Refund Method: Original payment method (Stripe processed)
Refund Timeline: 5-10 business days for funds to appear in bank account (depends on bank processing)
Confirmation: Email confirmation sent when refund initiated

Step 4: Account Termination Upon refund processing:

Service access immediately revoked
Data retained for 72 hours (for export if needed)
After 72 hours, all data permanently deleted per GDPR Article 17 (Right to Erasure)

3. Subscription Cancellation and Refunds

3.1 Monthly Subscription Cancellations

How Cancellation Works:

Cancel anytime from Account Settings → Billing → "Cancel Subscription"
Access continues until end of current billing period (you keep access for time already paid)
No prorated refunds - Cancelling mid-cycle does NOT result in partial refund for unused days
No automatic renewal - Subscription does not renew at end of cancelled billing period
Data retention - After subscription ends, data retained for 30 days then permanently deleted (unless you export it)

Example:

You subscribe on January 10 (monthly plan, €50/month)
You cancel on January 25
Access continues until February 10 (end of paid billing cycle)
No refund for January 25-February 10 unused portion
On February 10, subscription ends (no renewal charge)

Rationale for No Prorated Refunds:

Monthly pricing already reflects pay-as-you-go flexibility
Administrative costs of processing partial refunds exceed value
Service resources (database, storage, API quotas) allocated monthly regardless of usage
Industry standard practice for SaaS monthly subscriptions

3.2 Annual Subscription Cancellations

Prorated Refund Policy: Annual subscriptions (12-month prepaid plans) are eligible for prorated refunds if cancelled before 50% of annual period elapses.

Refund Calculation:

Refund Amount = (Annual Fee Paid) × (Months Remaining / 12) × 0.80

20% Administrative Fee Deducted:

Covers payment processing fees (Stripe charges non-refundable)
Administrative costs of refund processing
Discounted annual pricing benefit already received

Eligibility Requirements:

✅ Cancellation requested within first 6 months of annual period
✅ No Terms of Service violations (see Section 6)
✅ Account in good standing (no chargebacks, payment disputes)
❌ After 50% of annual period (6 months), NO refunds (too much benefit already received)

Example 1 - Eligible for Prorated Refund:

Annual subscription: €500/year (purchased January 1, 2025)
Cancellation requested: April 15, 2025 (3.5 months into 12-month period)
Months remaining: 8.5 months
Calculation: €500 × (8.5/12) × 0.80 = €283.33 refund
You received €216.67 value for 3.5 months (equivalent to €62/month vs €50/month if monthly plan)

Example 2 - NOT Eligible for Refund:

Annual subscription: €500/year (purchased January 1, 2025)
Cancellation requested: August 1, 2025 (7 months into 12-month period)
No refund - Past 50% threshold (6 months)
Access continues until December 31, 2025 (end of annual period)

How to Cancel Annual Subscription: Email support@cmgworkflow.com with:

Organization name and account email
Annual subscription purchase date and order ID
Cancellation reason (optional but appreciated)
Confirmation you understand prorated refund calculation (if within 6 months)

Processing Time:

Refund approval: 3-5 business days
Refund processing: 7-10 business days from approval
Total timeline: ~2 weeks from request to bank account credit

3.3 Automatic Renewal Refunds

Policy: Automatic subscription renewals (monthly or annual) are generally NON-REFUNDABLE unless:

✅ Payment processing error - Charged incorrect amount, duplicate charge, technical error
✅ Cancellation not honored - You cancelled before renewal date but system renewed anyway (our error)
✅ Unauthorized renewal - Account compromised, payment method used without authorization
❌ Forgot to cancel - Not eligible for refund (renewal reminder emails sent 7 days before renewal)

Renewal Reminder System: We send email reminders:

7 days before renewal - "Your subscription renews in 7 days"
24 hours before renewal - "Final reminder: Subscription renews tomorrow"
Sent to organization admin email and billing contact email

If You Miss Cancellation Deadline:

Contact us immediately: support@cmgworkflow.com
Explain the situation (we review on case-by-case basis)
Goodwill refunds - We MAY offer partial or full refund at our sole discretion (first-time customers, extenuating circumstances)
Not guaranteed - Goodwill refunds are exception, not policy entitlement

