Refund Policy

Last updated: 4 May 2026.

This policy sets out the conditions applicable to the cancellation and refund of the Howmation Premium subscription. It is governed by French and European Union consumer law and complements the General Terms of Use and Services.

1. Principle: non-refundable subscription

The Howmation Premium subscription gives immediate access to digital content and members-only features as soon as the payment is confirmed. The applicable price is set out in the Terms of Service (article 10.2) and confirmed at the time of payment. Consequently, and except in the exceptional cases listed in article 5 below, no full or partial refund is granted after subscription. You can cancel the renewal of your subscription at any time (see article 3), but cancellation does not give right to a refund of the current period. This policy applies without prejudice to the legal warranties of conformity provided for in articles L.224-25-12 et seq. of the French Consumer Code, applicable to digital content and services supplied on a continuous basis.

2. Right of withdrawal and immediate execution of the service

Article L.221-28, 13° of the French Consumer Code, transposing EU directive 2011/83/EU, provides an exception to the 14-day right of withdrawal for the supply of digital content not on a tangible medium when execution has begun with your express consent and you have waived your right of withdrawal.

  • By subscribing to Howmation Premium and validating your payment, you expressly request the immediate execution of the Premium service (access to Premium articles, Howmation tools, members area and the Premium badge upon payment confirmation).
  • Consequently, you acknowledge and accept that your legal right of withdrawal lapses as soon as the Premium content is effectively made available, that is, immediately after Paddle confirms the payment.
  • This express waiver is materialised by a dedicated checkbox, distinct from the acceptance of the Terms and not pre-ticked, that the Member confirms when paying for the subscription. The date and time of this express waiver are recorded by the Editor as proof. Without this express waiver, the immediate provision of Premium content cannot occur; you would retain your 14-day right of withdrawal and access would only be opened at the end of this period, upon your renewed request.

Practical consequence: No withdrawal request, refund or credit may be granted on the basis of the right of withdrawal, including within the 14 days following subscription, once Premium access has been opened on your account.

This policy applies identically to the first subscription and to each automatic monthly renewal.

3. Cancellation by the Member

You can cancel your Premium subscription at any time, without reason or penalty, from your Premium area ("My Premium subscription" section), via the Paddle customer portal. No phone call, postal mail or email is necessary.

Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid monthly period: you retain all your Premium access until the next due date, from which no new invoice is issued and Premium access is revoked. No amount corresponding to the paid period is refunded, even if you do not use the service to its end.

4. Failed payment and termination for default

If a renewal fails (expired card, insufficient funds, etc.), Paddle automatically retries several times over a 7-day period. During this period, your Premium access is maintained and you receive emails to update your payment method. If all attempts fail, the subscription is terminated free of charge. No refund is due since no payment was collected.

5. Exceptional refunds at our discretion

By exception to the non-refund principle stated in article 1, refunds may be granted on a case-by-case basis in the following situations:

  • Failure to meet the 99% monthly availability threshold defined in article 10.7 of the Terms, i.e. unavailability exceeding approximately 7 hours 20 minutes over the calendar month (excluding scheduled maintenance announced at least 48 hours in advance). A prorated credit is calculated on the unavailability time exceeding this threshold. Beyond 5% cumulative monthly unavailability, the Member may request immediate termination of the subscription with full refund of the current month.
  • Involuntary double charge over the same billing period (technical bug). The second charge is fully refunded.
  • Fraudulent subscription from your payment method without your knowledge (card theft). Full refund is processed after verification.
  • Substantial and lasting breach by Howmation of its essential contractual obligations, duly established. The refund is calculated pro rata for the period not delivered.

For these situations, contact [email protected] with all relevant supporting documents. A response is provided within 14 calendar days.

6. Refund methods

Refunds are processed by Paddle, official payment partner (Merchant of Record), on the same payment method used at subscription. The time for the credit to appear on your bank statement depends on your institution (generally 3 to 10 working days).

7. Paddle's role in billing and refunds

Paddle.com Market Limited is designated as Merchant of Record for the sale of the Howmation Premium subscription. This means Paddle acts as reseller and is responsible for collecting payments, applying VAT according to your country, issuing invoices and processing refunds.

Any invoice issued for your Howmation Premium subscription shows Paddle (or its local entities) as seller. Refund management follows the procedure described above, but the technical operation is performed by Paddle. You can consult Paddle's policy at: https://www.paddle.com/legal/checkout-buyer-terms. For any payment- or invoice-related question, you can also contact Paddle directly via https://paddle.net.

8. Mediation and dispute resolution

In case of persistent disagreement about a refund, you can contact us at [email protected] to seek an amicable solution.

Pursuant to articles L.616-1 and R.616-1 of the French Consumer Code, EI GOUDET VALENTIN has put in place a consumer mediation mechanism. The selected mediation entity is: CNPM Médiation Consommation. In the event of a dispute that could not be resolved through a prior complaint sent to [email protected], the consumer may refer the matter to the mediator free of charge, electronically at https://www.medconsodev.eu/ or by post at: CNPM Médiation Consommation, 27 avenue de la Libération, 42400 Saint-Chamond, France. The mediator must be contacted within a maximum period of one year from the written complaint sent to EI GOUDET VALENTIN.

For cross-border disputes within the European Union, you may also contact the European Consumer Centre France, which can guide you in your steps: https://www.europe-consommateurs.eu.

Before initiating a chargeback or payment dispute with your bank, please contact us first at [email protected], or contact Paddle directly at https://paddle.net. Most situations can be resolved within 14 days. A chargeback initiated without prior contact AND in the absence of a legitimate ground (proven fraud, undelivered service, contractual breach) may, after individual review of the situation, be considered a breach of these terms and lead to account suspension. Chargebacks initiated on legitimate grounds never lead to suspension.

9. Contact

For any question regarding a refund or this policy: [email protected]. We commit to respond within 14 calendar days.