Website Design by Eric Peterson
Terms, Conditions, and Policies for Website Design Clients
Payment Obligations, Renewals, and Cancelations
Website Development Payment Obligations: A down payment is required in order to begin development of your website. This is usually 50% of the upfront design fee, unless an alternative contract or proposal specifies a different amount. The outstanding balance on your website is due after the design, navigation to pages have been approved and built. Final payment is due regardless of whether all content for the pages has been sent by the client. This provision is in place to encourage the client to get content submitted promptly so that their site can go live. It also ensures that Eric Peterson gets paid for performing his duty under the proposal, despite tardy content from the client. After payment, Eric Peterson will still post outstanding content AT NO CHARGE for 3 months. In the event an "under construction" page is posted due to missing content, Eric Peterson will post ONE copy of any text/pictures on existing pages only, for up to 3 months after publish date. After the three months have expired, content posted to site will be billable at the current regular hourly rate (currently $75.00 per hour). In the event that design and navigation changes are requested after they have been specifically approved by the client, these changes will be billable at the current regular hourly rate.
Website Development Cancelation: If site design and development work has already begun (such as creating a design concept), then the down payment is non-refundable.
If at the time the client decides to use Eric Peterson as a website developer, and Eric Peterson's workload will cause a delayed start of the project, Eric Peterson may elect accept a deposit to hold the client place in line. Eric Peterson will give the client an approximate start date. This deposit is non-refundable. If that start date needs to be extended beyond one week of the projected start date, the client may request a refund of the place holding deposit.
Eric Peterson may elect at his sole discretion to offer a partial refund depending upon the circumstances.
Stock Photography Payment Obligations: Stock photography includes most photos and/or images not provided by the client. Stock photography purchased on behalf of client for use in website development is billable at a minimum of $10 per picture. This amount is separate from the amount quoted for website design and development. Some pictures are more expensive than $10, in which case we will solicit client approval and communicate the price before purchasing.
Some stock photographs are available for no charge. If Eric Peterson or the client are able to make use of stock photographs that are free of charge and have adequate permissions for use on the client's website, there will be no additional charge.
For specific needs, Eric Peterson may provide original photography at an additional charge or recommend a professional photographer.
Description of Ongoing Costs: There are 2 types of ongoing costs: domain registration and hosting. Because Eric Peterson wants you to retain complete control of your website, Eric Peterson does not supply domain registration or hosting but will only recommend outside services and offer assistance helping you set up the necessary services ensuring their compatibility with the website being designed for you. You are responsible for these ongoing costs with the entities responsible for domain registration and hosting.
Domain name registration: This cost recurs annually. Domain name registration gives you exclusive rights to a certain name, such as www.mycompany.com, so that you can use it for your web-based purposes. Eric Peterson does not provide domain registration, but can recommend various sources. Many services are not honest in the way they sell names and we spend a lot of time helping people re-secure rights to the name they thought they had already purchased. If you have registered your own name, make sure you have yourself as the Registrant and Administrative Contact with a current, easily accessible email address. This will help to ensure that your domain can be renewed or transferred should the need arise. Domain name registration fees are generally not refundable by a registrar.
Hosting: This cost recurs annually, generally a monthly charge that is billed annually. Hosting places the domain name on a particular server connected to the web, which allows you to post a website for viewing through a browser. Hosting comes with domain-based emails, bandwidth, storage space, database and security tools, and other features. Eric Peterson creates websites using the Joomla Content Management System platform and may involve some custom programming. Hosting used must be compatible with the Joomla programming to ensure the installed programs will work. If you want to host your site on another server this must be disclosed before we begin building the website.
Hosting Renewal Payment Obligations: Hosting and Domain Registration are handled independently by you, through the registrar and host that you have chosen to use. Eric Peterson has no obligation to remind you to renew your services.
Should client decide to host their site on another server, Eric Peterson cannot guarantee the all elements of the site will work. Eric Peterson will make a reasonable effort to research the problem on the foreign platform to let the client know what we think the problem is. However, we cannot take responsibility for problems caused by or on another hosting server, including but not limited to email, FTP, SSL, database, server software, and site security issues. If Eric Peterson believes it will take a significant amount of time to fix the problem, we will advise the client before proceeding. In most cases, fixing problems on a foreign hosting server is billable.
Website Maintenance: There are no required maintenance fees other than domain registration and hosting (which you maintain through your chosen registrar and host). We can make certain parts of the site updatable by you through the Joomla Content Management System (CMS) platform that your website is built on. After publishing your website, Eric Peterson will provide 2-3 hours of training to help you maintain and update your website content. If you are trying to maintain your website on your own and have questions, Eric Peterson will be happy to try and walk you through and try to answer your questions at NO CHARGE.
