Refund & cancellation
Policy

This Policy explains the cancellation, refund and fee treatment principles applicable to paid services, memberships, bookings, customised services, professional services, reports, training and other related products or services provided by Universal Sustainable Growth Organisation Ltd. (“USG”).

This Policy applies to services purchased or ordered through the USG website, Workspace, written quotations, Proposals, Invoices, booking systems or other channels confirmed by USG. Where a specific service agreement, Proposal, order or booking confirmation contains lawful and more specific terms, those terms will apply. Nothing in those terms excludes or limits statutory consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Where a customer purchases services in a business, professional or institutional capacity, different consumer protection rules may apply. USG will deal with the matter according to the nature of the contract, the status of the customer and applicable law.

• A refund is not automatically available in every case. Eligibility for a refund and the amount of any refund depend on the type of service, the stage of performance, whether customised work or third-party costs have been incurred, the time of cancellation and applicable law.
• Where USG has not begun providing the service and the customer has a right to cancel under applicable law or the contract, USG will process the cancellation and any refund in accordance with the applicable rules.
• Where the customer has expressly requested USG to begin providing a service during a statutory cancellation period and subsequently cancels, USG may, to the extent permitted by law, deduct the value of services actually supplied, work already completed and reasonable non-recoverable costs incurred up to the time USG receives the cancellation notice.
• Any refund or deduction will be handled on a fair, transparent and proportionate basis. USG does not impose punitive cancellation charges.

For distance or online service contracts to which UK consumer law applies, a consumer will generally have a statutory cancellation period of 14 days beginning on the day after the contract is entered into, subject to applicable statutory exceptions.

If a consumer asks USG to begin providing the service during that 14-day period, USG may require an express request for early performance. If the consumer cancels after performance has begun but before the service has been fully performed, the consumer may be required by law to pay a proportionate amount for the service supplied up to the time of cancellation.

Where the service has been fully performed during the cancellation period following the consumer’s express request for early performance, and the legally required acknowledgement has been obtained, the consumer will cease to have the statutory right to cancel that service contract.

For digital content, immediately accessible digital materials, online training materials or other digitally supplied content, USG will obtain any express consent or acknowledgement required by applicable law before supply where necessary. Any cancellation rights will be dealt with in accordance with applicable law.

Customised courses include, without limitation, course structures, learning pathways, presentations, teaching materials, case studies, assessments, examination questions, video scripts, personalised materials and other content specifically prepared for a particular learner, company, institution, industry or project.

[Customisation not yet started] If USG has not begun course design, research, preparation of materials, trainer arrangements or other customised work, the customer may cancel in accordance with applicable law and the relevant order terms. Any amount legally due for refund will be refunded.

[Customisation started] Once USG has begun customised work at the customer’s request, USG may deduct reasonable costs actually incurred up to the date of cancellation, including completed research, course design, content production, project management, professional time, trainer or expert reservation costs and non-recoverable third-party costs. Any remaining balance, if applicable, will be refunded.

[Completed or substantially completed] Where a customised course, the principal course materials or other agreed customised deliverables have been completed or substantially completed and USG has completed the principal work required under the contract, the corresponding customisation charges are generally non-refundable, subject to applicable law.

Once the customer has received, accessed or used customised course materials, the customer is not entitled to a refund of completed customisation work merely because the customer changes its plans, does not attend, does not complete the course or no longer requires the course.

This section applies to bookings of facilitators, mediators, experts, advisers, trainers or other professionals, including facilitation, mediation, consultation, review, assessment and other sessions.

• If a booking has not yet been confirmed or USG has not reserved professional time for the customer, cancellation will be dealt with under applicable law and the relevant order terms.
• Once a booking is confirmed, where case review, conflict checks, document preparation, professional time reservation, administration, meeting preparation or other work has already been undertaken, USG may deduct reasonable costs actually incurred and non-recoverable costs when processing a cancellation.
• If the customer does not attend (a no-show), gives notice only after the agreed appointment time, or cancels after the professional has completed substantial preparation for the Session, USG may charge for work already undertaken or a reasonable cancellation charge, to the extent permitted by law and provided the relevant terms are fair and transparent.
• Once the professional has actually commenced the Session, the services already provided are non-refundable.
• If USG or the appointed professional is unable to provide the service as agreed, USG will normally seek first to arrange a reasonable alternative appointment. If the service cannot reasonably be re-performed, the fee attributable to the unprovided part will be refunded in accordance with applicable law and the contract.

This section applies to diagnostic reports, Assessments, Reviews, research reports, analytical reports, customised Proposals, professional opinions, comparative analyses, written recommendations, project plans and similar deliverables.

• Work not yet started: cancellation will be dealt with in accordance with applicable cancellation rights and the relevant order terms.
• Work started but a complete deliverable has not yet been produced: USG may deduct the value of work completed up to the time of cancellation together with reasonable non-recoverable costs. Any remaining balance, if applicable, will be refunded.
• Once a complete report or other agreed complete deliverable has been produced, the corresponding fee is generally non-refundable.
• Where a report has been delivered, made available for download, sent, displayed or otherwise made available for the customer’s use, a subsequent change in the customer’s commercial decision, termination of the project, decision not to adopt the recommendations or dissatisfaction with a commercial outcome does not of itself create a right to a refund.

Whether a “complete report has been produced” will be determined by reference to the agreed scope of work and substantive completion, and not solely by whether the customer has opened, downloaded or read the report.

