Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions (‘Terms’) govern your use of the services provided by Square Socket Ltd  (UK Company No.: 08562494) (‘we,’ ‘us,’ ‘our’), including but not limited to website design, development, hosting, and maintenance. By engaging our services, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use our services.

Scope

These Terms apply to all clients, users, and parties who access or use our services. Additional terms may apply to specific services, and such terms will be made available at the time of engagement.

Key Definitions

Client: Refers to the individual or entity purchasing services from Square Socket.

Deliverables: Refers to the final products provided by Square Socket as part of the agreed services.

Hosting: Refers to the server space and technical infrastructure provided by Square Socket.

Acceptance of Terms

By signing an agreement, making payment, or using any of our services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about these Terms, please contact us at [email protected].

The Process

Our process means that we take things in incremental steps, starting with activities that are less detailed and moving towards an increasing amount of detail. This is because in the early stages, there are usually more dramatic changes required and by using a lower level of detail (such as a wireframe), changes are less time consuming and therefore less costly. As the project progresses, the level of detail and code applied gets more complex and therefore wholesale amends at these stages require abandoning code which has taken some time to create and then developing new code, which has an impact on time and obviously budget. We like to work on fixed costs with our clients so that you can budget accurately and not feel as though there are additional fees that take you by surprise. That said, we allocate a series of timings to each section of the site following the discovery workshop, and if changes are made after wireframe, design or development stages have been approved, these will be subject to additional charges. This is something we try and avoid at all costs and as such we want to ensure that you appreciate that when specific stages of the project are approved, they should not be changed later in the project unless for reasons critical for project success or because of significant aspects overlooked earlier in the process.

Timeline

When the project is agreed, a timeline will be agreed. It is imperative that the requirements placed on the client side are met on time as if they are not, the entire project will need to be rescheduled and therefore that will have a knock on effect to the delivery date. We hope that our clients understand that we have other work booked in and therefore we need to respect milestones for all projects, therefore any delays will result in the movement of the project to the next available slot without detrimentally affecting other projects in our pipeline. Keeping to the timeline is essential.

Feature Creep / Scope Creep

One of the dangers of web design and development is feature creep, particularly towards the latter stages of the project. In the event that there are features or functionality seen elsewhere that you would like to discuss applying to the site, please do flag these up as early as possible so we can identify if or how they might be applied. Often what seem like fairly simple aspects of functionality can each take quite a bit of time to design, code and then test which all add up and affect the budget.

Feedback

It is common for clients to request feedback from colleagues or from others who offer trusted counsel. We welcome any and all feedback and any insights that can help to improve a project outcome, however anyone who is likely to influence the project needs to be involved from the outset. Often an external source is invited to give opinion shortly before the project is due to go live, who then suggest multiple changes having not been involved in any other steps throughout. This can sometimes involve considerable redesign or development and creates an issue around budget and achievement of deadlines. We only ask that those who you will seek core counsel from are involved at the outset to avoid this situation, as those with influence brought in at later stages that promote changes to the site that lead to changes will be subject to additional budget requirements.

3rd Party Servers

Once the project has been completed the site files and database will need to be transferred to a server from where they will be accessed through the appropriate URL (your web address). If the Square Socket hosting infrastructure is used, there is no additional cost to be incurred (above the hosting fee). If a third-party hosting provider is to be used, the entirety of time required to transfer and make live the site will be re-charged on top of the budget allocated – except for the initial one-hour period which is included for straightforward migrations. The reason for this is that different hosting providers have very different infrastructure and configurations which can create issues between the two parties in getting the site live. In this situation our ideal scenario (if Square Socket hosting is not an option) would be to hand over the site files and database to the hosting provider and request that they deploy the site as part of their service level agreement. Failing this, we can work with them to deliver this outcome but all time will be re-charged as part of the final project invoice.

If the client purchases a 3rd party hosting system the responsibility for ensuring that that hosting package is fit for purpose lies entirely with the client. Tempting as it is to go with a budget hosting package, most budget solutions will not be fit for purpose for a professional website. Square Socket reserves the right to declare a hosting package not fit for purpose if there are reasonable grounds to do so and require the client to either upgrade the package or purchase a new hosting package. In such a situation the client is responsible for the costs of the not fit for purpose hosting platform.

If you have chosen not to host with Square Socket, we provide a 30 days warranty on any bugs or fixes required which will be made at no charge to you. After this 30-day period, any development will be charged at our standard hourly rate of £80.00 per hour.

Payments

Payment Terms

Invoices are due for payment within 14 days from the invoice date unless otherwise agreed in writing. Projects are usually divided into two payments. A down payment, due before the project begins and a final payment upon the completion of the project. For larger projects these payments may be divided into more segments as agreed in writing.

Pricing Expiry Date

Quotes for work provided are good for 30 days. After 30 days Square Socket prices need to be reconfirmed.

Stalled Projects

If content is not provided by the date stipulated in the timeline but the project is completed to specification and by the date agreed in the timeline, Square Socket will invoice for the final amount as the company is not responsible for this delay in deployment.

Once a timeline is agreed, any failure of the client to provide required feedback, content, approval or input on the stipulated deadlines may result in an alteration to the schedule and delay deployment. The final invoice will be triggered at the point stipulated on the timeline providing Square Socket has delivered on its requirements.

Late Payments

If payment is not received by the due date, Square Socket reserves the right to charge interest on the overdue amount. Interest will be applied at a rate of 8% per annum above the Bank of England base rate, calculated daily from the date the payment becomes overdue until the date payment is received in full.

Administrative Fees

In addition to interest, Square Socket may charge an administrative fee of £50 to cover the costs associated with chasing late payments.

Suspension of Services

Square Socket reserves the right to suspend or terminate any ongoing services or projects if payment remains overdue beyond 30 days.

