What we will and won't refund
The Beams Customer Agreement and your Home Improvement Contract govern what Beams will and won't refund. The clearest case is the design fee — if you're not happy with the design intent we produced, we'll work with you to correct it or refund the fee. This article doesn't override either contract.
This article is a plain-English read on when Beams might refund a fee. It doesn't supersede the Beams Customer Agreement or the Home Improvement Contract (HIC) — those are the only documents that actually govern what Beams will and won't refund. If anything in this article reads differently from the contracts, the contracts win.
The clearest case — the design fee
The Beams design service produces design intent: drawings, finishes, materials lists, and the broader brief that your builder works to. Beams isn't the principal designer on a project, and we don't take responsibility for the buildable specification (that sits with your builder once the HIC is signed). What we are accountable for is the quality of the design intent we deliver.
If you feel there were errors in the design intent — something inconsistent, missed, or genuinely wrong with what our designer produced — talk to your build advisor or planner. We'd prefer to correct the work; we can also refund the design fee if you'd rather not wait for us to fix it.
What we don't refund
A few situations come up where customers reasonably ask whether Beams will refund something, and the answer is no. The clearest example is the cost of a wrong item bought against design intent. Beams isn't responsible for the specific dimensions of items you buy — the design service produces intent (look, layout, finish direction); confirming the exact measurements before purchase sits with whoever's procuring the item (your builder, your joinery provider, or you, depending on the line item) and with the supplier who's preparing the order. So if a custom worktop or vanity arrives at the wrong size, that's not a Beams refund question.
The same logic applies to:
- Workmanship issues with a builder still on the platform — those sit between you and the builder under the HIC. The article The 12-month workmanship warranty covers the path.
- Product faults — the supplier's warranty applies. The article What to do if a product I receive is faulty covers that.
- Speculative or consequential losses — lost rental income, your own time, downstream costs that flow from a delay aren't direct costs Beams covers under our agreements.
How to raise it
Tell your build advisor or planner. Describe what's happened, what fee or cost you're asking about, and where it sits — design intent, a paid Beams service, materials. We'll review against the Customer Agreement and the HIC and come back with a position.
What this means for you
The clean refund situation is the design fee, where we either fix the design intent or refund the fee. Most other refund-shaped questions resolve through the supplier's warranty (product faults), the builder's contract (workmanship), or your home insurance (external events) rather than through Beams. If you're unsure which route applies, raise it with your build advisor and we'll point you in the right direction.
Related articles
- When Beams covers costs
- How to tell us when something isn't right
- Returns of materials