4. Usage-Based Billing and Third-Party Service Costs

4.1 Non-Refundable Usage Charges

The following usage-based charges are 100% NON-REFUNDABLE under all circumstances:

WhatsApp Business API Messages:

Cost: Per message sent via WhatsApp Business Cloud API (Meta charges us per message)
Why Non-Refundable: Messages are sent to recipients in real-time; cannot be "unsent" or reversed
Third-Party Cost: Meta (Facebook) charges CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL for each message; we cannot recover these costs
Your Control: You control message sending through templates, automation rules, manual sends
Billing: Charged in arrears (billed after messages sent, typically monthly)

Google Gemini AI Conversation Tokens:

Cost: Per 1,000 tokens consumed by AI conversations (Google charges us per token)
Why Non-Refundable: AI processing occurs in real-time; computational resources consumed immediately
Third-Party Cost: Google Cloud AI services charge CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL per API call; we cannot recover these costs
Your Control: You control AI automation rules, conversation triggers, token limits
Billing: Charged in arrears (billed after consumption, typically monthly)

Supabase Storage Overage:

Cost: Storage beyond included plan limits (per GB per month)
Why Non-Refundable: Database storage resources allocated and cannot be reversed
Third-Party Cost: Supabase charges us for storage overages
Your Control: Monitor storage usage in dashboard, delete unused data, upgrade plan for higher limits

Stripe Payment Processing Fees:

Cost: 2.9% + €0.25 per successful payment transaction
Why Non-Refundable: Stripe keeps processing fees even when we issue refunds (we pay fee twice: once for charge, once for refund)
Impact on Refunds: When we refund subscription, we absorb Stripe's processing fees (not passed to you)

4.2 Estimating Usage-Based Costs

Before Enabling Usage-Based Features: We provide usage estimates and cost projections:

WhatsApp message pricing calculator (estimate monthly message volume)
AI conversation token estimator (average tokens per conversation)
Storage usage monitor (current usage + projected growth)

Setting Budget Limits: You can set hard budget caps:

WhatsApp Message Cap: Stop sending messages after X messages/month
AI Token Cap: Disable AI automation after X tokens/month
Alerts: Email alerts at 50%, 80%, 100% of budget cap

Reviewing Usage Before Billing:

Real-time usage dashboard (view current month consumption)
Projected invoice preview (estimated charges for current billing period)
Historical usage reports (analyze past months to optimize)

Our Recommendation: Start with conservative budget caps during first month, then adjust based on actual usage patterns and ROI.

5. Service Failures and Technical Issues

5.1 Service Availability Refunds

Our Service Level Commitment:

Uptime Target: 99.5% monthly uptime (excluding scheduled maintenance)
Scheduled Maintenance: Announced 48 hours in advance, during low-traffic hours (typically 2am-6am EET)
Unscheduled Outages: We strive for <4 hours total unscheduled downtime per month

Prorated refund for days of unavailability
Calculation: (Monthly Subscription Fee / 30 days) × (Days Unavailable)
Automatic credit applied to next billing cycle (or cash refund if requested)

Example:

Monthly subscription: €50/month
Service down for 48 consecutive hours (2 days)
Refund: €50 / 30 × 2 = €3.33 credit

What Does NOT Qualify:

❌ Third-party service failures - WhatsApp API outage, Google Gemini API downtime, Supabase database issues (outside our control)
❌ Scheduled maintenance - Announced maintenance windows (you were notified in advance)
❌ Your internet/device issues - Service is available, but you cannot access due to local connectivity
❌ User error - Incorrect configuration, account suspension for Terms violation
❌ Force majeure - Natural disasters, war, government action, internet backbone failures

How to Request Service Availability Refund: Email support@cmgworkflow.com within 14 days of outage with:

Date and time of unavailability (include timezone)
Description of error/inaccessibility
Screenshots or error logs (if available)
Impact on your business (context helpful but not required)

We will investigate using our server logs and confirm:

Duration of outage
Root cause (our infrastructure vs third-party)
Eligibility for refund under this policy
Refund amount or service credit

Processing Time: 5-7 business days for investigation and refund approval.

