Refund policy

CANCELLATION, RETURNS AND REFUND POLICY

Last updated: August 25, 2026

1. Scope of This Policy

Nova Labs provides bespoke business-to-business creative and production services, including creative direction, campaign development, photography, film production, brand storytelling, content systems and fixed-term creative partnerships.

Every engagement is developed for a specific Client and may require Nova Labs to reserve production capacity, assign creative resources, plan locations, engage crew, arrange travel, secure equipment and commission third-party suppliers.

Nova Labs does not normally sell or ship physical goods. Physical returns and exchanges therefore do not apply unless a signed agreement expressly includes a physical product.

This policy applies to purchases, bookings and partnerships made through the Nova Labs website, an invoice, proposal, payment link or another approved sales channel.

2. Business Clients and Authority

Nova Labs’ services are designed and offered for business and professional use.

Anyone ordering, approving or paying for an engagement on behalf of a company, property, brand or organisation confirms that they have the authority to commit that organisation to the purchase and its payment obligations.

A lack of internal authority, approval, budget allocation or stakeholder consent does not invalidate an accepted engagement or remove payment obligations where the person acted as an authorised representative.

Changing management, ownership, employees, marketing teams, agencies or internal strategy does not cancel the Client’s agreement with Nova Labs.

3. Acceptance of an Engagement

An engagement becomes binding when one or more of the following occurs:

  • Nova Labs confirms the engagement;
  • the Client accepts a proposal or service scope;
  • the Client completes a payment;
  • the Client approves the start of planning or production;
  • Nova Labs reserves production capacity for the Client;
  • Nova Labs begins strategy, planning, development or production;
  • both parties sign an applicable service agreement.

Once an engagement becomes binding, the Client remains responsible for the agreed fees and this policy applies.

Nova Labs may decline an order before acceptance. A payment received for an engagement that Nova Labs declines before reserving capacity or beginning work is returned to the original payment method.

4. Payment and Commencement

One-time productions, campaigns and short-term creative partnerships must be paid in full before onboarding, planning or production begins unless Nova Labs confirms a different payment structure.

Annual Partnerships follow the payment schedule shown on the applicable service page, accepted proposal, invoice or signed agreement.

An instalment plan divides the payment of the total contractual investment. It does not divide the engagement into separately cancellable periods.

Every payment remains due on its agreed date. Payment is not conditional on:

  • the Client receiving internal approval;
  • the Client securing financing;
  • the Client receiving payment from another party;
  • the Client publishing or using the work;
  • campaign performance, bookings, sales or revenue;
  • the availability of a particular employee or stakeholder;
  • the Client providing feedback or materials on time.

Nova Labs does not need to begin or continue work while an amount remains overdue. A payment delay may move production and delivery dates without reducing the amount payable or extending the agreed partnership period.

Prices exclude VAT and applicable taxes unless stated otherwise. The Client remains responsible for applicable taxes, payment-processing costs, currency-conversion differences and bank charges.

5. Final and Non-Refundable Payments

Once an engagement becomes binding, all payments are final and non-refundable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

This includes:

  • upfront payments;
  • full project payments;
  • deposits;
  • reservation fees;
  • retainers;
  • annual-partnership instalments;
  • strategy and creative-development fees;
  • planning and pre-production fees;
  • payments connected to reserved production capacity;
  • committed travel, crew, equipment, talent, location and supplier costs;
  • approved additions and scope expansions.

Payments compensate Nova Labs not only for final deliverables, but also for reserved capacity, availability, research, strategy, planning, creative development, preparation, coordination and commercial opportunities declined to serve the Client.

A payment does not become refundable because the Client:

  • changes its mind;
  • changes its strategy or campaign;
  • no longer needs the work;
  • chooses not to publish or use the work;
  • experiences internal disagreement;
  • changes management or ownership;
  • encounters financial or budgetary difficulties;
  • receives a different creative preference from another stakeholder;
  • pauses or ends communication;
  • expected different commercial results.

