Refunds & Returns Policy
Refunds & Returns Policy
Effective date: 15 May 2026 Last updated: 15 May 2026 Version: 1.1
This policy explains how refunds and returns work on Σmind. It is a customer-facing summary of your rights under UK law and our practical processes. It sits alongside our Terms of Service, Membership Terms and Shop Terms — those documents control where there is a direct conflict on a sub-document-specific point.
If anything below is unclear or doesn't seem to fit your situation, email support@sumofmind.co.uk and we will help.
1. Your statutory rights — the ones we cannot take away
The starting point under UK law:
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA 2015) — physical goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. Digital content has the same standards. Services must be performed with reasonable care and skill.
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCR 2013) — for distance sales (online), you generally have 14 days to change your mind, with limited exceptions for personalised goods and immediately-supplied digital content.
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA 2024) — auto-renewing subscriptions get pre-renewal reminders, transparent disclosure and easy-to-cancel mechanisms.
- Consumer Protection Act 1987 — strict liability for products that cause death, personal injury or property damage.
Nothing in our terms removes these rights. The rest of this policy describes how we deliver them in practice.
2. Memberships
2.1 14-day cooling-off (CCR 2013 reg. 29)
Within 14 days of starting your first paid period, you can cancel for any reason and get a full refund.
How:
- In-app: Settings → Membership → Cancel → "Refund within 14 days"
- By email: support@sumofmind.co.uk with subject "14-day refund request".
Self-serve refund is processed automatically through Stripe (or whichever processor took the payment). It normally arrives in your account within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank.
If you have used a Scholar feature that delivers immediately on activation (most notably the AI writing assistant) and you consented at checkout to immediate supply with the corresponding loss-of-withdrawal acknowledgment under CCR 2013 reg. 37, your right of withdrawal in respect of those consumed services is reduced to that extent. We do not currently rely on this in practice — we will refund in full within 14 days, regardless of how much you used.
2.2 Cancellation after 14 days
Monthly plans. Cancel any time. You keep access for the remainder of the billing month already paid. No pro-rata refund for the unused remainder of a monthly plan after the 14-day cooling-off period.
Annual plans. Cancel any time. You can either:
- keep access for the remainder of the year already paid (default); or
- request a pro-rata refund computed as:
Annual paid − (Monthly rate × Months used), where months used is rounded up from days/30, and the monthly rate is the standard month-by-month price for that tier.
To request the pro-rata refund: Settings → Membership → Cancel → "Request pro-rata refund", or email support@sumofmind.co.uk.
2.3 Renewal reminders
Before each renewal we send a reminder 7 days and 1 day in advance. They include the renewal date, the amount that will be charged, and a one-click cancel link. If you cancel before the charge fires, you are not billed.
2.4 Faulty digital content
If a Scholar feature does not work as described (e.g. the AI writing assistant returns nothing, or PDF export is broken), let us know. Under CRA 2015 ss. 33–47 we will:
- Try to repair (fix the bug);
- Failing that, replace (offer an equivalent feature);
- Failing that, give you a price reduction — which can be up to 100% of the price paid.
Email support@sumofmind.co.uk with subject "Scholar feature fault".
3. Shop purchases
The shop sells two product types — print-on-demand (made by Printful to order, live now) and Σmind direct-stock products (sourced and shipped by us, reserved for a future launch). Your refund / return rights differ between them. See Shop Terms §2 for the substantive description.
3.1 Print-on-demand: goods are made-to-order
Print-on-demand shop products are made by Printful when you order. Made-to-order goods are excluded from the 14-day "change of mind" return right under CCR 2013 reg. 28(1)(b). We rely on this exclusion for print-on-demand.
This means, for print-on-demand only:
- There is no general "I changed my mind" return.
- Your statutory rights for faulty / not-as-described goods still apply (see 3.4 below).
- If you spot the issue before production starts, contact us immediately and we'll cancel and refund. Once Printful starts printing we cannot cancel.
3.1a Σmind direct-stock products (reserved — section becomes active at first direct-stock launch)
For direct-stock products (when listed):
- The 14-day "change of mind" cancellation right under CCR 2013 reg. 29 applies. You can return a direct-stock product, for any reason, within 14 days of delivery, in unused condition.
- You pay return shipping for change-of-mind returns; we pay if the item is faulty.
- Refund issued within 14 days of receiving the return (or, if earlier, of you proving you've returned it).
- Statutory rights for faulty goods (CRA 2015 — 30-day reject, repair / replace, refund) apply in full.
This section is not currently in operation; no direct-stock products are listed. It will become active when the first one launches.