Membership fees, account fees, Professional Member, Member, Partner, Service Centre and other annual qualification or system service fees are governed by the relevant membership or service terms and applicable UK law.

• Where the law provides a consumer with an initial cancellation period, USG will respect that statutory right.
• If membership services have begun following the customer’s express request, USG may deduct a reasonable amount corresponding to membership benefits, account services or other services already provided, where permitted by law.
• Once an annual membership or annual fee period has begun, the fee is not automatically refundable on a monthly or pro-rata basis merely because the member has not used, has made limited use of, has paused use of, or no longer wishes to use the service.
• Where an arrangement constitutes an automatically renewing or subscription contract, USG will provide renewal notices, cancellation mechanisms and any applicable cooling-off or refund rights in accordance with the UK subscription and consumer protection rules in force at the relevant time.
• Cancellation of a future renewal does not affect charges already incurred and lawfully payable before the cancellation takes effect.
• If USG terminates a membership or service where the customer is not in breach, USG will determine any appropriate refund by reference to the remaining unprovided service, the contract and applicable law.
• Where membership or service access is terminated because of a serious breach of membership rules, misuse of the platform, infringement of intellectual property rights, fraud, unlawful use, security risks or another serious contractual breach by the customer, fees already incurred and any refund will be dealt with in accordance with the contract and applicable law.

Subject always to statutory rights that cannot be excluded, the following circumstances will generally not give rise to a right to a refund, or will result only in a refund of any balance remaining after applicable incurred costs have been deducted:

• The customer changes its mind, changes its internal budget, cancels its project, changes personnel or no longer requires a customised service that has already begun or been completed.
• A customised course, customised materials, report, research, Assessment, Review, Proposal or other personalised deliverable has been completed or substantially completed.
• A professional has completed case review, preparation, a Session or other agreed professional work.
• The customer fails to attend an arranged course, meeting or Session, or fails to provide required materials within a reasonable time, preventing the service from continuing.
• The customer has already received and used the relevant membership benefits, digital access, professional service or other performed service.
• The customer is unable to use the service because of its own equipment, network, internal approval process, travel arrangements, scheduling or a third-party issue, where USG has provided the service as agreed.
• The customer is dissatisfied with a commercial outcome, negotiation outcome, mediation outcome, cooperation outcome, financing outcome or another result that USG has not guaranteed.
• Reasonable third-party costs have already been incurred and cannot be recovered.

These circumstances do not exclude any refund, repeat performance, price reduction or other statutory remedy arising from USG’s own breach, failure to exercise reasonable care and skill, failure to provide the agreed service or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

If USG cancels a service or, for reasons attributable to USG, cannot provide a paid service that has not yet been provided, USG may, depending on the circumstances, offer rescheduling, alternative performance or a refund for the unprovided part.

For consumer services to which the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies, USG will comply with its statutory obligations, including the requirement to perform services with reasonable care and skill. Nothing in this Policy limits any statutory right to repeat performance, a price reduction or refund where such a remedy is available by law.

Any deduction must be lawful, reasonable and supported by an itemised explanation. The same work or expense will not be deducted twice under different headings. Statutory refund rights take precedence over this calculation.

Where a customer is entitled to a partial refund, the amount will generally be calculated as follows: amount paid by the customer minus the value of services already performed that may lawfully be deducted under fair contractual terms, minus reasonable non-recoverable costs already incurred, equals the refundable balance.

USG may provide the customer with an explanation of the principal deductions. Any deduction must be proportionate to the work performed, the stage of the service and the reasonable loss incurred, and must not operate as a penalty.

Refund and cancellation requests should be submitted using the USG Refunds contact details set out at the end of this Policy.

• The customer should provide the order, Invoice, booking reference, membership account or other information reasonably sufficient to identify the transaction.
• A cancellation notice takes effect when USG receives a clear and identifiable communication of the customer’s decision to cancel, unless a specific contract lawfully provides otherwise.
• USG may request information reasonably necessary to verify the payer, the transaction and the appropriate refund route.
• Once a refund is confirmed as due, it will be processed within the period required by applicable law. Where a consumer is legally entitled to a refund, USG will comply with the applicable statutory refund deadline.
• Refunds will normally be made using the same payment method used for the original transaction unless the customer expressly agrees otherwise. USG will not impose a refund fee where such a fee is prohibited by law.

Fees actually charged and not recoverable from banks, payment service providers, professionals, translators, venues, platforms or other third parties may be treated as incurred costs to the extent permitted by law and where appropriately disclosed.

Exchange-rate differences, intermediary bank charges and third-party payment costs arising from cross-border payments will be dealt with in accordance with applicable law, the rules of the relevant payment channel and the circumstances of the transaction. USG will not rely on this provision to reduce any refund to which a consumer is legally entitled.

If an event beyond reasonable control prevents a service from proceeding as originally planned, USG will consider reasonable rescheduling, postponement or other alternative arrangements according to the nature of the service. Any retention of fees or refund will remain subject to the contract and applicable law.

This Policy has been prepared primarily by reference to the laws of England and Wales. Nothing in this Policy limits any consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.

USG may update this Policy to reflect changes in law, regulation, service structure or operational processes. The version applicable to a transaction will generally be the version provided to the customer or properly incorporated into the contract when that transaction was entered into, except where a change in law requires otherwise.

USG Refunds

refunds@universalsustainablegrowth.org