Dee's Office - Virtual Secretarial Solutions

PAYMENT & INVOICING TERMS
(Please ensure that you read and understand these terms and conditions.)

1. All prices are quoted in Australian Dollars (AUD).

2. GST (Goods and Services Tax) is only chargeable to clients based within Australia.
International clients will not be charged GST on any service provided by Dee's Office.

3. A tax invoice/receipt will be issued upon completion of work.

4. Payment terms are strictly seven (7) days from the date of invoice.

5. We may charge interest on any overdue invoice at the penalty rate fixed under the Penalty Interests Rates Act 1983 (Victoria), calculated and payable daily, compounded from the due date until the invoice is paid in full.

6. Methods of payment accepted are:
BANK DEPOSIT - this is the preferred method of payment for Australian clients. Bank details will be supplied on invoice.

MONEY ORDER - Australia Post money order is an alternative payment method for Australian clients. Please note: the purchase of a money order does incur a small fee payable to Australia Post.

CHEQUE - Dee's Office will accept payment by cheque, but work cannot be commenced until procceds are cleared. If your cheque is returned by the bank as unpaid for any reason, you will be liable for a "returned cheque" charge of $AUD30.00.

PAYPAL - this is the preferred method of payment for international clients. Credit Card payments made through PayPal will incur a surcharge of 4%.

PAYMATE - similar to PAYPAL. Currently only accepting payment from Australia and New Zealand. No registration is required to make a payment. Credit Card payments made through Paymate will incur a surcharge of 4%.

7. I require that clients sign my Work Agreement before I begin work; it simply states that we have agreed on an hourly rate and billing cycle, that I am working as an independent contractor, not an employee and ensures my confidentiality.

8. Estimates are just that, estimates only, based on the Client's representations, and the Client will be charged, and will be responsible to pay, for the actual time spent on the Client's project.

9. Rates are subject to change. Written notice will be provided to existing clients.

10. Invoices are submitted via e-mail or fax. Payment is due upon receipt. $30 return check fee applies on all returned checks. Past due accounts are subject to late fees and/or work stoppage.

11. Hours are billed in 15 minute increments.

12. After the initial consultation all phone conversations are billable time. I prefer e-mails for work requests and questions.

13. New clients may be required to submit a 25% down payment (deposit) is required prior to the commencement of work, with the remainder to be paid on completion.

14. I do not require that my clients meet a monthly minimum of hours, the idea is that I am here when you need me. As long as your account with me stays in good standing, I will be willing to work with you during the slow and busy times.

15. Dee's Office reserves the right to exercise a lien until full payment is made.

16. Charges such as long distance phone calls, courier expenses, postage, pickup and delivery will be charged at the clients expense and detailed on an itemised account. There will be no mark up on these costs.

17. Turn-around-time is generally between 24-72 hours, with a surcharge for 'rush' work required in less than 24 hours.


WEB DESIGN TERMS & CONDITIONS
(Please ensure that you read and understand these terms and conditions.)

1. Contract: The client’s approval for work to commence shall be deemed a contractual agreement between the client and Dee's Office. Important: Approval for the work to commence and payment of the advance fee indicates that the client accepts the terms and conditions outlined in this document.

2. Dee's Office Intellectual Copyright: Dee's Office will hold intellectual copyright of any material, including any source code and original images created for the client until payment of the final invoice. At this time we will transfer this intellectual copyright to the client.

3. Clients Responsibilities with Regard to Copyright: In situations where the client provides images, text, animations or any other content for their website they are legally responsible for ensuring that this material does not infringe any copyright. Certain images provided by Dee's Office in the construction of the website may have been purchased under licence from stock image suppliers. These images are generally only licensed for use on a single website and may not be used in publicity material. The website owner is legally responsible for ensuring that this does not happen. If you wish to use any images from the site for other purposes please contact us for clarification.

4. Registration Charges: All third party costs arising from the registration of a domain name shall be met by the Client. Dee's Office recommend that clients register their own domain names so that they have full ownership of these but where we have registered a domain name on the client’s behalf we agree to transfer this domain name to the client immediately upon request and without charge.

5. Search Engine Promotion: Dee's Office is not responsible for the client’s on-going web site promotion. Should the client require the site to be promoted on an ongoing basis a separate contract must be agreed upon. The order in which websites are ranked in the natural search results is controlled by the search engines. While we can optimise your site for this we are unable to make any guarantees about the success of any search engine promotion activity.

6. Cancellation: Should the client wish to cancel at any point during the process they shall remain liable for the work that has taken place and shall be invoiced accordingly.

