Our goal is to ensure a smooth and efficient development process for your project(s). The following Terms and Conditions serve as basic guidelines for all projects such as, but not limited to, web design, web development, hosting, website maintenance, branding, app design, graphic design, digital marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO), between the Client (you) and Fourlines Design Studio (us).
It is not necessary for any of you to have signed an acceptance of these terms and conditions for them to apply. By digitally signing or clicking the approve button to accept our online proposal or quote, you accept our Terms & Conditions and have deemed them satisfactory.
Each service provided by us bears specific terms and conditions, or a combination of.
If a project is paused due to your failure to respond in a timely manner, provide critical information, or submit necessary collateral within the agreed-upon timeframe, we will take decisive action. This includes situations where you do not respond to queries, reviews, comments, requests for information, or provide collateral such as images, videos, logos, or text within a maximum of three (3) weeks. As outlined in the Timing, Timeframe, & Milestones section, we will issue three (3) reminders to you.
In the event that you fail to respond after receiving these reminders, we will halt the project immediately. This condition also applies if you take longer than the allocated time for gathering resources and information, and we have no other alternative but to pause the project due to other commitments.
Upon halting a project, we will require a Project Restart Fee, which may amount to up to 10% of the project's total cost. We retain the sole authority to decide whether to waive this fee on a case-by-case basis.
If you decline or are unable to pay the Project Restart Fee, we reserve the right to terminate the project without further discussion and issue a final invoice for the work completed thus far. This is applicable if the work completed has not been covered by payments made for either the milestone or the 50% down payment.
Any additional changes to the project scope, or any additional modifications or additions to the scope of services that go beyond the final Project Proposal and were not agreed upon after project initiation will only be considered if both parties approve and accept them, subject to an additional predetermined fee.
However, in cases where we have been (sub)contracted by you to perform specific duties for your clients, even if these services were not originally outlined in the initial agreement or fall outside the agreed scope, we reserve the right to proceed without seeking pre-approval for additional costs. These additional costs will be transparently included in our final invoice.
Requests for modifications or the addition of new features, pages, components, or other visual and non-visual elements that deviate from the originally agreed-upon Project Proposal must undergo formal change approval. Clients requesting changes are required to provide the following written information:
Upon receiving a change request, we will promptly evaluate its feasibility and the necessary resources, responding within 2-3 business days with a proposed estimate and any recommended timeline adjustments.
The cost estimates for additional scope are determined based on project complexity, the features affected, and the hourly rates applicable to the personnel involved. We reserve the right to decline requests that do not align with the project's goals or are deemed unfeasible. In cases of excessive scope expansion, a revised contract may be necessary.
It's crucial to note that work will not commence on unapproved out-of-scope requests. Undertaking such work in the absence of authorised change orders is done at the client's sole risk.
Furthermore, any changes to previously approved elements should be recognised as re-work and may incur reasonable fees to account for additional resources, project impacts, and lost productivity.
In the context of professional services procured for the client's customers, we retain the right to seek post-implementation approvals for emergency out-of-scope requests crucial to the project's success. These requests will be meticulously documented and justified before invoicing.
Throughout the project, we commit to keeping you informed of any potential scope impacts as they arise. Our shared objective is to implement changes smoothly while maintaining the project's integrity, quality, and strategic alignment.
We maintain relationships and partnerships with select third-party service providers that may be utilised to complement our in-house capabilities for certain client projects. These partners are limited to vendors and contractors that meet our standards for quality and reliability.
Typical third-party services include specialised development work, photography, illustration, animation, marketing automation, licensed fonts and stock assets, printing, hosting, plugins and other production services. We evaluate each project to determine if third-party involvement is required based on scope, timing, cost and capabilities.
The decision to involve strategic partners is made solely by us to ensure seamless delivery while adhering to project budgets. You will be notified in advance when third-parties are required. We oversee and manage all partner relationships, delivering the completed work product as part of an integrated, quality-controlled process.
Third parties are held to the same standards as our internal team and are required to comply with established development practices, security protocols, brand guidelines, and confidentiality agreements. We perform quality assurance testing on all outsourced work prior to final client delivery and acceptance.
If issues arise with any third-party partner that may compromise delivery or standards, we reserve the right to replace that vendor or contractor with an equivalent alternative on the project, with reasonable notice to you regarding those changes.
To protect partnerships that are strategic to delivering quality client work, you may not contract directly with any third-party providers introduced through Fourlines Design Studio for a period of twelve (12) months post-project.
We agree to use our best efforts to fulfil your expectations of the Project Proposal’s deliverables.
You agree, before we start, to aid in making available to us all needed information about your project or task and co-operating with us in expediting the work. See Responsibilities of The Client (you) & The Supplier (us) for more information.