3.2 Quality issue — 30-day Printful claim window
If your order arrives damaged, misprinted, defective, or wrong, contact us within 30 days of delivery:
- Email: support@sumofmind.co.uk
- Subject: "Quality claim — order [number]"
- Include: order number, clear photographs, short description of the issue.
What happens next:
- We submit the claim to Printful on your behalf.
- If valid, Printful provides a free replacement at no cost to you.
- Where replacement is not possible (e.g. design discontinued), we refund the purchase price.
Photos are required by Printful — we cannot process a claim without them.
3.3 What the Printful 30-day claim does not cover
- Change of mind / "buyer's remorse"
- Wrong size ordered (please check size guides)
- Colour difference caused by your screen calibration
- Normal print-on-demand variation within tolerance
- Parcels marked "delivered" by the carrier (see lost-parcel section below)
3.4 Faulty goods after 30 days — your CRA 2015 rights
Even after the 30-day Printful window, you have CRA 2015 rights:
- Up to 6 months from delivery, the law assumes any fault was present when the goods were delivered. You don't need to prove it.
- After 6 months, you may need to show the fault existed at delivery (e.g. expert opinion).
Email support@sumofmind.co.uk with subject "Faulty goods — order [number]". We will:
- Offer a repair or replacement within a reasonable time and at our cost (s. 23 CRA 2015).
- If repair / replacement fails or is impossible, give a price reduction or final refund (s. 24 CRA 2015) — which may be reduced to reflect the use you have had.
3.5 Lost parcels
If your parcel does not arrive within the upper end of the estimated delivery time (typically 21 business days):
- Email support@sumofmind.co.uk with subject "Lost parcel — order [number]"
- Within 30 days of the estimated delivery date to be eligible for a Printful-backed reshipment.
Outcome depends on tracking:
- Genuinely lost in transit: Printful reships at no cost; if reshipment isn't possible, we refund.
- Marked "delivered" by carrier but you haven't received it: Printful's policy treats the carrier record as conclusive. We will help you raise the issue with the carrier and the local post office, but cannot guarantee a reshipment or refund. Where the carrier accepts liability we pursue it; where they don't, we may not be able to act.
3.6 Wrong delivery address
If your address was wrong and the parcel is returned to Printful:
- We email you to ask whether you want it resent.
- Reshipment is available, but you pay the additional shipping cost.
- Returned parcels are normally held for 30 days. After that, Printful may dispose of or donate them.
Always double-check your address at checkout. If you spot an error before production starts, email us immediately — we may be able to fix it.
3.7 Where to send returns (when relevant)
For most quality claims, you do not need to return the item — Printful's policy resolves on photographic evidence. If we exceptionally ask you to return an item (rare, usually for safety / Consumer Protection Act 1987 inspection), we will pay the return postage and confirm the address.
4. Tipping
Tips are voluntary, non-refundable payments you choose to send to creators. Once a tip is received and Stripe has confirmed it, it is not refundable.
If a tip was sent by error, due to fraud, or because of a technical fault on our side that doesn't reflect what you intended, contact support@sumofmind.co.uk within 7 days with the transaction details and we will investigate. Where the cause is genuinely on our side or fraudulent, we will refund.
5. Paid content (creator-published posts behind a paywall)
Paid content is digital content delivered immediately on payment. At checkout you confirm immediate access and acknowledge under CCR 2013 reg. 37(1) that you lose your reg. 36 right to cancel once the digital content has begun to be supplied. Your CRA 2015 ss. 33–47 statutory rights for the digital content itself (satisfactory quality, as described, fit for purpose, working remedies) are not affected by that consent.
5.1 Our 14-day goodwill window — irrespective of the reg. 37(1) waiver
Although you waive the CCR 2013 reg. 36 cooling-off right at checkout, we offer a goodwill refund within 14 days of purchase for any reason, subject to admin review. We do this because:
- It mirrors the protection you would have had on a non-digital purchase under CCR 2013 reg. 29.
- It builds trust between buyers and creators while the marketplace is young.
- It costs us less than the dispute resolution we would otherwise need.
5.2 How to ask for a refund (in-app, self-serve)
- Go to Settings → My Purchases (or
/account/purchases). - Find the purchase row.
- Click "Request refund".
- Tell us why (free text, 10–2000 characters). Be specific — the same input goes to the admin who reviews the request.
- Submit. The request lands in a moderated queue.
You will see one of these statuses on the same page:
- Pending review — your request has been received; an admin will respond.
- Refund approved — Stripe has been instructed; funds return to your original payment method within 5–10 business days.
- Refund declined — review concluded against refund; the admin will explain by email.
