Customer agreement & policies.

The Final Pencil LLC  ·  Version 1.3  ·  bryan@thefinalpencil.com

This agreement is accepted electronically during checkout. No handwritten signature is required. Your service, price and order details are shown before payment and recorded with your order.

Customer Agreement

1. What you are buying

The Complete Buy — $799
Our signature service
One new-vehicle buying project, including consultation, vehicle search, dealer negotiation, written offer comparison, final purchase-figures review and reasonable support through closing. We offer a live final-figures call when the dealer agrees, otherwise a document/phone review. The initial search window is 30 days, with extensions agreed in writing and no automatic extra charge. If you select a vehicle within the window, support continues through that transaction.
Deal Challenge ($199): review of one existing written new-vehicle offer, its fees and incentive conditions, a limited market comparison and a written recommendation. Target delivery is three business days after complete inputs, confirmed with your order. Ongoing negotiation and closing support require The Complete Buy. We explain delays and agree revised dates; these are targets, not guaranteed purchase dates.

2. Flat fees and upgrade credit

Fees are paid upfront after we accept the engagement and confirm location eligibility. They are flat service fees, not payments for guaranteed savings. A paid, unrefunded $199 Deal Challenge fee credits in full toward The Complete Buy for the same buying project: only $600 more is due, for $799 combined. The credit has no expiration for that project, is nontransferable, and cannot be redeemed for cash or used twice. Eligibility and scope are checked again on upgrade. Cancellation terms are on page 2 and are part of this agreement.

3. Your approval remains necessary

You authorize research and, for The Complete Buy, dealer communications and negotiation of proposed terms. We cannot accept an offer, sign for you, place a deposit, apply for credit or otherwise bind you. You buy directly from the chosen licensed dealer and pay it directly. We do not hold vehicle inventory, take title, handle purchase funds, arrange financing or act as your attorney. Used vehicles, leases, inspections and appraisals are outside these packages. Optional transport introductions involve providers you select, contract with and pay directly; we do not book transport.

4. Your responsibilities and our independence

Provide accurate criteria and complete offers, with unnecessary identifiers redacted. Tell us about changes or an independent purchase. Submit credit applications, SSNs, identity documents and bank/payment credentials directly to the dealer, lender or payment provider—not to us. Your dedicated human advisor handles advice and negotiation. We accept no dealer, lender, transport, warranty or other supplier commissions or kickbacks. The customer is our only payer. We perform the agreed services with reasonable care; dealers and other providers remain responsible for their own contracts.

Electronic acceptance. By selecting the required, unchecked agreement box during checkout, you agree to this Customer Agreement and the Cancellation and Refund Policy. You also acknowledge the accompanying Privacy Policy and Customer Disclosures. Your name, service order, accepted version and acceptance time are recorded electronically with your order.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Full refund before the search starts

You may cancel for a full refund before we begin the search for your engagement. Email bryan@thefinalpencil.com or notify your advisor in writing. No special form or telephone call is required. Cancellation takes effect when we receive it; we will not begin work after receiving a timely cancellation.

No refunds once the search starts

Once we begin the search, your service fee is nonrefundable, subject only to the legal and service-failure exceptions below. There are no staged charges or partial refunds based on how much work has been completed. No refund is due simply because you change your mind, buy independently, do not buy, reject an offer, cannot obtain financing, or we determine that your existing deal is competitive. Savings and a completed purchase are not guaranteed.

What counts as starting the search

For The Complete Buy, the search starts when your advisor first conducts vehicle-availability or pricing research for your agreed criteria, or contacts a dealer about your project. For Deal Challenge, it starts when your advisor first conducts market/pricing research to compare your submitted offer. Payment, scheduling, intake, opening your file or an introductory consultation alone does not start the search. We send you written notice immediately before beginning and record the actual start time. Notice alone does not make the fee nonrefundable if the search has not actually begun. There is no guaranteed cooling-off period after you authorize us to start.

The Complete Buy upgrades

If a Deal Challenge search has already begun, its $199 fee remains nonrefundable and credits toward The Complete Buy. The additional $600 is refundable until we begin new search work specifically for The Complete Buy after you accept the upgrade; it becomes nonrefundable once that work begins. Earlier Challenge work alone does not start The Complete Buy upgrade search. If you upgrade before any search begins, the combined $799 is refundable until The Complete Buy search actually begins. No payment is charged or credited twice.

Exceptions that remain

This policy does not limit any refund or cancellation right required by applicable law. If we cannot lawfully perform your engagement, we refund the affected service fees. If we fail to provide the agreed service, we will correct the failure promptly or refund the affected service fee as appropriate; we will not rely on this policy to retain payment for services we abandon or materially fail to perform. An unfavorable market result alone is not a service failure. Your lawful payment-dispute and consumer-protection rights remain intact.

Refund handling and third-party charges

We acknowledge requests within two business days and initiate an approved refund within five business days, or sooner when legally required. We do not deduct payment-processing fees; your payment provider controls posting time. Dealer deposits, vehicle payments, shipping and other third-party charges are governed by the recipient’s agreement. We cannot promise their refund.

Privacy Policy

Information and purpose

We collect contact details, state/ZIP code, vehicle preferences, budget, timeline, relevant incentive eligibility, redacted offers, communications, agreement/consent records and payment status/references. We use them to respond, check eligibility, perform requested services, communicate, administer payments/refunds, secure our business and meet legal obligations. Our payment provider collects payment credentials directly. Do not send SSNs, credit applications, ID images, bank credentials or full payment-card details to us; give required information directly to the chosen dealer/lender. Use only our designated secure upload process for redacted documents.

