Refund Policy

1. Why Digital Minting Fees Are Non-Refundable

The National DPP Registry operates on a forensic trust model. When a Digital Product Passport is minted, the following irreversible actions occur simultaneously:

• A SHA-256 cryptographic hash of the submitted documents is computed client-side and written to the immutable registry ledger.
• The 5-model AI Consensus Chain (Perplexity, Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, and Grok) performs a regulatory audit and records its consensus verdict.
• A unique verification URL is issued: digitalproductpassports.co.za/v/{hash}.
• A QR code is generated and permanently linked to the passport record.
• The Forensic Liability Transfer is executed — the Registry assumes regulatory risk on the global Knowledge Graph.

Because these actions are cryptographically irreversible and the computational and regulatory resources have been consumed at the moment of minting, no refund can be issued. This is the same principle that governs blockchain transactions and cryptographic certificate issuance globally.

2. Refundable vs. Non-Refundable Services

3. The Forensic Royalty — Specific Terms

The Forensic Royalty is calculated as a percentage of the Declared Shipment Value in the passport metadata at the time of minting. The applicable rate is determined by the 4-tier Non-Negotiable Verification Fee Structure:

These rates are non-negotiable and non-refundable once the passport has been minted. The Declared Shipment Value is locked at the time of minting and cannot be amended retroactively. If you believe the Declared Shipment Value was entered incorrectly, contact us at [email protected] within 1 hour of minting. After the ledger entry is confirmed (typically within 5 minutes), no amendments are possible.

4. How to Request a Refund

For services that are eligible for a refund or cancellation (see Section 2), submit your request via one of the following channels:

• Email:[email protected] — include your order reference number and the reason for the request.
• Contact Form:Visit /contact and submit the Billing Enquiry form.
• Response Time:We aim to respond to all refund requests within 2 business days (South African Standard Time, UTC+2).
• Processing Time:Approved refunds are processed within 5–10 business days and returned to the original payment method via Stripe.

5. Chargebacks and Disputes

We encourage customers to contact us directly before initiating a chargeback with their card issuer. Chargebacks initiated for non-refundable digital minting services will be contested with full cryptographic evidence of service delivery, including:

• The SHA-256 hash record from the immutable ledger.
• The AI Consensus Chain audit log with timestamps.
• The unique verification URL confirming passport issuance.
• IP address and session metadata from the minting session.

Repeated or fraudulent chargeback attempts may result in permanent suspension of Registry access and reporting to relevant South African and US financial authorities.

6. Governing Law

This Refund Policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa and, where applicable, the laws of the State of Florida, USA. Disputes arising from this policy shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa. For international customers, the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (South Africa) and applicable consumer protection legislation in your jurisdiction may provide additional rights. Nothing in this policy limits your statutory rights.

7. Contact Information