Dispute Resolution

Last updated 2026-05-25 · Version 1.0

1.What this policy covers

This policy applies to disputes about your Citadel Vault order, the product itself, or these terms. It covers Ridgeline Compute LLC and all products and services sold under the Citadel Vault brand.

This policy does not replace your statutory consumer rights. Where your local law gives you stronger protections, those protections apply.

2.Talk to us first (mandatory informal resolution)

Before taking any formal action, email orders@citadelvault.org with the following:

• Your order number.
• What happened. A brief description of the problem.
• What you want resolved. The specific outcome you are seeking.

The 30-day period may be extended by written mutual agreement if both sides are making progress.

3.Chargebacks

If you paid by card and have a dispute, please contact us per Section 2 before initiating a chargeback with your card issuer. Contacting us first is almost always faster: card disputes can take 45 to 90 days to resolve, and we can often fix the problem within days.

Chargebacks filed without prior contact may delay any refund we would otherwise issue and may be contested with the documentation we have on file for your order. This is not a threat; it is a description of how the card-network process works. We will always respond honestly to any inquiry from your card issuer.

4.Mediation (optional, encouraged)

If the informal resolution step does not produce an agreement, either side may propose mediation under the AAA Commercial Mediation Procedures. To propose mediation, send a written notice to legal@citadelvault.org.

The mediator is selected by mutual agreement. If the parties cannot agree on a mediator within 10 business days of the proposal, either side may ask the AAA to appoint one. Each side pays its own costs and an equal share of the mediator's fee unless the mediator allocates costs differently in the final session summary.

Mediation is confidential. Anything said or offered during mediation cannot be used as evidence in a later arbitration or court proceeding.

5.Binding arbitration (the formal path)

If mediation does not resolve the dispute, or if either side declines mediation, the dispute proceeds to binding arbitration under the AAA Commercial Arbitration Rules. A single arbitrator decides the case. Either side may request arbitration by sending written notice to legal@citadelvault.org.

Venue. The seat of arbitration is Cheyenne, Wyoming. The arbitrator may conduct hearings in person, by video conference, or by written submission at their discretion.

The decision is final. The arbitrator's award is binding and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction. Neither side retains a right to appeal on the merits.

The Federal Arbitration Act governs the enforcement of this arbitration agreement.

6.Class-action waiver

Disputes are resolved individually. By using or purchasing a Citadel Vault product, you agree to bring any dispute solely on your own behalf and not as part of any class, collective, consolidated, or representative action against Ridgeline Compute LLC or Citadel Vault.

The arbitrator may not consolidate claims from multiple claimants or preside over any form of class or representative proceeding. If this waiver is found unenforceable under the law of your jurisdiction, only this Section 6 is severed from the policy. Every other section continues in full force.

7.Time limits

Any claim must be brought within one year of the event that gave rise to the dispute, or within the deadline prescribed by your local consumer law, whichever is longer. Claims not brought within the applicable period are permanently barred.

8.Costs

Filing fees for arbitration are split equally up to $500 per side. For consumer claims under $10,000 USD, we cover any AAA filing fees that exceed $500 per side. Each party pays its own attorneys' fees unless the arbitrator awards fees to the prevailing party under applicable law or the AAA rules.

9.Carve-outs (what bypasses arbitration)

The following categories of claims may go directly to court without going through informal resolution or arbitration first:

• Small claims court. Either side may bring a qualifying claim in the small claims court of the claimant's local jurisdiction instead of arbitration, provided the claim is within that court's jurisdictional limits.
• Intellectual property. Claims involving Citadel Vault trademarks, copyrights, patents, or trade secrets may be brought directly in a court of competent jurisdiction.
• Emergency injunctive relief. Either side may seek emergency or preliminary injunctive relief from a court without arbitrating first, to preserve the status quo while arbitration is pending.

10.Governing law

Wyoming law governs these terms and any dispute arising from your Citadel Vault purchase or use, without regard to conflict of law principles. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the arbitration agreement in Section 5 to the fullest extent permitted by law.

11.EU and UK consumer rights

Consumers in the European Union and the United Kingdom retain all statutory rights under applicable consumer protection law, including the right to bring proceedings in the courts of their country of residence. Where any provision of this policy is less favorable than mandatory local consumer law, the local law applies and that provision is displaced to the extent necessary.

12.ODR platform (EU)

EU consumers may submit a complaint through the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. Ridgeline Compute LLC is not required to participate in ODR procedures, but we will review and respond in good faith to any complaint submitted through that platform.

13.Contact

Informal resolution (required first step): orders@citadelvault.org

Mediation and arbitration notices: legal@citadelvault.org