Refund & Cancellation Policy

This Refund & Cancellation Policy (this "Policy") explains how Whitmore Sterling & Co., Inc. ("Whitmore Sterling," the "Company," "we," "us," or "our") handles refunds, cancellations, chargebacks, scope changes, rush fees, payment disputes, and related matters for valuation, financial analysis, advisory, and related professional consulting services purchased through our website, checkout pages, invoices, payment links, or other Company-approved payment processes.

This Policy should be read together with our Terms of Use, Website Disclaimer and Valuation Services Disclosure, Privacy Policy, Cookie Notice, Engagement Letter and Client Services Agreement, and any applicable Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement.

1. Payment-First Ordering Process

Whitmore Sterling may operate a payment-first website or ordering process under which a prospective client may submit an order, make payment, or provide intake information before a final Engagement Letter, Client Services Agreement, or Statement of Work is countersigned.

Any website order, checkout submission, invoice payment, deposit, retainer, or online payment is an administrative and commercial step only. Payment does not, by itself, guarantee engagement acceptance, create a final professional engagement, require Whitmore Sterling to begin or complete services, or guarantee any particular valuation conclusion, report result, tax outcome, audit outcome, financing outcome, transaction outcome, litigation outcome, regulatory outcome, or business result.

Whitmore Sterling retains full discretion to review any proposed matter after payment, including intake information, conflict status, intended use, intended users, scope, timing, information availability, risk level, and professional suitability.

2. Pre-Payment Disclosure

Before collecting payment, Whitmore Sterling will make available the selected package, the starting price, the material scope limits, the refund and cancellation terms, the intended-use limitations, and the fact that payment does not guarantee engagement acceptance or any particular valuation conclusion.

By submitting payment, you acknowledge that you have had an opportunity to review this Policy, the applicable service limitations, intended-use restrictions, intended-user restrictions, reliance limitations, checkout terms, and client service terms before payment.

3. Company Right to Decline an Engagement

Whitmore Sterling may decline an engagement before or after payment if, in its professional judgment, the matter presents an actual or potential conflict, unacceptable risk, insufficient information, unreliable information, unsupported assumptions, a misleading requested scope, legal or ethical concerns, regulatory concerns, independence concerns, suspected fraud, unauthorized intended use, unapproved third-party reliance, or a request for a predetermined valuation conclusion.

4. Refund Eligibility Before Substantive Work Begins

If payment has been received but Whitmore Sterling has not yet begun substantive engagement work, you may request cancellation by written notice. Before substantive work begins, Whitmore Sterling may, in its discretion and subject to applicable law, provide a full or partial refund, less any disclosed non-recoverable payment-processing fees, third-party costs, payment platform fees, administrative charges, or other costs actually incurred.

5. Non-Refundable Amounts After Work Begins

Once substantive engagement work has begun, payments are non-refundable to the extent work has been performed or costs have been incurred. Non-refundable work or costs may include intake review, conflict review, scope review, document review, research, financial analysis, valuation analysis, market analysis, drafting, project setup, internal review, communication, third-party data charges, payment-processing fees, administrative costs, rush scheduling, and other work reasonably incurred.

6. No Refund Based on Valuation Conclusion or Professional Judgment

No refund will be owed because you disagree with a valuation conclusion, analytical judgment, professional finding, methodology, assumption, scope limitation, risk factor, reliance restriction, or Whitmore Sterling's refusal to reach a requested or predetermined conclusion.

7. No Refund After Draft or Final Deliverable

No refund will be owed after Whitmore Sterling has prepared or delivered a draft, analysis, report, memorandum, presentation, schedule, model output, final report, or other deliverable.

8. Client Delay, Missing Information, or Non-Cooperation

You are responsible for providing timely, accurate, complete, and non-misleading information reasonably requested by Whitmore Sterling. If you delay, fail to provide required information, or otherwise prevent Whitmore Sterling from performing the engagement, refunds are not required for delays or inability to complete work caused by your failure.

9. Scope Changes and Additional Fees

Website packages and published pricing are starting-price commercial summaries only. If information obtained after payment indicates that the requested matter requires a different scope or expanded procedures, Whitmore Sterling may require a revised Statement of Work, additional fee, modified timeline, or separate engagement.

10. Rush Fees and Priority Fees

Rush fees, expedited delivery fees, priority scheduling fees, and similar fees are non-refundable once rush scheduling, priority allocation, expedited work, or related planning has begun.

11. Third-Party Costs and Out-of-Pocket Expenses

Unless expressly stated otherwise, quoted fees do not include third-party data charges, database fees, filing fees, payment-processing fees, courier costs, travel expenses, specialist fees, technology costs, or other engagement-related out-of-pocket expenses.

12. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

If you initiate a chargeback, payment dispute, reversal, stop payment, or similar payment challenge, Whitmore Sterling may immediately suspend work, withhold deliverables, withdraw access, pause timelines, terminate the engagement, and preserve all rights and remedies. You agree to contact Whitmore Sterling first in writing before initiating a chargeback or payment dispute.

13. Payment Processing Fees and Credit Card Surcharges

If any payment-processing charge, convenience fee, credit card surcharge, or similar charge is passed through to you, it will be clearly disclosed before payment.

14. Package-Specific Refund Treatment

A. Standard Valuation. Once intake review, conflict review, document review, analysis, drafting, or project setup has begun, amounts paid may become partially or fully non-refundable based on work performed and costs incurred.

B. Select Valuation. Because Select engagements may require greater review, research, analysis, and drafting, payments may become non-refundable more quickly once work begins.

C. Premium Valuation. Because Premium engagements may require priority allocation, expanded review, advanced analysis, and more substantial professional judgment, payments may become non-refundable more quickly once work begins.

15. No Refund for Unauthorized Use or Misuse

No refund will be owed if you misuse website content, sample reports, drafts, deliverables, communications, or work product, including unauthorized distribution or use contrary to the Engagement Letter and Client Services Agreement.

16. No Refund for Website Content or Sample Reports

Website content, articles, pricing pages, sample reports, and marketing materials are provided for general informational and commercial purposes only. No refund will be owed because you viewed, downloaded, or relied on such materials.

17. No Automatic Renewal or Continuing Service

Unless a separate written agreement expressly states otherwise, services purchased through the website are for one-time projects and do not create any subscription, automatic renewal, recurring charge, or continuing service arrangement.

18. Force Majeure and External Delays

Whitmore Sterling shall not be responsible for delays or failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, government action, power failure, internet failure, cyber incident, platform outage, or other circumstances outside Whitmore Sterling's reasonable control.

19. How to Request Cancellation or Refund Review

To request cancellation or refund review, contact us in writing at:

Whitmore Sterling & Co., Inc.
55 Water St, 51st Floor
New York, NY 10041
Email: charlie@whitmoresterlingco.com
Subject line: Refund Request

20. Review and Processing Timeline

Whitmore Sterling will review refund requests in a commercially reasonable manner. If a refund is approved, it will generally be issued to the original payment method, where feasible.

21. Relationship to Engagement Letter and Other Terms

This Policy supplements our Terms of Use, Website Disclaimer and Valuation Services Disclosure, Privacy Policy, Cookie Notice, Engagement Letter and Client Services Agreement, and any applicable Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement.

22. Changes to This Policy

Whitmore Sterling may update this Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on the website with a revised "Last Updated" date.

23. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Policy, please contact us at:

Whitmore Sterling & Co., Inc.
55 Water St, 51st Floor
New York, NY 10041
Email: charlie@whitmoresterlingco.com