Terms and Conditions (Overview)

Web Design

Please read these terms carefully. Accepting our quote, payment or part payment of our invoice for services listed therein are considered full acceptance of the terms listed below and referred to.

Web development is a complex business, so here are a few paragraphs setting out how we will work with you. We have tried to keep everything nice and simple with no confusing legal jargon.

This page is however, only intended as an overview of our full terms and conditions that also cover the intricacies of the web hosting and domain registration which you may need for your web project. Those can all be found here (if there are any discrepancies, then the full terms take precedence).

Terms

In this document you will be variously referred to as: THE CLIENT, YOU, YOUR

Oxford WebHosting (a company owned by Oxford eBooks Ltd.) will be variously referred to as: OXFORD WEBHOSTING, WE, US, OUR

Oxford WebHosting is a web hosting reseller and will offer you low-cost hosting for your site using our UK-based server centre.

Project, payments

  • A Non-refundable deposit is required on all projects as an engagement fee and to cover general site set-up and costs. This becomes due once you accept the quote for the project. Work on your website will begin once these funds have cleared.
  • Accepting our quote for the project or payment of the initial deposit is confirmation that the client has read, understands and is willing to be bound by our full terms and conditions.
  • Upon completion of an agreed design for the website, the client is asked to confirm in writing or by email that the design is full and complete and understands that further changes to the design may be chargeable.
  • The quote may include an indication of the timescale of the project. This is only an estimate and may be affected by unforeseen complexities, minor design changes and factors outside our control.
  • Payments may be made by Direct Bank transfer (preferred), PayPal or cheque and are due on presentation of the invoice.
  • Quotes are valid for one month from date of issue.
  • Oxford WebHosting will keep all details of the Client's business confidential at all times, excepting material that is to be publicly displayed or distributed by the website or is in the public domain.
  • We may use images taken of your website for advertising purposes.
  • The client agrees to provide in good time, any materials and information needed to complete the design and implementation of the website within the timescale of the project.
  • Should the client fail to pay agreed development fees in good time, Oxford Webhosting reserves the right to disable the website until invoices are paid in full.
  • UK VAT at the appropriate rate is applicable to all qualifying services and products.

Modifications to Project

You might decide at some point in the development of the project that you want to add a new feature that was not specified in the original quote or modify an existing one.

  • If this is technically possible we will generate a separate quote for the extra work.
  • We reserve the right to refuse additions to the project.
  • The client accepts that additional work may affect any pre agreed timescales for the delivery of the project and if this is the case, we will advise you of the new estimated completion date.

In order to remain flexible and provide the best service to our customers, we will be happy to undertake SMALL modifications to the design of the website as it takes shape for the benefit of the project.

  • We reserve the right to refuse any changes or charge for modifications.

Content

  • All bespoke website code remains the property of Oxford WebHosting and no right to copy, reuse, or distribute is conferred upon the client.
  • Oxford WebHosting reserves the right to re-use, adapt, sell any code within the website excluding that which is sensitive to the proprietary rights of the client.
  • All content, text, images and data provided by the client remains the property of the client.
  • Some content or images used within the website may be sourced from stock image organisations and license conditions will apply.
  • The client is responsible for ensuring that all content within and distributed by the website (images, text, product and services information) is accurate and true.
  • The footer of all web pages will include an Oxford Webhosting accreditation and link to our website.
  • We reserve the right to refuse to include content which is defamatory, illegal, or offensive in any way.

Hosting and Domains

  • Unless the client expressly indicates BEFORE work commences, hosting of the website and domain registration will be provided by us.
  • While the project is being developed, we will require exclusive access to the hosting account which we will create for you.
  • It is the client's responsibility to ensure that hosting and domain renewal fees are paid otherwise your website and domain may lapse resulting in loss of service and possibly your domain. Our automated billing systems will invoice you in good time to ensure that no account lapses.
  • The development fees include the first years' hosting and domain registration.
  • Unless you indicate specifically, all domains and services will be set to AUTOMATICALLY RENEW each year. Should you wish to cancel a domain registration, please let us know in writing or by email 30 days before the domain renewal date.
  • Any domains or other services related to the website not registered with us are to be the sole responsibility of the client.
  • After the site has become live, you are solely responsible for the upkeep of the website including ensuring that components such as WordPress and associated plugins are kept up to date. If you would like us to manage this for you including taking monthly backups of the website files and database then ask about our maintenance plans.