5.2 Data Loss or Corruption

Our Data Protection Commitment:

Daily backups - Full database backup every 24 hours
Point-in-time recovery - Restore to any point within last 7 days
Redundant storage - Data replicated across 3 availability zones (Supabase infrastructure)
99.99% data durability - Supabase PostgreSQL with automated backups

Refund Eligibility for Data Loss: If your organization's data is permanently lost or corrupted due to our negligence or system failure (not your actions):

Full refund of most recent billing cycle (monthly or annual prorated)
Data recovery costs - We cover reasonable costs of recreating lost data (up to 3× monthly subscription fee)
Service credit - 3 months free service (if you choose to continue using Service after incident)

What Does NOT Qualify:

❌ User-initiated deletion - You or your team members deleted data intentionally or accidentally
❌ No backups requested - You did not request backup restoration within 7-day retention window
❌ Third-party integration failures - Data lost due to WhatsApp API, external CRM sync, etc.
❌ Account termination - You cancelled subscription and data was deleted per retention policy

Data Loss Prevention - Your Responsibilities:

Export data regularly - Use CSV export feature monthly
Monitor team member permissions - Restrict delete permissions to admins only
Request backup restoration immediately - Contact us within 7 days if you notice missing data
Keep local copies - For critical data (client contracts, lead sources), maintain local backups

How to Report Data Loss: Email support@cmgworkflow.com IMMEDIATELY with:

Date/time you noticed data missing
Description of missing data (leads, clients, conversations, etc.)
Last known time data was present
Any recent actions (imports, deletions, integrations) that may be related

We will investigate:

Check daily backups for data presence
Review audit logs for deletion events
Determine root cause (system failure vs user action)
Restore data from backups if available
Determine refund eligibility

Processing Time: Data restoration prioritized (within 24 hours); refund decision within 7 days.

6. Non-Refundable Scenarios

6.1 Terms of Service Violations

NO REFUNDS if your account is suspended or terminated due to violations of our Terms of Service, including but not limited to:

WhatsApp Policy Violations:

Sending spam messages or unsolicited marketing
Quality rating dropped to Red status (>10% user block rate)
Violating Meta's WhatsApp Business Policy
Using templates for purposes other than approved categories
Phone number banned by Meta

Prohibited Content:

Sending illegal, harmful, or fraudulent messages
Violating intellectual property rights
Harassment or abusive behavior toward customers
Sending adult content, gambling promotions (without Meta approval)

Platform Abuse:

Creating multiple accounts to circumvent limitations
Reverse engineering or unauthorized API access
Attempting to bypass usage-based billing
Exploiting system vulnerabilities

Payment Fraud:

Chargebacks (disputing legitimate charges with bank)
Using stolen credit cards
Providing false billing information

6.2 Third-Party Service Restrictions

NO REFUNDS if you are unable to use the Service due to third-party service restrictions outside our control:

WhatsApp Business API:

Meta rejects your Business Verification (required for WhatsApp API access)
Meta suspends your WhatsApp Business Account
Your phone number quality rating drops to Red (Meta restriction, not our platform)
Meta changes API policies making your use case non-compliant

Your Responsibility: Before subscribing, ensure:

You meet Meta's WhatsApp Business API requirements (registered business, verified identity)
Your use case complies with Meta's Business Policy (get customer consent, provide opt-out)
You understand quality rating system (too many blocks = phone number restriction)

Mitigation: We provide:

Pre-signup checklist (verify Meta eligibility before purchasing)
Quality rating monitoring (alerts when approaching Red status)
Best practices documentation (how to maintain Green quality rating)

6.3 Change of Mind or Business Needs

LIMITED REFUNDS if you simply change your mind or business needs shift:

Covered by 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee:

✅ First-time customers can get full refund within 14 days (see Section 2)

NOT Covered After 14 Days:

❌ "We decided to use a different CRM" - Not eligible for refund (use cancellation process)
❌ "We're shutting down our business" - Not eligible for refund (cancel subscription to stop future charges)
❌ "We're not using it as much as expected" - Not eligible for refund (cancel to prevent renewal)
❌ "It's too expensive" - Not eligible for refund (downgrade to lower tier before renewal)

Mitigation:

Use free trial (if available) before subscribing
Start with monthly plan (flexibility to cancel anytime)
Review pricing and features carefully before annual commitment
Contact sales for demo if unsure: support@cmgworkflow.com

6.4 Feature Requests and Product Changes

NO REFUNDS if:

We deprecate a feature you were using (30-day notice provided before deprecation)
A requested feature is not added to roadmap
Product changes in a way you dislike (pricing changes, UI redesign, feature modifications)

