Refund Policy

This Refund Policy explains the circumstances under which TNV Global Limited will provide refunds for payments made by customers ("you", "Customer") for our ISO certification services. This Policy applies to all payments made through https://tnvglobal.com, including USD 500 booking deposits, audit fees, surveillance audit fees, recertification fees, and any other payments to TNV Global Limited.

This Refund Policy forms part of our Terms of Booking and Terms of Service. By making a payment to TNV Global, you confirm that you have read, understood, and accept this Refund Policy. Where there is conflict between this Policy and our specific signed contract with you, the signed contract prevails.

1. Scope and Application

This Refund Policy applies to all payments made to TNV Global Limited for ISO certification services and related offerings, including but not limited to:

• USD 500 refundable booking deposit (paid via the /book-iso-42001-audit page)
• Initial certification audit fees (Stage 1 + Stage 2)
• Gap analysis fees
• Annual surveillance audit fees
• Recertification audit fees (end of 3-year cycle)
• Transfer audit fees
• Scope extension fees
• Translation, travel, accommodation, and per-diem charges (where billed)
• Any other invoiced fees from TNV Global Limited

This Policy does NOT apply to:

• Bank fees or payment gateway charges (these are charged by third parties and are non-refundable from those parties)
• Foreign exchange losses due to currency conversion (we refund the equivalent amount, not the original-currency amount)
• Fees for services already rendered (e.g., audit time already invested)

2. Plain Language Summary

Before reading the legal detail below, here is a plain-English summary of how refunds work:

3. Booking Deposit Refund (USD 500)

The USD 500 booking deposit paid via the /book-iso-42001-audit page is refundable on the following terms:

3.1 Refund Eligibility

You are entitled to a full refund of the USD 500 booking deposit (less actual bank and payment gateway charges) where ALL of the following conditions are met:

• You have received our written quotation
• You notify us in writing by email to admin@tnvglobal.com (subject: "Refund Request") within 7 (seven) calendar days of receiving the written quotation
• Stage 1 documentation review has NOT commenced (no auditor time has been invested beyond quotation preparation)
• You have not provided false or misleading information in your application that would render the quotation invalid

3.2 Deductions

The following actual third-party charges are deducted from the refund and are non-recoverable:

• Payment gateway fees actually incurred (e.g. Stripe: approximately 2.9% + USD 0.30 per transaction = approximately USD 15)
• Bank transfer or wire transfer fees actually incurred (e.g. Wise, SWIFT charges)
• Foreign exchange losses caused by currency conversion at the time of refund
• Sending bank fees (if you paid via SWIFT or international wire)

We will provide a transparent breakdown of all deductions with every refund.

3.3 Net Refund Amount

The typical net refund for a USD 500 booking deposit is between USD 470 and USD 485, depending on the payment method used and any foreign exchange fluctuation. We will confirm the exact net refund amount in our refund confirmation email.

4. Full Audit Fee Refund

Full audit fees (initial certification, surveillance, or recertification) are refundable on the following pro-rated basis:

All refund calculations are at TNV Global's reasonable discretion based on actual auditor time invested, costs already incurred (travel, accommodation, third-party services), and a reasonable administration charge. We provide a transparent breakdown with every refund.

5. Non-Refundable Fees and Charges

The following items are non-refundable under all circumstances:

• Bank and payment gateway charges: Charges levied by Stripe, Wise, banks, or other payment intermediaries. These are paid to third parties and cannot be recovered.
• Foreign exchange differentials: Where you paid in a currency different from USD and the exchange rate has moved, we refund the equivalent USD amount converted at the prevailing rate, not the original local-currency amount.
• Audit time already invested: Once auditor time has been booked or invested (Stage 1 commenced, Stage 2 commenced), that time is non-refundable.
• Third-party costs already incurred: Non-refundable travel bookings, accommodation deposits, third-party translation services, expert consultations that have already been paid.
• Administration fee: A reasonable administration fee (typically 10% of audit fee, capped at USD 500) is retained on customer-initiated cancellations to cover scheduling, contract processing, and account administration work.
• Certificate annual maintenance fees once paid: Annual maintenance fees pre-paid as part of the initial contract are not refundable proportionally if certification is voluntarily surrendered, suspended, or withdrawn at the customer's request.