Nova Labs does not issue voluntary cash refunds, credits, payment transfers or substitutions unless Nova Labs expressly approves them or mandatory law requires them.

6. Pausing or Ending an Engagement

All amounts already paid remain final and non-refundable. Pausing, postponing or ending an engagement does not create a right to a refund, credit or repayment.

Pausing an Engagement

A pause temporarily stops active production. It does not suspend or cancel:

  • the agreement;
  • reserved production capacity;
  • the partnership period;
  • upcoming payment obligations;
  • original payment dates;
  • committed external costs.

All scheduled payments remain due on their original dates during a pause.

Restarting production depends on the availability of Nova Labs, its crew and its suppliers. Restarting may require a revised production schedule, replacement resources and additional costs.

A Client cannot use a pause, delayed approval, absence or lack of communication to postpone or avoid a payment.

Ending a One-Time Production or Short-Term Partnership

One-time productions and short-term partnerships are paid in full before commencement. Ending the engagement after acceptance does not create any right to a refund.

All approved additions, external costs and other outstanding amounts remain payable.

Ending an Annual Partnership Early

An Annual Partnership is a fixed-term commitment. Stopping communication, refusing deliverables, pausing production or choosing not to use the services does not automatically end the partnership.

Nova Labs may agree to bring an Annual Partnership to an early close. Early closure is not an automatic Client right.

The following minimum payment obligations always apply:

  • every amount already paid remains final and non-refundable;
  • every overdue amount remains payable;
  • the next scheduled instalment must be paid in full;
  • all committed third-party costs remain payable;
  • all approved additional expenses remain payable;
  • any value already produced beyond the amounts paid remains payable.

The next scheduled instalment includes every applicable Day 30, Month 4 or Month 8 payment. It remains payable even when the Client asks to end the partnership before its original payment date.

A request to stop during Month 3 does not remove the Month 4 payment. A request to stop during Month 7 does not remove the Month 8 payment. A Priority Annual Partner asking to stop before Day 30 must still complete the Day 30 payment.

The partnership does not end until Nova Labs accepts the early closure and the Client has paid the next scheduled instalment and every other outstanding amount in full.

The value of completed work, reserved capacity and committed costs may exceed the next scheduled instalment. The Client must also pay that difference.

No early closure retroactively cancels completed work, reserved production capacity or financial commitments already made by Nova Labs.

7. Rescheduling and Missed Production Dates

A request to move a production date is a rescheduling request, not a cancellation and not a refund request.

Nova Labs assesses rescheduling based on:

  • team and crew availability;
  • location and supplier availability;
  • travel arrangements;
  • seasonal conditions;
  • the wider production calendar;
  • costs already committed.

Approval of a new date does not refund or transfer amounts already used for the original date.

The Client remains responsible for:

  • non-recoverable costs;
  • cancellation and rebooking charges;
  • supplier rate increases;
  • additional travel or accommodation;
  • replacement crew or locations;
  • expenses created by the date change.

Failure by the Client, its representatives, talent or property team to attend or provide access on an agreed production date counts as a Client-caused cancellation of that production date. Payments remain non-refundable and a replacement production requires a new schedule and any necessary additional payment.

Nova Labs does not guarantee that the original crew, destination, season or production conditions remain available after rescheduling.

8. Client Delays, Access and Cooperation

The Client must provide all required materials, access and decisions within the agreed timeframe. This includes:

  • brand assets and guidelines;
  • products and property access;
  • filming and photography permissions;
  • participant and talent availability;
  • feedback and approvals;
  • accurate contact and logistical information;
  • information required for invoicing or compliance.

A Client delay automatically moves dependent production and delivery dates. It does not move payment dates unless Nova Labs expressly confirms a new payment schedule.

Nova Labs is not responsible for delays, missed opportunities or changed production conditions caused by incomplete information, unavailable stakeholders, restricted access, delayed approvals or other Client-side issues.