The preferred method of communication for the project is through our online project management portal, Client Portal, Slack channel, or via email at fds.pm@fourlinesdesign.studio, in English or French. In some cases a dedicated project email address will be communicated to you. We advise you to avoid using voicemail, SMS, or WhatsApp for project-related requests, as these will not be considered valid forms of communication. We will make reasonable efforts to respond to your communications within twenty four (24) to forty eight (48) hours on business days during the following regular business hours:
We do not work on weekends or public (bank) holidays, and we do not expect you to do the same either. We also do not expect you to reply or review our work within the hour of our delivery, and we believe that you do not expect us to respond or deliver work within the hour of your request. Any comments or reviews for changes sent by WhatsApp or other means of communication tools other than the Client Portal, Nifty, Slack or email will not be considered. For support responses, see Support Response SLA.
All project progress and milestones will be updated at the completion of each task on our project management system. On occasions we might send requests by email, Slack or the Client’s Portal. It is your responsibility to check regularly on our preferred communication channels for updates.
To ensure timely completion of milestones or projects, we require that you provide all necessary content assets (text, images, videos, logos, brand guides, etc.) one to three (1-3) weeks prior to project commencement, depending on scope. Special extensions may be provided for items like photography/filming.
It is your responsibility to provide content in proper formats, such as:
All files should be formatted appropriately, organised in folders, and named according to project sections.
If additional content or corrections are needed during the project, we will provide adequate time for you to supply materials. However, it is your duty to provide prompt updates to prevent delays.
Missed content deadlines from client delays may result in reasonable surcharges to account for extended timelines. We cannot proceed until all required items are provided. See Pause Projects and Project Restart Fees.
Commencing a project with our digital creative agency involves several important steps. First, we allocate all projects to the next available time slots and ensure that they are delivered within the timeframe specified in our Project Proposal.
To secure your project, reserving your place in the project queue for the next available time slot, you are required to pay either the deposit or the first milestone payment within the invoice date, not after. It is essential to note that the payment of the deposit does not imply the immediate commencement of the project, and we will not begin working on the project until said payment has been cleared in our bank.
We value timely project delivery as much as you do. To help us stay on track, please be aware that any delay in payments could lead to a shift in the project delivery schedule. For further details regarding project timelines, milestones, and payment procedures, clients are encouraged to consult the Timing, Timeframe, & Milestones section, as well as the Payment section of our Terms & Conditions.
We offer domain services in coordination with third-party providers. Changes to a third-party provider’s rules and policies may ultimately affect the services we provide or these terms and conditions.
We may purchase domain names on your behalf. Payment and renewal of those domain names is the responsibility of the client.
We do not offer any guarantee that the requested domain name(s) are available or are able to be registered under the requested suffix.
We are not liable for any domain name requirements, including – but not limited to – registration, renewal and/or transfer, if the domain name is not purchased by us.
We will send you renewal notices thirty (30) days in advance of domain expiration. You must pay the registration or renewal fees for all domain names purchased on your behalf, in advance and according to the invoice terms to ensure continuous domain registration or renewal.
Failure by you to pay renewal fees by the invoice due date will release us from liability for the domain name’s expiration. We are not responsible for any fees incurred by you for the reactivation of an expired domain caused by non-payment of renewal fees.
The expiration of a domain can result in service disruption and loss of the domain.
We pool domain names under a common account under Fourlines Design Studio and, therefore, cannot provide access to the domain control panel.
We do not provide email services or support email issues. Where possible we will assist with advice, however this is not included in our maintenance plan.
In the case where email services are provided through our third-party hosting provider, you are responsible and should ensure that:
You should also be aware that inappropriate email content that risks spamming or infecting the server may result in immediate action, including data deletion, without notice, by the service provider.
Additional hosting capacity and bandwidth can be purchased at preset rates applicable for one year or until the next renewal date.
We reserve the right to change hosting package pricing without notice. Existing services will not be affected unless specifically notified or until the next renewal period.
Transferring a website to another server may incur setup fees based on complexity and location.
If the client opts out of the proposed annual technical maintenance, the client is responsible for keeping daily backups of any existing website, databases and files when transitioning to our hosting services.
Only websites hosted through our hosting services will be offered backups and recovery for free.
Advanced archival services can be provided at standard rates if required.
You must submit in writing to us your request to terminate hosting services, providing advance notice before the next billing cycle in order for us to process the termination request in a timely manner.
Any fees already paid for hosting services are non-refundable. Termination does not absolve you of financial obligations.
At the time of termination, any outstanding or pending invoices for hosting must still be paid in full per the agreement terms.
We will issue a final invoice for any time used since the last billing cycle. Payment of this final invoice is required.
Hosting services will be discontinued only after the final invoice is paid and the written termination request has been received. We are not liable for any disruption of services during this termination process.
You should keep local backups of any websites, emails, databases, or other files needed prior to the termination date. We are not responsible for restoring or providing data after termination. See Hosting Backups.
When termination is complete, your data will be deleted from our servers and cannot be recovered. You will no longer have access to the hosting account and services.
If you have registered a domain name through us, the registrar account and/or domain ownership may need to be transferred. Additional fees may apply.
The client is solely responsible for all content stored and served by the hosting service, including any malicious scripts that may harm the server or other accounts.
We reserve the right to delete files without notice in case of a malware attack.
We will endeavour to provide reliable hosting services at all times. While we endeavour to maintain maximum uptime for all hosted services, we will promptly address any service interruptions within our control and work diligently to minimise downtime.
