Terms of service

By accessing this website or engaging with any of the services provided, the user enters into a binding agreement with Maria R., trading as Maria R. These Terms of Service, along with all policies and procedures referenced constitute the complete and exclusive proprietary framework governing the relationship between the user and Maria R. The user's use of this site or our services signifies their unequivocal acceptance of all terms and conditions outlined.

For certain specific engagements, an individual agreement may be executed. Such individual agreements are considered an addition to, and governed by, the overarching proprietary framework outlined in these Terms of Service, forming a seamless part of the complete governance structure. All visitors, users, and those engaging with Maria R.’s services are bound by this agreement without exception.

To ensure clarity and mutual understanding, sessions and consultations could be recorded for transcription purposes. However, as a fundamental principle of our work, the private call discussing the Signature Brand Experience Analysis will never be recorded. All recordings outside of the Signature Brand Experience Analysis scope, are the sole and exclusive property of Maria R. and are protected under this agreement.

Maria R. reserves the right to amend these terms at any time. Maria R. reserves the right to incorporate additional, engagement-specific provisions into this agreement, as deemed proportionate and necessary to reflect the unique scope and requirements of each individual engagement.

Scope

Scope confirmation occurs via Acuity booking for single sessions, or via direct written communication with Maria R. for retainer-based engagements. The scope of services for each engagement is strictly limited to what is expressly confirmed in writing prior to commencement. Scope confirmation may occur only through a fully executed engagement agreement, proposal, engagement brief, authorised written instruction, Acuity booking for single sessions, or other written record formally issued or approved by Maria R. Maria R. has no obligation to provide, and does not provide, any services outside the confirmed scope, whether requested before, during or after the engagement.

Any expectations, assumptions, requests, dependencies or requirements not expressly documented in writing are excluded from the engagement and do not form part of the services, fees or obligations owed by Maria R. No scope expansion, modification or implied obligation arises through verbal discussions, informal communications, course of dealing, urgency, convenience or user reliance, and any work outside scope requires prior written agreement and may be declined or separately priced. The results of this work are directly correlated with the users' active engagement and willingness to implement the insights provided, no guaranteed outcomes.

Payment

All service fees are invoiced and payable in United States Dollars (USD) unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing. Invoices are issued electronically and must be paid using the payment method specified on the invoice or an authorised payment service. Payment obligations are absolute, unconditional and independent of exchange rates, payment systems, intermediaries, delays or the user’s internal processes.

All fees are payable in advance and must be received as cleared funds before any work commences, access is granted or capacity is reserved. Maria R. is under no obligation to commence, continue or prioritise any engagement unless and until payment has cleared in full, irrespective of discussions, availability or prior indication. Financial hardship, cash flow issues, business performance or internal circumstances do not suspend, reduce or excuse payment obligations.

Non-Refundable Fees

All fees are non‑refundable except where required by non-excludable law or expressly approved in writing by Maria R. Fees are charged based on reserved capacity, onboarding commitment, opportunity cost, work allocation, and costs incurred or committed, and are not contingent on utilisation, satisfaction, outcome, or a change in the user’s circumstances. For Acuity bookings, no refunds are provided, however, out of respect for the time and preparation each session requires, Maria R. permits rescheduling with at least 48 hours' notice prior to the confirmed appointment time. Genuine circumstances are understood, and users are encouraged to communicate as early as possible.

Any suspension of services or enforcement action by Maria R. under these Terms does not constitute a breach by Maria R., and the user acknowledges that disengagement, change of mind, delay or non‑participation do not, of themselves, entitle the user to any cancellation, refund, reduction or reinstatement of capacity. If Maria R. initiates cancellation, including where arising from illness, health, or personal incapacity, Maria R. may offer rescheduling, a remote alternative, or a refund or credit of any unearned prepaid fees, less any amounts already earned or incurred, except where a different outcome is required by non-excludable law.

Late Payment

Any unpaid amount is immediately due and payable as a debt. Maria R. may charge interest on overdue amounts at 1.5% per month, calculated daily, or the maximum rate permitted by applicable law, whichever is lower, from the due date until paid in full, without set-off, counterclaim or deduction except to the extent prohibited by law. The user must reimburse Maria R. for all reasonable costs incurred in recovering overdue amounts, including legal fees on a solicitor-client basis where recoverable, administrative costs, and debt recovery costs. These obligations survive termination and completion. Failure to pay when due results in immediate automatic suspension of services without notice. Suspension does not constitute waiver and does not affect Maria R.’s entitlement to all fees, interest, recovery costs or any other rights or remedies.

