What happens to deposits, project fees and retainers if a project changes, pauses or is cancelled.
Last updated February 2026
This policy covers project fees, deposits and retainers paid to Vartex Surge for design, development, marketing and consulting services. It sits alongside the written proposal and agreement for your project, which take precedence where they state something more specific.
Projects begin once the agreement is signed and the initial invoice is paid. Because work starts immediately, discovery, planning, design and development time, deposits cover time already committed and are non-refundable once that work has begun.
Where no work has started, a deposit paid in error or in duplicate is refunded in full.
You may cancel a project in writing at any time by emailing hello@vartexsurge.com. We will confirm the cancellation, stop work, and invoice or refund based on the stages completed at that point.
Completed and delivered stages are payable. Stages that were paid for but not started are refunded. Any files, designs or code produced up to the cancellation point are handed over once outstanding invoices are settled.
Ongoing marketing, SEO and retainer services run month to month unless your agreement states a longer term. You may stop future months by giving written notice before the next billing date.
Payments for a month already in progress are not refunded, because media, tooling and team time for that period are already committed.
If you are charged twice, charged an incorrect amount, or a payment is taken for a service you did not order, contact us and we will refund the difference in full to the original payment method.
Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method in the currency of the original payment (USD, GBP or EUR). Our payment provider usually completes this within 5 to 10 business days; your bank may take longer to display it.
Currency conversion differences and third-party payment fees applied by your bank or card issuer are outside our control.
Amounts paid on your behalf to third parties, advertising spend, Shopify or app subscriptions, themes, plugins, domains, stock imagery or email platforms, follow that provider's own refund terms and cannot be refunded by us once spent or purchased.
Email hello@vartexsurge.com with your invoice number and what you would like resolved, or send us a WhatsApp message. We aim to respond within two business days and always try to resolve concerns directly before any payment dispute is raised.