Hosting services provided by us, are on an annual contract basis and must be paid in advance for the whole year.
You must renew your annual hosting contract with us and pay all renewal fees before the expiration date to ensure uninterrupted services.
We will email you with a renewal notice thirty (30) days in advance, followed by an invoice, five (5) days after the initial notice. All renewals must be paid at least seven (7) working days before expiration. We will not be responsible for issues relating to delayed payment such as suspension of the hosting services. See Renewals & Expiration.
Domain names are registered through our reseller accounts for management purposes but can be transferred to client ownership at any time upon request after project completion. Transfer and administrative fees may be applied and be communicated to you in advance.
Registration information will list Fourlines as the Registrant during project term for ease of administration and renewals.
Clients are responsible for paying renewal fees by the due date provided on the renewal notice to avoid expiration. Expired domains risk being lost permanently to public purchase.
Renewal notices are sent forty five (45) days prior to expiration, with additional reminders at thirty (30) days and fifteen (15) days if payment has not been received.
All renewals must be paid in advance before expiration to maintain uninterrupted services.
If invoices remain unpaid sixty (60)+ days past the due date, we reserve the right to suspend account access until payment is made.
We are not responsible for any loss of data, information or business due to suspended accounts.
For expired accounts, reactivation incurs fees for tech time, account reconfiguration and potential data restoration. Reactivation lead time is five to seven (5-7) days minimum.
We utilise top carbon-neutral hosting providers including Vultr and Hetzner for sustainable, high-performance hosting infrastructure. Our global hosting locations include the US, Europe, Asia and Australia on fast, environmentally friendly servers.
We make conscious choices in hosting partners who share our values of security, speed, and ecological responsibility. All hosting is provided through secure tier-3 or tier-4 data centres with robust security protocols including DDoS protection, firewalls, round-the-clock monitoring, redundant power, geo-distributed backups and physical security. We are not liable for any service disruptions caused by security breaches, outside of our control, such as but not limited to server cyber-attacks, breaches through client logins, password phishing, failure to password changes, etc.
In certain cases based on client requirements, we may utilise third-party shared hosting services through providers such as Sitefront. This shared hosting uses cPanel for account and site management.
For clients using these shared hosting services, we are not responsible for direct server and account maintenance. However, if the client has an active maintenance agreement with us, we will liaise with the hosting provider on the client's behalf to resolve any technical issues.
Clients who opt out of our maintenance services will not receive hosting support assistance. In these cases, clients can coordinate directly with the third-party hosting provider via their provided account dashboard and support channels.
We will inform clients when shared third-party hosting is required for their specific needs and circumstances. Our in-house hosting remains our preferred solution for most website projects, whereas third-party hosting offers more flexibility for unique client or budget constraints.
Telephone Support: Available 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday. Outside of office hours, you will need to contact us by email. Best efforts will be made to respond urgently, but prompt response is not guaranteed for after-hours calls.
Email Support: Monitored 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Sunday. Emails received outside office hours will be collected the next working day.
Response Times:
Remote Assistance: Provided in line with the above timescales, depending on issue priority.
Requests Supported:
Requests Unsupported:
Escalation Process
Third-Party Handoff
For issues requiring third-party involvement:
Response times means acknowledgement, not necessarily resolution. Resolution timeframes will depend on the issue's complexity. We will provide an approximate resolution estimate but cannot guarantee resolution times. Complex issues may require us going outside of the SLA to resolve fully.
As part of our maintenance services, we will back up your website on a daily, weekly, or monthly cadence depending on the plan subscribed.
Backups include full copies of the website files and database. These allow us to recover and restore the site in case of any data loss, corruption, hacking, or accidental deletion/damage by you or third parties.
We maintain 30 recovery points locally. Older backups are deleted on a first-in-first-out basis as new backups are created. For daily backup plans, we keep 90 days of backup points for maximum recovery flexibility. In most cases, however, your website backups may be kept up to one (1) year.
All backups are done, daily incrementally, full backup weekly and monthly. All backups are scheduled between 01:00 to 07:00.
Backups do not require us to put the website on Maintenance Mode.
If you modify, damage, or delete any section or pages of the website, you may request we initiate a restore from the most recent unaffected backup point. However, if excessive restore requests are needed due to recurring client-caused issues, we reserve the right to charge a restore fee on a case by case basis.
Backup services are intended to protect against data loss and website downtime, not undo deliberate changes by you. We cannot continuously revert sites to previous states when clients damage their site but dislike the consequences. Excessive restores degrade performance.
You acknowledge backup recovery will restore the site to the state from the last available backup point. Any data or changes between when that backup was created and when the issue occurred will be permanently lost. Backups are not a substitute for clients maintaining local copies of assets.
For clients who have not purchased one of our separate SEO packages, our standard WordPress Maintenance plans only include the following limited SEO activities:
Google PageSpeed Monitoring: We will monitor your site's page load speeds using Google PageSpeed Insights and make necessary technical improvements to optimise page load performance. However, we do not offer full performance audits or consulting.
