FMC Payment Terms
Version 0.2.1 · 7 October 2026
Effective date: the day live payments are enabled.
These terms apply to bookings paid through FMC. Live card collection has not started yet; the platform is in test mode.
In plain English
The brand pays for a Booking by card through Stripe, and the payment is recorded against the Booking as funded. It is released to the talent, and to any agency, when the brand approves the work, or automatically at the end of the review period if the brand has not raised a dispute, subject to disputes and lawful holds. The amounts payable are shown before you agree. This is a conditional-release payment arrangement, not a separate bank, trust or safeguarded account.
1 Parties, scope and priority
1.1 These Payment Terms are between Fashion Models Collective, of 53 Chelsea Manor Street, London SW3 5RZ (FMC, we or us), and each user accepting them. Contact us at rsvp@fashionmodelscollective.com. They apply to campaign funding and distributions involving brands, talent and agencies, and to promoter payments where the applicable agreement expressly incorporates them.
1.2 A Booking is the agreed campaign or engagement recorded on FMC. The Booking Record identifies the brand and talent, services, deliverables, timetable, currency, gross talent fee and review period, agency commission, FMC fee, applicable tax and cancellation rules. The brand and talent contract with each other for the services, unless the Booking Record expressly identifies a different approved arrangement.
1.3 These terms govern payment administration. The Booking Record governs the agreed services and commercial amounts. It may vary a payment provision only by an express, lawful variation accepted by the affected parties. These terms prevail over conflicting general FMC terms on payment administration. Mandatory legal rights and the payment provider’s applicable requirements remain unaffected.
1.4 Partner retainers, activation invoices and loyalty credits are governed by their separate terms. Credits cannot be used as withdrawable funds under these terms. A brand accepts the displayed version of these Payment Terms before it pays a Booking, and a talent accepts it when accepting a Booking invitation. Privacy information explains processing separately; it is not a general consent to all uses of data.
2 Payment provider and the status of funds
2.1 Card payments are processed through Stripe’s hosted payment interfaces. Recipients complete the applicable Stripe Connect onboarding and accept the provider terms presented. FMC does not store full card numbers. Provider checks and restrictions may affect collection or payouts.
2.2 A Booking is funded by a card payment collected when the brand pays. Collected amounts are recorded against the Booking within the disclosed, approved payment arrangement. A transfer to a connected Stripe account and a payout from that account to a bank are separate steps.
2.3 “Funded”, “awaiting approval” and “on hold” are booking administration statuses. They do not establish a separate bank account or trust. Funds recorded against a Booking may form part of a pooled Stripe balance. FMC does not promise that an internal booking ledger provides insolvency protection or that this arrangement is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
2.4 No statement in these terms authorises an activity that FMC is not lawfully permitted to carry out. Before accepting a live payment, FMC must operate through a legally approved payment arrangement. If a different arrangement applies, its provider, account structure and material protection and insolvency disclosures must be shown before payment; they must not be changed retrospectively by an administrator.
2.5 FMC keeps booking-level records of each Booking. These records do not themselves segregate funds, create a trust or give users priority over creditors. Any additional legal protection of funds must be stated accurately in the disclosed payment arrangement.
3 Funding, fees and payment errors
3.1 Before confirmation, the Booking Record must show the total payable by the brand, currency, talent fee, agency deduction, FMC fee, any separately charged processing fee and applicable VAT or other tax. No new fee or deduction may be introduced for that Booking without the affected party’s express agreement, except a tax adjustment required by law and explained to that party.
3.2 A Booking is marked “payment collected” only after verified receipt has been matched to it. An issued invoice, payment screenshot, pending payment or manual paid flag alone is not proof of receipt. Talent should start work only under the funding arrangement and risks expressly shown for the Booking.
3.3 An underpayment does not fund the full Booking or reduce its price. FMC may request the balance or invite the parties to accept a revised Booking. Overpayments and duplicate payments will be investigated and the excess refunded through the original payment method where practicable. They will not be treated as additional talent fees without express agreement.
3.4 FMC will explain a payment mismatch and record any correction. Administrators may reconcile evidence or correct clerical errors; they may not silently change contractual amounts. Refund instructions remain subject to provider processing times and applicable legal deadlines.
3.5 Payments and distributions use the Booking currency unless another currency is expressly agreed. A user’s bank or payment provider may apply its own conversion rate or fee. FMC will disclose any conversion it offers and any fee it charges before the user agrees.
