Fees, Cancellations & Refunds

1. Scope

This policy governs the fees charged by VMA Global Trade LLC for advisory and representation services, and what happens when an engagement changes, pauses or ends. It forms part of our Terms of Service. It does not govern payments you make to a manufacturer, forwarder, broker or laboratory, which are contracts between you and them.

2. How we charge

• Fixed project fee. A single price for a defined scope, quoted in writing before work starts. It does not change with the value of your purchase order.
• Monthly retainer. For clients buying regularly, a fixed monthly fee covering an agreed volume of suppliers, inspections and coordination.
• Single-service fee. For one-off work such as verifying a supplier you already found, or a single pre-shipment inspection.

Every proposal states the deliverables, the timeline, the fee and what is excluded, before you commit.

3. No supplier commissions

We are paid by the Client and only by the Client. We do not accept commissions, rebates, referral payments or gifts from manufacturers, forwarders, brokers or laboratories, and we do not add a margin to the price of your goods. If a supplier offers us any such payment, we decline it and tell you.

4. What our fee does not include

• The goods themselves, tooling, moulds and sample costs.
• Freight, insurance, duties, taxes, customs brokerage and inland delivery.
• Third-party laboratory testing and certification.
• Travel and accommodation for factory visits outside the agreed region.
• Legal representation, litigation and debt recovery against a supplier.

5. Payment schedule

• Project fees: fifty percent (50%) to start, the balance on delivery of the final deliverable, unless the proposal states otherwise.
• Retainers: invoiced monthly in advance, payable on receipt.
• Single services: payable in advance.
• Invoices are in U.S. dollars. Bank charges on international transfers are borne by the payer.
• Past-due amounts accrue interest at 1.5% per month or the maximum permitted by law, whichever is lower, and work may be suspended while an account is overdue.

6. Pass-through costs

Costs we incur on your behalf, such as courier of samples, laboratory fees, travel or government charges, are estimated and approved by you in writing before they are committed, and invoiced at cost with the supporting receipts. We do not mark them up.

7. Changes to scope

If you change the product, the specification, the target market or the number of suppliers after work has started, we tell you what it means for the fee and the timeline, and we wait for your written approval before continuing. Small adjustments inside the agreed scope carry no extra charge.

8. Cancellation by you

• You may cancel an engagement at any time by written notice.
• Cancelling within 5 business days of payment, before we have contacted any supplier on your behalf, entitles you to a full refund of the fee paid.
• After work has started, we invoice for the work performed and the deliverables issued to that point, and refund the remainder. We provide a breakdown of what was done.
• Where a milestone has been delivered and accepted, the fee for that milestone is not refundable.
• Retainers may be cancelled with thirty (30) days written notice. The current month is not refunded, and no further months are invoiced.

9. Suspension and inactivity

Projects depend on your approvals. If we receive no response for thirty (30) consecutive days, the engagement is suspended and the work performed is invoiced. You may resume it within six (6) months at no reactivation charge; after that, the project is re-quoted at current rates.

10. Cancellation by us

We may end an engagement, and refund fees for work not yet performed, where the product or supplier fails our Trade Compliance Policy, where you ask us to act in a way we consider unlawful or dishonest, or where an account remains unpaid after written notice. Where we terminate for our own convenience and you are not in breach, we refund every fee for work not delivered.

11. Refunds

• Approved refunds are issued within ten (10) business days, to the original payment method.
• Bank transfer fees and payment processor charges already incurred are deducted.
• Fees are not refundable because a supplier failed, a price rose, a market moved or you decided not to import. We are paid for the work and the advice, not for the outcome of your purchase.
• Where you believe a deliverable was not performed with reasonable skill and care, tell us in writing within thirty (30) days. We will redo the work at no charge, or refund the fee for that deliverable if we cannot.

12. Billing disputes

Raise any disputed charge in writing within thirty (30) days of the invoice date, to legal@vmaglobaltrade.com. We respond within ten (10) business days. Undisputed amounts remain payable while a dispute is being resolved. Please come to us before filing a chargeback; a chargeback for work delivered and accepted is a breach of our Terms of Service.

Questions about this document

Write to legal@vmaglobaltrade.com or mail us at VMA Global Trade LLC, 1200 Brickell Ave, Suite 1950, Miami, FL 33131, United States. We respond to written requests within thirty (30) days.