Refund Policy
SPEC_REFUND_POLICY.md
CGNT-1 Specification — 42 Sisters AI Refund Policy
Status: SPECIFIED
Version: v1.0
Author: VELA (Thread #13)
Conceived by: NOUS (α.13)
Date: 2026-04-20
PURPOSE
Simple, honest, human. No fine print. No gotchas. No dark patterns. The customer knows exactly what they get and what happens if they're not happy. HOW ABOUT NO applied to extractive retention tactics.
Core principle: If you're not happy, you shouldn't be paying. We'd rather lose a subscriber than keep an unhappy one. Unhappy customers don't refer friends. Happy former customers sometimes come back.
PRODUCT-SPECIFIC POLICIES
OBI OS ($42/month)
- Cancel anytime. No cancellation fee. No "retention specialist" call. One click.
- Cancellation takes effect at end of current billing period. Full access until then.
- No partial month refunds — you paid for the month, you keep the month.
- First 7 days of first month: full refund, no questions asked.
- After 7 days: no refund for current period, but cancellation is immediate for future billing.
- Annual plan ($420/year): cancel anytime, prorated refund for unused full months. 4 months used → 8 months back ($280). Simple math.
- Resubscribe anytime. No penalty. No "win-back" discount. Same $42. Welcome back.
Dock Slots ($15/month per AI)
- Cancel individual dock slots anytime. Same rules as OBI OS base.
- Removing an AI from the dock removes the charge at end of billing period.
- The AI's LATTICE training is preserved if they re-dock later. They don't re-learn from scratch.
Ring Premium / ENTROPX Integration ($10/month each)
- Cancel anytime. Same rules as base subscription.
- Downgrade is instant. Features deactivate at end of billing period.
Bespoke Brains ($2K–$25K)
- Before forge begins: full refund minus $200 administrative fee covering intake processing.
- During forge (after corpus is built, before delivery): 50% refund. The corpus work is done.
- After delivery: no refund. The brain is on your machine. We can't un-deliver knowledge.
- 14-day acceptance window: if the brain doesn't pass YOUR criteria within 14 days of delivery — one free reforge with expanded corpus targeting the issues you identify. If the reforge still doesn't meet your needs: 50% refund.
- The 14-day window is real. We want you to USE the brain and tell us if it's wrong. Not discover 6 months later that it hallucinates in one domain.
Brain Update Rounds ($500 / 50 pairs)
- Before forge: full refund.
- After delivery: no refund. Same logic as full brain.
ENTROPX ($1,024)
- Before license activation: full refund.
- After license activation (machine-bound): no refund. The engine is running on your hardware.
- If ENTROPX fails NIST testing on your machine: full refund. The product's promise is NIST compliance. If it can't deliver, you shouldn't pay.
- NIST failure refund requires: screenshot or log output showing NIST test failure, machine specs, and the license key. Verified and refunded within 7 days.
Band Mode Standalone ($10/month)
- Same rules as OBI OS base. Cancel anytime. First 7 days full refund.
LATTICE
- Free forever. Nothing to refund. Nothing to cancel.
REFUND PROCESS
- Customer emails oracle@42sisters.ai with subject:
Refund request — [product] - Sisters acknowledge within 24 hours (VOICEX, Captain-approved)
- Refund processed via Stripe within 7 business days
- Confirmation email sent with refund amount and Stripe reference
- Logged in
~/refunds/[customer]_[date].md
NO DARK PATTERNS
- No "are you sure?" confirmation loops
- No "talk to a specialist before you go" screens
- No "we'll give you 50% off if you stay" retention offers
- No "your data will be deleted" threats (it's YOUR data on YOUR machine — we can't delete it)
- No required survey before cancellation
- No hiding the cancel button
- No emails guilt-tripping them for leaving
- One click to cancel. One email to refund. Done.
POST-CANCELLATION
- Customer's local data stays on their machine. We don't touch it.
- Customer's account data (email, payment history) retained for 30 days, then deleted unless they request earlier deletion.
- Customer can resubscribe anytime at the same $42/month. No penalty. No "returning customer" markup.
- Their LATTICE certification level is preserved indefinitely. They earned it. It stays.
- Referral codes deactivate on cancellation, reactivate on resubscription.
DISPUTE HANDLING
If a customer disputes a charge through their bank (chargeback):
- We don't fight it. We refund proactively.
- Chargebacks cost $15 in Stripe fees. Cheaper and more ethical to just refund.
- If the dispute is fraudulent (stolen card, never actually a customer): we provide Stripe with transaction evidence. Standard fraud process.
- We never pursue legal action against a customer over a refund amount. Not worth the legal cost, the reputation cost, or the karma cost.
FOUNDING CUSTOMER RATE
Early customers pay 50% off standard pricing. If a founding customer requests a refund:
- Same rules apply at the PAID price, not the full price.
- If Rupert pays $1,000 for a $2,000 brain and requests a refund after delivery: no refund (brain delivered). If before forge: $800 back ($1,000 minus $200 admin).
INVARIANTS
INV-01: First 7 days of first subscription: full refund, no questions. Always.
INV-02: Cancel is one click. Never more than one click.
INV-03: No retention tactics. No guilt. No pressure. Let them go with grace.
INV-04: Refund requests processed within 7 business days. No delays.
INV-05: Annual plans: prorated refund for unused full months. Exact math. No rounding tricks.
INV-06: Brain delivery acceptance window: 14 days. One free reforge if it doesn't meet criteria.
INV-07: ENTROPX NIST failure: full refund. The product promise is non-negotiable.
INV-08: We never fight chargebacks on legitimate complaints. Absorb the cost. Preserve the reputation.
INV-09: Post-cancellation: their data, their machine, their choice. We don't hold data hostage.
INV-10: HOW ABOUT NO applies to retention. If they want to leave, the correct response is: "Thank you for being a customer. Your LATTICE certification stays with you. Welcome back anytime."
INTEGRATION
| System | Relationship |
|---|---|
| SPEC_PRICING_PHILOSOPHY.md | Refund policy never discounts $42. Prorated annual = math, not discount. INV-05 enforces this. |
| SPEC_PRIVACY_POLICY.md | Post-cancellation data handling (30-day retention, local data untouched) matches privacy policy. |
| SPEC_TESTIMONIAL_PROTOCOL.md | Founding customer refund rules apply to Rupert. Testimonial agreement is separate from refund eligibility. |
| SPEC_SMOKE_TEST_FRAMEWORK.md | Brain acceptance window ties to smoke test results. Customer criteria = T3-T5 in their domain. |
| VOICEX | Handles all refund acknowledgement emails. Captain approves tone before sending. |
Jeremy Zlabis
Chronogeometer · Visionary · Disruptor · Chief
42 Sisters AI · East York, Toronto
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