Refund policy

This policy applies to paid professional services from Auto ML: grant spend audits, compliance health checks, evidence pack assembly, and funder reporting support. It does not cover products, software licences, or physical goods—we do not sell those.

Engagement letter controls

Fees, deposits, milestones, and refund terms in your signed engagement letter take precedence if they differ from this page for that engagement.

Eligibility for a full refund

You may receive a full refund of fees paid if we cancel the engagement before fieldwork starts for reasons within our control, or if you cancel in writing within five working days of signing and before we have begun document review or sampling.

Partial refunds

If you cancel after work has started, we invoice for time reasonably spent at the rates in the engagement letter, plus non-recoverable third-party costs agreed with you. Any prepaid balance above that amount is refunded. Partial refunds also apply if scope is reduced by mutual written agreement after a stage is complete.

Non-refundable items

• Completed deliverables already issued (for example a final findings schedule or evidence pack index).
• Deposits marked as non-refundable in the engagement letter once fieldwork or document review has begun.
• Travel booked with your prior written approval once tickets or lodging are purchased and non-refundable from the provider.
• Administrative fees for banking chargebacks initiated without first contacting us to resolve a billing issue.

Work already started

Document review, sampling, drafting, and client meetings count as started work. Time logs retained for the engagement support any partial-refund calculation.

Purchased materials

We rarely purchase materials for grant audits. If specialist transcripts, certified copies, or courier costs are approved by you in writing, those costs are non-refundable once incurred.

Deposits

Engagements above £1,000 typically require a deposit of 30% before fieldwork. The deposit is applied to the final invoice. It is refundable in full only under the full-refund conditions above.

Cancellation

Either party may cancel by written notice (email is sufficient). On cancellation we stop work, return or securely destroy client files as instructed, and issue a final statement of fees and any refund due.

Rescheduling

You may reschedule fieldwork once without charge if you give at least five working days’ notice. Later changes may incur a rescheduling fee of up to 10% of the engagement fee if we have already reserved capacity or travel.

No-shows

If agreed interview or sampling sessions are missed without 24 hours’ notice, we may charge for the reserved time. Repeated no-shows allow us to terminate the engagement and invoice for work completed.

Refund process and timing

Email hello@auto-ml.digital with your engagement reference and reason. We confirm eligibility within five working days. Approved refunds are processed within fourteen working days to the original payment method (bank transfer for invoice payments).

Refund method

Refunds are paid by the same method used for the invoice payment, usually UK bank transfer. We do not issue cash refunds.

Exceptions

Statutory rights that cannot be excluded under UK law remain unaffected. Consumer cooling-off rights apply only where you contract as a consumer; most clients engage as organisations. Nothing here requires refund of fees for deliverables accepted in writing.

Contact for refund requests

Auto ML, 83 Park Place, Carse, PA29 3JX, United Kingdom. Phone: +44 079 4453 4111. Email: hello@auto-ml.digital.