Refund Policy.

1. Scope

This policy applies to all Witness subscription tiers — Starter, Professional, and Team — billed monthly or yearly and purchased through the Witness website via Paddle as Merchant of Record. It does not apply to services rendered by third parties outside the Witness platform (for example, notified-body assessments or independent legal counsel).

2. 14-day right of withdrawal for consumers

If you purchased Witness as a consumer (a natural person acting outside their trade, business, or profession), you have the right to withdraw from the contract within fourteen (14) days of the purchase date without giving any reason, in accordance with Article 9 of Directive 2011/83/EU. Upon valid withdrawal, Witness will refund all payments received from you, including standard delivery costs, within fourteen (14) days using the same payment method used for the original transaction. To exercise your right of withdrawal, email [email protected] with your order ID and a clear statement that you wish to withdraw. You may use the model withdrawal form contained in Annex I(B) of Directive 2011/83/EU, but this is not mandatory.

3. 14-day goodwill refund for business purchases

If you purchased Witness as a business (legal entity, sole trader, or other organisation acting within its trade or profession), the statutory right of withdrawal does not apply. As a goodwill gesture, Witness offers a refund of the first subscription payment within fourteen (14) days of purchase, provided the service has not been "substantially used". "Substantially used" means: more than three (3) compliance documents (e.g. Annex IV technical file, Article 9 risk management record, Article 27 FRIA, AI literacy record) have been generated, exported, or shared; or a certificate or conformity attestation has been issued on the basis of the subscription. After the fourteen-day window, or where the service has been substantially used, business purchases are non-refundable.

4. Subscription renewals — pro-rated refund and non-refundability

Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing period — monthly or yearly — until canceled. Renewal fees are non-refundable once the new billing period has begun, except as set out in this section and subject to mandatory consumer statutory rights. If you cancel within thirty (30) days of a yearly renewal, Witness will issue a pro-rated refund for the unused portion of the twelve-month period, calculated on a daily basis. Cancellations after the first thirty days of a yearly renewal period do not qualify for a refund, but the subscription will simply not renew again. Monthly renewals are not pro-rated: canceling stops the next renewal, and access continues until the end of the paid month. The § 18(1)(11) FAGG / Art. 16(m) Directive 2011/83/EU withdrawal waiver mechanic described in Section 2 applies equally to renewed subscription periods where performance (e.g. regulatory updates, continued access to paid features) resumes immediately upon renewal. You may be asked to re-confirm this waiver at renewal; where re-confirmation is not collected, the original waiver given at the initial order remains effective, subject to your statutory withdrawal rights.

5. How to request a refund

Send an email to [email protected] from the email address associated with your account, including: (a) your order ID (visible in the Paddle receipt you received by email); (b) a brief indication of which refund ground you are invoking (14-day consumer withdrawal, 14-day business goodwill, or yearly-renewal pro-rated); and (c) for business purchases, a statement that the service has not been substantially used. No justification is required for consumer withdrawals within the 14-day window.

6. Processing time

Approved refunds are processed within ten (10) business days through Paddle back to the original payment method. The time it then takes for the refund to appear on your statement depends on your card issuer or bank and is outside Witness's control.

7. Exceptions, non-refundable items, and preservation of statutory rights

The following are non-refundable regardless of the above: (a) compliance certificates, conformity attestations, or other work product that has already been issued and delivered to you on the basis of the subscription — these represent performed work that cannot be reclaimed; (b) any third-party costs passed through to you (for example, notified-body fees or external assessor fees) where those amounts have already been paid to the third party; (c) amounts that Witness is required by applicable tax or financial law to retain; (d) accounts terminated for Terms violations, misuse, abuse, fraud, or unlawful activity. Nothing in this policy limits or excludes mandatory statutory warranty rights under §§ 922 ff. ABGB, mandatory consumer protections under the Austrian Konsumentenschutzgesetz (KSchG), or any other rights that cannot be waived under applicable mandatory law. Where such rights apply, they prevail over any inconsistent provision of this policy.

8. Contact and complaints

Refund requests, questions about this policy, and complaints about its application should be sent to [email protected]. Witness is not obligated to participate in out-of-court dispute resolution but will consider such requests in good faith.

If we cannot resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, consumers resident in the EU can review the European Commission's current alternative dispute resolution information at European Commission ADR information.