Refund and Cancellation Policy

Effective: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: March 17, 2026

1. Purpose

This policy governs the payment, cancellation, and refund terms for paid services offered through the Whistle AI platform ("Service") operated by (주)모티브이노베이션 and MOTIVE Global, Inc. (collectively, the "Company"). It is designed to protect your rights and ensure transparent billing practices.

2. Definitions

1. "Paid Service" means any subscription plan or per-use service for which you pay a fee.
2. "Subscription" means a recurring payment arrangement for continued access to the Service.
3. "Auto-Renewal" means automatic recurring charges via Stripe at the end of each billing cycle.
4. "Cooling-Off Period" means the initial 7-day period after payment during which withdrawal rights apply.
5. "Per-Use Service" means individually priced services (e.g., single AI analysis reports) charged separately from subscriptions.

3. Subscription Plans

3.1 Pricing

The Service offers three subscription tiers plus a single-purchase option:

• Free — ₩0/month (limited features)
• Basic — ₩49,000/month (approx. $32 USD at prevailing FX)
• Pro — ₩149,000/month (approx. $96 USD at prevailing FX)
• AI Export Analysis Report (single purchase) — ₩39,000/report (approx. $29 USD)

Current pricing, feature allocations, and any promotional discounts are published on the pricing page at whistle-ai.com and are subject to change with prior notice. The Free plan carries no charge.

3.2 Billing Cycles

Billing Cycle	Payment Schedule	Payment Method
Monthly	Charged monthly on the billing date	Stripe
Semi-Annual (6 months)	Single payment every 6 months (prepay discount may apply)	Stripe
Annual (12 months)	Single payment every 12 months (prepay discount may apply)	Stripe

Billing currency: Users in the Republic of Korea are billed in Korean Won (KRW), the list currency, inclusive of VAT (10%). International users are billed in US Dollars (USD) or another supported local currency via Stripe; USD amounts shown are approximate conversions of the KRW list price at the prevailing exchange rate and exclude applicable local taxes, which may be collected by Stripe or added at checkout where legally required.

4. Cooling-Off Period (Right of Withdrawal)

1. You may withdraw from a Paid Service within 7 days of payment, provided you have not used any core features during that period. Core features include (but are not limited to) executing an AI analysis, generating a document, initiating buyer matching, or opening a chat with another party. Merely logging in is not considered usage.
2. If both conditions are met (within 7 days, unused), you are entitled to a full refund, less any non-refundable payment-processor fees where applicable (see Section 11.4).
3. If you have used the Service at any point, or if 7 days have elapsed since payment, no monetary refund is issued for the subscription; you retain access to all paid features until the end of your current billing period, and no auto-renewal charge will be made if you cancel before the renewal date (see Section 8).
4. This 7-day cooling-off policy applies uniformly to monthly, 6-month, and 12-month subscription cycles.
5. This policy is designed to comply with the Republic of Korea's Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce (Article 17, cooling-off exceptions for digital content already consumed) and equivalent consumer-protection provisions in other jurisdictions.

5. Subscription Refund Schedule (Uniform Single Policy)

The same refund rule applies to monthly, semi-annual (6-month), and annual (12-month) subscriptions and to Korean and international users alike:

Refund Request Timing	Refund Amount
Within 7 days of payment, no core feature used	Full refund
Within 7 days of payment, any core feature used	No monetary refund — access continues until end of the current billing period
After 7 days from payment (regardless of usage)	No monetary refund — access continues until end of the current billing period

Exceptional cases (e.g. company fault under Section 9, verifiable service errors, sanctions on the user's jurisdiction, etc.) are reviewed by the admin team on a case-by-case basis and a partial or full refund may be granted at the Company's discretion.

5.1 Definition of "Use"

"Use" means having executed any of the following at least once during the paid period: (a) an AI analysis (PESTEL, HS classification, FTA simulation, market analysis, etc.); (b) generation of any export document; (c) buyer matching request; (d) sending a chat message via the platform; (e) requesting an AI translation. Passive actions such as logging in, browsing pricing, or opening a settings page do not constitute use.

6. Per-Use Service Refunds

For individually priced services (e.g., single AI analysis reports, premium reports) charged separately from subscriptions:

1. Before execution: Full refund is available if the service has not yet been processed.
2. After AI analysis is complete: No refund is available once the AI analysis report has been generated and delivered, as the digital content has been fully consumed.
3. Service error: If a system error on our end results in an abnormal or incomplete analysis, we will provide a full refund or a complimentary re-analysis at your option.

7. Free Tier and Plan Changes

1. Free tier: The FREE plan incurs no charges. You may use or discontinue it at any time.
2. Upgrade: When upgrading from a lower to a higher plan, you will be charged the pro-rated difference for the remaining billing period.
3. Downgrade: When downgrading from a higher to a lower plan, the change takes effect at the start of the next billing cycle. No pro-rated refund is provided for the current period.

