90-Day Completion Based Refund Policy

1. Scope of this policy

This policy applies only to an eligible, direct purchase of one individual enrollment in the Message & Method Self-Directed Program under the standard consumer offer.

This policy does not apply to Guided Cohorts, Private Coaching, organizational or enterprise purchases, bulk or multi-seat licensing, sponsored enrollments, transferred seats, custom engagements, or other purchases made under a separate proposal, order form, agreement, or offer. Any refund, cancellation, credit, replacement-seat, or similar terms for those purchases are governed exclusively by the terms applicable to that purchase, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

2. Enrollment date, eligibility period, and request window

For purposes of this policy, the enrollment date is the calendar date on which the eligible Self-Directed Program purchase is completed. The enrollment date counts as the first day of the 90-day eligibility period.

All required course work, participation, completion activity, written responses, tool outputs, and speaking-task recordings must be completed during the 90-day eligibility period.

A refund request may be initiated only during the 14 calendar days immediately following the end of the 90-day eligibility period. The learner is responsible for determining the applicable eligibility period and request window from the enrollment date and this policy.

An email or other communication sent before the request window opens does not constitute a qualifying refund request. The learner may initiate a qualifying request once the request window opens. Requests initiated after the request window closes do not qualify, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

3. Complete the required program

Refund eligibility requires substantial completion of the full required program and sustained participation over time. All required lessons, prompts, assessments, planners, exercises, tools, speaking tasks, recordings, and reflections must be completed unless this policy expressly identifies an activity as optional.

Eligibility is based on the required program elements assigned to the learner’s enrollment version, together with any reasonable substitution or accessibility alternative approved by Message & Method. Later additions to the program do not become retroactive refund requirements unless they replace a substantially equivalent requirement already assigned to that learner.

Program elements may appear under abbreviated, revised, or alternate labels. References in this policy include substantially equivalent versions or labels used in the learner’s assigned program version.

Required lessons and assessments

• Complete every required lesson in the program.
• Complete all required assessments, including the speaker-archetype assessment, speaker-capability assessment, confidence-mapping activity, and bias-analysis activity, regardless of any substantially equivalent label used in the course.

Required written work

Provide a substantive response to every prompt identified as required within the learner’s assigned program version, including required instructional questions, planning prompts, reflection prompts, assessment prompts, journal prompts, and prompts contained in speaking-task planners or workbooks.

A substantive response must directly address the prompt in the learner’s own words and include the requested explanation, example, analysis, decision, plan, or reflection. Blank responses, placeholder text, isolated characters, unrelated copied text, mechanically repeated language, or generic responses that do not meaningfully engage the prompt do not satisfy this requirement.

Reusing prior work is permitted when the course directs or reasonably allows it. Duplicating substantially identical text across unrelated prompts without addressing each prompt separately does not satisfy the requirement.

Required planning, writing, editing, and visual-aid work

Use the program’s required planning, writing, editing, and visual-aid tools to create the complete plans, scripts or outlines, revisions, and visual-aid plans called for by the course and speaking-task instructions. Tool names may vary within the course, and substantially equivalent versions are included in this requirement.

Merely opening a tool, entering placeholder content, or marking an associated course item complete without creating the required work product does not satisfy the requirement.

Required speaking tasks and recordings

Complete every required speaking task as directed, including its planning pages, preparation work, speaking performance, and reflection prompts.

Make and retain an original video recording of every required speaking task. Each recording must show the complete required speaking performance without material alteration. Ordinary trimming at the beginning or end, file compression, or conversion reasonably required for storage or delivery does not disqualify a recording, provided the complete speaking performance remains intact.

Recordings are not ordinarily uploaded during the course, but every required recording must be submitted through the refund-review process.

4. Activities that remain optional

The following activities are optional unless a specific course instruction expressly makes one part of a required task:

• activities requiring another person’s participation, including audience presence, audience comments, peer feedback, or practice in front of other people;
• the Virtual Speaking Training bonus workbook;
• additional practice, repetitions, or revisions beyond the applicable task instructions;
• use of the Pattern Interrupts Deck and Challenge Deck beyond their required role within the Challenge Break and Confidence Map processes; and
• the Ball Count Tool, unless a specific required task expressly requires it.

Optional activities do not need to be marked complete and are not included when calculating the pacing requirements below.

5. Maintain accurate completion and work records

The learner must mark each required course item complete as it is completed. Completion may be recorded directly from the relevant course page or through the program’s Learning Plan. Use of the Learning Plan as a pacing guide is optional, but accurate completion records are required for refund eligibility.

The program may preserve both the first date on which an item was marked complete and later completion-related activity. Removing and reapplying a completion mark does not replace or reset the original completion record. Marking several items complete at once records that activity when it occurs and does not establish that the items were completed on earlier dates.

