Refund Policy

Effective Date: [DATE] Last reviewed by counsel: [DATE] Version: 1.0 (first draft — pre-counsel) Operator: Stagex Pty Ltd, ACN 696 624 987

This Refund Policy describes when Stagex Pty Ltd ("Stagex", "we") will refund Subscription Fees you have paid for the Service (stagex.com.au and related apps). It forms part of, and is enforceable under, the Terms of Service at /legal/terms-of-service. Capitalised terms not defined here have the meaning given in the Terms of Service.

Important. This Policy covers Subscription Fees only. It does not apply to Escrow Funds — Escrow Funds are not Stagex revenue, are held by Zai Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL 461841) as trustee, and are returned via the Stripe acquirer or the Zai dispute pathway. See section 5.

1. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in this Refund Policy excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy you have under the *Australian Consumer Law* (ACL) or any other law that cannot be excluded by contract.

The ACL gives you statutory rights, including the right to a refund, repair or replacement (as applicable) where a service is not provided with due care and skill, is not fit for any purpose you made known, or is not provided within a reasonable time. The remedies in this Policy are in addition to, not in substitution for, your ACL rights.

If you believe you have an ACL claim, email legal@stagex.com.au with the details and we will respond within 10 business days.

2. 14-day money-back on your first paid period

If you upgrade from a Free Plan to a paid Plan (Professional, Business, or Enterprise) and decide within 14 days of the first paid charge that the Service is not right for you, you are entitled to a full refund of that first charge.

• The 14-day window starts on the date of the first paid charge.
• The refund covers the first-period Subscription Fee only.
• It does not cover any optional add-on fees you have actively used (e.g. SMS credits already consumed, Marketplace lead fees already redeemed).
• To claim, email billing@stagex.com.au with your account email and the words "14-day refund" in the subject. We will process within 5 business days back to the original payment method.

3. Pro-rated refund on annual Plans for failure to deliver

If you have purchased an annual Plan and Stagex has materially failed to deliver the Service (for example, sustained unavailability exceeding 5 business days in a calendar month not caused by force majeure or your conduct), you are entitled to a pro-rated refund for the remainder of the annual term, calculated from the date of your cancellation request.

• Email billing@stagex.com.au with a description of the failure and any supporting evidence (incident dates, error references).
• We will assess and respond within 10 business days.

4. No refund in other circumstances (subject to your ACL rights)

Outside the windows in sections 2 and 3, and subject to your ACL rights:

• Monthly Plans are non-refundable. You may cancel at any time; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current monthly billing period.
• Annual Plans are non-refundable for the remainder of the term after the 14-day window in section 2.
• Marketplace lead fees (when introduced) are non-refundable once a lead has been delivered, except where Stagex confirms the lead was fraudulent or duplicative — in which case credits will be returned.
• SMS / voice credits, evidence-packet exports, and any consumed add-ons are non-refundable.
• Trials and Free Plans — no fee, no refund.

5. Escrow Funds — NOT subscription refunds

Escrow Funds are not Stagex revenue.

• When a Customer pays Escrow Funds in connection with a Milestone, those funds flow Customer → Stripe → Zai Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 96 637 632 645, AFSL 461841) trust account.
• Stagex does not hold, own, or earn Escrow Funds.
• If a Customer is entitled to return of Escrow Funds (for example, because the Business Org failed to perform, or a Milestone dispute resolves in the Customer's favour), the funds are returned via the Stripe / Zai pathway, not by Stagex.
• Disputes about Escrow Funds follow the in-app dispute pathway described in clause 13 of the Terms of Service, escalating where necessary to the Trustee's AFCA-aligned external dispute resolution scheme.

If you have a question about an Escrow Funds movement, contact disputes@stagex.com.au. We will route it to the correct pathway promptly.

6. Chargebacks

Please contact us before raising a chargeback with your bank or card issuer. Chargebacks are expensive and disruptive for both sides; we can almost always resolve a Subscription Fee question directly.

• If you raise a chargeback on a Subscription Fee that is genuinely owed, we may suspend your Account until the chargeback is reversed.
• We do not waive any rights by responding to a chargeback dispute.

7. How to request a refund

Email billing@stagex.com.au with:

• the account email and ABN;
• the charge date and amount;
• the category of refund (s 2, s 3, or s 5);
• supporting context (e.g. for s 3, the incident reference).

Acknowledgement within 2 business days. Substantive response within 10 business days. Refunds processed via the original payment method.

8. Refund processing time

Where a refund is owed, we process it within 5 business days of approval. Settlement back to your card or bank account may take a further 5–10 business days depending on your issuer.

9. Changes to this Policy

We may amend this Policy on at least 30 days' notice by email and in-app banner. Changes do not affect refund rights you have already accrued.