8. Cancelling Auto-Renewal

1. To prevent automatic renewal, you must cancel at least 3 days before the next renewal date through the account settings or by contacting customer support.
2. After cancellation, you retain access to the Service until the end of the current billing period.
3. If cancellation is requested within 3 days of the renewal date, the automatic charge may have already been processed. In that case, this refund policy applies.

9. Refunds Due to Company Fault

1. If the Company fails to provide the Service due to its own fault (e.g., extended outage, service discontinuation), a full refund will be issued.
2. "Extended outage" means the Service is unavailable for 72 or more consecutive hours.
3. If the Service is discontinued, a pro-rated refund for the remaining subscription period will be provided based on the discontinuation date.

10. Non-Refundable Circumstances

1. Any used subscription: A subscription for which any core feature (AI analysis, document generation, buyer matching, chat, AI translation, etc.) has been used, in accordance with Section 5.
2. Any subscription older than 7 days: Once 7 days have passed since the initial payment, no monetary refund is issued for the remaining period; service continues until the end of the current billing cycle.
3. Completed AI analyses: Single-purchase AI analysis reports (PESTEL, Porter's Five Forces, TAM/SAM/SOM, risk matrix, etc.) that have been generated and delivered.
4. Completed document generation: Single-purchase export documents (Proforma Invoice, Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Certificate of Origin, Sales Contract, etc.) that have been generated.
5. Buyer matching fees: Fees for buyer-manufacturer matches that have been accepted by both parties.
6. Terms of Service violations: If your access has been restricted or terminated due to violation of the Terms of Service.
7. Fraudulent use: If the Service was used fraudulently or promotions/discounts were abused.

11. How to Request a Refund

11.1 Request Channels

• Email: creative@mo-tive.com
• Phone: +82-70-5097-6371 (Mon-Fri, 10:00-18:00 KST)
• In-App: Settings > Subscription Management > Request Refund

11.2 Required Information

• Your registered email address
• Date and amount of payment
• Reason for refund request
• Payment card information (card issuer, last 4 digits)

11.3 Refund Process

1. Request submitted: You submit a refund request through any of the channels above.
2. Review: We verify your payment and usage records (1-2 business days).
3. Processing: Once approved, the refund is initiated.
4. Confirmation: You receive an email confirmation when the refund is complete.

11.4 Processing Timeline

Payment Method	Processing Time	Notes
Credit card (Stripe)	5-10 business days	Varies by card issuer processing time
Debit card	3-10 business days	Varies by bank processing time

All refunds are processed through the original payment method. Depending on your card issuer or bank, additional business days may be required for the refund to appear on your statement.

12. Escrow Transactions, Platform Fee, and Disputes

1. For buyer ↔ manufacturer transactions facilitated through the Service, the Company provides escrow-style payment protection via Stripe.
2. Platform fee: A 2.5% platform fee is charged on all completed escrow transactions. During the launch promotion, each user's first completed escrow transaction is charged at 0%. The applicable fee rate is recorded on the order record at payment time and applied at settlement (deducted from the seller's payout).
3. Escrow refund timing: Fee treatment depends on the escrow stage at cancellation:
   • Before seller acceptance / seller does not accept within 3 business days: full refund to buyer; no platform fee retained.
   • After acceptance, before shipment: refund per the parties' agreement, reviewed by admin; platform fee may or may not apply depending on whether services were rendered.
   • After shipment: subject to receipt confirmation or dispute (see below). Auto-confirmation occurs 14 days after shipment if the buyer does not respond.
4. Dispute review: Escrow disputes are reviewed by the Company's admin team on a case-by-case basis within 2 business days of the dispute being raised, based on evidence submitted by both parties. The admin decision may include full release, full refund, or a partial split. Non-refundable payment-processor fees (Stripe) are excluded from any refund amount.
5. If a resolution cannot be reached through the Company's review process, the dispute may be escalated to the payment processor (Stripe) or to the applicable consumer-protection authority in the user's jurisdiction.

13. Dispute Resolution

1. If a dispute arises regarding a refund, the Company and you shall first attempt to resolve it through mutual consultation.
2. If consultation does not resolve the dispute, you may seek assistance from:
   • Korea: Korea Consumer Agency (KCA) — 1372 / kca.go.kr
   • Korea: Electronic Commerce Dispute Resolution Committee — ecmc.or.kr
   • US/Global: Stripe's dispute resolution process, or your local consumer protection authority
3. For Korean users: Litigation shall be filed at the Seoul Central District Court.
4. For global users: Disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in Wilmington, Delaware, in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules.

14. Effective Date and Amendments

1. This policy is effective as of March 1, 2026.
2. Changes to this policy will be communicated at least 7 days before the effective date via in-app notification or email.
3. Changes that are materially adverse to you will be communicated at least 30 days in advance.
4. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the amended policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.