Return Policy

Why This Policy Exists

Every family who books with Swartz Portraits begins with a free in-home consultation. That consultation is the reason this Return Policy is what it is. Before any senior session is booked, your family sees the heirloom products, holds the albums and prints, hears the pricing structure clearly, and learns about our limited availability; only one senior is photographed per day.

By the time you book, you have made an informed decision. There are no surprises. There is no pressure. The free consultation is designed specifically to ensure that every family understands the experience, the investment, and the policy acknowledgement requirements before any commitment is made.

Once a booking is in place, Swartz Portraits begins planning, scheduling, coordinating assistants, and reserving the day exclusively for your senior. That work has real cost, even if the session never happens.

Session Fees

$300 Session Fee, Non-Refundable

The $300 session fee secures your senior's date and reserves the day exclusively. Swartz Portraits photographs only one senior per day, which means accepting your booking commits an entire day of availability that no other family can take.

Once a session is booked and the fee paid, our session fee policy is that the fee is non-refundable. This refund policy applies in situations where:

• The client decides not to proceed with the session.
• The client elects to use a different photographer.
• The client cannot reach an agreement on rescheduling.
• The client decides senior portraits are no longer needed.

Swartz Portraits invests time and money in planning, location scouting, scheduling, and hiring assistants for every booked session. These costs are incurred regardless of whether the session ultimately takes place. The session fee compensates for that committed work and reserved availability. This session fee policy applies to every senior session, with no exceptions outside of the documented emergency provisions below.

Rescheduling Policy

One Free Reschedule

Each client receives one free reschedule under our rescheduling policy, with at least 24 hours' notice before the scheduled session. A second reschedule requires a new $300 session fee.

Emergencies and Acts of God

The following situations are accepted as legitimate reasons for our cancellation policy and rescheduling policy and do not count against the one-free-reschedule allowance:

• Documented medical emergency or family emergency.
• Car accident on the way to the session.
• Acts of God, including hurricane, flooding, evacuation order, or similar.

Documentation may be requested in good faith for any reschedule claimed under this section.

Weather Cancellations Initiated by Swartz Portraits

If weather creates a dangerous or inhospitable environment for the portrait session, Swartz Portraits will initiate the cancellation. A weather cancellation initiated by Swartz Portraits does not count against the client's one-free-reschedule allowance.

Texas weather is unpredictable. Decisions are made in the interest of safety, image quality, and the senior's experience. Our rescheduling policy is designed to be fair when conditions are outside anyone's control.

Choosing Another Photographer

If a client decides not to wait for the next available reschedule date and instead chooses to work with another photographer, the session fee is not refundable. Swartz Portraits has already reserved availability, planned the session, and incurred preparation costs. These costs do not disappear because the client makes a different choice.

This is the most common reason families later regret skipping the free consultation. The consultation is designed to ensure every family is fully aligned with the Swartz Portraits experience and our cancellation policy before any booking is made.

Session Fees Cannot Be Transferred

Our session fee policy is that session fees cannot be transferred from one senior to another senior. Every Swartz Portraits session is uniquely designed around the senior who attended the in-person consultation. Personality, ideas, style, locations, and outfits are all planned for that specific senior. Transferring a session fee would require a new free consultation with the new senior; at that point, a new booking and new session fee are required.

Free Consultation

Senior Must Be Present

The free in-home consultation is the foundation of the Swartz Portraits experience. Because every session is personalized and focused on the senior, not the parent, the senior must be present at the consultation. This is non-negotiable.

If the senior is not present at the scheduled consultation time, Swartz Portraits will cancel the consultation and reschedule for a time when the senior can attend. The consultation is where the senior shares their personality, ideas, style, and vision; none of which can be communicated by a parent on their behalf.

Free consultations are scheduled Monday through Friday, 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and there is no charge for the consultation itself.

Digital Files

Final Sale on Delivery

Once a digital file delivery link is sent to the client, the digital file is considered opened and downloaded. Under our refund policy, no refund is possible on digital file delivery once the link has been sent.

