Refund Policy

1. Overview

Ernest & Co Growth and Premium subscriptions provide immediate access to digital content, Ernie AI features and Knowledge Hub resources. This policy explains when refunds are available and how usage of premium content affects refund eligibility.

2. Immediate digital access

By subscribing to Growth or Premium, you acknowledge that access begins immediately after payment. As permitted under the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 for digital content supplied with the customer's prior express consent, your statutory 14-day right to cancel ends once you begin accessing the subscription's premium features.

3. Refund eligibility

You are eligible for a full refund of your most recent subscription payment if you request a refund within 14 days of purchase and you have not used any premium subscription feature, including:

• Asking Ernie AI a question that consumes your paid allowance
• Accessing a premium Knowledge Hub page, guide or download
• Using a premium calculator, template or business tool
• Generating an AI summary of an external resource

Refund eligibility may be affected once digital resources or premium subscription features have been accessed. Our systems automatically log usage to determine eligibility fairly and transparently.

4. Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time from the billing page in your account. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You will retain access to subscription features until the period ends. No partial refunds are issued for unused time within a billing period.

5. Exceptional circumstances

We may, at our discretion, issue a partial or full refund where:

• A technical fault prevented you from accessing the service you paid for
• You were charged in error (e.g. duplicate charge)
• The service was materially mis-described at the point of sale

5a. Subscriptions covered

This policy applies to Growth subscriptions, Premium subscriptions and any standalone Ernie-AI subscription. Each operates on the same immediate-digital-access basis: your statutory 14-day cancellation right ends once you begin accessing premium features, and refund eligibility is assessed against the criteria in section 3.

5b. Duplicate payments

If you are accidentally charged twice for the same subscription period — for example after a failed first attempt or a browser retry — email us with your account email and the approximate date of the duplicate charge. Verified duplicate charges are refunded in full to the original payment method.

5c. Cancellation does not automatically refund

Cancelling your subscription prevents future billing and ends your access at the end of the current paid period. Cancellation alone does not automatically generate a refund for the current period — any refund must be requested separately under section 3 or section 5.

5d. AI service expectations

Ernie-AI provides AI-generated information and guidance. Dissatisfaction with the wording, depth or conclusion of a specific AI response is not, by itself, normally grounds for a refund. Material service-availability issues (such as Ernie-AI being unavailable for an extended period) will be reviewed individually and may be compensated by credit, service extension or refund at our discretion.

5e. Payment processing timing

Once a refund is approved, it is initiated to your original payment method. The time the funds take to appear depends on Stripe and your card issuer or bank — typically 5–10 working days, but occasionally longer for international cards or certain payment methods.

6. How to request a refund

Email help@ernestcoaccountants.co.uk with your account email and the reason for your request. We aim to respond within 5 working days. Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method within 5–10 working days.

7. Statutory rights

Nothing in this policy affects your statutory rights under UK consumer protection law. This policy is governed by the laws of England and Wales.