Domain registration and authentication

  • When we register a domain on your behalf, it is your responsibility to provide true and accurate details for the domain registration (eg, name, address, business details). Failure to do so may result in delays in domain registration or suspension of the domain by the governing body.
  • It is usual for the domain registration's governing body to carry out security checks before authorising your domain. You may receive an authentication email from us via the governing body (eg: ICANN) with a link to click which verifies your email as the administrative contact. You will need to complete this step should it be required in order to activate your domain.
  • The domain registration governing body may not provide a reason for registration failure (similar to the process of having a credit check). We will inform you in the UNLIKELY event that this happens but cannot refund domain registration fees if this occurs. However, we will be able to check and modify any details entered in error and re-submit the registration without additional fee.
  • We cannot be responsible for any loss or damage caused by domain suspension, even if the domain appears to have initially been accepted. It is wise to allow at least a week after registration for the process to complete and for your new domain to propagate through the internet before any activities that rely on your domain or email address.

Disclaimers and Indemnities

  • You will keep Oxford WebHosting , its employees and associates indemnified against any and all claims made for losses or damages arisen with respect to content contained within the website, generated, distributed by it or recorded by it including but not limited to comments, posts or images made by third parties, messages or files received through or stored by the website.
  • You will keep Oxford WebHosting , its employees and associates indemnified against any and all claims made, losses or damages arisen with respect to failure of the website, loss of service, bugs, typographical errors, misrepresentation or loss of data, messages or content of any kind.
  • We cannot be responsible for failure of the website in any way due to alterations made by yourself or any third party (including hacks) whether intended or not or for any out of date components.
  • Oxford WebHosting shall make every effort to ensure that the website is designed and coded to be correctly rendered and operable with the latest releases of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla's FireFox , Google Chrome, safari on Mac, iPhone and iPad as well as Android devices. The client agrees that there may be certain software, user settings and operating system combinations that cannot be anticipated which may affect rendering of the web page and functionality.
  • The client agrees that Oxford WebHosting cannot be held responsible for any failure or malfunction of the website due to factors outside its control such as third party hardware or software failures including but not limited to telecommunications failure, server failure, bugs, attacks on any system by malicious parties, acts of God, strike, terrorism or war.
  • The client agrees to operate the website in accordance with all laws and regulations pertaining to data protection (including GDPR), criminal, civil and business activity. (Please read our acceptable use document for full details).
  • The client agrees to keep safe all passwords relating to the operation of the website.
  • Oxford WebHosting reserves the right to alter these conditions at any time and will keep them available on its website including a date of last revision.
  • Any and all matters pursuant to this agreement are governed by English Law and are under exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Service and goodwill

  • Oxford WebHosting agrees to make every best effort to develop the website according to the agreed specification using appropriate tools, methods and industry standards.
  • Oxford WebHosting will make every best effort to correct bugs, typographical errors on the website during development and for a period of one month after project completion. We appreciate that sometimes, despite careful testing by both ourselves and the client that some errors might only come to light once the website is in use.
  • In order to ensure goodwill and to uphold our good reputation, we may at our discretion continue to effect corrections for an indefinite period.

General website development (WordPress sites)

  • A 50% non-refundable deposit is payable at the beginning of the project.
  • The remainder of fee is payable when website goes live. The website will not be visible by Google or any other search engine until final payment has cleared and may be disabled should the client not complete payment in good time.

Bespoke Design

This applies to non-wordpress sites or where a significant amount of bespoke functionality (eg, plugins, theme design) is required.

  • We will undertake a free quotation upon request and sufficient details of the purpose and required functionality of the website being provided by you.
  • 25% non-refundable deposit to be paid upon engagement.
  • 50% payable upon completion of website Beta (all pages and functionality present and available for testing. Bugs may still exist at this point and there may be some placeholder content).
  • 25% payable upon website going live.

These terms are intended as an overview of our FULL TERMS AND CONDITIONS and as a supplement to explain how we will work with you.

Updated 17-June-2020