Required written responses and tool entries must be completed substantively as the learner progresses through the program. The program may preserve the original contents and timestamp of an entry together with later revisions, submissions, or save activity.

Replacing an insubstantial original entry with a substantive response later does not change when the substantive work was performed. Entering placeholder content merely to create an earlier timestamp does not establish completion of the required work.

6. Complete the work at a sustained pace

For purposes of refund eligibility, the timing and pacing requirements stated in this policy control. Any course content, video, Learning Plan, suggested schedule, instructional guidance, or other program communication that encourages a learner to work at their own pace, adjust their schedule, slow down, accelerate, pause, repeat work, or otherwise modify their pacing is intended as optional learning guidance. Such guidance does not modify, waive, extend, or replace the eligibility period, participation periods, completion deadlines, request window, or other timing and pacing requirements stated in this policy.

A learner may choose to follow or adapt such optional pacing guidance at the learner’s discretion. However, doing so does not excuse noncompliance with this policy, even if following that guidance results in the learner no longer satisfying the requirements for a refund. A learner who wishes to preserve eligibility under this policy is responsible for pacing and recording their participation in a manner that satisfies all requirements stated here.

Pacing is determined using the required course items assigned to the learner’s enrollment version and shown in the program’s completion system. Each required course item counts as one completion item for this calculation. Required written work, assessments, tool outputs, and recordings remain mandatory, but they are reviewed as completion evidence rather than counted as separate percentage units unless they are themselves represented as required completion items in the course system.

For purposes of this policy, each weekly participation period is a consecutive seven-calendar-day period measured from the date and time the learner’s course access is activated. The first weekly participation period begins at activation, and each following period begins immediately after the prior seven-day period ends.

• At least four required course items must be substantively completed and marked complete during each of at least eight separate weekly participation periods within the 90-day eligibility period.
• No more than 25% of all required completion items may first be marked complete during the final 14 calendar days of the eligibility period.

A weekly participation period qualifies only if at least four required course items are marked complete during that seven-day period. Work completed during a period containing fewer than four completed items still counts toward overall course completion, but that period does not count toward the eight-period pacing requirement.

The denominator for the 25% calculation is the total number of required completion items assigned to the learner’s enrollment version, excluding items identified as optional and any items formally waived, replaced, or satisfied through an approved alternative. Any fractional result is rounded down to the nearest whole completion item.

The work does not need to be divided evenly among the eight qualifying weekly participation periods, and the qualifying periods do not need to be consecutive. The learner may adjust the recommended Learning Plan or follow a different learning schedule, provided that the learner still satisfies the timing and pacing requirements of this policy if the learner wishes to remain eligible for a refund. These pacing requirements are intended to demonstrate sustained participation while preserving reasonable flexibility and preventing substantial deferral of the program until the end of the eligibility period.

7. Evidence reviewed

Message & Method may review available system records, including enrollment, course access, first-completion, later-completion, creation, original-entry, modification, submission, and last-save records. These records may be considered together with the contents of required work, course activity, tool outputs, speaking-task recordings, available recording metadata, and the learner’s submitted attestations and explanation.

No single timestamp, completion mark, written response, recording, metadata field, or other data point is necessarily conclusive by itself. Eligibility is determined from the complete body of required evidence.

Available recording information, including creation or recording dates, may be considered when evaluating authenticity and timing. The absence of a particular metadata field does not by itself disqualify a recording, because metadata may be changed or removed by a device, file transfer, compression, or conversion.

8. Initiating and completing a refund request

To initiate a refund request, the learner must email [email protected] during the 14-calendar-day request window from the email address associated with the enrollment. The email must identify the learner and state that the learner is requesting review under the 90-Day Completion-Based Refund Policy.

A request is considered timely when the initiating email is received during the request window. Message & Method will respond with the required attestation, evidence instructions, and a method for securely delivering recordings and other requested files.

The learner must complete the supplied submission process within five calendar days after Message & Method sends the evidence instructions and file-delivery method. Failure to complete the submission within that period may result in denial unless Message & Method approves additional time because of a documented technical problem or another circumstance that applicable law requires us to consider.

Only qualifying work, activity, and recordings completed before the refund request was initiated may be used to satisfy this policy. The evidence-delivery period allows the learner to transmit pre-existing evidence; it does not extend the eligibility period or permit the learner to create, complete, replace, or materially revise qualifying work after initiating the request.

The completed submission must include:

• the original video recording for every required speaking task, with available file information preserved where reasonably possible;
• the required standardized attestation that the learner completed the program requirements, that the recordings and submitted evidence are authentic and represent the learner’s own work, and that the information provided is accurate and complete;
• a good-faith attestation that, after substantially completing the program and participating as required, the learner experienced no meaningful improvement in knowledge or speaking capability related to the program materials; and
• a written explanation addressing why the learner believes no meaningful improvement occurred and how the program could have better supported the learner.