Our standard WordPress Maintenance plans do not include any of the following SEO services:
For full SEO services, we recommend adding one of our SEO packages, which include ongoing strategy, audits, keyword research, competitor analysis, content optimisation, link building, and more along with the maintenance of SEO activities. See SEO Services for more terms and conditions.
We pay for a number of developer licence. We, during the course of the development, production and maintenance of your WordPress website, may extend those licences with you. Lists are as follows but not limited to:
Elementor Pro, CrocoBlocks, Essential Addons For Elementor, Smart Slider, The Plus Addon, WPML, HappyFiles, RankMath For SEO, PIOTNET, Smush Pro, Forminator Pro, Defender Pro, Hummingbird Pro, SmartCrawl Pro, Branda Pro, Beehive Pro, Snapshot Pro, Hustle Pro, Shipper Pro, CSS Hero and VirusDie.
The extension of said licences are valid for one year from the date of development and can be extended through the subscription of our maintenance packages.
If you wish not not to subscribe to our maintenance packages, the premium plugins will be updated for the period of one (1) year, after which we will cease to maintain or update said premium plugins and remove our credentials.
You choose to purchase your own licence for each premium plugin we have installed.
You should not hold us liable, for any damages, loss, or cease of functionality should you choose not to purchase your own licence.
Each WordPress website requires a unique combination of software, plugins, themes and services. We agree to comply with all licence requirements of third party tools utilised.
We will handle updates and configuration of plugins, themes, and connected services. If new licences or payments are needed for your site, we will inform you accordingly. Ongoing costs for software updates and services specific to your site will be invoiced as required.
We may apply our own developer licences to your website where appropriate. If you cancel your plan, we will provide a list of active licences for you to transfer. See Developer Software Licences.
While we endeavour to keep plugins and themes updated, there may be instances where we cannot update paid third party tools. In such cases, you would need to provide login details or downloads for us to access updates.
Our maintenance plans do not include customisation of existing plugins or themes – only configuration and updates. Addition of new features would require a separate quote.
We offer ongoing WordPress website maintenance packages with the following included services, depending on the plan level subscribed, but not limited to WordPress core updates, plugins updates, theme updates, backups, advanced security, security scans, PHP error monitoring, malware removal, uptime monitoring, image optimisation, page optimisation, video hosting (via Vimeo or CDN), DNS management, SEO scanning, Google PageSpeed monitoring, basic Google analytics, monthly reporting, website content updates (allocated hours per month), premium plugins licences, WordPress managed hosting and technical support & troubleshooting.
All updates include major, minor and security patches. All major updates and security patches are done within 48hrs of release where said updates are deemed safe, whereas minor updates are done on a weekly basis where needed. Maintenance is scheduled between 20:00h to 08:00h. Each website maintenance update takes approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.
We do not require your authorisation to schedule maintenance, if you have subscribed to our maintenance packages.
You can choose monthly or annual billing. Annual plans receive two (2) months free with a one (1)-year commitment. Monthly plans are on a twelve (12)-month contract and cannot be cancelled before the annual renewal date. You can upgrade from monthly to annual at any time, taking effect after your current monthly cycle ends.
If you choose to opt out of our WordPress maintenance plans, we provide a limited warranty period covering the following:
This warranty is only valid for newly discovered bugs and content changes on aspects of the site we have developed. It does not cover insertion of new content or features beyond the original agreed scope and outside of any maintenance services.
After the warranty expires, we are not liable for any bugs, broken functionality, security breaches, malware, or other issues related to the website, its content, or its plugins. This applies whether the issues are due to flaws in our original work or subsequent problems caused by the client or external parties.
By opting out of maintenance, you assume full responsibility for the website's continued proper functioning, security, updates, and fixes. We will not be liable for any necessary troubleshooting or repairs after the initial warranty period. This also applies to Hosting or Domain name related issues linked to the services provided by our maintenance plan. See Hosting & Domain Name Services.
We are not liable for any issues caused by client actions taken without approval, such as installing plugins, changing site structure, modifying code, or accessing the backend without authorisation. Such actions void the warranty.
Required fixes for client-caused issues, functionality additions beyond the warranty, or rescue from compromised security will incur fees at our standard hourly rates.
We strongly advise all clients to continue our maintenance plans to ensure the ongoing health, safety, and proper functioning of their WordPress website. Opting out of maintenance transfers liability to the client.
We utilise staging environments for all website development projects and major maintenance activities. Staging environments allow development and testing without disrupting the current live website.
Staging sites reside on our servers at https://4staging.dev or on your own servers if provided. Staging acts as a development and test environment before changes are pushed to the live production website.
You acknowledge that your live website may not immediately reflect updates made on staging until those changes are intentionally published by us and that the production site remains unchanged until we manually push the staging site to production.
In some cases, we may request that you validate changes on staging before going live. This testing helps ensure modifications work as expected before publishing.
We will inform you of upcoming push plans and maintenance windows when staging sites will be migrated to production. You acknowledge there will be minor downtime, ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour, during staging pushes to production to transition the website seamlessly.