- Refund failed (Stripe error) — rare; an admin will retry or contact you.
5.3 What we will normally approve
- Requests filed within 14 days of purchase — the goodwill window above. Default position is approve.
- Faulty content (broken paywall, missing media, content materially different from its public description) at any time — approve as a CRA 2015 remedy.
- Duplicate or accidental purchases — approve.
5.4 What we will normally decline
- Subjective dissatisfaction with the quality of the writing alone — outside the 14-day goodwill window, that is a creator decision and is not a fault under CRA 2015. Within the 14-day window we usually still approve.
- Requests filed more than 14 days after purchase where the content is not faulty.
- Patterns of repeated refund-after-consumption from the same buyer — we may decline subsequent requests where there is reasonable evidence of abuse.
5.5 Effect on your access
When a refund is approved, your access to the refunded item is revoked immediately. You will no longer be able to read the post unless you purchase it again.
5.6 Email fallback
If the in-app flow is unavailable (account locked, login problems), email support@sumofmind.co.uk with subject "Paid content refund — [post URL]" and include the purchase date and the same reason text you would have submitted in-app.
5.7 Content removed by the creator
If a creator removes paid content you have already bought, your purchase record is preserved and we will mediate where reasonable. We do not have a contractual right to compel a creator to keep a piece of paid content available indefinitely; if access is lost permanently because of removal, contact us within 30 days and we will normally refund as goodwill.
6. Crypto donations
Crypto donations are not refundable once received and confirmed on the relevant blockchain. We have no technical mechanism to reverse a confirmed crypto transaction.
If you sent a donation by error, contact support@sumofmind.co.uk within 7 days with the transaction hash. We may, as a courtesy, refund out of platform funds — there is no contractual obligation to do so.
7. How long refunds take
| Refund type | Where it shows up | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe card refund | Original card | 5–10 business days |
| PayPal refund | PayPal balance, then your linked card | 1–3 business days |
| Apple Pay / Google Pay (via Stripe) | Underlying card | 5–10 business days |
| NOWPayments crypto donation refund | At our discretion only — see section 6 | Variable |
If you have not seen a refund after 14 business days, email us with your order / transaction reference.
8. Chargebacks
We would much rather solve a problem with you directly than fight a chargeback.
- Contact support@sumofmind.co.uk first. We aim to acknowledge within 5 working days and resolve within 30 days.
- If you start a chargeback without contacting us first, your account may be reviewed. We will cooperate fully with the investigation by Stripe / PayPal / your bank.
- Repeated chargebacks made in bad faith (where we have reasonable evidence) may result in account termination and refusal to accept future orders.
We do not (and cannot) prevent you from exercising your bank's chargeback rights.
9. How to ask for a refund — at a glance
| Issue | Best contact | Subject line | Include |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership 14-day refund | Settings or email | "14-day refund request" | Account email |
| Annual plan pro-rata refund | Settings or email | "Pro-rata refund request" | Account email |
| Scholar feature fault | "Scholar feature fault" | Description, screenshots | |
| Shop quality claim (30 days) | "Quality claim — order [number]" | Photos, order number | |
| Lost shop parcel | "Lost parcel — order [number]" | Tracking link, order number | |
| Faulty shop goods after 30 days | "Faulty goods — order [number]" | Description, photos, order number | |
| Tip sent in error | "Tip refund — [date]" | Transaction reference | |
| Paid content — refund within 14 days | In-app: Settings → My Purchases → Request refund | n/a (in-app) | Reason (10–2000 chars) |
| Paid content fault (any time) | In-app first, else email | "Paid content fault — [post URL]" | Description, post URL |
| Crypto donation in error | "Crypto donation in error" | Transaction hash |
All emails go to support@sumofmind.co.uk.
10. If we can't agree
We try hard to resolve issues directly. If we can't, our Complaints Procedure explains the next steps, including alternative dispute resolution and your right to go to court.
You can also contact:
- Citizens Advice consumer service — https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/, helpline 0808 223 1133
- Trading Standards — via Citizens Advice
- HMCTS Money Claim Online — https://www.gov.uk/make-money-claim
- Information Commissioner's Office (for data-related complaints) — https://ico.org.uk
We do not require you to use ADR before going to court. ADR is in addition to, not instead of, your right to litigate.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. The "Last updated" date and version at the top change. We do not apply changes retroactively to a transaction that is already concluded — your refund / return rights are governed by the policy in force when you bought.
12. Contact
- All refund and return enquiries: support@sumofmind.co.uk
- Aim: acknowledgment within 5 working days; resolution within 30 days for most issues.