This Refund and Cancellation Policy explains your rights to cancel and the circumstances in which refunds are available when you purchase certification, audit, assessment, training, or related services from NDC Certification Bureau Ltd (“NDC”, “we”, “us”, “our”). It forms part of, and should be read alongside, our Website Terms of Use and any certification or service agreement you enter into with us.

NDC Certification Bureau Ltd Company number: 15769297 Registered address: 21a Market Place, Warminster, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, BA12 9AY Email: info@ndccertification.org Telephone: 0333 939 8797

1. How a contract is formed
When you place an order or accept a quotation, you are making an offer to purchase our services. A binding contract is formed only when we confirm acceptance in writing (for example, by an order confirmation, countersigned proposal, or service agreement). Until then, no contract exists and any payment taken will be refunded if we do not proceed.

2. Your right to cancel (consumers)
If you are a consumer (an individual buying for purposes outside your trade, business, craft, or profession), you may have a statutory right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 to cancel a contract entered into online or at a distance within 14 days of the day the contract is made (the “cooling-off period”), without giving a reason.

To cancel, tell us clearly within the cooling-off period by email at info@ndccertification.org or by post to the address above. You may use a simple statement; a model cancellation form is available on request.

Refunds for cancelled consumer contracts. Where you validly cancel within the cooling-off period, we will refund all payments received from you within 14 days of being informed, using the same payment method you used, unless the exceptions below apply.

Important exceptions for services:

If you ask us to begin providing the service during the cooling-off period and you then cancel, you must pay for the service provided up to the point of cancellation, in proportion to the full contract.
If the service is fully performed during the cooling-off period — because you gave express prior consent and acknowledged that you would lose your right to cancel once the service was complete — the right to cancel is lost and no refund is due.
Because audits and assessments are often scheduled and begun quickly, we will ask for your express consent before starting work within the cooling-off period and will make clear the effect on your cancellation right.

3. Cancellation (business customers)
If you are a business customer, the statutory consumer cooling-off right does not apply. Cancellation is instead governed by your certification or service agreement and the terms below.

You may cancel a confirmed order by giving written notice. Charges depend on how much notice you give before any scheduled audit, assessment, or service date:

When you cancel or postpone
Charge
More than [20] working days before the scheduled date
No charge (deposit may be retained — see section 4)
[10–20] working days before
[50]% of the affected service fee
Fewer than [10] working days before, or non-attendance
[100]% of the affected service fee
We will also charge for any non-recoverable costs already incurred on your behalf (for example, travel, accommodation, or third-party fees) regardless of notice given. These figures are placeholders — set them to match your actual scheduling and resourcing costs.

4. Deposits and upfront fees
Where a deposit or application fee is taken, it covers initial administration, planning, and reservation of resources. Deposits are non-refundable once that work has begun, except where we cancel the contract ourselves or are unable to provide the service. Any balance paid in advance and not yet earned will be refunded.

5. Annual, surveillance, and multi-year certification fees
Certification typically runs in a cycle involving an initial assessment followed by surveillance and recertification activities. Where fees relate to a certification cycle:

Fees for assessments or surveillance visits already carried out are non-refundable.
Fees paid in advance for future visits not yet carried out may be refundable, less any non-recoverable costs and administration, if the agreement is ended in accordance with its terms.
Withdrawal from, or suspension of, certification does not by itself create a right to a refund of fees for work already performed.
6. When we cancel or cannot provide the service
If we cancel a confirmed service for reasons within our control, or are unable to provide it, you will receive a full refund of any sums paid for the part of the service not provided. We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses arising from such cancellation, subject to your statutory rights and the limits set out in our Website Terms of Use.

7. Situations where refunds are not given
To be clear, refunds are not available simply because:

a certification application is unsuccessful, or certification is refused, suspended, or withdrawn — our fees pay for the assessment work performed, not a guaranteed outcome;
you fail to provide information, access, or cooperation needed for us to complete the service;
you choose to discontinue after work has been performed; or
a non-attendance or late cancellation falls within the charges in section 3.
This does not affect your legal rights where a service has not been carried out with reasonable care and skill (see section 8).

8. If something goes wrong with our service
If you are unhappy with a service, please contact us first so we can try to put it right; many issues are resolved quickly. We aim to acknowledge complaints within [5] working days and to provide a full response within [20] working days.

Consumers have statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, including that services must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. Where we fall short, you may be entitled to a repeat performance or a price reduction. Nothing in this policy limits those rights.
Business customers are entitled to the remedies set out in the applicable service agreement.
Appeals and complaints relating to certification decisions (as opposed to refunds) are handled under our separate Appeals and Complaints Procedure, as required by our accreditation, and are not subject to this Refund Policy.

9. How refunds are made
Approved refunds are made to the original payment method within 14 days of approval (or sooner where required by law). We do not charge a fee for processing a valid refund. Where a payment was made through a third-party payment provider, the timing of the funds reaching you may also depend on that provider.

10. International customers
Where you are located outside the United Kingdom, mandatory consumer-protection laws in your country of residence may give you additional rights that cannot be excluded. Where such laws apply, they take precedence over the corresponding provisions of this policy. Currency conversion charges or fees applied by your bank or card issuer are not refundable by us.

11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The version that applies to your purchase is the one in force at the date of your order. The current version and effective date are shown at the top.

12. Contact
To request a cancellation or refund, or to ask a question about this policy:

NDC Certification Bureau Ltd, 21a Market Place, Warminster, Wiltshire, United Kingdom, BA12 9AY info@ndccertification.org | 0333 939 8797