7. IMPORTANT! Failure to Provide Required Website Content: Dee's Office is a small business. To remain efficient I must ensure that work I have scheduled is carried out on time. On occasions I may have to reject other work and enquiries to ensure that your work is completed at the time arranged.

This is why I ask that you provide all the required information in advance. On any occasion where I cannot progress your website because you have not provided the required information when you have agreed to do so, and I am delayed as result, I reserve the right to impose a surcharge of up to 25%. Also, if your job involves Search Engine Optimisation I need the text content for your site in advance so that the SEO can be planned and completed efficiently.

If you agree to provide Dee's Office with the required information and subsequently fail to do so within four weeks of project commencement Dee's Office reserves the right to close the project and the balance remaining becomes payable immediately.
Simply put, all the above condition says is do not give Dee's Office the go ahead to start until you are ready to do so.

NOTE: Text content should be delivered as a printed text document with the pages in the supplied document representing the content of the relevant pages on your website. These pages should have the same titles as the agreed website pages. Contact Dee's Office if you need clarification on this.

8. Conceptualising: Conceptualising is the process of producing website concepts for clients. Concepts can include site mock ups, graphics and design proposals. For higher cost websites this will be included but for low cost sites (below $AUD1000.00) please bear in mind that unless previously agreed, only one concept is possible. You should therefore ensure that you let Dee's Office have your preferred colour scheme and design requirements beforehand. If you don’t do this Dee's Office will design the website appropriately but if it is not to your taste I may not be able to rework the website without additional charges. This is why it is often best to show me another website that you like as an example of what you require.

9. Travel Time and Expenses: Travelling time to and from customer premises is not generally included in our estimate. Dee's Office reserve the right to make a charge for travelling time at our normal consultancy rates. Likewise Dee's Office reserve the right to charge for travelling expenses based on .50c per kilometer. (NOTE: There will be no charges for travelling time or expenses incurred before you give your approval for work to commence.)

10. Quotations: The price quoted to the client is for the work agreed on the quotation only. Should the client decide that changes are required after work on the website commences, then Dee's Office will accept these changes with the provision that additional charges may have to be negotiated.

11. Advance Payment: An advance of 50% of the total cost of the project is required before work can commence. After work commences this is non-refundable.

12. Payment terms: Payment is currently accepted by Bank Deposit, Money Order, Cheque, PayPal or Paymate in AU Dollars, unless otherwise agreed. If your cheque is returned by the bank as unpaid for any reason, you will be liable for a "returned cheque" charge of $AUD 30.00.

13. Credit Card Payments: Credit card payments can also be accepted via our Paypal electronic invoice system. These are subject to a 4% surcharge. (Full payment is required in advance if paying by credit card).

14. Payment: Payment of any balance will be due within 07 days of final invoice date. Full publication of the Web Pages may take place only after full payment has been received. Any material previously published may be removed if payment is not received. When this occurs a minimum charge of $AUD100.00 will be required to have the site restored.

15. Late Payment: Accounts that have not been settled within 7 days of our final reminder will incur a late payment charge of 10% of the amount outstanding and iInterest on any overdue invoice at the penalty rate fixed under the Penalty Interests Rates Act 1983 (Victoria), calculated and payable daily, compounded from the due date until the invoice is paid in full.

16. Future Support: The website is provided to and accepted by the client as a fully functioning, completed work. Dee's Office is not responsible for future support. This support can normally be provided upon request and for an agreed fee. No guarantee of future support is given unless an ongoing support package is negotiated.

17. Future Site Problems: Unfortunately malicious software, spyware, viruses and website hacking are facts of life on today’s Internet. It is highly unlikely that these will affect your website, and Dee's Office will endeavour to protect it from this as much possible during its creation. Dee's Office cannot be held responsible for problems that develop on completed sites as a result of illegal activity.

18. Compliance with Ecommerce, Accessibility or Other Regulations: We design websites in accordance with the client’s specifications. It is the client’s responsibility to ensure that the website and its content comply with standing regulations. We cannot accept responsibility for any failure to comply with regulations related to accessibility, selling online or those related to a specific business or trade. We can research this on the client’s behalf upon request, but in any business where complex compliance issues exist we recommend that the client takes legal advice from their company lawyer.

Notes:
Should Dee's Office waive any of these terms on an individual basis, this shall not affect the validity of remaining clauses or commit Dee's Office to waive the same clause on any other occasion.

By agreeing to these terms and conditions your statutory rights are not affected.

Dee's Office reserves the right to change or modify any of these terms or conditions at any time. Should clarification of any of the above be required please contact me.

Terms and conditions courtesy of Toucher Web Design UK