Your Rights:

Cancel subscription before renewal if dissatisfied with product changes
Export your data before cancellation
Provide feedback on changes (we consider all customer input for product decisions)

Our Commitment:

No retroactive price increases - Price locked for duration of current subscription (monthly or annual period)
30-day notice - Material changes to features announced 30 days in advance
Downgrade option - If new pricing announced, option to downgrade to grandfathered plan (lower price, fewer features)

7. Refund Request Process

7.1 How to Submit a Refund Request

Email Method (Recommended): Send email to support@cmgworkflow.com with:

Subject Line: "Refund Request - [Your Organization Name] - [Order ID]"

Required Information:

Organization name (as registered in account)
Account email address
Subscription purchase date (e.g., "January 10, 2025")
Order ID or Stripe payment intent ID (found in billing receipt email)
Refund reason (select one or describe):
- 14-day money-back guarantee (first-time customer)
- Annual subscription cancellation (prorated refund)
- Service availability issue (24+ hour outage)
- Payment processing error
- Other (please describe)
(Optional) Additional context or feedback

Dashboard Method (Future): Self-service refund requests (coming Q2 2025):

Account Settings → Billing → "Request Refund"
Select reason from dropdown
Automated eligibility check
Instant approval for qualifying requests (14-day money-back guarantee, payment errors)

7.2 Review and Approval Process

Step 1: Initial Review (24-48 hours) Our billing team reviews your request:

Verify account details and purchase information
Check refund eligibility under policy sections
Review usage data (messages sent, AI tokens consumed, service access logs)
Determine applicable refund amount

Step 2: Eligibility Decision You receive email response:

APPROVED - Refund amount, processing timeline, next steps
PARTIALLY APPROVED - Adjusted refund amount (e.g., usage charges deducted), explanation, next steps
DENIED - Reason for denial, policy section cited, alternative options (service credit, plan downgrade)

Step 3: Refund Processing (If Approved) We initiate refund via Stripe:

Original payment method credited (same card/bank account used for purchase)
Stripe processing: 5-10 business days for funds to appear in bank account
You receive email confirmation with Stripe refund ID

Step 4: Account Status Depending on refund type:

14-day money-back guarantee - Account immediately terminated, data retained 72 hours for export
Annual prorated refund - Subscription cancelled, access continues until end of current month
Service availability credit - Credit applied to next billing cycle, no account change

Total Timeline:

Standard refunds: 7-14 business days (request → bank account credit)
Complex cases: Up to 21 business days (requires escalation or investigation)

7.3 Refund Method and Currency

Payment Method:

Refunds processed to original payment method only (Stripe requirement)
Cannot refund to different card/account
If original payment method expired/closed, contact us: support@cmgworkflow.com (alternative arrangements possible)

Currency:

Refund in same currency as original payment
Exchange rate fluctuations: We refund exact amount charged (if you paid €50, refund €50, even if exchange rate changed)

Partial Refunds: For prorated refunds or usage charge deductions:

Calculation shown in approval email (transparent breakdown)
Example: "€500 annual fee - €120 usage charges - €76 administrative fee (20%) = €304 refund"

8. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

8.1 Chargeback Policy

Chargebacks (disputing a charge with your bank/credit card company) have severe consequences:

Immediate Consequences:

⚠️ Account suspended - Service access immediately revoked
⚠️ Chargeback fee - €15-25 fee charged by Stripe (passed to you if chargeback found invalid)
⚠️ Usage charges still due - WhatsApp messages, AI tokens consumed are non-refundable; you remain liable

Investigation Process:

We receive chargeback notification from Stripe
We provide evidence to bank (purchase records, Terms acceptance, service access logs)
Bank makes decision (30-90 days process)
If chargeback reversed (bank sides with us):
- You owe original charge + chargeback fee (€15-25)
- Account remains suspended until payment received
- Collections process may be initiated
If chargeback upheld (bank sides with you):
- You keep refunded amount
- Account permanently closed
- Banned from future Service use (fraud prevention)

Why Chargebacks Are Problematic:

Bypasses our refund policy (denies us opportunity to resolve issue)
Causes additional costs (Stripe fees, administrative burden)
Damages merchant reputation (too many chargebacks = Stripe penalties)