With the exception of minor error corrections within the first 3 months, work we do on the site after going live, will be billed on an hourly basis. If you decide that you want Eric Peterson to perform updates for you (as opposed to doing the updates yourself), these updates will be billed at the end of each month based on an hourly rate (currently $75.00 per hour). If need be, we can customize a maintenance plan for your particular needs, but no plan is required.
Website Maintenance Payment Obligations: Depending upon the nature of the website changes, prepayment may be required. Should the client be invoiced after the changes are completed, the invoice is due upon receipt. If payment is not received within 30 days, the maintenance changes may be taken down until payment is received. After 60 days, there may also be a $50 reposting fee added to the outstanding maintenance invoice balance.
Development Process
Site Template and Design. Part of each website designed by Eric Peterson is the template. The template includes the client's graphics and colors, ensuring that the theme is carried throughout the client's website. Once the website's template design is approved by the client, usually via email or phone consent, the design is considered ready for implementation. Should the client wish to make changes to a template design they have approved, those changes are billable at the standard hourly rate.
Navigation. Once site outline/map is approved by the client, usually via email or phone consent, the site navigation is considered ready for implementation. Combined with the approved graphic design, this becomes the site structure. Once we build this structure per client approval, any subsequent changes are billable at the standard hourly rate.
Content. Provision of content is customer's responsibility, unless specifically negotiated ahead of time as part of the project proposal.
Text content. Copy for all website pages and links needs to be delivered digitally and should be carefully proof-read by the client. Two rounds of revisions will be provided free of charge. Subsequent revisions will be billable at the regular hourly rate.
Copy development. Should client wish Eric Peterson to develop content for the site, website copy is billable at the regular hourly rate. Development of copy is accomplished via Eric Peterson Web Development interviewing the client about the topic areas to be addressed on their web pages. Eric Peterson then composes appropriate copy, submits to the client for review, edit, and approval. Approved copy is then posted to the web pages. Eric Peterson may recommend an outside writer for the client's consideration.
Graphical content. Images outside of the website design must be provided in digital form or in a form that can be easily scanned, unless otherwise provided for in customer's contract. Subsequent revisions will be billable at the regular hourly rate.
Database Implementation. Entry of data for database applications is considered client's responsibility. Entry of data by Eric Peterson is billable, unless otherwise provided for in customer's contract.
Email. Many hosting companies offer free domain-based email accounts to clients as part of a hosting contract. Eric Peterson will try and help you set up your email accounts, but takes no responsibility for setting up and troubleshooting email problems.
Training. Joomla websites built by Eric Peterson include an administrative control panel for content management. Once your website is live, Eric Peterson will provide up to three(3) hours of training to help you maintain your website. Additional training can be arranged for on an hourly basis.
Technical Support. Eric Peterson offers local and long-distance phone support to his clients for issues relating to Joomla platform or the template built for the client. Often times support issues are a server issue through the website host. In these cases, Eric Peterson will recommend you contact your hosting provider. We do not normally bill for technical support depending on the source of the problem, its severity, and the time invested. If Eric Peterson or his work performed is not the source of the problem, technical support may be billable.
Training and Tutorials
Because customer service is in integral part of our business strategy, all of our projects include a one-time complimentary training session in order for our clients to better make use of their new web technology. Additional training hours can be purchased at our standard hourly rate.
Third Party Software
In most cases, Eric Peterson will install software for the client's use that has been built by a third party. Examples include Joomla! CMS software, JCK editor software, shopping carts, photo galleries, etc. In these instances, clients will be subject to the terms and conditions of the third party who owns the software, and may use the software as a licensee only. No ownership rights of any kind are transferred to the client.
Eric Peterson does test third party software, components, extensions, modules and plugins for obvious functionality and usability prior to utilizing in development of websites. However, Eric Peterson does not in any way, warrant or guarantee the performance or functionality of any third party extensions, components, plugins or other software installed as part of the website development.
Transferable Elements
Website components that ARE transferable to another host include html code, graphics, logos, pictures, navigation, text, and the data residing within a database (but not the code). Hourly fees will apply for any special work that needs to be done to transfer those parts of website that do not violate the other paragraphs in this section.
Non-Domain-Based Troubleshooting
Eric Peterson can help troubleshoot websites developed for clients, and attempt to help with any domain-based email accounts of those websites. Eric Peterson DOES NOT assume responsibility for upkeep or provide non-billable troubleshooting on our clients' ISPs (Internet Service Providers), ISP-based email accounts, your home or office internet connections, or any other non-domain-based issues outside Eric Peterson's realm of service. Provision of non-domain-based troubleshooting services will be billable at our normal hourly rate.