6. Refund Calculation Methodology

Where a refund is calculated as a percentage of fees paid, the calculation is performed as follows:

Net Refund = (Eligible Refund Percentage × Audit Fee Paid) − Actual Bank/Gateway Charges − Foreign Exchange Differential − Third-Party Costs Already Incurred

Example calculations:

6.1 Example A — Booking Deposit Refund

Customer pays USD 500 booking deposit by Stripe card. Quotation received. Customer declines within 7 days. Stripe gateway fees actually charged: USD 14.80.

Net refund calculation:

USD 500 (paid) − USD 14.80 (Stripe fees) = USD 485.20 refunded to original payment method

6.2 Example B — Audit Fee Refund Before Stage 1

Customer paid USD 2,500 audit fee. Contract signed. Stage 1 not yet commenced. Customer cancels.

Net refund calculation:

90% × USD 2,500 = USD 2,250 (Stage 1 not commenced, 10% admin retained)

Net refund: USD 2,250 less actual bank charges (typically USD 50–80 depending on payment method)

6.3 Example C — Refund After Stage 1 Begun

Customer paid USD 4,000 audit fee. Stage 1 commenced (auditor has invested 2 days). Customer cancels.

Net refund calculation:

USD 4,000 less: (i) Stage 1 audit days already invested (estimated 30% of audit fee = USD 1,200), (ii) 10% admin (USD 400), (iii) bank charges = approximately USD 2,400 refunded

7. Refund Processing Timeline

Where a refund is approved, processing follows this timeline:

• Acknowledgement: Within 2 business days of receiving your refund request, we acknowledge by email.
• Assessment: Within 7 business days, we confirm the eligible refund amount and provide a transparent breakdown.
• Processing: Refunds are processed to the original payment method within 7 to 14 business days from approval.
• Bank settlement: Allow up to 5 additional business days for the funds to appear in your account (depending on your bank).

If your refund has not appeared after 21 business days from approval, please contact admin@tnvglobal.com with your booking reference (BOOK-2026-XXXXX) and we will investigate.

8. Currency and Exchange Rates

All TNV Global invoices and refunds are denominated in US Dollars (USD), regardless of the original payment currency.

Refunds are paid in USD to the original payment method:

• Card payments (Stripe): Refunded to the original card in USD. Your card issuer will convert to your card's billing currency at their prevailing rate, which may differ from the original transaction rate.
• Bank transfer (Wise): Refunded in USD to the original sending account, or in equivalent currency at the prevailing market rate.

TNV Global is not liable for foreign exchange differentials arising between the original payment date and the refund processing date. Exchange rate fluctuations are a normal risk of cross-border payments.

9. Conditions Where Refund is NOT Available

Refunds are NOT available where:

• The audit has been completed (Stage 1 and Stage 2 both finished)
• The certificate has been issued (regardless of whether you wish to use it)
• You have provided materially false or misleading information in your application that affected the quotation or audit
• The refund request is submitted more than 7 days after receipt of the quotation (for booking deposits)
• You request a refund because of audit findings (non-conformities) — this is prohibited by ISO/IEC 17021-1 impartiality requirements
• You fail to attend scheduled audit sessions without reasonable notice (typically 5 business days) and we have already booked auditor time
• You refuse to provide information reasonably required for the audit
• You breach the terms of the certification contract

CRITICAL: Under ISO/IEC 17021-1, certification decisions are made independently of payment. A refund is NOT available because you do not like the audit outcome, because non-conformities were raised, or because you did not receive the certificate. This is a fundamental impartiality requirement and is non-negotiable. Any commercial pressure to refund based on audit outcome would compromise our accreditation and is therefore prohibited.

10. Audit Cancellation by Customer (Post-Acceptance)

If you accept our quotation and later wish to cancel:

• More than 14 days before scheduled audit: Refund per Section 4 schedule, less administration fee.
• 7 to 14 days before scheduled audit: Refund of 50% of audit fee less administration fee and any non-recoverable costs (travel, accommodation).
• Less than 7 days before scheduled audit: Refund of 25% of audit fee less administration fee and any non-recoverable costs.
• Less than 48 hours before scheduled audit or no-show: No refund. The entire audit fee is retained to cover auditor time and lost opportunity cost.

Cancellation must be in writing to admin@tnvglobal.com. The cancellation date is the date of receipt by TNV Global, not the date of sending.

