Terms of Service

Introduction

These Terms of Service apply to website design, website care, hosting, domain management, business email setup and related services provided by Sign Me Up Mate.

Sign Me Up Mate is operated by [INSERT LEGAL NAME], ABN [INSERT ABN], based in Queensland, Australia.

By approving a proposal, paying a deposit, commencing a subscription or instructing Sign Me Up Mate to begin work, the customer agrees to these Terms.

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any rights or remedies that cannot legally be excluded, including rights under Australian Consumer Law.

1. Our services

Sign Me Up Mate provides website and related digital services for small businesses.

Depending on the package selected, services may include:

• Website design and build
• Website copy and page setup
• Managed website hosting
• Website maintenance
• Basic technical support
• Domain registration and management
• Domain renewal
• Business email setup and management
• Basic on page SEO setup
• Contact forms
• Standard integrations
• Minor website updates
• Other services agreed in writing

The exact services included are determined by the selected package, proposal or written agreement.

2. Standard website build

The standard website build is currently up to 5 core pages. The page structure may vary depending on the business.

The standard build includes:

• Mobile, tablet and desktop friendly design
• Website copy tailored to the business
• Existing logo and brand colours incorporated
• Suitable supplied images incorporated
• Contact or enquiry form
• Click to call functionality where appropriate
• Google Maps or location information where relevant
• Social media links where supplied
• Basic on page SEO setup
• Domain connection
• Secure website connection
• Website launch checks
• One reasonable revision round before launch

One reasonable revision round means one consolidated set of reasonable changes within the original agreed scope.

Additional pages, major redesigns, substantial rewriting, ecommerce, booking systems, specialist integrations, paid applications or other work outside the agreed scope may be quoted separately.

3. Website drafts

Where Sign Me Up Mate creates a draft website before the customer agrees to proceed, the draft is provided for evaluation only.

Unless otherwise stated, the draft remains available for 7 days from the date the draft link is sent.

After 7 days, the draft may be removed, archived or reused.

Creating a draft does not create an obligation for the recipient to purchase the website.

Draft layouts, wording and materials created by Sign Me Up Mate remain demonstration material until the customer proceeds and applicable payment obligations are met.

4. Pricing

All prices are in Australian dollars.

Option 2 has a minimum initial term of 12 months.

Different pricing may apply where a separate written quote or agreement has been accepted.

Any applicable GST will be shown on the relevant invoice or payment documentation.

5. Option 2 early cancellation

The no upfront website build option has a minimum initial term of 12 months because the website build cost is being spread across that period.

If the customer cancels during the first 12 months, they do not have to pay all remaining future Website Care Plan charges. Instead, the remaining unpaid portion of the standard $799 website build fee becomes payable.

For the purpose of calculating early cancellation only, one twelfth of the $799 website build fee is treated as having been paid for each completed month of the initial 12 month term.

Once cancellation takes effect, future Website Care Plan charges for periods after cancellation stop.

This does not limit any rights available under Australian Consumer Law or another applicable law.

6. Option 1 cancellation during the build

The $399.50 deposit allows Sign Me Up Mate to begin work.

If the customer cancels after work has started, Sign Me Up Mate may retain an amount from the deposit that reasonably reflects work already performed and non-recoverable costs incurred.

Any balance not reasonably attributable to work performed or costs incurred will be refunded where applicable.

This does not limit Australian Consumer Law rights.

7. Website Care Plan

The standard Website Care Plan is $89 per month. It includes:

• Managed website hosting
• Keeping the website live and operational
• Platform and software management
• Basic website technical support
• 1 minor website update request per month
• Domain management
• Standard annual domain renewal while the customer remains on the Website Care Plan and the account is current

Minor updates may include:

• Opening hours
• Phone numbers
• Staff information
• Existing wording
• Images
• Pricing
• Existing service information

Unused monthly updates do not roll over.

A minor update does not include:

• A new page
• Major redesign
• New feature
• Major copy rewrite
• Substantial structural change
• Specialist integration

8. Ongoing Website Care Plan cancellation

After any applicable initial minimum term has been completed, the Website Care Plan continues monthly until cancelled.

The customer may cancel by giving written notice before the next billing date.

The service will normally continue until the end of the paid billing period.

Domain renewal included in the Website Care Plan will only be processed while the customer account is current and not overdue.

If the Website Care Plan ends, responsibility for future domain renewals transfers to the customer once domain management is moved into an account under their control.

No refund is provided for a simple change of mind where services have already been properly supplied as agreed. This does not affect rights available under Australian Consumer Law.

9. Domain names

Where Sign Me Up Mate arranges or manages a domain, the domain should be registered using the customer's business or individual details as the registrant wherever applicable.

