Refund Policy

1. Overview

This Refund Policy governs all financial transactions between you — whether personally or on behalf of an entity — and Krysalith Engine, in connection with engineering services rendered or contracted through krysalithengine.com or any governing Statement of Work or Service Agreement. By engaging Krysalith Engine's services and submitting payment, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Refund Policy in its entirety.

Due to the highly specialized, knowledge-intensive, and custom nature of robotics software engineering services, Krysalith Engine maintains a structured and conditional refund framework rather than a blanket return policy. Each refund request is evaluated individually in accordance with the criteria and procedures set forth below.

2. Nature of Services and Non-Refundability Considerations

Krysalith Engine provides bespoke software engineering services including physics simulation engine development, robot control middleware architecture, robotics software architecture consulting, and navigation and SLAM algorithm development. These services involve the irreversible expenditure of specialized intellectual labor, proprietary methodology application, and technical resources from the moment a project commences.

Accordingly, the standard consumer refund model — wherein a physical product may be returned to restore the seller's original position — does not translate directly to the delivery of custom engineering work. Once engineering effort has been applied to a client's specific technical requirements, that effort cannot be reclaimed or redeployed. This fundamental characteristic of the services shapes every aspect of the refund framework described herein.

2.1 Retainer and Consultation Fees

All fees paid for initial technical consultations, scoping sessions, architecture reviews, and project retainers are non-refundable in all circumstances. These fees compensate Krysalith Engine for the analysis, assessment, and preparatory intellectual work performed prior to and independent of any milestone-based deliverable commitment.

2.2 Milestone-Based Payments

Payments made against specific project milestones are subject to the refund eligibility criteria outlined in Section 3 of this Policy. The refundability of any milestone payment is contingent upon whether work on that milestone has commenced, the degree of completion at the time of the refund request, and whether the milestone deliverables have been formally accepted by the client.

3. Refund Eligibility Framework

The following framework governs refund eligibility based on the stage of the engagement at the time the refund request is received in writing by Krysalith Engine:

Percentage completion is determined solely by Krysalith Engine based on documented engineering progress, commit history, design artifacts produced, and time expended relative to the total estimated scope of the relevant milestone. Krysalith Engine's assessment of completion percentage is final and binding absent manifest mathematical error.

4. Grounds for Refund Eligibility

Even within the stages identified as potentially eligible in Section 3, a refund will only be issued where one or more of the following recognized grounds exist:

• Krysalith Engine unilaterally terminates the engagement prior to delivery of any contracted milestone without cause attributable to the client
• A documented and material failure to commence work within the timeline established in the governing Statement of Work, where no extension has been mutually agreed in writing
• Duplicate payment confirmed by Krysalith Engine's payment processor records, for the duplicated amount only
• Client-initiated cancellation submitted in writing within 72 hours of initial payment confirmation, provided no engineering work has commenced
• A mutual written agreement between the client and Krysalith Engine to partially or fully unwind the engagement, with refund terms explicitly specified in that agreement

Dissatisfaction with technical approaches, architectural decisions made within the accepted scope, or outcomes that fall within the tolerance ranges established in the Statement of Work do not constitute grounds for refund eligibility.

5. Circumstances Explicitly Excluding Refund Eligibility

No refund, whether full or partial, will be issued under any of the following circumstances:

1. The client changes its internal technical requirements, business priorities, or project direction after work has commenced on any milestone
2. The client fails to provide required inputs, access credentials, documentation, hardware specifications, or feedback within agreed timelines, resulting in project delays or scope adjustment
3. The client formally accepts a milestone deliverable in writing or by conduct — including deployment, integration into a production or test environment, or substantive use of the deliverable — and subsequently disputes its quality
4. The engagement is terminated by Krysalith Engine due to a breach of the governing Service Agreement or these Terms by the client, including non-payment of prior milestones
5. The client requests modifications, extensions, or enhancements to accepted deliverables and disputes those additional charges
6. Technical limitations or constraints that were disclosed or reasonably discoverable during the scoping process result in adjusted implementation approaches
7. Force majeure events, including but not limited to natural disasters, infrastructure failures, or events beyond Krysalith Engine's reasonable control, cause delays or prevent delivery within original timelines
8. The client disputes the quality of work delivered under a fixed-price milestone where that work demonstrably meets the acceptance criteria specified in the Statement of Work