Many custom WordPress websites require specialised plugins, themes, and integrations with third-party services for enhanced functionality like ecommerce, subscriptions, filters, listings, forums, etc.
We will determine the necessary plugins, themes and services needed for the project during the discovery and planning phases and obtain any licences or subscriptions required. Our development costs cover the first year of use for most plugins, themes and services.
After the initial project completion, clients are strongly encouraged to continue with our WordPress Maintenance plans which include ongoing licence management and payments for necessary plugins, themes and connected services. See WordPress Website Maintenance.
If clients opt out of maintenance after the first year, they will assume full responsibility for renewing any critical plugins, themes or third-party service subscriptions the site relies on. Failure to renew could result in loss of functionality or errors.
We advise all clients to consider the long-term costs associated with plugins and services when budgeting for a new WordPress site. Our maintenance plans are designed to handle these renewals and prevent disruptions.
Clients will be provided with a list of all active licences and subscriptions for their records. See Developer Software Licences.
We offer ongoing support and maintenance packages. All bugs should be reported per our Service Level Agreement. See Support Response SLA. However, we are not liable for issues caused by unauthorised client or third-party changes. See WordPress Website Maintenance.
After final sign-off, the staged site is pushed live to production servers. Some brief downtime occurs during this transition. See Staging Environments.
Any requests for additional features or major structural changes after launch are considered new scope of work. We will provide a separate quote for such requests. See Changes to the Scope-Of-Work. Minor content updates are still permitted. See Website Access & Editing Rights.
Rigorous testing is performed to identify any bugs, errors, or compatibility issues before launch. All fixes and revisions must be completed before final approval. See Revisions.
Our developers build the WordPress site on secure staging servers, customising site architecture, functionality, integrations, and themes to match the approved specifications. See Staging Environments.
We create sitemaps and user flow diagrams to plan site architecture. Wireframes layout page structure and client-approved branding elements are added to create visual mockups. See Revisions for details on the collaborative revision process.
This initial phase focuses on understanding the client's business goals, target audiences, content needs, technical requirements, and more through UX/UI research methods. See Responsibilities of The Client (you) & The Supplier (us) for details on information clients must provide.
The development process for custom WordPress websites involves extensive research, planning, design, development, testing, and launch phases before the site goes live.
SEO services are based on an initial six (6) month contract. Services automatically renew after 6 months unless you provide written cancellation notice at least thirty (30) business days prior to renewal date.
We do not guarantee specific rankings or traffic results due to changing search algorithms, competitiveness, seasonality, and other unpredictable external factors. However we commit to driving continuous improvements in search performance through ethical practices. Fourlines Design Studio commits to ethical SEO practices only. We reserve the right to terminate services immediately without refund if unethical requests are made. Setup fees already paid will not be returned if we end services due to unethical practices.
We optimise for organic search only. Additional paid search advertising services may be quoted separately.
Changes made directly to the site by other parties can negatively impact SEO performance. We are not liable for external changes or their SEO consequences without our involvement.
You hold full responsibility for the keywords used and optimised on the website after consulting with us. Final keyword approval lies with the client.
The SEO strategies, optimisations, and content produced by us for your contracted website are proprietary work products owned and copyrighted by Fourlines Design Studio. You are granted a licence to use these materials only on the specific website covered by the original agreement, and does not obtain rights to reuse or resell the SEO content, either wholly or partially, on any other websites, domains, or social media accounts without explicit written consent from us.
The unique SEO plans, content, outreach lists, rankings data, and other intangible work created for your site cannot be repurposed or redistributed by you without express written permission from us. You agree not to pass SEO materials created under this agreement off as your own work product or intellectual property.
SEO strategies are customised for each client based on website, industry, and business-specific factors. The client may not extract portions of the SEO work to employ on other websites or accounts, regardless of common ownership, without arranging additional contracts for those properties. Doing so would constitute reuse of our licensed proprietary methods.
Linking to "bad neighbourhoods" or acquiring links from link farms could damage SEO efforts. We are not liable for negative SEO impacts caused by inappropriate links without our advice.
Rankings may fluctuate or drop occasionally due to search engine algorithm changes. We will work to restore rankings but cannot guarantee positions due to external factors.
Paid expedited listing services with directories carry additional fees if utilised. We will seek your approval before engaging paid inclusion options.
To enable effective SEO services, clients agree to:
Fourlines Design Studio provides comprehensive SEO services to improve website visibility and traffic from major search engines. Our core SEO activities include but are not limited to:
If the client requests to transfer a project to another provider or cancel the project but wishes to continue development with a different provider, a Transfer Fee will apply.
The Transfer Fee covers administrative costs for us to compile and transfer all necessary assets, resources, licences, hosting access, domains, documentation, and other materials to enable smooth transition to the new provider.
The Transfer Fee will not exceed 10% of the total proposed project cost as defined in the original Project Proposal or quote accepted by the client.
The client agrees to pay the Transfer Fee which will be invoiced along with any final balances for work completed per our agreement. This includes any applicable Copyright Fees or costs for non-cancellable portions of the project per the Terms & Conditions.