For .au domains, the customer remains the registrant and domain licence holder, subject to applicable auDA and registrar rules.

Sign Me Up Mate may manage the domain through an account controlled by Sign Me Up Mate for administrative convenience.

Where practical, the registrant contact information should include an email address controlled by the customer.

While the Website Care Plan is active and the customer's account is current, standard annual domain renewal is included unless otherwise agreed.

If the customer leaves

Sign Me Up Mate will provide reasonable assistance to move management of the domain into an account under the customer's control.

Once transfer is completed, all future domain renewal costs and management responsibility become the customer's responsibility.

Any third-party fees specifically required to complete a transfer or change of registrant are the customer's responsibility unless otherwise agreed.

If the customer's account is overdue

Domain renewal included in the Website Care Plan will not be processed while the account remains overdue.

If Sign Me Up Mate has already paid for a standard annual domain renewal extending beyond the end of the Website Care Plan, Sign Me Up Mate will not normally seek reimbursement for that standard renewal unless otherwise agreed.

The domain may remain active until the end of the already paid registration period.

If the customer cannot be contacted

If the service has ended or the account remains overdue and Sign Me Up Mate cannot contact the customer after reasonable attempts:

• Automatic renewal may be disabled
• Sign Me Up Mate will not purchase another renewal period on the customer's behalf
• The domain may remain registered until the end of its existing paid registration period
• After expiry, the domain becomes subject to the registrar and registry's normal expiry and recovery processes

The customer is responsible for maintaining accurate registrant information and remaining eligible to hold any .au domain registered for the business.

Domain availability cannot be guaranteed until registration is completed.

Premium domains and non-standard domain costs are not included unless specifically agreed.

10. Business email

Professional business email may be arranged using the customer's business domain.

Unless otherwise agreed, business email is billed annually in advance. This is because the underlying email service may require an annual commitment.

Email services may be supplied through a third-party Australian email hosting provider.

Mailbox limits, storage, availability and technical features are subject to the provider's service terms.

If the customer leaves

Where email has already been paid annually in advance, the service may continue until the end of the prepaid period, subject to the provider's terms.

Where supported, Sign Me Up Mate can provide reasonable assistance to transfer management of the email service into an account under the customer's control.

Once transferred, future email hosting charges become the customer's responsibility.

Prepaid third-party email charges are not normally refundable simply because the customer chooses to stop using the service, except where required by law.

If the account is overdue

Sign Me Up Mate will not purchase or renew another email hosting period on behalf of an overdue customer.

If an existing prepaid email service expires while the account remains overdue, the email service may cease unless continued service is arranged directly with the provider.

11. Website hosting and third-party platforms

Sign Me Up Mate uses third-party technology and service providers to deliver parts of the service. These may include:

• Website platforms
• Hosting infrastructure
• Domain registrars
• Email providers
• Payment processors
• Analytics
• Other business software

Sign Me Up Mate remains responsible for the services it agrees to provide, but third-party systems may occasionally experience outages, maintenance, changes or interruptions outside Sign Me Up Mate's reasonable control.

Sign Me Up Mate does not guarantee 100 percent uptime.

Reasonable assistance will be provided where a third-party issue affects the customer's service and the issue falls within the Website Care Plan.

12. What happens to the website if the care plan ends

Managed website hosting is part of the Website Care Plan.

If the Website Care Plan ends, hosting supplied through Sign Me Up Mate also ends at the conclusion of the applicable paid service period unless another arrangement is agreed.

The customer retains rights in their own business materials and remains the registrant of their domain. Sign Me Up Mate will provide reasonable assistance with domain transfer.

Transfer, export or migration of the website itself may depend on the technical capabilities and licence terms of the website platform being used. A website may need to be rebuilt or migrated if the customer wants to host it elsewhere.

Migration, rebuilding, export work or extended transfer assistance is not included in the standard Website Care Plan and may be quoted separately.

13. Client responsibilities

The customer must provide information reasonably required to complete the website. This may include:

• Business details
• Contact details
• Services
• Service areas
• Branding
• Logos
• Photographs
• Third-party account access
• Approvals
• Feedback

The customer is responsible for checking factual accuracy before approving the website for launch.

The customer must have permission to use any logos, photographs, text, trademarks or other supplied materials.

The customer must not ask Sign Me Up Mate to publish illegal material or material that infringes another person's rights.

Delays in supplying information, access or approvals may delay the project.

14. Client content and intellectual property

The customer retains rights in material they supply.

Once all amounts relating to the website build have been paid, the customer may use the final website content and design created specifically for their business for normal business purposes.

