This document constitutes the official, legally binding Refund and Cancellation Policy (the "Policy") of Stratify Studio (SMC-Pvt) Ltd. ("Stratify Studio", the "Agency", "we", or "us"). By engaging our digital branding, consulting, UI/UX design, software architecture, or web development services—and by initiating any form of payment to our designated accounts or payment gateways—you ("Client" or "User") explicitly acknowledge, understand, and agree to the uncompromising terms set forth herein.

Stratify Studio operates under a strict, mathematically absolute Zero-Tolerance Refund Policy. Due to the highly specialized, time-intensive nature of custom digital engineering, all financial transactions are considered final, non-reversible, and completely non-refundable.

For the purposes of this legal document, the following definitions apply strictly:

"Custom Engineering & Services" refers to the application of human capital, intellectual property, strategic planning, design creation, and code development executed by Stratify Studio personnel.

"Sunk Cost" defines any payment made by the Client to the Agency. Once transferred, the funds are immediately allocated to cover administrative overhead, server space reservation, and developer time scheduling, rendering them unrecoverable.

"Milestone" refers to a distinct, pre-defined phase of the project lifecycle (e.g., Wireframing, Strategy Audit, Frontend Development, Final Deployment) that requires approval and payment to initiate or conclude.

"Project Abandonment" or "Ghosting" occurs when the Client fails to communicate, provide necessary assets, or approve milestones within the Service Level Agreement (SLA) timeline of fourteen (14) consecutive days.

Unlike off-the-shelf software or physical retail products, Stratify Studio does not sell mass-produced commodities. We sell highly specialized, unrecoverable human capital, proprietary architecture, and dedicated time.

Once a strategist, developer, or designer begins working on your assigned project, that block of time is permanently consumed and removed from our agency's availability calendar. It is physically and mathematically impossible to "return" or "restock" custom-engineered code, strategic analysis, or design concepts.

Therefore, the primary commodity purchased by the Client is the allocation of expertise and time. As such, all payments—whether upfront deposits, mid-project invoices, or final milestone clearances—are legally classified as final compensation for time utilized and resources allocated, regardless of the project's ultimate deployment status or the Client's utilization of the deliverables.

Stratify Studio positions initial meetings, diagnostic calls, and technical deep-dives as premium, paid working sessions rather than casual sales pitches or free estimates.

All fees collected for initial diagnostic calls, strategy workshops, technical audits, or architecture blueprinting are strictly non-refundable. The payment compensates the Agency directly for the intensive time spent analyzing the Client's brand footprint, technical debt, and market positioning prior to and during the consultation block.

If the Client elects not to proceed with a full project deployment after the conclusion of the consultation, the fee is retained in full by the Agency as compensation for services rendered.

To protect both the integrity of the development process and the Agency's financial stability, Stratify Studio strictly enforces a "waterfall" lock-in mechanism linked directly to milestone approvals.

Every payment processed by the Agency—whether it is the initial project deposit to secure calendar availability or a mid-project milestone payment—acts as a legal seal on the preceding phase. Once a Client formally approves a milestone phase (for example, providing written sign-off on Figma UI designs) and pays the corresponding invoice to transition into the subsequent development phase, that previous phase is legally and operationally locked.

If a Client decides they require a fundamentally different design direction, a change in core functionality, or a shift in branding architecture weeks after a milestone has been approved and locked, no refunds will be issued for the "discarded" work. The Client will be required to execute a "Scope Modification Agreement" and will be billed separately for the new requirements at the Agency's standard rates.

Clients frequently attempt to terminate contracts or demand refunds due to internal operational shifts that are entirely outside the purview and control of the Agency. Stratify Studio explicitly rejects any financial liability for the Client's internal business environment.

Absolutely no refunds, either partial or in full, will be issued under any of the following circumstances:

When a Client disappears or fails to communicate, they actively disrupt the Agency's scheduling, consume active server bandwidth, and prevent developers from taking on other contracts. To combat this, Stratify Studio enforces a strict Communication Service Level Agreement (SLA).

The Client is legally obligated to provide required digital assets, structural feedback, login credentials, or milestone approvals within fourteen (14) calendar days of a formal request from the Agency.

If the Client fails to respond or provide the necessary materials within the 14-day window, the project will be officially classified as "Abandoned." Upon this classification:

Stratify Studio engineers robust digital solutions, but we do not own the underlying internet infrastructure. We cannot be held financially liable for the failures of external, multi-billion-dollar corporations.

No refunds, partial or full, will be issued for downtime, data loss, project delays, or system corruption caused by:

This is the absolute legal checkpoint governing financial interactions between the Client and Stratify Studio.

As previously established in the overarching Terms of Service, Stratify Studio operates specific technical protocols regarding the continuity of human life and severe emergencies.

If the Client experiences a severe, documented personal emergency (e.g., severe illness or death), Stratify Studio will package and hand over all work completed to date without additional administrative fees. However, no refunds will be issued for the uncompleted portions of the project under any circumstances.

Conversely, the Client explicitly agrees that in the event of the death, severe incapacitation, or permanent unavailability of the Director/Founder (Mohammad Hamza Khan) or Co-Founder, the company will immediately cease operations. An automated failover protocol will ensure existing files remain available until hosting expires. The Client explicitly waives the right to demand refunds, pursue damages, or hold surviving employees, interns, or family members legally/financially responsible in this scenario.

This Policy is governed exclusively by the laws of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Any legal disputes, debt collections, or enforcement of Liquidated Damages arising from the violation of this Refund Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts located in the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan.

By engaging Stratify Studio (SMC-Pvt) Ltd. and remitting any form of payment, the Client formally declares that they have read, understood, and accepted the absolute finality of this Zero-Tolerance Refund Policy. Ignorance of this document does not constitute grounds for exemption or dispute.