Refund Policy
1. Overview
SigmaThesis wants you to be confident in your purchase. Our refund policy is built on three principles: fair to honest users, protective against abuse, and compliant with EU consumer law.
Payments are processed by Paddle, our Merchant of Record. Paddle also operates its own buyer protection program — you can request a refund either from us or directly from Paddle.
2. EU 14-day cooling-off period
If you are a consumer in the European Union, you have a statutory right to withdraw within 14 calendar days of your purchase under the EU Consumer Rights Directive (Directive 2011/83/EU).
Digital-service withdrawal and refund rights can depend on whether performance of the service has begun with your consent and on the mandatory consumer law that applies to you. Nothing in this policy limits rights that cannot legally be waived. Contact us or Paddle if you need a refund review.
3. Starter and Pro subscription refunds
Within an applicable statutory withdrawal period: contact us or Paddle promptly and we will review the request under the consumer law that applies to the purchase and the extent to which the digital service has already been supplied.
After the applicable withdrawal period: you can cancel at any time from your account settings and retain access until the end of the current paid period. Refunds for partial periods are handled as required by law and by Paddle's buyer-protection process.
Unexpected renewal charges: contact us as soon as possible. We review renewal refund requests together with Paddle and applicable consumer rules.
4. Other digital purchases
If SigmaThesis offers optional one-time digital purchases, their refund treatment will be disclosed at checkout and remains subject to mandatory consumer rights and Paddle's buyer-protection process.
5. Service failures and technical issues
If the Service is materially broken — AI calls fail repeatedly, data feeds are unavailable, your account is locked through no fault of your own — and we cannot resolve the issue within a reasonable time, you are entitled to a full or partial refund regardless of the cooling-off period. We take service quality seriously; tell us if something is broken and we will make it right.
6. When refunds are not available
We may decline a refund request in the following cases:
- Substantial use of the digital service where applicable law allows that use to affect refund eligibility
- Account terminated for violation of our Terms of Service (e.g., scraping, abuse)
- Refund request more than 90 days after the original charge
- Pattern of repeat refunds suggesting abuse of the policy
These exceptions do not override mandatory EU consumer rights where applicable.
7. How to request a refund
Two ways to request a refund:
1. Contact us directly: email support@sigmathesis.com with the subject "Refund request". Include:
- The email address on your SigmaThesis account
- The Paddle order ID (from your purchase confirmation email)
- Reason for the refund (optional, but helps us improve)
2. Through Paddle directly: Paddle offers a customer help portal where you can request refunds without contacting us first.
We respond to refund requests within 3 business days. If approved, refunds are processed by Paddle and typically appear on your card or bank statement within 5–10 business days.
8. Chargebacks
If you have a billing concern, please contact us before initiating a chargeback with your bank. Chargebacks are expensive for everyone — including for honest users, since they raise costs across the platform. We process legitimate refunds quickly and fairly; opening a chargeback without first asking us forces an investigation that can lock your account temporarily.
Fraudulent chargebacks (e.g., claiming you didn't authorize a purchase you actually made) may result in permanent account termination and being added to industry fraud-prevention databases.
9. Currency and exchange rates
Refunds are issued in the same currency as the original purchase, to the same payment method. If your bank applied an FX conversion when you paid, the refunded amount in your local currency may differ slightly from the original due to exchange-rate fluctuations. We refund the original transaction amount in the original currency.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Refund Policy from time to time. Changes apply only to purchases made after the update; existing customers retain the policy that was in effect at the time of their purchase. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates the most recent revision.
11. Contact
Questions about refunds? Email us at support@sigmathesis.com. For other contact options, see the contact page.