Proper Dispute Process: If you believe a charge is incorrect:

✅ Contact us FIRST: support@cmgworkflow.com (we resolve 95% of disputes within 48 hours)
✅ Provide details: Date of charge, amount, reason you believe it's incorrect
✅ Allow investigation: We review billing records and usage data
✅ Accept resolution: Refund if error, explanation if charge was correct

Only Initiate Chargeback If:

You contacted us and received no response within 7 days (unusual - our support responds within 24-48 hours)
We refused to refund a clearly erroneous charge (duplicate charge, wrong amount, unauthorized transaction)
Fraud/Unauthorized Use: You did not authorize the subscription (account compromised, stolen payment method)

8.2 Fraud Prevention

How We Detect Fraud:

Multiple chargebacks from same organization/user
Signup → immediate chargeback pattern (service used then refunded)
Use of stolen payment methods
Creating multiple accounts after chargeback
VPN/proxy use to mask location (not inherently fraudulent, but monitored)

Consequences for Fraudulent Activity:

Permanent ban from Service (all associated email addresses, IP ranges)
Report to Stripe Radar (fraud database shared across merchants)
Legal action for amounts exceeding €500 (Romanian Criminal Code Article 244 - fraud)
Cooperation with law enforcement if requested

Protecting Yourself from Fraud:

Use strong passwords (12+ characters, unique to CMG Workflow)
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) when available
Monitor billing emails (review all charge notifications)
Report unauthorized access immediately: support@cmgworkflow.com

9. Romanian Consumer Protection Law Compliance

9.1 OUG 34/2014 (E-Commerce Directive Transposition)

For Romanian Consumers Only:

Under Ordonanța de Urgență nr. 34/2014 (Romanian E-commerce Law), consumers have specific rights when purchasing services online:

Right of Withdrawal (Dreptul de retragere):

14 calendar days from date of contract conclusion to withdraw without reason
Applies to distance contracts (online purchases)
EXCEPTION: Digital content/services where performance has begun with consumer's consent (Article 16, paragraph 1, letter m)

How This Applies to CMG Workflow: When you subscribe, you explicitly agree:

"I consent to immediate access to the Service upon subscription"
"I acknowledge that my right of withdrawal under OUG 34/2014 may be waived if I access the Service during the 14-day period"

Our Implementation:

We provide 14-day money-back guarantee (Section 2) which exceeds statutory withdrawal right (you can use Service AND still get refund)
If you do NOT access the Service during first 14 days, full refund available (statutory right preserved)
If you DO access the Service during first 14 days, our money-back guarantee still applies (more generous than law requires)

Pre-Contractual Information (Article 4-6): Before subscribing, we provide:

✅ Full pricing (monthly/annual rates, add-on costs, usage-based charges)
✅ Service characteristics (features, limitations, third-party dependencies)
✅ Identity and contact details (CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL, București address, support email)
✅ Payment methods and refund policy
✅ Duration of contract (monthly or annual, auto-renewal terms)

Unfair Terms (Article 4, paragraph 2): Romanian consumer law prohibits unfair contract terms:

❌ We do NOT disclaim liability for death/personal injury caused by our negligence (not applicable to digital services)
❌ We do NOT prevent you from taking legal action
❌ We do NOT unilaterally change terms without notice (30-day notice required)
✅ Liability limitations in Terms of Service are reasonable and standard for B2B SaaS

Dispute Resolution: Romanian consumers can:

File complaint with ANPC (Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor)
Use SOL (Soluționarea Online a Litigiilor) platform: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr
Sue in Romanian courts (București jurisdiction)

9.2 Refund Processing Timeline Under Romanian Law

ANPC Requirements: Refunds must be processed within 14 days of withdrawal notice (OUG 34/2014, Article 18, paragraph 1).

Our Compliance:

14-day money-back guarantee refunds: Processed within 7-10 business days (faster than legal requirement)
Annual prorated refunds: Processed within 14 business days (meets legal requirement)
Service availability refunds: Processed within 14 business days (meets legal requirement)

Refund Delays: If refund exceeds 14 days due to exceptional circumstances (bank processing delays, payment method issues):

We notify you via email with explanation
We provide expected refund date
You can escalate to ANPC if delay exceeds 30 days

10. Special Circumstances and Exceptions

10.1 Force Majeure and Extraordinary Events

Definition: Force majeure events are unforeseeable circumstances beyond our reasonable control that prevent Service provision.