Website and service providers

Hosting/security services process IP addresses, browser/device information, requested pages, request times and security events. Necessary cookies may support security, sessions and transactions. At launch we do not use advertising pixels, session replay, cross-site behavioral advertising or nonessential analytics. Providers for hosting, email, secure storage/uploads, scheduling, customer records, electronic signatures and payments receive information needed for their functions. We limit access and use appropriate contractual protections. Providers may also process data under their own notices for payment security or legal compliance. Our business is U.S.-based; providers may process information where they operate.

No sale of data; limited dealer disclosure

We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. Competing dealers receive our business contact details and redacted requirements, not your phone/email or unredacted paperwork. We obtain specific approval before sharing identifying information with your selected dealer or requested transport provider; you may provide it directly instead. Their own privacy policies apply, and they may contact you. We may disclose information to advisers or authorities as legally required or reasonably necessary to protect rights and security. We do not sell customer lists for unrelated marketing.

Retention and security

Lead inquiries: up to 12 months after last meaningful contact. Redacted quote/working files: up to 12 months after closure. Agreements, payment/refund and consent records, and minimum final service records: seven years after closure. Routine security logs: up to 90 days. Legal holds or legal obligations may extend retention. We delete or de-identify records when no longer needed; isolated backup copies age out within 90 days unless preservation is required. We use reasonable safeguards, access restrictions, multifactor authentication for business accounts and secure document transfer. No system is perfectly secure.

Your choices

Email bryan@thefinalpencil.com to request access, correction, a copy or deletion. We verify identity, acknowledge within 10 business days and aim to respond within 30 days; shorter legal deadlines control. We explain lawful exceptions/extensions and allow reconsideration requests at the same address. Authorized agents may act with verification. Applicable state privacy rights and legally required browser signals are honored. We do not penalize privacy requests, but deletion of necessary data may prevent service; the Refund Policy applies. Marketing is optional and separately authorized; unsubscribe or contact us anytime. Necessary service notices may continue.

Calls, AI, children and updates

We do not record/transcribe calls without separate notice and required consent, or upload identifiable customer material to general-purpose generative AI tools or use it to train models. A human handles advice and negotiations. Services are for adults; contact us about information supplied by a child. Material policy changes receive a new effective date and additional notice/consent where required; changes do not authorize retroactive inconsistent use. Contact: bryan@thefinalpencil.com.

Customer Disclosures

Independent service

We do not have cars to sell. We provide paid car-buying assistance, and you purchase directly from your chosen licensed dealership. Your advisor handles advice and negotiation personally. No dealer, lender, transporter, warranty provider or other supplier pays us commissions or kickbacks. We do not take title, hold vehicle-purchase funds or make commitments for you.

Fees, cancellation and results

The Complete Buy costs $799; $199 Deal Challenge credited toward The Complete Buy, leaving $600 due on upgrade. Fees are separate from vehicle price, taxes, registration, dealer charges, financing, optional products and transport. Any tax on our service is shown before payment. Full refund before the search starts; no refunds once it starts, subject to the exceptions in our Refund Policy. No guaranteed savings, lowest price, loan approval, inventory, purchase outcome or delivery date. A recommendation to keep your current deal is a valid result.

The $500 recommendation rule

When comparing an existing written deal with an alternative, we recommend switching only if we can verify at least $500 in net buyer benefit after applicable service fees, transport, tax/registration differences, financing, trade-in and material travel/time costs. A contemplated upgrade to The Complete Buy includes the full combined $799 fee once; a Challenge-only comparison includes $199. We identify the baseline and assumptions and label estimates and conditional incentives. Advertised prices are not firm offers; a lower monthly payment alone is not savings. This threshold is a recommendation rule, not a guarantee.

Availability and third parties

New-vehicle service is offered only where we confirm lawful eligibility for the buyer, dealer and activity. Nationwide search capability does not mean every state or dealer is eligible. Dealers and other providers control their own prices, inventory, financing, warranties and performance. You review and approve their contracts. Optional transport introductions are separately contracted and paid; we receive no referral compensation or control over shipping performance. Nothing here excuses our own failure to perform agreed services.

Privacy and permissions

We use our own contact details with competing dealers and do not sell your data or circulate your contact information. Your chosen dealer needs information to complete the purchase and may contact you. Marketing, recordings, recipient-specific sharing and testimonial use require their own appropriate permissions. Service acceptance is not blanket marketing or data-sharing consent.

Disputes and contract changes

Contact bryan@thefinalpencil.com about concerns; doing so does not limit legal deadlines or remedies. Florida law applies to the extent lawful, preserving mandatory consumer protections. Claims may be brought in a court with lawful jurisdiction; no mandatory arbitration, class-action waiver or restriction on truthful reviews applies. No provision excludes liability for fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or nonwaivable liability. Signed specific amendments and mandatory law prevail; the Refund Policy controls refunds. Changes to an existing engagement require mutual written agreement, not a later website edit.

Checkout acceptance

Customers review the Customer Agreement and Cancellation and Refund Policy before payment and affirmatively accept them using an unchecked checkbox. The service price and refund terms are displayed before payment. The Privacy Policy is available separately, and optional marketing consent is never required to buy a service.