Terms of Service

1. Project Scope

The specific deliverables, features, page count, and timeline for your project (the "Scope") are defined in the written proposal, quote, or statement of work we provide and you approve. Anything not expressly listed in the approved Scope is considered out of scope.

Work requested beyond the approved Scope ("Change Requests") may require additional time and cost. We will provide an estimate for any Change Request and will not begin that work until you approve it in writing (email is acceptable).

2. Payment Terms

Unless your proposal states otherwise, project fees are billed as follows:

• •50% deposit is due before work begins. Work is scheduled and started only after the deposit is received.
• •50% final payment is due upon completion, before the finished website is launched or transferred to you.
• •Plans that include ongoing support are billed as a recurring monthly subscription that begins at launch (see Section 6).

Payments are processed securely through our third-party payment processor (Stripe). By providing payment details you authorize us to charge the deposit, the final payment, and any recurring subscription fees you have agreed to. Invoices not paid within [14] days of the due date may incur a late fee of [1.5%] per month and may result in paused work or a suspended website until the balance is cleared.

3. Refund Policy

Deposits are non-refundable once work has begun. The deposit reserves your project slot and covers initial discovery, planning, and design work. If you cancel before any work has started, your deposit is refundable in full. If you cancel after work has begun, the deposit is forfeited and you will be billed for any work completed beyond the deposit amount.

Monthly subscription fees are non-refundable for the current billing period but you may cancel future renewals at any time (see Section 6).

4. Client Responsibilities

A timely project depends on your participation. You agree to provide content (text, images, logos), feedback, approvals, and any required access (domain, hosting, accounts) in a reasonable timeframe. You confirm that any materials you supply are yours to use or properly licensed, and that they do not infringe anyone's rights. Projects stalled awaiting Client materials or approvals for more than [30] days may be paused or archived.

5. Revisions & Approval

Your proposal specifies the number of revision rounds included. Additional revisions beyond that allowance are billed at our then-current hourly rate. Once you approve the final design and the project is launched, it is considered accepted. Further changes are handled as new work or under your monthly support plan, if applicable.

6. Monthly Upkeep & Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Plans that include ongoing support carry a recurring monthly fee and entitle you to the services below. This is a starting definition — the exact inclusions for your plan are set out in your proposal.

• •Hosting & uptime: we keep your site hosted and online, targeting [99.9%] uptime (excluding scheduled maintenance and third-party outages).
• •Security & updates: routine software, plugin, and security updates, plus SSL certificate maintenance.
• •Backups: regular backups of your website [frequency, e.g. weekly].
• •Content edits: up to [X] small content updates per month (text swaps, image changes, hours, pricing). Larger changes are quoted separately.
• •Support response time: we aim to respond to support requests within [1–2 business days].

Upkeep covers maintenance and minor edits only; it does not include new pages, redesigns, or new features unless your plan says so. You may cancel your monthly plan at any time with [30] days' notice; cancellation stops future billing but does not refund the current period. If a monthly plan lapses, hosting and maintenance services tied to it end as well.

7. Intellectual Property & Ownership

Upon receipt of full payment, you own the final website design and the content you provided. We may retain ownership of any underlying frameworks, code libraries, or reusable components we developed, and we grant you a license to use them as part of your website. We reserve the right to display your completed project in our portfolio and marketing unless you request otherwise in writing.

8. Third-Party Services

Your website may rely on third-party services (such as hosting, domain registrars, payment processors, fonts, analytics, or plugins). These are governed by their own terms, and we are not responsible for their availability, changes, or pricing.

9. Limitation of Liability

The Services are provided on a commercially reasonable basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, GroundWire is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, including lost profits or data, arising from the Services or your website. Our total liability for any claim will not exceed the amount you paid us for the Services giving rise to the claim.

10. Termination

Either party may terminate a project for material breach if the breach is not cured within [14] days of written notice. On termination, you are responsible for payment of all work completed up to that date. Sections relating to payment, ownership, and liability survive termination.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of [STATE], without regard to its conflict of law rules. Any dispute will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in [COUNTY], [STATE].

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The current version is always posted on this page with its "Last updated" date. Continued use of our Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email us at [email protected].