Our 180-Day Money-Back Guarantee: What It Covers, How It Works and How to Claim

Buying a software licence as a 25-character code in an email requires trust, which is why we put a guarantee behind every order that lasts far longer than the industry’s usual 30 days. This page explains the 180-day money-back guarantee in detail: what it covers, what it does not, how to make a claim, how long each step takes, and how it fits with the rest of our refund policy. The aim is that you know before you buy exactly what happens if something goes wrong.

What the guarantee covers

The guarantee applies to every product sold on GetDigiMarket, from Windows 11 Pro and Office 2024 Professional Plus to Windows Server licences and standalone apps such as Visio and Project. It covers:

• A key that cannot be activated. If Microsoft’s activation service refuses the key on the correct edition and version, and telephone activation also fails, the key is replaced. If a replacement also fails, the order is refunded.
• A key that was blocked after activation. In the rare event that Microsoft revokes a key within the 180 days, we replace it.
• The wrong product delivered. If the key does not match the product you ordered, we correct it immediately.
• A delivery problem we cannot resolve. If the key email never arrives and we cannot re-deliver it, you are refunded.

In every case the choice between a replacement and a refund is yours once we have confirmed the key cannot be activated.

What the guarantee does not cover

To keep prices where they are, a few situations fall outside it, and we would rather say so plainly:

• Buying the wrong edition or platform. A Windows 11 Home key on a Pro installation, or an Office Professional Plus key (Windows only) on a Mac, is a mismatch rather than a faulty key. We will help you correct the installation, and in many cases we can exchange the licence, but this is handled under the exchange section of the refund policy rather than the guarantee. Our guide to choosing the right edition helps avoid this.
• A key that has been activated and is working. A working licence has been consumed; it cannot be returned for a refund because you changed your mind, in the same way a redeemed gift card cannot.
• Hardware that does not meet Microsoft’s requirements. A Windows 11 key on a PC without TPM 2.0 will activate but Microsoft may limit updates; that is a hardware limitation, not a key fault.
• Problems after the 180 days. Claims must be opened within 180 days of the order date. The licence itself is lifetime; the guarantee window is for activation problems, which show up at installation.

How to claim in three steps

1. Try the fix first, if you have a minute. Most refused keys are an edition mismatch or an existing licence in the way, both fixable in minutes. Our guides on “This product key didn’t work” and keys reported as used or blocked cover the checks. You are welcome to skip this and contact us directly.
2. Email service@getdigimarket.com from the address used at checkout, with your order number, the product name, the edition shown on your machine (Settings, System, About, or File, Account in Office) and a screenshot of the error. Our article on sending error screenshots shows what to capture.
3. We reply with the fix, a replacement or a refund. If the key can be activated with a correction or telephone activation, we send the steps or a confirmation ID. If it cannot, we send a replacement. If you prefer a refund, or a replacement also fails, we refund the order.

How long it takes

Support replies every day in the order messages arrive, and a message with a screenshot and order number is usually answered within one business day, often within hours. Replacement keys are sent in the same reply. Refunds are issued to the original payment method as soon as the case is approved; card refunds typically appear on your statement within three to seven business days depending on your bank, PayPal refunds within one to two days.

If you have not heard back after one business day, check your spam folder and read our note on why a reply may not have arrived.

Why 180 days

Activation problems appear at installation, which for most customers is within a day of purchase. Some customers, however, buy a licence for a PC they will build later, a server they will deploy next quarter, or a second machine in the family, and they should have the same protection when they finally install. Six months covers those cases comfortably. It also means that a key blocked by Microsoft weeks after activation, which is rare but not unknown in the industry, is still our problem to fix rather than yours.

What happens to the original key after a replacement

When a replacement is issued, the original key is recorded as failed on our side and should not be used; it would be refused in any case. The replacement is a different key for the same product and carries the same lifetime licence and the remainder of the same 180-day window from the original order date.

How the guarantee fits with our other policies

The guarantee sits on top of the standard refund and returns policy, which describes exchanges for wrong-edition purchases and the handling of unused keys. Our payment policy explains declined payments and chargebacks; if a payment issue arises please contact us before opening a chargeback, because a chargeback automatically freezes the order and slows down a refund that we would have issued directly. Our delivery guide explains what you receive after purchase and how to find the email if it has not appeared.

Our commitment in one paragraph

Every key we sell is intended to activate first time on the correct edition. When it does not, we treat it as our problem, we fix it or replace it quickly, and if we cannot, you get your money back within 180 days of purchase, with no restocking fee and no argument. That is the standard we hold ourselves to across more than 10,000 orders, and it is why our Trustpilot rating stands at 4.6 out of 5.

Three real examples of how claims are handled

A refused Office key that was an edition mismatch. A customer bought Office 2021 Professional Plus, installed Office from an old Home & Business installer, and the key was refused with 0xC004F050. The screenshot of File, Account showed the mismatch. We sent the official Professional Plus download link; the customer reinstalled and activated in twenty minutes. No replacement was needed and the guarantee was not invoked, but the fix was the same priority as a claim.

A Windows key refused online, activated by phone. A customer’s Windows 11 Pro key returned 0xC004C008 on a laptop that had been reset twice. Telephone activation was refused by the customer’s phone plan, so they sent us the installation ID through the Confirmation ID service. We returned the confirmation ID within the hour and Windows activated. Again no replacement, but a resolved case.

A genuinely blocked key. A Windows Server 2022 Standard key was refused both online and by telephone with a “blocked” message. The screenshot confirmed it. A replacement key was sent in the first reply, the server activated, and the customer kept the remainder of the 180-day window on the new key.

Questions before you buy

If you are unsure whether a licence suits your machine, ask before ordering. The Help Center answers the common questions about editions, platforms and device counts, and the contact page reaches a person who will tell you plainly which product to buy, or that none of them fits, which happens with some Mac and volume-licensing scenarios. A five-minute question is quicker than an exchange.

Comparing guarantees across resellers

Most key resellers offer 30 days or less, some offer none, and a few restrict claims to the first seven days after delivery. Microsoft’s own Store allows 14 days for digital purchases that have not been redeemed. Our 180 days is deliberately long so that a licence bought for a future build is protected when it is installed, and so that customers do not have to choose between buying early for a sale price and keeping their protection.

Frequently misunderstood points

Two misunderstandings come up often enough to address directly. First, the guarantee is about activation, not about satisfaction with the software: Microsoft Office 2024 and Windows 11 are Microsoft’s products, and if you decide after activating that you preferred the old version, that is a change of mind on a consumed licence rather than a faulty key. Second, the 180 days are counted from the order date, not from installation; a licence bought in January and installed in June is still protected, but one bought in January and installed the following year is outside the window, which is why we suggest activating within a few months of purchase even if the PC is not yet in daily use.

Related guides: Windows 10 Pro key with guarantee: what a guarantee should cover and Is GetDigiMarket legit?

Frequently asked questions