Cancellation & refunds

Before activation

You may cancel within 14 days of payment for a full refund if the activation code has not been redeemed and the service has not started. For a gift, this depends on whether the recipient has activated it. Contact us with the order reference; refunds return to the original payment method.

After activation and starting the digital service

For new purchases under this policy, the digital service portion is US$59. When activating, you separately request immediate access and acknowledge that, after activation and commencement, this portion is not refundable simply because you change your mind. We record this request separately from privacy consent.

This is our voluntary cancellation policy. Activation does not override applicable cancellation rights or remedies for faulty services, non-delivery or a failure to perform. Where local law requires a refund or a proportionate calculation for services already provided, we follow that law. Existing customers are not retrospectively treated as having accepted this new acknowledgment.

The book portion before printing

Before your book is sent to print, you may cancel its unfulfilled physical portion: US$40 for the US$99 softcover package, or US$70 for the US$129 hardcover package. A US$30 hardcover upgrade is refundable before printing. An unprinted additional copy is refundable at its paid price: US$39 softcover or US$69 hardcover.

Submitting stories, receiving a draft or approving a preview does not itself mean printing has started. The editorial team records when the approved book is actually committed to printing. Any refund considers previous refunds so the same amount is not refunded twice.

After printing starts

Your book is personalised and made to order. Once committed to printing, we do not offer change-of-mind refunds for the printed-book portion or printed additional copies. This does not exclude your rights if the book is faulty, damaged, not delivered or not as agreed. Contact us so we can arrange an appropriate correction, replacement or refund.

How to request a refund

Email hello@helloyears.com with your order reference and the part you wish to cancel. You do not need to email private interview transcripts. We check payment, activation and printing status, explain the applicable amount, and process approved refunds through the original payment provider. Your bank determines when the credit appears.

This policy does not limit any mandatory consumer protection available in your location. A cancellation policy is not a waiver of remedies for an inadequate or undelivered service.