Payment & Billing Policy

1. Currency and listed prices

Prices are stated in United States dollars unless a written project document clearly states another currency. Website prices describe the listed scope of the identified service at the time shown. They may be changed prospectively and do not create a binding offer until the service, scope, fee, and payment terms are confirmed in writing.

Current listed service prices include: Content Strategy Consultation — $130; Monthly Content Calendar — $220; Content Topic Research — $130; Audience & Content Direction — $110; Website Content Planning — $150 for up to five pages; and Social Media Content Plan — $140 for one platform and one month. A custom or expanded request may require a separate quote.

2. No website checkout

The website does not present a payment-card form or a custom checkout. The request form validates required project fields and displays a local confirmation. It does not collect card data, automatically charge a payment method, reserve availability, or by itself create a paid engagement.

Authorized payment instructions will be provided through an invoice or another written project communication. Clients should not send complete payment-card numbers, online-banking credentials, passwords, or security codes through the website request form, ordinary email, or project documents.

3. Quotes and project confirmation

A quote or proposal may identify the service, included deliverable, client inputs, review opportunity, estimated schedule, fee, due date, and any required advance payment. A quote remains open only for the period stated in it. If no period is stated, it may be withdrawn or revised before acceptance when availability, scope, or costs change.

A project is confirmed only when the required written acceptance and required payment are received. A preliminary conversation, submitted request, tentative date, or draft proposal does not reserve time.

4. Advance payment

A consultation or lower-cost fixed service may require full payment before scheduling or work begins. A larger or custom engagement may require an advance payment with the balance due at a stated milestone or before final delivery. The applicable invoice controls.

An advance payment is applied to the agreed service. It is not a general account balance and cannot be transferred to another person or unrelated project without written approval.

5. Invoices

Invoices will identify the billing party, service or project reference, amount, currency, issue date, due date, and available payment instructions. The client must review the invoice promptly and raise a good-faith billing question before the due date whenever practical.

A clerical error does not create a right to receive unintended services or retain an obvious overpayment. Confirmed errors will be corrected within a reasonable period.

6. Accepted payment methods

Available payment methods are limited to those stated on the invoice or in authorized payment instructions. They may include bank transfer or a reputable third-party payment provider. Availability can depend on the client’s location, currency, and the provider’s rules.

A payment is considered received only after cleared funds are available and can be matched to the correct invoice. A pending, reversed, rejected, disputed, or recalled transaction is not completed payment.

7. Due dates

Payment must be received by the due date stated on the invoice. If no due date is stated, payment is due upon receipt for an advance invoice and within seven calendar days for an invoice issued after authorized work, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing.

Delivery, scheduling, or release of a final file may be withheld until required payment clears. A deadline dependent on payment may be moved when payment arrives late.

8. Scope changes and additional work

The listed fee covers only the confirmed scope. The following commonly require a revised quote or additional fee: an additional platform; more than the agreed number of website pages; a longer calendar period; a new audience or business goal; expanded research; a new deliverable type; accelerated scheduling; meetings not included in the scope; or revisions that replace the approved direction.

Additional work will not be treated as authorized until its scope and fee are approved in writing. If a client requests work without responding to a fee notice, Stagequill Media may pause until approval is received.

9. Revisions

An included revision is limited to reasonable adjustments within the original brief and only when the project document includes a revision opportunity. Revisions requested after the review period, repeated revision rounds, fragmented feedback, or a changed brief may be billed separately.

Correcting an error in the delivered file that directly conflicts with the confirmed scope is not treated as additional billable work when reported within the review period.

10. Taxes

Fees do not include sales, use, value-added, withholding, or similar taxes unless the invoice expressly states otherwise. The client is responsible for taxes associated with the purchase that law requires the client to pay, except taxes based on Stagequill Media’s net income.

If a client is legally required to withhold an amount, the client must provide valid documentation and cooperate so the invoice and records can be handled correctly. The parties will not misdescribe services or transaction amounts to avoid tax or reporting obligations.

11. Bank and provider fees

The client is responsible for sending-bank charges, intermediary-bank fees, currency conversion, and payment-provider charges imposed on the client, unless the invoice states otherwise. The full invoiced amount must be received. Stagequill Media is responsible for fees charged solely to its receiving account unless a project document lawfully allocates them differently.

12. Late or failed payment

If payment is overdue, work, meetings, delivery, or new requests may be paused. Stagequill Media may issue a reminder and may revise the schedule based on current availability after payment clears. A reasonable late charge may be applied only when stated in the project terms and permitted by law.

The client is responsible for reasonable collection costs awarded or permitted by law for an undisputed overdue balance. No provision requires a charge that exceeds a legal limit.

13. Payment disputes and chargebacks

A client with a billing concern should first provide the invoice number, disputed amount, and specific reason so the issue can be reviewed. The parties should attempt a good-faith resolution before initiating a payment dispute when practical.

A chargeback or payment reversal does not automatically cancel a valid fee. Stagequill Media may provide the payment provider with the relevant invoice, scope, communications, delivery records, and acceptance information to respond to a disputed transaction.

14. Overpayments and duplicate payments

A confirmed duplicate payment or overpayment will be returned to the original payment method where practical, or handled through another verified method agreed with the payer. Processing time depends on the bank or provider. No refund will be sent to an unrelated third party or unverified account.

15. Cancellations and refunds

Payment treatment after a cancellation is governed by the Cancellation & Refund Policy and the confirmed project document. Completed work, held consultations, authorized commitments, and completed milestones are generally payable. An unearned amount will be handled according to the applicable cancellation terms and law.

16. Records

Invoices, payment confirmations, project approvals, credits, and refund records may be retained for accounting, tax, fraud-prevention, dispute, and legal purposes. A client should retain its own copy of invoices and payment confirmations.

17. Changes to this policy

This Policy may be updated prospectively when services, prices, payment providers, tax rules, or billing practices change. A confirmed project remains governed by the payment terms accepted for that project unless the parties agree otherwise or law requires a change.

18. Billing contact

A billing question should include the client name, invoice or project reference, amount, and a concise explanation. Payment credentials should not be included.