Sign Me Up Mate retains rights in:

• Pre-existing materials
• Processes
• Reusable templates
• Systems
• Methods
• General know-how
• Other material not created exclusively for the customer

Third-party software, fonts, images, themes, website platforms and other licensed materials remain subject to their respective licences. Payment for the website does not transfer ownership of third-party software or platform infrastructure.

Unless the customer asks Sign Me Up Mate not to, Sign Me Up Mate may display the completed website in its portfolio or marketing material as an example of its work.

15. Search engines and SEO

Basic on page SEO setup may be included. This is not an ongoing SEO campaign.

Search engines operate independently from Sign Me Up Mate.

Sign Me Up Mate does not guarantee Google rankings, first page placement, search traffic, leads, enquiries, sales or revenue.

Any ongoing SEO service must be separately agreed.

16. Third-party integrations

Where the customer requests integration with another service, the customer is responsible for maintaining any required account unless otherwise agreed.

Examples may include:

• Booking platforms
• Payment systems
• CRM systems
• Analytics
• Email marketing platforms
• Calendars
• Social media services

The customer may need to provide authorised access, embed codes or configuration details.

Additional troubleshooting or development outside standard integration may be quoted separately.

17. Payments, failed payments and suspension

Payments may be processed through a third-party payment provider.

Recurring Website Care Plan and Option 2 payments may be automatically charged using the payment method authorised by the customer.

If a payment fails, Sign Me Up Mate will make reasonable efforts to notify the customer and allow an opportunity to bring the account up to date.

If the account remains overdue after reasonable notice, Sign Me Up Mate may temporarily suspend:

• Website hosting
• Website updates
• Technical support
• Other ongoing managed services

Where a domain or email service has already been prepaid, Sign Me Up Mate will not normally cancel that prepaid third-party service solely because the Website Care Plan is overdue.

Outstanding amounts relating to services already supplied remain payable.

Suspension does not remove any rights either party has under Australian Consumer Law.

Where the customer cannot be contacted after reasonable attempts, Sign Me Up Mate may stop automatic renewals and allow prepaid third-party services to continue until the end of their existing paid term.

18. Refunds and Australian Consumer Law

Sign Me Up Mate does not provide refunds simply because a customer changes their mind where work has been properly performed as agreed.

This does not affect rights available under Australian Consumer Law.

Our services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under Australian Consumer Law.

Where required by law, customers may be entitled to appropriate remedies.

Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude or restrict rights that cannot legally be excluded.

19. Website content and legal compliance

The customer is responsible for factual claims about their business, including:

• Prices
• Qualifications
• Licences
• Services
• Service areas
• Industry claims
• Business statements

Where Sign Me Up Mate supplies draft Privacy Policy, Terms, disclaimer or similar wording, it is provided as a general starting point unless professional legal drafting has specifically been engaged.

Businesses with industry-specific regulatory obligations should seek appropriate professional advice.

20. Privacy

Personal information is handled in accordance with the Sign Me Up Mate Privacy Policy and applicable Australian law. You can read the Privacy Policy here.

21. Prohibited use

The customer must not use Sign Me Up Mate services to:

• Break Australian law
• Infringe intellectual property rights
• Distribute malicious software
• Conduct fraudulent activity
• Send unlawful spam
• Publish unlawful content
• Interfere with Sign Me Up Mate systems or third-party systems

Sign Me Up Mate may suspend or terminate services where continuing to provide them would be unlawful or create a serious security risk.

22. Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded.

To the extent permitted by law, Sign Me Up Mate is not responsible for indirect or consequential loss arising solely from circumstances outside its reasonable control, including qualifying third-party platform outages.

Where Australian Consumer Law allows a limitation of liability, any limitation applies only to the extent permitted by law.

These Terms do not remove or limit statutory rights.

23. Disputes

If a dispute arises, both parties should first attempt to resolve it directly and in good faith.

The party raising the dispute should provide enough information for the other party to understand:

• The issue
• Relevant facts
• Proposed resolution

If the dispute cannot be resolved directly, the parties may consider mediation or another appropriate dispute resolution process before formal proceedings.

Nothing prevents either party from using a court, tribunal or regulatory process where legally entitled to do so, including the courts and tribunals of Queensland.

24. Changes to these Terms

Sign Me Up Mate may update the Terms from time to time to reflect changes to services, pricing or legal obligations.

Changes published on the website apply prospectively.

Where a material change affects an existing ongoing service, reasonable notice should be provided and agreement obtained where legally required.

25. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia.

Subject to any legal right a customer may have to bring proceedings elsewhere, the parties submit to the courts and tribunals of Queensland.

26. Contact

This page is a general outline and is not legal advice. Detailed terms for any specific job are agreed in writing before work begins.