Transfer will only occur after the final invoice containing the Transfer Fee is paid in full. The client acknowledges no work, assets, or access to incomplete portions of the project will be released until payment is received.
Additionally see sections Transfer of Materials, Change in Provider, Transfer of Ownership & Intellectual Property and Terms for Termination.
All setup fees and monthly service fees paid to Fourlines Design Studio are non-refundable, except in cases where contracted work has not yet commenced.
If services are suspended, terminated, or the underlying agreement is terminated, you still remain responsible for paying any outstanding fees, interests, or penalties owed to us per the agreement of these terms and conditions.
You are liable for any costs associated with collecting unpaid outstanding balances. These collection costs may include (but are not limited to) attorneys fees, litigation expenses, payment of damages, and other costs rightfully incurred by us.
Termination does not release you from the obligation to pay any outstanding amounts owed for services rendered by us up to the termination date.
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate services for non-payment of fees more than 30 days past the invoice due date. Accounts must be made current before services will resume.
In the event that a project is paused due to your failure to provide requested resources or respond in a timely manner, we reserve the right to impose a Project Restart Fee. This fee, which may amount to up to ten percent (10%) of the project's total cost, will be applicable if the project remains dormant for over two months or if you exceed the allocated time for response or resource provision and we have no other alternative but to pause the project due to other commitments. See Paused Projects.
If we incur legal fees, expenses and disbursements to collect our invoices, in addition to the interest on the unpaid balance, you agree to reimburse us for any reasonable expenses incurred.
If upon termination there exist any materials furnished by us or any services performed by us for which you have not paid us in full, you agree not to use any part of those materials until you have paid us in full.
Any non-cancellable materials, services, etc., we have appropriately committed ourselves to purchase for your account (either individually or as part of a plan such as modules, photography and(or) external services), shall be paid for by you by the provisions of this Term & Conditions.
We agree to use our best efforts to minimise such liabilities immediately upon written notification from you.
We will provide written proof, upon your request, that any such materials and services are non-cancellable.
We will ensure that you receive the best estimates and provide you with all the original quotes from third-parties or suppliers. We shall not add any markup on said quotes, nor shall we request any commissions. All third-parties’ or suppliers’ costs shall be paid directly by you, free from our interference, except if you specifically asked us to do so, in which case, those costs will be included in the invoice, commission-free. However, an Administration Fee will be included.
We will charge a rush fee for any project that needs to meet a deadline but got delayed by no fault of ours. Said price will be equal to double (2x) our hourly rate.
For retainers or monthly paying clients with monthly allocated hours, we will deduct an additional two (2) hours from your monthly allowance.
Additional services may be provided at your request at a pre-approved fee.
All costs stated on estimates are based on information given at the time of this estimate being issued. Any additional information supplied may result in additional costs.
All out-of-scope agreed requests will be invoiced separately.
Projects that remain inactive for longer than twenty-five (25) calendar days are subject to a Project Restart Fee at our discretion before work can resume.
A rush fee will apply for any last-minute requests or if you require that your ongoing project be delivered faster than within the agreed-upon timeframe.
All expenses should be reimbursed. Those expenses will need to be pre-approved by you in writing.
You may opt-in for online payment through our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. For bank transfers, the details of our bank account are printed on our invoices. For international bank accounts, please contact us.
Payment by cheque can be accepted on a case to case basis and by prior agreement.
We strongly believe in saving the environment by any means possible; that is why all our proposals, contracts and invoices are digital (computer-generated and automated). We do not print or post our invoices. Should you want a printed and posted invoice, contract or (and) project proposal, we will be glad to oblige at a one-time fee of ten Pounds Sterling (£10) or equivalent currency per item.
The final invoice, once generated and sent, cannot be modified or cancelled.
You agree that payment credit will only be given to existing clients with an excellent payment record of six (6) months which counts as a probation period.
The payment credit extends from fifteen (15) to thirty (30) calendar days, depending on any prior agreement.
You are required to settle the payment by the last day of the credit and not after.
Any delays in the payment, will not only ensure the late payment fees, but you will also lose the agreed credit arrangement on any future projects.
Should you enter on a monthly package, subscribe to any of our monthly services, or use any third-party plugins where a recurring fee exists, all payments will be made on the first (1st) of the month and payable in advance, except if we have a prior arrangement regarding the payment schedules. Services will not commence until payment has been received.
The schedule of payments will be finalised upon the signature of the agreement.
If the payment is not made within the delay given, we will charge a late payment fee of five percent (5%) per month on any overdue and unpaid balance not in dispute to cover the workforce, interest and other costs we pay for carrying outstanding invoices from you. We also reserve the right to stop working on any projects until we receive the payment.
You agree to settle the first invoice within five (5) working days before starting the project or services, which will act as the deposit for the project. After the first one, the final or every other invoice will have fifteen (15) to thirty (30) calendar days payment terms. See Payment Credit Terms.
We offer two invoicing methods for you: per milestone or a fifty-fifty (50-50) payment structure. You will be made aware of these options, and the selected method will be outlined in the Project Proposal or Scope of Work.