4 Submission, approval and automatic release
4.1 Talent must submit the agreed deliverables through the Booking workflow. The review period begins when the platform records that all the agreed deliverables have been submitted, and the brand is sent a submission notice. FMC will correct a wrongly triggered deadline and notify both parties.
4.2 The standard review period for new Bookings is 7 calendar days. The Booking Record states the review period that applies to your Booking and displays the exact deadline and timezone. That period is fixed for the Booking when it is accepted. The brand may approve early or, before the deadline, raise a dispute through the Booking identifying the deliverable, the unmet requirement and any supporting evidence.
4.3 Approval authorises release of the approved amount and disclosed allocations once receipt is confirmed. On expiry of the accepted review deadline without a valid dispute or other applicable hold, the brand authorises the same steps automatically. FMC sends a submission notice and a reminder at least 24 hours before that deadline. A missing required notice or reminder pauses automatic action until the required review opportunity has been provided. These instructions do not permit collection of more than the agreed amount.
4.4 A subjective change of preference, a new requirement outside the agreed scope or disappointing sales or engagement does not by itself justify withholding a fixed fee for conforming work. A dispute must not be raised merely to delay payment. A genuine complaint raised by the deadline pauses automatic release of the affected amount while it is reviewed.
4.5 Where parties agree corrections, the Booking shows which deliverables need to be resubmitted. Neither an unsupported dispute nor repeated resubmission creates a right to hold funds indefinitely.
4.6 Automatic release is a payment instruction. It does not extinguish statutory rights or amount to an irrevocable waiver of fraud, concealed defects or rights that cannot lawfully be waived. Later claims are handled under the dispute provisions; a released transfer may not be technically recoverable.
5 Distributions and agency commissions
5.1 When release is due, FMC will instruct the disclosed allocations within 3 business days, subject to available cleared funds, permitted holds and completed recipient verification. A business day is a weekday other than a public holiday in England. Estimated bank arrival times are displayed separately and are not guaranteed unless expressly stated.
5.2 The talent receives the gross talent fee less only the agency commission, talent-side FMC fee and taxes or other deductions expressly identified and lawfully applicable to that talent. The brand’s separately charged fee is not deducted again from the talent. FMC will provide a statement showing the calculation.
5.3 Agency membership of FMC or addition of talent to a roster alone is insufficient authority. The agency warrants that its representation and commission mandate is valid and will provide evidence on reasonable request.
5.4 If the talent disputes agency authority before release, FMC may pause the disputed commission allocation and seek evidence or joint instructions. It will not automatically redirect that amount to either party. A later change or withdrawal of a mandate does not retrospectively rewrite an accrued commission entitlement; disputed rights must be resolved through agreement or an applicable binding determination.
5.5 Recipients must provide accurate payout information and complete verification promptly. A failed payout does not mean the recipient has forfeited an otherwise due fee. FMC will notify the recipient and support correction, subject to legal and provider restrictions. Users must not request payment to an unrelated third party without an approved, lawful arrangement.
6 Holds, reserves and delayed distributions
6.1 FMC may hold only an amount reasonably connected to a genuine performance or allocation dispute, suspected unauthorised payment or fraud, a refund or chargeback, incomplete verification, a court or regulatory requirement, or a payment-provider restriction.
6.2 Unless prohibited by law or necessary to protect an investigation, FMC will give the affected user the reason, amount, required information and next review date. FMC will review its own holds at least every 5 business days and remove them promptly when the reason no longer applies. A provider or legal restriction may last longer; FMC will explain what it can.
6.3 Any FMC-imposed rolling reserve requires separately disclosed terms covering its basis, amount or formula, maximum duration, review and release. These terms do not authorise an unrestricted reserve or the use of another user’s booking allocation to cover an unrelated debt.
6.4 Provider holding limits take priority over an internal release timetable. If a dispute may exceed a permitted holding period, FMC will notify the parties and arrange a lawful solution, such as an agreed refund or an independently approved dispute-holding arrangement. It will not continue an impermissible hold or release disputed money merely to bypass a legal requirement.
7 Cancellations, refunds and chargebacks
7.1 The cancellation rules accepted for the Booking determine any cancellation fee and entitlement to payment for work already performed, subject to applicable law. Where no rule was agreed, FMC will seek a documented agreement between the parties or a binding determination; it will not impose an undisclosed cancellation penalty.
