Brown & Associates Ledger LLC - Refund Policy for The Silence Tax

1. Introduction and Scope

This Refund Policy ("Policy") governs all payments, charges, and refund requests related to The Silence Tax™ website, archive, and related digital services ("Service") operated by Brown & Associates Ledger LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our").

This Policy applies to all users ("User," "you," or "your") purchasing subscriptions, toll submissions, or other digital access offered through the Service.

By submitting payment, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of this Policy.

2. Definitions

For the purposes of this Policy:

"Archive Access" refers to paid subscription access to the written Receipts archive of The Silence Tax.

"Toll Submission" means any paid user-submitted material offered for potential documentation or publication.

"Digital Goods" include all non-physical services, downloads, or subscriptions provided electronically.

"Refund Request" means any formal written request for reimbursement of payment made under this Policy.

"Chargeback" refers to a reversal of a credit card charge initiated by the User's financial institution.

"Service Interruption" means a verified technical outage lasting more than seventy-two (72) consecutive hours preventing access to purchased content.

3. General Refund Policy

All payments made to the Company are final and non-refundable.

Because Archive access and Toll submissions are digital goods delivered instantly or through on-demand access, refunds cannot be issued once access has been granted or a submission has been processed.

The Company is under no obligation to provide a refund or credit in any circumstance except as specifically outlined in this Policy.

4. Exceptions to the Refund Policy

Refunds may be granted only under the following limited circumstances:

1. Duplicate Transaction: A verified duplicate payment for the same subscription or submission.

2. Technical Failure: A confirmed system error preventing access to purchased content for more than seventy-two (72) consecutive hours.

3. Fraudulent or Unauthorized Transaction: Upon receipt of official notice from a financial institution or Stripe investigation confirming unauthorized activity.

4. Service Discontinuation: In the event the Company permanently ceases operation of the Service before the end of a paid billing cycle.

Each refund exception is subject to verification by the Company and may require supporting documentation or proof of error.

5. Toll Submissions

1. Pre-Acceptance Withdrawal: A Toll Submission may be withdrawn, and payment refunded, if a written refund request is received before acceptance for documentation.

2. Acceptance Timeline:

* Petition Tier: For submissions to the Petition tier, acceptance is deemed automatic upon successful payment and submission to the Archive. The fee is rendered immediately non-refundable upon transaction completion.

* Composite and Record Tiers: For submissions requiring audio production, the Company will ordinarily issue a formal acceptance or rejection notice within fifteen (15) business days. A withdrawal and refund request must be received in writing before the Company sends this acceptance notice. Once an acceptance notice has been sent, the payment becomes non-refundable.

3. Post-Acceptance: Once accepted, a Toll Submission becomes part of the permanent record and is not eligible for refund under any circumstance.

4. Rejected Submissions: If a Toll Submission is formally rejected, the payment may be refunded at the Company's discretion, less any applicable transaction fees.

6. Refund Request Procedure

All refund requests must be submitted in writing to refunds@thesilencetax.com within thirty (30) calendar days of the original charge.

Requests must include: - The full name and email address associated with the purchase, - Transaction date and amount, - Payment method (Stripe, card type), and - A detailed explanation and supporting documentation for the claim.

Upon receipt, the Company will acknowledge the request within five (5) business days and review it within fifteen (15) business days.

If approved, refunds will be processed to the original payment method within ten (10) business days of approval.

All decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Once the Company has issued a written denial of a refund request, the User agrees not to pursue a refund or reversal through any payment processor or third-party platform.

All refund communications and determinations will be transmitted electronically and deemed received when sent.

7. Chargebacks and Dispute Handling

Users agree not to initiate a chargeback without first submitting a written refund request under Section 6.

Unauthorized or unfounded chargebacks constitute a violation of this Policy.

Initiating a chargeback for an accepted Toll Submission is a violation of this Policy. The Company may submit evidence of your acceptance of these Terms and this Policy to the payment processor and may suspend or terminate your access to the Service.

If a chargeback is initiated in violation of this clause, the Company reserves the right to suspend access, pursue collection, and recover associated fees or damages.

All payment disputes are handled in coordination with Stripe, Inc. and in accordance with its dispute resolution procedures.

8. Service Disruptions and Terminations

If the Service experiences a verified technical failure lasting more than seventy-two (72) hours, Users may request a partial credit for the affected period.

In the event of permanent discontinuation of the Service, Users will receive a prorated refund for any unused prepaid portion of their subscription term.

Temporary maintenance, system updates, or downtime under seventy-two (72) hours do not qualify as service failures.

9. No Waiver of Rights

Failure by the Company to enforce any provision of this Policy shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or of the right to enforce it later.

No waiver shall be effective unless in writing and signed by an authorized representative of the Company.

10. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

This Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States.

Any dispute arising under or in connection with this Policy shall be resolved through confidential binding arbitration before an independent arbitrator located in Wyoming, unless prohibited by applicable law.

Each party shall bear its own costs unless otherwise determined by the arbitrator.

Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

11. Severability

If any provision of this Policy is found to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions.

12. Contact Information

All inquiries regarding this Refund Policy should be directed to:

Email: refunds@thesilencetax.com

Mailing Address: Brown & Associates Ledger LLC, c/o Registered Agent, State of Wyoming, United States