What a money-back window really protects
A web design money back guarantee sounds like a promise that nothing can go wrong, but it is narrower than that, and more useful once you understand it. Here is what a refund window is for and how to read one. For how refunds are treated in law where you live, ask a qualified professional.
What is a refund window for?
For the period when you know least. Before a project starts, all you have is a conversation and a portfolio. In the first days of working together you learn how the designer listens, how quickly they answer and whether the first ideas match what you meant. A refund window lets you act on what you learn while the cost of leaving is still small for you and for them.
What does it not protect?
It does not promise results. No refund term can make a site bring customers, and one that claims to should make you careful. It is also not a way to collect finished work and then ask for the money back. A window is short on purpose. Its job is to cover the decision to start, not the whole project.
What should I ask about the terms?
Four things. How long the window is, in days. Which day it is counted from: the payment, the first meeting or the first delivery. Whether the refund is the full amount or a part. And whether there are conditions attached, such as work already delivered. If any of the four is unclear, ask for it in writing before you pay.
How is it different from support?
They cover opposite ends of the project. A refund window sits at the beginning and answers "what if this is not the right fit". Support sits after launch and answers "what if something stops working". A supplier can offer one without the other. Ideally you have both, each with a stated length, because the two risks are different.
What happens after the window closes?
The project continues on its agreed terms, and those need to be clear too. What do you approve and when? What if you want changes after approving? What is owed if the project stops later? A refund window is the first safeguard, not the only one. The approval steps that follow are what keep the rest of the project from surprising you.
How I handle it
For the first seven days of a project you can stop it and get your payment back in full. After that, the design is made in Figma and nothing is built until you approve it, so the build never starts on something you have not seen. Once the site goes live, support runs for 180 days and covers anything that breaks and anything that behaves differently from what was agreed. Tell me about your project and put any question about these terms to me.
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