If a client claims the digital file delivery link did not arrive, for example the email landed in a spam folder or was sent to an outdated address, Swartz Portraits will resend the link at no charge. A resent link does not entitle the client to a refund or credit. The original digital file delivery is considered final.

Digital file delivery links are sent only after the corresponding invoice is paid in full.

Heirloom Product Orders

No Product Ordered Until Invoice Paid

No heirloom product (wall portrait, album, print collection, framed piece, or any GraphiStudio-produced item) is ordered until the corresponding invoice is paid in full by the client. This protects the client from any obligation before they have made a final financial decision regarding heirloom product orders.

Once the invoice is paid, the order is submitted to GraphiStudio in Italy for production. At this point, Swartz Portraits has paid the production company and has committed to delivering the ordered product.

No Refunds After Payment

Once payment is made on a product invoice, our refund policy states that no refund is possible. There is no grace period between payment and order submission. The financial decision to purchase is a calculated one made by the client, and payment is the moment that decision becomes binding for both parties.

This refund policy on heirloom product orders exists because:

• The order is submitted to GraphiStudio for production.
• Swartz Portraits pays GraphiStudio for production at order submission.
• Heirloom products are custom-made for the senior; they cannot be resold or repurposed.

Quality Inspection

Every Product Inspected Before Client Delivery

Every heirloom product manufactured by GraphiStudio is shipped first to Swartz Portraits, never directly to the client. This quality inspection step is intentional. Ty personally inspects every album, wall portrait, print, and frame before it is presented to your family.

If our quality inspection finds a product arrives damaged, misprinted, or otherwise not at the expected quality:

• The damage is reported to GraphiStudio immediately.
• GraphiStudio replaces the affected piece as quickly as production allows.
• Swartz Portraits contacts the client to explain the situation and the new estimated delivery timeline.

No product ever reaches a client damaged. The replacement process is handled entirely between Swartz Portraits and GraphiStudio at no additional cost or inconvenience to the client. The only impact to the family is a delay in delivery while the replacement is produced under our quality inspection standard.

Acknowledgement Required

Policy Acknowledgement at Booking and Invoice

By proceeding with a booking and a paid invoice, the client confirms policy acknowledgement that they have:

• Read this Return Policy in full.
• Understood the non-refundable nature of session fees and product purchases.
• Understood the rescheduling rules and the one-free-reschedule allowance.
• Understood the quality inspection and replacement process for heirloom product orders.
• Had the opportunity to ask questions during the free in-home consultation.

Swartz Portraits requires explicit policy acknowledgement at two points: at the time the senior session is booked, and at the time any product invoice is paid. A checkbox confirming review and acceptance of this Return Policy must be ticked at both points before the booking or invoice can be processed.

Chargebacks and Texas Jurisdiction

Send written disputes to tswartz@swartzportraits.com with the subject line "Return Policy Dispute." We respond to every dispute personally and in good faith.

Why Chargebacks Are a Serious Matter

Client funds for heirloom product orders go directly to GraphiStudio in Italy to pay for the production of custom-made pieces. By the time a client could file a chargeback after product delivery, Swartz Portraits has already paid GraphiStudio in full and the products have been custom-manufactured for the senior.

Under our chargeback policy, a chargeback filed after delivery, or after digital file delivery has been completed, is not a refund; it is the recovery of money that has already been spent on the client's behalf to fulfill their order. Because the cost of goods sold on Swartz Portraits collections typically exceeds $1,000, chargebacks rise to the level of a legal matter.

Texas Jurisdiction

Any chargeback dispute or claim arising from the services or products provided by Swartz Portraits is governed by the laws of the State of Texas and falls under Texas jurisdiction. Disputes will be filed in the appropriate Texas court.

By proceeding with a booking or invoice payment, the client agrees that the proper venue for any legal dispute is Texas jurisdiction, that they have read and understood our chargeback policy, and that they have agreed to the terms of this Return Policy in advance of any such dispute arising.

Questions About This Policy

If anything in this Return Policy is unclear, contact Swartz Portraits before booking. The free consultation is the right time to ask any question. We would rather answer ten questions before a booking than handle one misunderstanding after.