7.2 FMC may instruct a refund where required by law, authorised by the entitled parties, established by an applicable binding determination, or necessary to correct a duplicate or erroneous collection. A provider may independently reverse a payment. The refundable amount and treatment of FMC and processing fees must follow the disclosed rules and applicable law. FMC will not retain a fee merely because the system labels it non-refundable.
7.3 A refund status is not a completed refund. FMC will provide confirmation when the provider accepts the instruction and explain the estimated arrival time. Refunds normally use the original payment method. A different destination requires verification and a lawful provider-supported process.
7.4 A cardholder may initiate a chargeback under card-scheme rules. FMC may pause affected transfers, submit relevant evidence and take provider-supported reversal steps. Users must cooperate reasonably and must not obtain both a platform refund and a chargeback for the same loss. These terms do not restrict legitimate access to card or statutory protections.
7.5 A provider’s deduction from FMC does not automatically establish that talent or an agency owes FMC that sum. Recovery from a recipient must have a lawful contractual basis, such as a duplicate payment, an agreed or finally determined refund obligation, or fraud or breach attributable to that recipient. FMC will identify the basis and amount and avoid double recovery. Commercial risk remaining with FMC cannot be shifted through an administrator flag.
8 Disputes, recovery and account closure
8.1 Raise payment or Booking disputes through the Booking workflow or rsvp@fashionmodelscollective.com and include the Booking ID, amount, issue and supporting material. To stop automatic release, submit the dispute within the review period. A later complaint may still be considered, but may not prevent a transfer already instructed.
8.2 FMC will acknowledge a complaint within 2 business days and aim to provide a reasoned response within 10 business days, explaining any delay. It may help parties exchange evidence and agree a resolution. FMC is not an arbitrator and its operational review does not finally determine disputed legal rights unless the parties separately agree a lawful binding process.
8.3 Where a dispute remains unresolved, the parties may agree mediation or seek a determination from a competent court or other binding process. FMC will handle held amounts according to lawful joint instructions, a binding determination or an applicable legal or provider requirement. It will not treat mere silence during a genuine dispute as consent to a proposed settlement.
8.4 FMC may set off a due, undisputed or finally determined debt owed to FMC by the same legal person against an amount FMC owes that person, only to the extent lawful and permitted by the payment arrangement. It will give a calculation and notice before doing so unless law requires otherwise. It will not set off against funds held on trust, another person’s money or unrelated location accounts without a separate valid basis.
8.5 Suspension or closure of an account does not cancel accrued payment rights, erase debt or prevent a legitimate refund. FMC will provide a route to resolve outstanding Bookings and receive any lawfully payable amount, subject to verification, provider and legal restrictions. Unclaimed funds are not automatically forfeited; they must be dealt with under applicable law and the provider’s rules.
9 Promoter settlements and tax
9.1 For promoters, the venue and promoter agreement identifies the entity that owes the fee, qualifying check-ins, attribution rules, rate, settlement period and dispute window. FMC’s check-in report supports reconciliation; it is not conclusive where there is reliable contrary evidence. These campaign approval rules do not automatically apply to promoter payments.
9.2 Where FMC only administers payment, it does not guarantee a venue’s unpaid debt unless an express guarantee is agreed. Where a venue pre-funds an event settlement, the applicable payment arrangement and release conditions must be accepted before collection. FMC will not claim prefunding if it has only issued an unpaid invoice.
9.3 Each party is responsible for taxes legally payable by it and for accurate tax information and invoices. FMC may request information needed for applicable platform reporting and may make a withholding required by law, with a statement where permitted. An agency’s commission invoice and any self-billing arrangement must reflect the correct supplier and customer; separate transfer does not determine tax treatment.
10 Responsibility, changes and governing law
10.1 FMC must exercise reasonable care in its payment administration and remains responsible for its own breach. It does not guarantee provider or bank processing times or eliminate card reversal risk. No general liability cap limits an obligation to account for, refund or remit money properly due, and nothing excludes fraud or liability that cannot lawfully be limited. Any other liability limits must be expressly agreed in the applicable FMC terms and legally valid for the user concerned.
10.2 FMC will give at least 30 days’ notice of a material change to these terms and seek fresh acceptance where required. Changes normally apply to new Bookings. Existing Bookings retain their accepted commercial and release terms unless all affected parties agree otherwise or a legal requirement makes a change necessary; FMC will explain such a requirement.
10.3 These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. For business users, the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory law. Consumers retain mandatory protections and any right to bring proceedings in another competent court. Contact rsvp@fashionmodelscollective.com for complaints; provider complaints and any statutory escalation rights remain available where applicable.