Legal · Refund & Delivery
Refund & Delivery Policy
Last updated: 26 May 2026 · Animate My Storybook · Kingston, Jamaica
This page covers exactly when delivery starts, what counts as delivery, and when you are entitled to a refund. It applies primarily to the $497 Storybook Trailer (paid online). Custom packages ($1,500+) follow the terms in their own Production Agreement, which take precedence.
1. When the 5-day delivery clock starts
The 5-day clock starts
when we have both:
- your completed PayPal payment for the $497 trailer, AND
- your completed intake form (book file, key scenes, brand notes, voice/music preference).
If payment lands on Monday at 5pm Jamaica time but you submit the intake form Wednesday morning, the clock starts Wednesday morning. We do this so we never start the timer before we can actually start the work.
2. Business days vs calendar days
"5 days" means 5 business days, Monday to Friday, Jamaica time (EST). Weekends and Jamaica public holidays do not count. Example: if the clock starts Wednesday, delivery target is the following Tuesday.
3. What counts as "delivery"
Delivery happens in two phases. The first delivery for review is always watermarked:
- Draft delivery (watermarked): we email you a link to the watermarked 4K cut + social cuts within the 5-business-day window.
- Final delivery (unwatermarked): after you give Final Sign-Off (or after Deemed Approval — see §3a), we send the clean, unwatermarked 4K master and social cuts within 24 hours.
Once the watermarked draft email is sent within the deadline, the 5-day deadline is considered met — even if you have not yet downloaded the files or responded.
3a. The 2-business-day approval rule (Deemed Approval)
Once we send you the watermarked draft, you have
2 business days to do one of three things:
(a) approve the cut in writing,
(b) send one consolidated revision message,
(c) request an extension in writing (we grant up to 5 extra business days if asked before the window closes).
If you do none of the above within 2 business days, the cut is automatically considered APPROVED ("Deemed Approval") and we move it to final delivery. You may not later request free changes. Re-opening a Deemed-Approved cut requires a $250 re-open fee plus the additional revision cost. This rule is in our
Terms §7a and applies to every project.
3b. The watermark stays on until two things happen
The clean, unwatermarked master is delivered only after BOTH:
- Final Sign-Off on the cut (either by written approval or Deemed Approval), AND
- Full balance received and cleared in our PayPal account (for the $497 trailer, this is the full $497 paid up front; for larger packages, this is the 50% balance due at Final Sign-Off).
The watermarked version remains the deliverable until both conditions are met. We do not release unwatermarked files on promise of future payment.
4. Revisions on the $497 trailer
The $497 trailer includes one round of revisions. A "round" means you collect all your feedback into a single message and send it to us. We then implement everything in that message and resend within 2 business days. Additional revision rounds beyond the first are billed at $97 per round.
5. Refund scenarios — when you get money back
| Situation | Refund |
|---|
| You change your mind before submitting the intake form | 100% refund, no questions asked. Email us within 14 days of payment. |
| We miss the 5-business-day delivery deadline (and the delay was not caused by you) | 50% refund + the trailer still delivered. |
| We decline your project after seeing the manuscript (see Terms §6) | 100% refund. |
| You receive the trailer and are not satisfied with how it represents your book | One revision round included. Beyond that, no automatic refund — but if we genuinely cannot deliver something you can use, we will work with you in good faith on a partial refund. |
6. When a refund is not available
- You delayed submitting the intake form and the clock has not started yet (no money has been earned — but no refund delay either; just send the intake when ready).
- The delay was caused by you (slow intake submission, slow revision feedback, scope changes mid-project, missed approval windows).
- You went silent during an approval stage and Deemed Approval applied per §3a — the cut is locked and the project moves to final.
- You submitted material you did not have rights to use, and we cannot complete the work as a result.
- You submitted source material so poor that no commercially reasonable rework can recover it — though we will refund 50% in this case and tell you up front before doing the work.
- You requested the trailer be cancelled after we have already started production.
- You re-engaged more than 7 calendar days after a missed approval window and the project was already paused per Terms §7b — the $150 re-start fee applies before work resumes.
7. Custom packages (The Spark / Story / Universe / Legacy)
Custom packages are governed by a separate written Production Agreement signed by both parties before work begins. That agreement defines milestones, deposit / balance payments, revision rounds, IP transfer, kill fees, and refund mechanics for that specific engagement. Nothing on this page overrides that signed agreement.
8. How to request a refund
Email hello@animatemystorybook.com with your PayPal transaction reference. We respond within 1 business day and process eligible refunds within 5 business days via PayPal. PayPal's own processing time may add 1-3 days on top.
9. Disputes
If we cannot agree on a refund, the dispute process in Terms §10 applies. Either side may also raise a PayPal Buyer/Seller dispute at any time — we cooperate fully with PayPal's process.