Advance payment for all third-party costs may include but not limited to: hosting, domain names, WordPress plugins, themes, Royalty Images, fonts, printing and any other resources or (and) third-party services needed before starting the project.
For both invoicing methods, late payments may result in the suspension or termination of the project at our discretion. You will pay all invoices promptly to ensure the smooth progression and timely completion of the project. For monthly payments see Retainer & Recurring Fees.
We are sure that you understand how important it is for a small business, such as us, to pay the invoices we send you promptly. We are also confident that you will want to maintain a positive working relationship and keep your projects moving forward. Hence, you agree to stick tight to the payment schedule.
You shall be responsible for the accuracy, completeness and propriety of information concerning your products and services, which you furnish to us in writing in connection with the performance of this Agreement.
You acknowledge that you are responsible for performing the following in a reasonable and timely manner:
The final accepted proof is the artwork that will be submitted for prints and/or web construction. There will be no reprints or web development at our expense. Printout of final accepted proof is supplied at the intended final print size (100%) to assist in confirming colours, design, bleed, size and type. You shall indemnify us and (or) representatives from and against all actions, claims, damages, liabilities or costs (including legal costs) arising from, or directly or indirectly related to provision of materials, use of services by you or anyone else, or otherwise arising.
You guarantee that all elements of texts, images, or other artworks you provide are either owned by your good selves or that you have permission to use them, except if it has been supplied by us. See Ownership & Licences Clauses.
We shall obtain releases, licences, permits or other authorisations to use testimonials, copyrighted materials, photographs, artworks or any other property or rights belonging to third-parties obtained by us to perform services for you (if applicable).
We reserve the right to place a small text link or graphic credit on the bottom of the website pages we create for you. The purpose of this credit is to provide proper attribution and promotion of our design and development services.
The credit will typically consist of "Designed by Fourlines'' or a similarly brief text line linking to our website, www.fourlinesdesign.studio.
The visual presentation of the credit (font, size, colour, etc.) will match the existing aesthetics of your website. It will be discreetly placed in the footer region so as not to distract from the main website content.
You may request removal of the credit by notifying us in writing. In such cases, a credit removal fee will apply as follows:
This fee covers the time and effort required to remove the attribution links and graphics from the site code and pages. It does not apply to other promotional uses of your website, such as in our portfolio.
Additionally, by signing our agreement of these Terms & Conditions you grant us licence to display screenshots and descriptions of your completed website in our marketing materials and portfolio strictly for promotional purposes. This allows us to demonstrate our work to prospective clients.
You may opt out of this portfolio usage in writing at any time. Opting out of portfolio usage does not affect the credit removal fee if you also request deletion of the live website credit.
We retain the right to reproduce, publish and display the final deliverables in our portfolios, websites, galleries, design periodicals and other media or exhibits, for the sole purpose of recognition of creative excellence or professional advancement, and to be credited with authorship of the final deliverables in connection with such uses.
Subject to your written approval, but not required, we may include a link to your website or social network.
We agree to give you the competitive edge by displaying the portfolio only after being realised, released or launched.
The client may request a transfer of full ownership and intellectual property rights by paying the predetermined transfer fee as stated in our Terms & Conditions. See Transfer Fees.
Upon payment of this fee, you will receive:
For design collaterals:
For websites:
Once transfer is complete, you will assume full responsibility for the safe storage and management of all files, assets, and information related to your project(s). We are not liable for any lost data or assets after the transfer.
Websites can be moved away from our servers at any time after transfer, but this voids all warranties and liability from Fourlines Design Studio for the website's continued function or content.
Domain names purchased by us will have ownership and registrant information transferred to the client, where possible.
After project ownership has been transferred, we are no longer responsible for maintenance, updates, or liability for the collateral or website. You assume responsibility as sole owner and copyright holder. Any further work or changes by us would require a new agreement.
We shall co-operate with you and shall execute any additional documents reasonably requested by you to evidence all such assignments of intellectual property.
If you require design, development or functionality changes beyond your editing access, you must submit a request to us for quote and completion. Additional charges will apply as per the Project Proposal and at our standard rates.
In the event of a change in provider, such as Webmaster, developer or business restructuring, you cannot remove the existing credits and (or) display credits to other providers unless website appearance and functionality are altered substantially (over sixty percent (60%)) from our original work.
You are licensed only to use the website as created by us, and cannot reuse code, re-sell programming, or transfer the site for commercial purposes without express written consent from us, as the design and developing owner.
You will not have ownership or full administrative access to the full website code, structure, design or crucial parts of the backend. You will be granted editing access to the website and permitted only to modify existing contents, such as text, images, videos, and documents, but cannot modify core website structure, functionality, design or branding elements created by us. However, a special restriction to content is applicable, if you have a SEO Service subscription with us where you shall not update, alter, modify, or tamper with the optimised contents or pages.
Adding new pages or making structural changes to existing pages is prohibited, except if prior agreement has been established between you and us. Editing access is limited to updating materials within the framework we have built. The purpose is to maintain website integrity while allowing you to manage the content we have implemented for you.