Examples:

Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, fires affecting data centers)
War, terrorism, civil unrest
Government actions (internet shutdowns, service bans, data center seizures)
Internet backbone failures (submarine cable cuts, DNS outages)
Pandemics affecting workforce availability
Cyberattacks (DDoS attacks, ransomware) of unprecedented scale

Refund Policy During Force Majeure:

No refunds for Service unavailability caused by force majeure (beyond our control)
Service credit - We provide prorated service credit for extended outages (>7 consecutive days)
Subscription suspension - Option to suspend subscription (no charges) until Service restored

Communication: During force majeure events:

Status page updates every 4-8 hours: status.cmgworkflow.com
Email notifications to all subscribers
Estimated restoration timeline (if available)
Alternative access methods (if available, e.g., degraded mode, API-only access)

10.2 Goodwill Refunds and Discretionary Credits

Our Philosophy: While this policy defines strict refund eligibility, we value customer satisfaction and long-term relationships.

Discretionary Refunds: In exceptional circumstances not covered by this policy, we MAY offer goodwill refunds at our sole discretion:

Examples of Discretionary Refunds:

Customer experienced personal hardship (medical emergency, business closure due to economic conditions)
Miscommunication about Service capabilities during sales process (we set incorrect expectations)
Technical issues that significantly impaired (but did not completely prevent) Service use for extended period
First-time renewal where customer genuinely forgot to cancel despite no reminder issues (we may refund as goodwill gesture)

How to Request Discretionary Refund: Email support@cmgworkflow.com with:

Explanation of circumstances
Why situation is exceptional and not covered by standard policy
Any supporting documentation (medical bills, business closure notices, etc.)
What resolution you're requesting (full refund, partial refund, service credit)

Our Review Process:

Case-by-case evaluation (no guarantees)
Consider customer history (long-term customers, first-time issue vs repeat requests)
Consider business impact (high-value customer, strategic partner, etc.)
Decision made within 5-7 business days
Response explains decision rationale

Important Notes:

Goodwill refunds are NOT precedents (one approval doesn't guarantee future approvals)
We reserve right to deny all goodwill refund requests (policy compliance is primary standard)
Abusing goodwill refund requests (frequent requests, dishonest claims) may result in account termination

10.3 Prorated Refunds for Service Degradation

Partial Service Availability: If Service is partially available (degraded performance, some features unavailable, but not complete outage):

Eligibility for Prorated Credit:

Degradation lasts more than 7 consecutive days
Degradation impacts core functionality (leads management, client management, WhatsApp integration)
Not third-party service issue (WhatsApp API, Gemini AI, Supabase)

Credit Calculation:

Credit = (Monthly Subscription Fee / 30 days) × (Days Degraded) × (Severity Factor)

Severity Factors:

Critical (core feature unusable): 0.50 (50% credit per day)
Major (significant performance impact): 0.30 (30% credit per day)
Minor (cosmetic issues, non-core features): 0.10 (10% credit per day)

Example:

Monthly subscription: €50/month
Leads Kanban board not loading for 10 days (Critical severity)
Credit: €50 / 30 × 10 × 0.50 = €8.33

How to Report Degradation: Email support@cmgworkflow.com with:

Feature/functionality affected
Date degradation started
Description of impact (what you cannot do)
Screenshots or error logs

We will:

Investigate and confirm degradation
Determine severity classification
Calculate prorated credit
Apply credit to next billing cycle (or cash refund if requested)

11. Data Export and Account Closure

11.1 Data Export Before Refund

Your Right to Data: Under GDPR Article 20 (Right to Data Portability), you can request export of your data before account closure.