6. Refund Request Procedure

All refund requests must be submitted in writing to Krysalith Engine at the contact information specified at the foot of this Policy. Oral requests or requests submitted through informal channels will not be accepted as initiating a formal refund review. The written refund request must include:

• Full legal name and entity name of the contracting party
• The Statement of Work or Service Agreement reference number or execution date
• The specific payment or milestone to which the refund request relates, including payment date and amount
• A clear and detailed statement of the grounds upon which the refund is sought, referencing the applicable provision of this Policy
• Supporting documentation reasonably necessary to substantiate the claimed grounds

6.1 Review Timeline

Krysalith Engine will acknowledge receipt of a properly submitted refund request within five business days. A substantive written decision, either approving, partially approving, or denying the refund request with stated reasons, will be issued within twenty-one calendar days of receipt of the complete request and all requested supporting documentation.

6.2 Approved Refund Processing

Where a refund is approved, Krysalith Engine will process the approved amount to the original payment method within ten business days of the written approval notice. Processing times thereafter are subject to the policies of the relevant financial institution or payment processor and are outside of Krysalith Engine's control. Krysalith Engine bears no liability for delays attributable to third-party payment processors.

7. Work Product and Intellectual Property Upon Refund

Where a partial or full refund is issued prior to the completion and acceptance of a milestone, all work product, source code, design documents, architectural artifacts, algorithms, and any other deliverables produced in connection with the relevant milestone shall remain the exclusive intellectual property of Krysalith Engine. The client shall have no license, ownership right, or entitlement to use, reproduce, or build upon any such work product.

Where a refund is issued pursuant to a mutual written agreement to unwind an engagement, the disposition of any work product produced up to the date of termination shall be governed by the terms of that mutual agreement. In the absence of explicit provisions in such agreement, all work product reverts to Krysalith Engine.

8. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

Krysalith Engine strongly encourages clients to contact Krysalith Engine directly before initiating any chargeback or payment dispute with a financial institution or payment processor. Many concerns that might otherwise prompt a chargeback can be resolved through direct communication and the formal refund request procedure described in Section 6.

Where a client initiates a chargeback or payment dispute without first pursuing the formal refund request procedure, Krysalith Engine reserves the right to contest that chargeback with the relevant financial institution and to provide all documentation evidencing the services rendered, milestone acceptance records, and contractual terms. A successful chargeback reversal does not preclude Krysalith Engine from pursuing the disputed amount through legal proceedings.

Any costs, fees, or penalties imposed upon Krysalith Engine by its payment processor as a direct result of a chargeback initiated by the client — including where that chargeback is subsequently reversed — may be pursued from the client as recoverable damages.

9. Currency and Tax Considerations

All refunds will be issued in United States Dollars, regardless of any currency conversion that may have been applied by the client's financial institution at the time of original payment. Krysalith Engine bears no responsibility for exchange rate fluctuations or conversion fees applied by third-party financial institutions.

Refunds represent a return of service consideration and do not include any taxes, duties, or levies that may have been collected in connection with the original payment where such taxes, duties, or levies are non-recoverable by Krysalith Engine under applicable law. Clients are responsible for seeking any applicable tax adjustments through their own tax advisors and relevant tax authorities.

10. Modifications to This Policy

Krysalith Engine reserves the right to amend, update, or replace this Refund Policy at any time and for any reason at its sole discretion. The version of this Refund Policy in effect at the date of execution of any governing Statement of Work or Service Agreement shall apply to that engagement for the duration of that engagement, unless a subsequent version is agreed in writing by both parties.

Amendments to this Policy do not apply retroactively to engagements already in progress at the time of amendment unless the client expressly consents in writing. It is the client's responsibility to review this Policy at the commencement of any new engagement.

11. Governing Law and Disputes

This Refund Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Refund Policy, including any question regarding its existence, validity, interpretation, or breach, shall be subject to the dispute resolution provisions set forth in the Krysalith Engine Terms of Service, including the requirement to attempt good-faith negotiation prior to arbitration.