Upon termination of this agreement, provided that there is no outstanding indebtedness owed by you to us, we shall transfer, assign and make available to you all properties and materials in its possession or control belonging to you. You agree to pay for all costs associated with the transfer of materials.
“Fourlines Design Studio'' is a registered trademark, along with the logo and any other brand assets. Clients, Partners, Suppliers, Sub-contractors and any other third-party organisation or individual are not allowed to use Fourlines Design Studio trademarks, including the name, logo and symbol, in any way, shape or form without written permission from us.
All design and (or) development are the sole property of Fourlines Design Studio. We will own the unique combination of these items that constitute a complete design and (or) development. We will licence that right to you exclusively and in perpetuity for this project only unless we agree otherwise, to which we can provide a separate estimate.
After your final payment has cleared, copyright will be automatically assigned as follows:
We acknowledge our responsibility, both during the term of our engagement and after its completion, to use all reasonable efforts to preserve the confidentiality of any proprietary, confidential information or data developed by you on behalf of your company/agency or disclosed by you to your company/agency.
Also, each party acknowledges that in connection with these Terms & Conditions, it may receive specific confidential or proprietary technical and business information and materials of the other party, including, but not limited to, Preliminary Works (“Confidential Information”).
Each Party, its agents and employees shall hold and maintain in the strictest confidence all Confidential Information, shall not disclose Confidential Information to any third party, and shall not use any Confidential Information except as may be necessary to perform its obligations under this Terms & Conditions, except as required by law or governmental authority.
Notwithstanding the preceding, Confidential Information shall not include any information in the public domain or becomes publicly known through no fault of the receiving Party or is otherwise adequately received from a third party without an obligation of confidentiality.
The concerned party must provide adequate documented evidence demonstrating the other party’s lack of performance, failure to fulfil duties, or significant causes that are in breach of our Terms & Conditions, where no resolution is possible.
Transfer Fees will be voided and not applied if the above conditions are met against Fourlines Design Studio, where we have defaulted severely enough to warrant contract termination per our Terms & Conditions.
In such cases, project ownership and assets will be transferred to the client free of charge. This exception applies only for legitimate contract breaches by Fourlines Design Studio that are properly evidenced by the client through documentation and previous unsuccessful attempts at dispute resolution.
Standard Transfer Fees as outlined will still apply for client termination requests unrelated to proven repeated breaches by us.
Any one of us can terminate this agreement of our Terms & Conditions if the other Party defaults regarding this mutual agreement. Meaning the lack of performance of any material duties and obligations such as continuous missing of deadlines or any other cause that may be harmful to any of our businesses.
However, the defaulting party should be given thirty (30) calendar days from the day of notice to fix the issue.
Also, either party may immediately terminate this agreement of our Terms & Conditions by:
You have the right to modify, reject, cancel or stop any or (and) all plans or work in process. However, you agree to reimburse us for all costs and expenses we incurred before your change in instructions related to non-cancellable commitments, defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless from any liability relating to such action. We agree to use our best efforts to minimise such costs and expenses.
These Terms and Conditions shall take effect as of the date the Project Proposal or Contract has been generated and agreed by both parties and shall continue until terminated by either party upon not less than sixty (60) calendar days notice in writing given by either party to the other.
We reserve the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time. While it is at our discretion to inform you of such changes, we are under no obligation to do so. As a result, you bear the responsibility to stay up-to-date with our Terms & Conditions, irrespective of whether your projects are ongoing, completed, or forthcoming. It is essential for you to periodically review our Terms & Conditions to ensure you are aware of any adjustments that may affect your relationship with us.
Neither Fourlines Design Studio nor the client shall be considered in breach of this agreement for delays or failures to perform contractual obligations as a result of circumstances beyond their reasonable control.
Such circumstances include, but are not limited to, natural disasters, labour strikes, war, government shutdowns, epidemics, lockouts, industrial disputes, theft, vandalism, riots, transport delays, fire, power outages, failure attributable to hosting suppliers, nationwide internet disruptions, or any other major disruptions that cannot be reasonably anticipated or mitigated through due diligence.
If a force majeure event occurs, the affected party will promptly notify the other party in writing and will use commercially reasonable efforts to minimise the impact of the disruption. Contract obligations may be postponed by a period equal to the duration of the force majeure event.
Extraordinary events that qualify as force majeure will not be considered contract violations or breaches, and parties agree to negotiate revised timeframes for deliverables as needed. However, obligations to pay money already owed for services rendered are not suspended.
The parties, each and individually, represent and warrant that each party has full power and authority to enter into this agreement of our Terms & Conditions and perform all of their obligations hereunder, without violating any third-party’s legal or equitable rights.
Except if there is any other agreement that supersedes this agreement of our Terms & Conditions; this agreement of our Terms & Conditions will be the only agreement between us. If a new Terms and Conditions is drafted, agreed upon and signed, only then will these Terms and Conditions be null and voided.
Each of us has the right to waive any part of this agreement of our Terms & Conditions with the knowledge that the other party may take necessary precautions to protect their rights.
Any breach in this agreement by any party does not constitute a waiver, nor shall it be considered as one.