Content Creation

Content creation is not included in the price quoted. If additional copywriting services from Square Socket are not engaged, content is to be provided by the client or 3rd party and without this, delays may occur.

Domain Responsibly

Square Socket only takes responsibility to renew domains that are within its own domain control panel. If a client keeps a domain in their own control panel they are completely responsible for domain renewal and any damages and costs that arise from failing to renew that domain lie entirely with them.

Contact Form Responsibly

Square Socket requires the client to test their contact forms themselves. Since many of the dependencies between a form submission and an inbox are outside of our control, for example the client’s mail server spam filter settings, we cannot guarantee that any mail sent by our server arrives at the clients inbox. Square Socket is not liable for any damages resulting from undelivered mail.

Exclusion from Technical Support

Square Socket’s technical support services do not cover issues caused by third-party actions, software, or integrations.

Billing for Third-Party Issue Resolution

Time spent by Square Socket to investigate, resolve, or mitigate issues caused by third parties will be billed at an hourly rate of £80/hour. Clients will be informed of any such charges before work begins.

Termination of Services

Specify the conditions under which either party can terminate the agreement:

  • By the Client: The client may terminate the agreement with 30 days written notice, provided all payments are up to date.
  • By Square Socket: Square Socket reserves the right to terminate the agreement at its sole discretion, including but not limited to cases of breach of terms, non-payment, misuse of services, or any other actions deemed detrimental to its interests or operations.

Limitation of Liability

Square Socket is not liable for losses resulting from website downtime, third-party integrations, or client actions.

Maximum liability is limited to the fees paid for the specific service in question.

Force Majeure

Square Socket shall not be held liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations under this agreement due to events beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to:

  • Natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, floods, hurricanes).
  • Acts of war, terrorism, or civil unrest.
  • Government actions, regulations, or restrictions.
  • Power outages, internet service disruptions, or cyberattacks.

Refunds and Cancellations

Down Payments

All down payments are non-refundable once work has commenced, as these cover initial project setup, resource allocation, and planning.

Project Cancellations

Clients may cancel a project. Any work completed up to the cancellation date will be invoiced at the agreed rate.

Special Circumstances

Refund requests due to extenuating circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis at Square Socket’s sole discretion.

Acceptable Use Policy

Prohibited Activities

Clients are prohibited from using Square Socket’s services to:

  • Host, transmit, or distribute illegal, defamatory, or harmful content.
  • Engage in fraudulent activities or impersonation.
  • Perform activities that infringe on intellectual property rights or privacy laws.
  • Exploit resources in ways that affect server performance or hosting reliability.

Compliance with Laws

The client is responsible for ensuring their website complies with all applicable laws, including but not limited to GDPR, copyright, and data protection regulations.

Resource Misuse

Any misuse of Square Socket’s hosting environment, including unauthorized software installations or excessive resource usage, is strictly prohibited and may result in service suspension.

Consequences of Breach

Breaches of this Acceptable Use Policy may result in immediate suspension or termination of services. Square Socket reserves the right to seek damages for any losses incurred due to such breaches.

Intellectual Property

Ownership of Deliverables

Upon full payment of all fees due under the agreement, Square Socket will transfer ownership of the final deliverables to the client, including any associated rights to use the deliverables for their intended purposes. However, Square Socket retains ownership of any pre-existing intellectual property, tools, frameworks, or software used to create the deliverables.

License to Use

Square Socket grants the client a non-exclusive, non-transferable, royalty-free license to use the final deliverables for their intended purposes. This license is conditional on full payment being received and is limited to the scope outlined in the agreement.

Third-Party Materials

Any third-party materials (e.g., fonts, images, plugins, or software) included in the deliverables are subject to the terms and conditions of their respective licenses. Square Socket will provide details of these licenses where applicable, and the client agrees to comply with any usage restrictions.

Retention of Rights

Square Socket reserves the right to include the deliverables in its portfolio, promotional materials, or case studies unless otherwise agreed in writing by both parties. The client grants Square Socket a limited, non-exclusive license to use their name and logo for such purposes.

Intellectual Property Infringement

The client warrants that they own or have permission to use any materials provided to Square Socket for incorporation into the deliverables. The client agrees to indemnify and hold Square Socket harmless from any claims, damages, or legal actions resulting from the use of such materials.

Prohibited Uses

The client may not resell, sublicense, or distribute the deliverables without prior written consent from Square Socket. Any unauthorized use of the deliverables will be considered a breach of these terms and may result in legal action.

Moral Rights

Unless otherwise agreed, Square Socket asserts its moral rights to be identified as the creator of the deliverables and to prevent any modifications that may damage its reputation.

Copyright Infringement Claims

In the event of any third-party claim of copyright infringement related to the deliverables, Square Socket will work with the client to resolve the issue. However, Square Socket’s liability is limited to the cost of the services provided under the agreement.

Content Creation

Content creation is not included in the price quoted. If additional copywriting services from Square Socket are not engaged, content is to be provided by the client or 3rd party and without this, delays may occur.

Website compatibilities

Old browsers are not always compatible with newly developed website formats or functionalities. As standard Square Socket provides support for currently supported versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge. If a browser version has ceased being supported by the company that made it we will cease supporting it.

Amendments to Terms

Right to Amend

Square Socket reserves the right to update or amend these terms and conditions to reflect changes in business practices, legal requirements, or other relevant factors.

Notification

Clients will be notified of any changes in writing, via email, or through the client portal at least [insert notice period, e.g., “30 days”] prior to the amendments taking effect.

Acceptance of Amendments

Continued use of Square Socket’s services after the effective date of amended terms constitutes acceptance of those changes. If a client does not agree with the amended terms, they may terminate the agreement within the notice period.

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