9. How improvement is considered

The recordings verify completion of the speaking tasks and provide context for the learner’s progression from the baseline task through the more complex culminating task. Message & Method does not impose a particular performance score or require improvement according to an instructor’s subjective evaluation.

The learner’s good-faith attestation concerning improvement is required but does not replace the objective completion, participation, and evidence requirements. A request may be denied when required evidence is missing, materially incomplete, falsified, inauthentic, nonresponsive, or clearly inconsistent with the learner’s attestations or the available course record.

For purposes of this policy, meaningful improvement concerns knowledge or speaking capability addressed by the program. The program does not guarantee a particular employment, promotion, income, sales, audience, confidence, health, relationship, or other external result, and the absence of such an external result does not by itself establish refund eligibility.

10. Review, correction, and post-request activity

Message & Method will review the complete submission and the available course and system records. Course access may remain available while the request is reviewed, but work completed or materially revised after the request was initiated will not be considered when deciding eligibility.

Message & Method may notify the learner of an accidental omission, inaccessible file, or missing item of supporting evidence. The learner will have three calendar days after that notice to provide evidence that existed before the refund request was initiated.

New work, new recordings, new reflections, newly completed course activity, or substantive revisions created after the request was initiated cannot be used to satisfy the policy. Failure to provide requested pre-existing evidence within the correction period may result in denial.

Scheduled installment payments remain due during review unless the applicable payment terms state otherwise. Any installment collected while an eligible request is under review will be included when calculating the amount actually paid and any approved refund.

11. Decision and limited appeal

Message & Method will ordinarily issue a written decision within 10 calendar days after receiving the learner’s completed evidence submission. If Message & Method requests pre-existing evidence during the review, the review period is paused until the learner provides the requested evidence or the three-calendar-day correction period expires.

If a request is denied, the learner may appeal within five business days after the written decision by identifying a specific factual or administrative error, such as an overlooked completion record, an inaccessible file that was timely supplied, or evidence that was materially misread.

An appeal may not introduce new work, create new evidence, restart or extend the eligibility period, or seek reconsideration solely because the learner disagrees with the requirements of this policy. Message & Method will issue the final appeal determination within five business days after receiving the appeal.

12. Refund amount and remaining installments

Approved refunds are subject to an administrative deduction equal to 15% of the applicable enrollment price for the payment option selected at purchase.

The applicable enrollment price is the generally offered price displayed for that payment option at the time of enrollment, including any generally available introductory or promotional price. It is determined before applying any purchaser-specific coupon, scholarship, negotiated discount, account credit, or similar individualized reduction.

For example, if the generally offered enrollment price is $997 and a purchaser-specific 10% coupon reduces the amount charged to $897.30, the administrative deduction remains $149.55, which is 15% of the $997 applicable enrollment price.

For an installment purchase, the applicable enrollment price is the total generally offered price of the selected installment plan, which may be higher than the generally offered pay-once price.

The cash refund equals the amount actually paid as of the refund-processing date, less the applicable administrative deduction, and will not be less than zero. An approved refund will not exceed the amount actually paid. Any remaining unpaid installment obligation will be canceled when the refund is processed.

If the applicable administrative deduction equals or exceeds the amount actually paid, no cash refund will be issued, but any remaining unpaid installment obligation will be canceled.

If sales tax or a similar transaction tax was collected on the purchase, an approved refund will include the portion of that tax attributable to the amount of the taxable purchase price being refunded. Tax attributable to any amount retained by Message & Method will be handled as required by applicable law. Tax calculations, credits, and refunds may be adjusted by the payment processor, tax service, or taxing authority.

13. Payment of an approved refund

Once approved, Message & Method will submit the refund to the original payment method within five business days. The learner’s bank, card issuer, financing provider, or payment provider controls when the funds become available and may require additional processing time.

Course access, associated licenses, and the learner’s right to use protected program materials end when the refund is processed.

14. Rights provided by law

Nothing in this policy limits or waives any consumer right that cannot lawfully be limited or waived. If applicable law provides the learner with a refund, cancellation right, remedy, or protection that conflicts with this policy, applicable law controls to the extent of that conflict.

15. Severability

If any provision of this policy is determined to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the greatest extent permitted by law or removed to the minimum extent necessary. The remaining provisions will continue in effect.

16. Contact

Refund questions and requests may be sent to [email protected].

Legal notices may be sent to [email protected].

Message & Method
Cumbo, Inc.
PO Box 119
Clarence Center, NY 14032-0119