Refund Policy

This Refund Policy applies to all orders placed with Best Mate Studio LLC, a North Carolina limited liability company ("Best Mate," "we," "us," or "our"), through bestmatestudio.com.

The Short Version

We show you your portrait before you pay. Because of this, digital downloads are non-refundable once delivered. Print orders are non-refundable once production has started, unless the product arrives damaged or is the wrong item. We are always happy to help if something goes wrong.

1. Why We Have a Strict Digital Policy

Best Mate gives you three watermarked portraits to review before you pay a single dollar. You choose the one you love, then purchase. Because you have already seen and selected your portrait before committing, digital downloads are considered final once your unwatermarked file is delivered to you.

This is consistent with standard e-commerce practice for personalised, made-to-order digital goods. Under EU Consumer Rights regulations, customised digital content that has already been provided is also exempt from the standard 14-day right of withdrawal.

2. Digital Downloads

Refunds are not available for digital downloads once the unwatermarked file has been delivered to your email.

This applies regardless of the reason, including:

• Change of mind after purchase.
• The portrait not meeting personal aesthetic expectations beyond what was shown in the preview.
• Accidentally purchasing the wrong format.

If you have not yet received your download link and you wish to cancel, contact us immediately at support@bestmatestudio.com. We will do our best to cancel before delivery if technically possible, but we cannot guarantee this once an order is placed.

The one exception: If your download link fails to work, does not deliver a file, or delivers a corrupted or blank file, contact us within 48 hours. We will re-send the correct file or issue a full refund.

3. Print Orders

Print orders (poster prints and canvas prints) are produced on demand. Production typically begins within 2 hours of payment.

Refunds are not available once production has started.

We will issue a full refund or replacement for print orders in the following circumstances:

Damaged in Shipping

If your print arrives damaged (torn, bent, cracked canvas, or significantly scuffed), contact us at support@bestmatestudio.com within 14 days of delivery with:

• Your order number.
• A photo of the damaged item.
• A photo of the outer packaging (if damaged).

We will send a replacement at no charge, or issue a full refund including shipping. Your choice.

Wrong Item Received

If you receive a print in the wrong size, wrong format, or for the wrong portrait, contact us within 7 days of delivery. We will correct the order immediately.

Item Not Delivered

If your tracking shows a package as delivered but you have not received it, wait 2 business days before contacting us (parcels are occasionally marked delivered early). If still missing after 2 days, contact us and we will open an investigation with the carrier. If the package is confirmed lost, we will reprint and reship at no charge.

4. What We Do Not Refund

The following are not covered by our refund policy:

• Dissatisfaction with the AI-generated style after seeing it in the preview.
• Variations in print colour from what was shown on a computer screen (screen colour profiles vary, and printed colours will never be pixel-perfect matches to a screen).
• Damage caused by the customer after delivery.
• Parcels marked as delivered to the correct address (beyond the 2-day waiting period above).
• Orders placed with incorrect shipping addresses provided by the customer.

5. Quality Concern: Portrait Does Not Match Preview

If your purchased, unwatermarked portrait is materially different from the watermarked preview you selected (for example, a different pet appears in the final file, or the style is completely different from the concept you chose), this constitutes a technical error on our part. Contact us at support@bestmatestudio.com within 7 days with your order number and a description of the issue. We will regenerate your portrait or issue a full refund.

This clause does not apply to minor differences in detail between the watermarked preview and the final file. Watermarks are overlaid on the full image and slight adjustments to the final render are normal.

6. How to Contact Us

For all refund or replacement requests:

Email: support@bestmatestudio.com
Subject line: Order [your order number] Refund/Replacement Request

We respond to all support enquiries within 1 business day. We ask that you contact us directly before initiating a chargeback. Chargebacks filed for issues covered by this policy will be disputed with full documentation of the generate-before-pay process.

7. EU / UK Customers

Customers in the European Union and United Kingdom have specific statutory rights. Under EU Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU and the UK Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013:

• The right of withdrawal does not apply to personalised or customised goods, or to digital content that has already been supplied and started with your explicit consent.
• By initiating the portrait generation and proceeding to purchase, you explicitly consent to delivery of digital content beginning before the 14-day withdrawal period expires, and you acknowledge that this waives your right of withdrawal for that digital content.

This does not affect your rights in relation to faulty or damaged physical goods, which are covered under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (UK) and Directive 1999/44/EC (EU).

Questions? Contact us at support@bestmatestudio.com