Available Export Formats:

Leads: CSV export (name, phone, email, status, custom fields, timestamps)
Clients: CSV export (contact info, company details, address, relationship data)
Conversations: JSON export (message logs, WhatsApp conversations, AI responses)
Templates: JSON export (WhatsApp message templates, automation rules)
Users: CSV export (team members, roles, permissions)
Settings: JSON export (organization settings, branding, integrations)

Export Process:

Request refund and mention you need data export
We provide 48-hour window before account termination
Login to dashboard → Settings → Data Export → "Export All Data"
Download ZIP file (contains all CSVs and JSONs)
Confirm export completed → We proceed with account termination

Post-Refund Data Access: After refund processed:

72-hour grace period - Data accessible for export
After 72 hours - Data permanently deleted (GDPR Article 17 compliance)
No recovery - Once deleted, data cannot be restored (backups also purged)

11.2 Account Reactivation After Refund

14-Day Money-Back Guarantee Refunds: If you received full refund under 14-day guarantee:

❌ Cannot reactivate same account (prevents money-back guarantee abuse)
✅ Can create new account (treated as new customer, eligible for 14-day guarantee again after 12-month cooling-off period)
⚠️ Data not restored - Previous data permanently deleted, start fresh

Annual Prorated Refunds: If you received prorated refund for annual cancellation:

✅ Can resubscribe immediately (no restrictions)
❌ Data not restored - Data deleted per retention policy, cannot recover
⚠️ No second 14-day guarantee - Prorated refund consumed first-time customer benefit

Policy Rationale: Prevents abuse patterns (subscribe → use for 13 days → refund → repeat monthly).

12. Contact Information for Refund Requests

12.1 Primary Contact Methods

Email (Recommended):

Primary: support@cmgworkflow.com
Alternative: contact@cmgworkflow.com
Response Time: 24-48 hours (business days)

Phone:

+40 772 125 155 (Romanian mobile)
Available: Monday-Friday, 9:00-17:00 EET (Eastern European Time, UTC+2/UTC+3 during DST)
For urgent refund issues only (payment errors, duplicate charges)

Mailing Address (Written Notices): CMG FRAMEWORKS SRL Attention: Billing Department Drumul NISIPOASA, Nr. 46-52, Lot 1/2 Bl. C, Scara C7, Etaj P, Ap. 3 București, Romania

Legal/Compliance Inquiries: contact@cmgworkflow.com (For legal notices, GDPR requests, ANPC complaints)

12.2 Expected Response Times

Refund Request Acknowledgment:

24 hours - Confirmation we received your request (automated email)
48 hours - Initial review and eligibility assessment (human review)

Refund Decision:

Simple cases (14-day money-back, payment errors): 1-2 business days
Standard cases (annual prorated, service availability): 3-5 business days
Complex cases (disputes, investigations, goodwill requests): 5-10 business days

Refund Processing:

Stripe refund initiation: Within 24 hours of approval
Bank account credit: 5-10 business days (depends on your bank)

Escalation Process: If you don't receive response within stated timeframes:

Reply to original email with "ESCALATION REQUEST" in subject line
We prioritize escalated requests (reviewed within 24 hours)
Senior billing manager reviews case and responds

If Still No Response (Unusual): Contact Romanian consumer protection:

ANPC (Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor)
Phone: +40 21 9551 (consumer hotline)
Online: https://reclamatii.anpc.gov.ro

13. Changes to This Refund Policy

13.1 Policy Updates

Our Right to Modify: We reserve the right to update this Refund Policy to reflect:

Changes in Romanian or EU consumer protection law
Changes in payment processor (Stripe) refund policies
Changes in third-party service costs (WhatsApp API, Gemini AI pricing)
Changes in business model or subscription tiers
Clarifications based on customer questions or disputes

Notice of Changes:

30 days advance notice - Email notification to all active subscribers
Effective date - Changes apply to subscriptions purchased after effective date
Grandfathering - Active subscriptions governed by policy in effect at time of purchase (for duration of current subscription period)

Example:

You subscribe January 1, 2025 (Policy Version 1.0 applies)
We update policy March 1, 2025 (Policy Version 2.0)
Your refund rights: Governed by Version 1.0 until your subscription renews
Renewals after March 1: Governed by Version 2.0

Material Changes Requiring Consent: If changes significantly reduce your refund rights (e.g., eliminating 14-day money-back guarantee, reducing annual prorated refund period):

We notify you 60 days in advance
Option to cancel subscription before change effective date (full access until end of billing period)
Continuing subscription past effective date = acceptance of new policy

13.2 Viewing Policy History

Version Archive: All previous versions of this Refund Policy available at:

Dashboard → Legal → Refund Policy → "View Previous Versions"
Direct link: https://cmgworkflow.com/legal/refund-policy/history

Policy Versions:

Version 1.0 - Effective January 11, 2025 (current version)