COMPLAINTS, DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND GOVERNING LAW POLICY

1. Purpose and legal status

This Complaints, Dispute Resolution and Governing Law Policy (Policy) explains how a concern about the Chance Lab website, applications, accounts, subscriptions, payments, content or related services (Service) may be raised and addressed. It forms part of the legal terms governing the Service and must be read with the Terms of Use, Subscription and Billing Terms, Refund and Cancellation Policy, Privacy Policy and other documents incorporated by the Terms of Use.

Nothing in this Policy excludes, restricts or modifies a guarantee, right, remedy, complaint pathway or court or tribunal jurisdiction that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified. Mandatory law prevails to the extent of any inconsistency.

2. Raising a complaint

A user should send a complaint to chancelabai@gmail.com and include the account email, relevant dates, a concise description of the issue, the outcome requested and available supporting material. Sensitive credentials, full payment-card details and unnecessary personal information must not be sent.

A complaint may concern access, billing, cancellation, privacy, content, an automated output, account action, security or another Service matter. A user may appoint an authorised representative, subject to reasonable identity, authority and privacy verification.

3. Urgent safety, security and payment matters

Suspected unauthorised access, exposed credentials, fraud, an unauthorised payment or another time-sensitive risk should be reported promptly. Users should also contact their bank, payment provider, emergency service or other appropriate body where the matter falls within that body's role.

Chance Lab may take proportionate interim action, including protecting an account, invalidating sessions, limiting a feature, preserving records or contacting a service provider. Interim action is not a final finding and does not require Chance Lab to disclose information that would compromise security, privacy, evidence or a lawful investigation.

4. Acknowledgment and response targets

Chance Lab aims to acknowledge a sufficiently identifiable complaint within 5 business days and to provide a substantive response or progress update within 30 calendar days. These are service targets, not guaranteed deadlines. Complexity, missing information, third-party processes, legal restrictions, safety risk or events outside reasonable control may require more time.

Where reasonably practicable, Chance Lab will explain any material delay and the next step. Failure to meet a target does not remove a user's mandatory right or prevent the user from using an available external pathway.

5. Assessment and information

Chance Lab may verify identity or account control, clarify the issue, request relevant information, review records and outputs, consult a payment or technology provider, and consider the applicable terms and law. Users should cooperate reasonably and preserve relevant evidence.

Chance Lab may separate unrelated issues, combine materially related complaints, or close a duplicate, abusive, knowingly false or unintelligible submission after reasonable assessment. A genuine complaint, adverse review, report to a regulator or lawful claim will not by itself justify retaliation or account restriction.

6. Fair process and independence

Complaints will be considered in good faith and proportionately to their seriousness, complexity and available evidence. Where practicable, a request to review a material earlier decision will be considered by a person not solely responsible for that decision.

Chance Lab may protect confidential information, security methods, legal privilege and another person's privacy. It is not required to provide source code, internal model configuration, fraud rules, privileged advice or material that it cannot lawfully disclose.

7. Outcomes and remedies

Depending on the issue and applicable law, an outcome may include an explanation, correction, restored access, re-performance, cancellation, refund, credit, record update, content withdrawal, security measure or no further action. Chance Lab may require reasonable verification before applying an account-specific remedy.

The remedy available under the Australian Consumer Law depends on the facts and cannot be reduced by this Policy. A voluntary credit, goodwill payment or one-off accommodation does not admit liability or create an ongoing entitlement unless Chance Lab expressly agrees otherwise.

8. Billing disputes, refunds and chargebacks

Billing, cancellation and refund requests are assessed under the Subscription and Billing Terms, Refund and Cancellation Policy and mandatory law. A Stripe, bank or card-scheme process is separate and may have its own evidence requirements and time limits.

A genuine dispute, report of an unauthorised payment or lawful chargeback is not prohibited. A user must not knowingly misstate facts, claim a transaction was unauthorised when it was authorised, retain a benefit while dishonestly seeking reversal, or submit altered evidence. Chance Lab may provide relevant records to its payment provider and respond to a chargeback in accordance with law and applicable payment rules.

9. Internal review

A user who reasonably believes a response contains a material factual or procedural error may request one internal review, identify the disputed finding and provide any new relevant material. The request should be made within a reasonable period after the response.

Chance Lab may confirm, vary or reverse the outcome, correct a record, request more information or close the review. Repetitive requests presenting no material new issue may be declined. Internal review is not mandatory before a user exercises a right that cannot lawfully be made conditional on it.

10. Informal negotiation and mediation

Before commencing court proceedings, the parties should, where reasonable and without prejudicing urgent or mandatory rights, attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute through written negotiation. If both parties agree, they may use an independent mediator and agree how the mediator's fees will be shared.

Negotiation or mediation is voluntary unless separately required by applicable law or a court. It does not prevent urgent injunctive relief, a limitation-period step, a regulator report, a payment dispute, a small-claims or tribunal application, or the exercise of a non-excludable consumer right.

11. External consumer and privacy pathways

If a consumer matter is not resolved, a user may seek information or assistance from the consumer protection agency in the user's Australian state or territory and may report a consumer issue to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The ACCC generally does not determine individual consumer disputes.

A privacy complaint may be taken to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner where that pathway is available, ordinarily after giving Chance Lab a reasonable opportunity to respond. Other regulators, ombudsmen, courts or tribunals may be available depending on the issue and the user's location. Chance Lab does not represent that a particular external body has jurisdiction over every dispute.

12. No mandatory arbitration or class-action waiver

This Policy does not require private arbitration and does not waive a right to participate in representative, group or class proceedings where such a waiver would be unlawful or has not been validly agreed. The parties may agree to arbitration for a particular dispute after it arises, but neither party is obliged to do so under this Policy.

13. Governing law

Subject to section 15, this Policy and the contractual relationship between Chance Lab and the user are governed by the laws in force in Victoria, Australia, without applying conflict-of-laws rules that would displace that choice.

This choice does not deprive a consumer of a mandatory protection available under the Australian Consumer Law or another law that applies despite a contractual choice of law, including a mandatory protection of the place where the consumer resides where applicable.

14. Courts and tribunals

Subject to section 15, the courts and tribunals of Victoria, Australia have non-exclusive jurisdiction. Chance Lab and the user submit to that jurisdiction, but this does not prevent proceedings in another court or tribunal that has mandatory jurisdiction or is available under applicable consumer law.

Nothing in this Policy prevents either party from seeking urgent or protective relief in a competent court, including to protect accounts, confidential information, intellectual property, security, evidence or personal safety.

15. Mandatory rights, limitation periods and costs

Nothing in this Policy excludes, restricts or modifies the Australian Consumer Law or another right, remedy, limitation period, evidentiary rule or jurisdiction that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified. Users should not delay where a legal, payment-provider or court time limit may apply and may obtain independent advice.

Each party bears its own complaint and negotiation costs unless the parties agree otherwise or a court, tribunal or applicable law determines otherwise. Chance Lab does not charge a fee merely to submit an ordinary complaint.

16. Records, communications and operator

Chance Lab may retain complaint communications, evidence, decisions and related records for dispute handling, security, legal compliance, enforcement and the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, consistently with the Privacy Policy and applicable law. Notices may be sent to the contact details associated with the account.