Chargebacks

The user must not initiate or attempt to initiate any chargeback, reversal, payment dispute or card‑network claim in relation to fees properly invoiced and lawfully payable under these Terms, except in good faith in respect of fraud, unauthorised payment, or another ground that cannot lawfully be excluded. Any chargeback or payment dispute brought in breach of this clause constitutes a material breach. The user is liable for all reasonable losses directly incurred by Maria R. as a result, including processor fees, chargeback penalties, administrative costs, interest, and professional fees, recoverable as a debt in addition to all other amounts owed, to the maximum extent permitted by law.

No Set-Off or Counterclaim

All fees are immediately due and payable in full, without set‑off, deduction, withholding, abatement, counterclaim or dispute of any kind, and payment obligations are absolute, unconditional and independent of performance, outcomes, satisfaction or the existence of any claim, allegation or alleged breach, except where a credit note is expressly issued in writing by Maria R.

No Security Warranty

Services, systems and deliverables are provided on an as-is and as-available basis, to the maximum extent permitted by law. Maria R. does not warrant uninterrupted availability, error‑free operation, or absolute security, and bears no responsibility for failures, interruptions, losses or compromises arising from third‑party infrastructure, networks or external systems, except to the extent caused by Maria R.’s failure to exercise reasonable professional care. The user accepts that these risks are inherent to digital and service‑based environments.

Third-Party Systems

Maria R. relies on third‑party systems for certain functions, including scheduling, payments, document exchange, execution of agreements, and internal operations. Maria R. has no control over, and accepts no responsibility or liability for, any outage, disruption, delay, error, data incident, or service failure attributable to such third‑party businesses. I use Microsoft 365 Business, Squarespace, Squarespace Payments, Stripe Payments, Acuity, and Secured Signing to operate this website and manage bookings, payments, communications, as well as standard, and retainer adjacent agreements.

Absolute Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Maria R.’s total aggregate liability to the user, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), equity, statute or otherwise, arising out of or in connection with any engagement is limited to the lesser of: (a) the fees actually paid by the user to Maria R. for the specific engagement giving rise to the claim during the three months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or, if the engagement was shorter, the fees paid during the term of that engagement; or (b) $1,000 (USD). Where no fees have been paid, Maria R. has no liability. This limitation applies regardless of termination, suspension, or non-performance, but does not limit liability to the extent prohibited by non-excludable law.

Excluded Categories of Loss

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Maria R. excludes all liability for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, exemplary, or consequential loss or damage, including loss of profit, revenue, opportunity, data, reputation, goodwill or business interruption, whether foreseeable, contemplated or advised of, and regardless of legal basis.

Survival of Liability Limitations

All exclusions, limitations, disclaimers and allocations of risk set out in this section apply cumulatively, are fundamental to the engagement, and survive suspension, termination or completion of an engagement, continuing indefinitely to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Safety Supremacy

Personal safety supersedes all commercial and contractual considerations. Where Maria R. reasonably determines that an engagement, interaction, instruction, location, or pattern of behaviour compromises or threatens safety, wellbeing, or professional integrity, Maria R. may immediately pause, withdraw from, or decline to continue services. No obligation exists to prioritise continuation of services over safety.

Immediate Withdrawal

Maria R. may immediately withdraw from an engagement, in whole or in part, without prior notice, where safety, boundaries, or professional integrity are at risk. Immediate withdrawal under this clause does not constitute breach and does not require justification beyond reasonable judgement. Fees and costs remain governed by the payment, non-refund, termination, and survival provisions of these Terms.

Immediate Termination

Maria R. may terminate an engagement immediately for cause, in Maria R.’s reasonable judgement, where the user breaches these Terms, engages in inappropriate, unsafe or unlawful conduct, undermines professional boundaries, attempts to coerce, pressure, manipulate or intimidate, misrepresents the nature, scope or purpose of the engagement, or initiates prohibited payment disputes, chargebacks or other bad‑faith actions.

No Obligation to Justify Termination

Maria R. is under no obligation to provide reasons, explanations, evidence or supporting materials for any withdrawal or termination. Any determination made by Maria R. regarding safety, appropriateness, professional integrity, alignment or capacity is final, made in good faith, and not subject to review, challenge or justification.

NDA

All non‑public information disclosed by Maria R. is confidential and may not be disclosed or used other than for the authorised engagement without prior written consent. Confidentiality applies regardless of form or medium and survives suspension, termination or completion of the engagement indefinitely. This obligation does not limit Maria R.’s rights, protections, or remedies under its own terms or any other agreement.

Mutual NDA

Maria R. operates on an NDA grade confidentiality basis as a standard operating principle, regardless of whether a separate non‑disclosure agreement is executed. Where the user does not have an existing non‑disclosure agreement, Maria R. may provide its own standard mutual non‑disclosure agreement. Maria R. may also enter into a separate mutual non‑disclosure agreement where commercially reasonable and consistent with these Terms.

For the avoidance of doubt, any non‑disclosure agreement entered does not limit, condition, delay or override Maria R.’s rights to enforce fees, exercise safety‑based or discretionary withdrawal, protect its intellectual property, or comply with legal, regulatory or professional obligations, all of which apply notwithstanding the existence or terms of such agreement.

Intellectual Property

All intellectual property created, disclosed, developed, or used by Maria R. remains the exclusive property of Maria R., unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing. This includes, without limitation, all written content, methodologies, workflows, systems, frameworks, structures, sequencing, language, concepts, presentation of ideas, and know-how, whether created independently or in connection with an engagement. Nothing in these Terms grants any licence or right to use, reference, associate with, or exploit Maria R.’s brand or intellectual property without prior written consent. Any unauthorised use, imitation, misrepresentation, or implied association is strictly prohibited and constitutes an infringement of Maria R.’s intellectual property rights, irrespective of registration status. All rights are reserved, and any breach may be enforced immediately, without notice, and without prejudice to other rights.

Intellectual Architecture

Intellectual property protection extends not only to literal copying but also to derivative use, recreation, abstraction, adaptation, or re‑implementation that is substantially informed by Maria R.’s materials or work. The user must not use Maria R.’s materials to create internal playbooks, training, public resources, commercial offerings, or competing services without express written authorisation. This obligation applies regardless of whether use is commercial or internal. Any such use constitutes a material breach and misappropriation of intellectual property.

Prohibited Ingestion

The user must not upload, input, incorporate or permit the use of any Maria R.’s materials or confidential information in connection with automated systems, artificial intelligence tools, or training datasets without Maria R.’s prior written consent. Any unauthorised use or ingestion constitutes a material breach of these Terms, regardless of whether such use is detected immediately or at all.

Dealings

The user must not assign, novate, transfer, subcontract, or otherwise deal with its rights or obligations under these Terms, in whole or in part, without Maria R.’s prior express written consent.

Joint and Several Liability

Where the user comprises more than one individual or entity, liability under these Terms is joint and several. Each party is liable for the full amount of all obligations owed to Maria R. and Maria R. may pursue any one or more of them for the full amount at its election.

Severance and Non-Waiver

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision is severed to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect. A failure or delay by Maria R. in exercising any right or remedy does not operate as a waiver. Any waiver must be given in writing, applies only to the specific instance expressly identified, and does not constitute a continuing, future, or implied waiver of any right.

Framework

These Terms are an integrated and proportionate governance framework governing Maria R. Each clause is intended to be read in context and in conjunction with the others, rather than in isolation. Nothing in these Terms is intended to create guarantees of outcome, impose obligations beyond those expressly stated, or limit Maria R.’s ability to exercise reasonable professional judgement and protective autonomy consistent with the nature of the engagement.

Governing Law, Jurisdictions

These Terms are governed exclusively by New Zealand law. The user submits to the non‑exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand for proceedings relating to these Terms. Maria R. may enforce its rights in any jurisdiction where the user or its assets are located, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Supremacy Across Jurisdictions

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between Maria R. and the user in relation to their subject matter, together with any engagement‑specific document expressly issued or accepted by Maria R. and incorporating these Terms by reference. No foreign terms, business policies, purchase conditions, implied rights, consumer standards or local customs apply unless expressly incorporated in writing. Where mandatory local law applies, it operates only to the minimum extent required by law and does not displace, invalidate or materially alter the remainder of these Terms, which continue in full force and effect. Any attempt by the user to apply or import alternative terms, standards, or protections is expressly rejected and of no effect unless expressly accepted in writing by Maria R.

Engagement & Content

The user agrees that any discussion or sharing of their engagement, its process, or its outcomes must be based on their direct, genuine experience. All other intellectual property, including methodologies, frameworks, and the Signature process itself, remains the exclusive property of Maria R. and may not be referenced, replicated, or disclosed without prior written consent.