Prolonged Client inactivity places the engagement on hold. Payments continue according to the agreement.

Reactivating work after a prolonged delay depends on capacity and may require:

  • a new production window;
  • a revised timeline;
  • updated supplier rates;
  • replacement resources;
  • an additional reactivation or production fee.

Unused time, expired production windows and capacity lost through Client delay do not create a refund or credit.

9. Third-Party Costs and External Commitments

Nova Labs may engage or reserve third parties for an engagement. These include crew, talent, photographers, filmmakers, editors, stylists, producers, travel providers, accommodation, locations, equipment, transport, permits, music and specialist suppliers.

Once an external cost has been booked, incurred or contractually committed, it becomes non-refundable to the extent that Nova Labs cannot recover it from the supplier.

The Client remains responsible for committed external costs even where:

  • the Client pauses or ends the engagement;
  • the production date changes;
  • the Client no longer uses the service;
  • the supplier has not yet completed its work;
  • the cost exceeds an earlier estimate due to Client changes;
  • currency rates, taxes or supplier rates change.

Nova Labs communicates material additions outside the approved scope before committing them whenever reasonably possible. Urgent production circumstances and Client-approved changes may require immediate commitments.

Recovering money from a supplier does not guarantee a full Client refund. Nova Labs first deducts cancellation charges, administrative expenses, currency losses and other non-recoverable amounts connected to the commitment.

10. Scope, Feedback, Approvals and Revisions

The applicable product page, proposal, creative scope, production plan and signed agreement define what Nova Labs must deliver.

Only revisions expressly included in that scope form part of the agreed fee.

The following count as additional work:

  • extra concepts or creative directions;
  • additional deliverables;
  • new formats, languages or aspect ratios;
  • reshoots caused by a Client preference change;
  • changes after approval;
  • revisions beyond the included rounds;
  • replacement of approved talent, locations, music or concepts;
  • requests created by a new stakeholder or management team.

Additional work requires a separate fee, change order or scope extension.

An approval communicated by an authorised Client representative is binding on the Client. Nova Labs does not need to repeat completed or approved work because another stakeholder later disagrees with that approval.

The Client must review work within the review period stated in the agreement. Where no review period is stated, the Client has seven calendar days after delivery to report a specific failure to meet the agreed scope.

No response within that review period counts as acceptance of the delivered stage. Changes requested afterwards count as additional work.

Nova Labs must receive a reasonable opportunity to correct a substantiated technical or scope-related issue before any other remedy is considered.

11. Creative Judgement, Delivery and Results

Nova Labs provides creative and production services, not guaranteed commercial outcomes.

Nova Labs does not guarantee:

  • a specific number of bookings, leads or sales;
  • revenue growth;
  • media coverage or awards;
  • social-media reach or engagement;
  • advertising performance;
  • stakeholder or audience reactions;
  • approval by platforms, broadcasters or third parties.

Subjective dissatisfaction, changing taste or a preference for another creative direction does not establish non-performance and does not create a right to a refund.

Delivery occurs when Nova Labs sends the deliverables to the Client’s nominated contact, provides an accessible delivery link or places the work in the agreed delivery platform.

The Client’s failure to download, review, publish, use or distribute delivered work does not reverse delivery and does not create a refund.

Technical issues must be reported during the applicable review period. Nova Labs receives the opportunity to repair, replace or redeliver affected files before another remedy applies.

A minor issue affecting one deliverable does not create a right to reject or refund the complete engagement.

12. Late Payments, Payment Disputes and Chargebacks

Failure to pay an amount on time places the Client in payment default.

Nova Labs may respond by:

  • pausing strategy, planning or production;
  • withholding unfinished deliverables;
  • removing access to undelivered files;
  • cancelling reserved production dates;
  • moving the Client to the next available production window;
  • charging legally permitted interest and recovery costs;
  • recovering reasonable collection and legal expenses;
  • enforcing every payment obligation under the agreement.