11. Audit Cancellation by TNV Global

In the rare event that TNV Global cancels a scheduled audit for reasons within our control (auditor unavailability, internal scheduling conflict, accreditation issue):

• We will reschedule the audit at the earliest mutually agreed date at no additional cost
• If rescheduling is not acceptable, we will refund 100% of fees paid for the affected audit cycle, including reasonable demonstrable transition costs (such as fees paid to a replacement certification body where applicable)
• Reasonable transition cost reimbursement is capped at 20% of the original audit fee or USD 5,000 (whichever is lower) and requires documented evidence

12. Surveillance and Recertification Audits

Surveillance audits (Year 2 and Year 3 of the certification cycle) and recertification audits follow this Refund Policy with the following clarifications:

• Annual maintenance fees: Where these are pre-paid as part of the initial contract, they are not refundable on a pro-rata basis if you voluntarily surrender certification. They are refundable if TNV Global ceases to be able to deliver the surveillance audit.
• Surveillance cancellation: If you wish to discontinue certification mid-cycle, your certificate becomes invalid and is withdrawn. No refund of past surveillance fees. Future surveillance fees not yet due are not charged.
• Recertification: If you decline to undertake recertification at the end of year 3, your certificate expires naturally. No refund of past fees.

13. Force Majeure

Neither party is in breach of the certification contract if performance is prevented, hindered, or delayed by a Force Majeure Event. Force Majeure Events include but are not limited to: acts of God, natural disasters, pandemic or epidemic restrictions (including but not limited to COVID-19-style measures), war, terrorism, civil unrest, government action, strike or industrial action affecting third-party services, failure of utilities or telecommunications, cyber-attack on critical infrastructure, and similar events outside reasonable control.

In a Force Majeure Event:

• We will use reasonable endeavours to reschedule the audit when conditions permit
• Where remote audit is feasible per IAF MD 4, we may convert an on-site audit to a remote audit at no additional cost
• If the engagement cannot be completed within a reasonable period (typically 6 months), we refund unperformed work on a pro-rata basis
• Neither party is liable for consequential losses arising from Force Majeure

14. Customer Obligations

To facilitate timely and successful audit delivery (and to preserve your refund rights), you agree to:

• Provide accurate and complete information in your application
• Submit AIMS documentation in a timely manner per the agreed schedule
• Make personnel available for interviews and walk-throughs during scheduled audit times
• Pay all fees in accordance with the payment terms in your contract
• Notify us promptly of any significant changes affecting the audit (organisation restructure, AI scope change, site relocation)
• Cooperate in good faith with auditors and certification staff
• Notify us in writing of any refund request

15. Statutory Rights

This Refund Policy does not exclude or limit any rights you may have under applicable consumer protection law, including:

• UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 (where applicable): Where you contract as a consumer (rare for B2B certification services, but possible), statutory rights apply that cannot be excluded by contract.
• Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013: Where you contract as a consumer at a distance, you may have a 14-day cancellation right separately from this Policy.
• Indian Consumer Protection Act 2019 (where applicable): Where you are a consumer under Indian law, statutory consumer rights apply.

Most TNV Global customers are organisations (B2B) rather than consumers. B2B contracts are not subject to consumer protection law. Where you are a consumer, please reference your statutory rights in any refund request.

16. Dispute Resolution

If you disagree with our refund decision, please follow this escalation process:

• Step 1 — Internal review: Reply to our refund decision email within 14 days, setting out the basis of your disagreement. The Senior AIMS Specialist will review and respond within 7 business days.
• Step 2 — Formal complaint: If unresolved, submit a formal complaint to admin@tnvglobal.com (subject: "Refund Complaint") within 14 days of the Step 1 response. A senior reviewer independent of the original decision will review and respond within 14 business days.
• Step 3 — UAF complaint mechanism: If you believe TNV Global has breached ISO/IEC 17021-1 or our accreditation requirements, you may complain directly to UAF at https://uafaccreditation.org.
• Step 4 — Legal action: As a last resort, you retain the right to take legal action under the governing law and jurisdiction set out in your certification contract.

17. Impartiality and Refund Independence

Refund decisions are made by Commercial Operations and are entirely separate from audit and certification decisions. Refunds are NEVER:

• Used to influence audit findings
• Offered to settle disputes over certification outcomes
• Withheld as commercial pressure on customers to change audit evidence
• Linked to whether a non-conformity is upgraded or downgraded

This separation between commercial and audit decisions is a mandatory requirement of ISO/IEC 17021-1 and is critical to the integrity of our accreditation.

18. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Refund Policy from time to time. Material changes will be:

• Published on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date
• Notified to active customers by email where the change affects ongoing engagements
• Effective only for payments made after the update date — payments already made are subject to the Policy in force at the time of payment

19. Contact for Refund Queries

All refund requests must be submitted in writing. Use the following channels: