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Etymolt Forge — Refund Policy

Effective: 2026-05-15 Version: v1 Cross-ref: Incorporated into FORGE_TOS.md §6

We want you to be able to back out cleanly at any reasonable point. Below is exactly when, how, and how much.

§1. The simple version

When you ask for a refund What you get back
Within 24 hours of payment, before any DNS change 100% refund ($499 or $699)
After DNS is configured but before platform signups $400 ($499 minus $99 — covers Cloudflare zone, brand kit; both stay with you)
After at least one platform signup is complete No refund — we delivered working accounts
Platform bans your handle within 30 days (despite our Bureau-Model compliance) We re-attempt with a variant for free. If we can't, 50% refund
You change your brand name and want to redo Forge for the new name No refund — work was for the original name. New name = new $499

The USPTO $750 trademark filing fee is not part of Forge's price and follows USPTO's own refund policy (essentially: non-refundable once filed).

§2. Why the $99 deduction after DNS setup

Cloudflare zone configuration + DNSSEC enablement + brand-kit asset generation are real engineering work we've done by the time DNS is configured. These artifacts stay with you even if you cancel:

  • Your domain is now at Cloudflare with DNSSEC (better than where it was)
  • Your brand kit (9 PNGs, public repo) is yours forever
  • Your forge-docs repo with the configuration is yours

You're paying $99 for the irreversible work that's already been done. The remaining $400 (or $600 for Pro) reflects the platform-signup phase that hasn't been performed yet.

§3. How to request a refund

Email hello@etymolt.com with subject "Forge refund request" and:

  1. Your Stripe receipt email (we use this to identify your order)
  2. Your brand name (in case you used a different contact)
  3. Optional: what didn't work for you (helps us iterate)

We respond within 24 hours. Refunds process via Stripe (their typical timing: 5–10 business days back to your card).

No formalities. You don't need a reason. We don't sell to people who don't want the product.

§4. Platform-ban remedy detail

The Bureau Model (see FORGE_BUREAU_MODEL.md) is designed to keep your handles safe. We don't break platform Terms of Service. We don't impersonate. We don't use VoIP numbers.

But platforms sometimes ban handles for reasons unrelated to ToS compliance:

  • Algorithmic confusion with an existing brand
  • A trademark holder files a complaint
  • Random shadow-ban from the platform's anti-fraud heuristics

If this happens within 30 days of the handle being claimed:

  1. Tell us at hello@etymolt.com. We need:
    • Screenshot of the ban notice
    • Date of the original claim
    • The handle in question
  2. We re-attempt with a variant (e.g., @yourbrand-co or @get-yourbrand) at our cost, including any new TextVerified SMS rental
  3. If we can't get a working alternative within 7 days, we refund 50% of your Forge fee ($249.50 Lite / $349.50 Pro)

After 30 days, this remedy expires. Account-recovery actions on banned accounts are not part of Forge's scope.

§5. USPTO trademark filing — pass-through

The $750 USPTO TEAS Plus filing fee (3 classes × $250) is paid by you, to USPTO, directly. We don't take this money and we can't refund it.

USPTO's own refund policy:

  • Refundable: if the application has not yet been examined (you can request withdrawal at any point before publication)
  • Not refundable: once examined or published, USPTO keeps the fee even if you abandon the application

If we drafted your TEAS Plus filing but you decide not to submit it, we don't owe you anything for the draft work — but also you owe USPTO nothing because you didn't submit.

§6. Pro tier specifics

Pro tier ($699) includes ~$25–35 in Ethereum gas costs that we front for you. If you refund at the "before platform signups" stage and the wallet has been funded but the onchain transactions haven't been submitted:

  • We refund $600 (i.e., $699 minus the $99 work-done deduction)
  • We retain the wallet funding for the next Pro customer (the wallet is reusable infrastructure)

If onchain transactions have been submitted, those gas costs are not refundable (Ethereum doesn't refund failed-intent gas).

§7. What this policy doesn't cover

  • Chargebacks initiated through your bank instead of through us — we'll respond to Stripe's dispute process honestly with our records. If you have a legitimate refund claim, please email us first; it's faster and we'll honor it.
  • Subjective dissatisfaction with the brand kit aesthetics — the kit is generated by OpenAI gpt-image-1 per your brand name. If it's not what you envisioned, we'll regenerate up to 2 more times at our cost; beyond that, the brand kit is delivered as-is.
  • Failure to use the delivered assets — once you have working accounts, what you do with them is your responsibility.

§8. Contact

hello@etymolt.com — subject line: "Forge refund request"

Updated 2026-05-15.