A production pause caused by non-payment does not pause the contractual payment schedule or reduce the total amount payable.

The Client must first raise a genuine billing concern directly with Nova Labs and provide enough information to identify the disputed transaction.

A chargeback does not cancel the underlying agreement or remove the Client’s payment obligations. Starting a chargeback without a valid contractual or legal basis constitutes payment default. Nova Labs may recover the reversed amount together with legally recoverable fees, costs and losses.

Paying only part of an invoice does not settle the full amount unless Nova Labs expressly accepts that payment as full settlement.

13. Delay, Disruption or Cancellation by Nova Labs

A production or delivery delay does not automatically create a right to cancel the engagement or receive a refund.

Nova Labs may resolve a disruption through:

  • a revised production date;
  • an adjusted delivery schedule;
  • replacement crew or suppliers;
  • an alternative location;
  • an equivalent production solution;
  • repair, replacement or redelivery of affected work.

The Client must allow Nova Labs a reasonable opportunity to provide an appropriate solution.

Events outside Nova Labs’ reasonable control include severe weather, illness, accident, travel disruption, government restrictions, location withdrawal, equipment failure, supplier failure, civil unrest and other force-majeure events.

Such an event pauses or moves the affected production obligations. It does not automatically cancel the agreement, cancel upcoming payments or make previous payments refundable.

A refund only becomes available where:

  • Nova Labs permanently declines an engagement before beginning work or reserving capacity;
  • Nova Labs permanently cancels an accepted engagement;
  • Nova Labs cannot provide the contracted service or a reasonable equivalent solution;
  • mandatory law requires a refund.

Any approved refund applies only to Nova Labs fees attributable to scope that remains completely undelivered.

Nova Labs deducts:

  • work already performed;
  • strategy and development already completed;
  • production capacity already used;
  • deliverables already supplied;
  • external costs already committed;
  • non-recoverable expenses.

Completed, approved or delivered work remains non-refundable. A delay, partial issue or correctable problem does not justify a refund of the entire engagement.

14. Mandatory Consumer Rights

Nova Labs offers these services primarily to businesses and professional Clients.

Nothing in this policy removes rights that applicable law does not allow Nova Labs to exclude.

A person who legally qualifies as a consumer and purchases a service remotely may have a statutory fourteen-calendar-day withdrawal period.

A consumer asking Nova Labs to begin strategy, planning, reservation or production during that period remains responsible for the proportionate value of work already performed after exercising an applicable withdrawal right.

The withdrawal right may end after full performance where the consumer expressly requested early performance and acknowledged the resulting loss of that right.

Separate statutory rules may apply to digital content supplied after the consumer’s express consent.

A qualifying consumer exercising a statutory right must clearly communicate:

  • their full name;
  • the service purchased;
  • the purchase date;
  • the order or invoice reference;
  • the decision to withdraw.

Requests may be sent to:

adriana.kasanda@novalabsstudio.com

No voluntary refund right exists beyond the mandatory rights granted by applicable law.

15. Order of Precedence, Validity and Contact

This policy forms part of every applicable Nova Labs engagement.

The following order determines which terms control:

  1. a specific agreement signed for the engagement;
  2. an accepted proposal or statement of work;
  3. the applicable invoice and payment schedule;
  4. the applicable service or product page;
  5. this general policy.

A more specific term controls over a general term.

The invalidity or unenforceability of one provision does not invalidate the remaining provisions. The affected provision is limited only to the minimum extent legally required, while the remaining payment and performance obligations continue.

The version accepted when the engagement becomes binding governs that engagement unless Nova Labs and the Client later agree to a replacement.

Belgian law governs this policy and the competent Belgian courts handle business disputes, subject to mandatory rules that legally require another result.

Questions about payments, pauses, cancellations or refunds may be directed to:

adriana.kasanda@novalabsstudio.com