TechWriter Ltd - Terms and Conditions

General

1. Except where required to work on a fixed-price contract (for which TechWriter requires an agreed specification), TechWriter's fees are based on the time taken to complete the task, including any consultations and travel time during the process. Before any project begins, the hourly rate is negotiated and agreed. In general, all work on the project is itemised and summed in five-minute quanta.
   
   
2. Payment for work contracted is managed on an account basis, and TechWriter expects that all clients will make final payments within one financial month of receiving an invoice. For website design-and-build contracts, an initial part payment is requested as a non-refundable deposit (to indicate the client's commitment to the project), normally of an amount equal to about one half of the contract cost estimate provided. However, this requirement is negotiable.
   
   
3. All prices quoted on this website and provided as project estimates exclude NZ Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Website design projects

1. TechWriter provides cost and deadline estimates (usually upper and lower limits) before a project begins, and can provide updates to those estimates if required as the project proceeds. However, fees invoiced at the end of a project are based only on the actual time spent, and while every effort is made to keep costs within the initial estimates, these are to be used as guidelines only. In the event of a project taking more time than estimated, TechWriter will endeavour to consult with the client as early as is possible with information about progress and suggestions about how any potential cost overrun can be minimised.
   
   
2. At the completion of a website design and build project, any typographical or layout errors found during proofreading are corrected free of charge, but any further additions or alterations to text or photos are charged at the agreed contract rate.
   
   
3. TechWriter does not provide website hosting services, although it can assist in setting up any such services if requested by the client. It is the client's responsibility to establish an appropriate site-hosting contract with a hosting provider and to maintain payments for that service, as well as for domain name registration and renewal. If TechWriter is asked to facilitate these payments initially, an extra administrative charge is made.
   
   
4. A website designed and built by TechWriter is optimised to work to the client's satisfaction as rendered by the Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 (or later) and Firefox browsers on the Windows desktop PC operating system. It is optimised for a screen display of 800 x 600 pixels, and cannot be guaranteed to look right on every computer, display, window size or browser. Every effort is made by TechWriter to make the coding compliant with the major W3C programming standards.
   
   
5. Upon completion of the construction of a new website, the client must sign an acceptance form agreeing that the site has been built to specifications, and absolving TechWriter Limited of liability for any indirect damage or consequential loss of profit as a result of a range of highly unlikely eventualities. (Email us if you wish to receive/view a copy of this form.) If a client declines from signing this form, the website is removed from the Internet, but payment to TechWriter for the time spent in the design and construction of the site is still required.
   
   
6. Unless specifically requested by the client as part of the project, any new or revamped website designed by TechWriter includes basic programming that makes the site amenable to indexing by the major search engines including Google. Any extra programming required for specific search engine optimisation is charged additionally.
   
   
7. While TechWriter endeavours to make a website amenable to good positioning by search engines, it cannot guarantee that any site will be indexed by Google and other search engines and directories in the way that the client prefers or wishes, or within any period of time. TechWriter remains bound by the rules of commercial directory structures and search engine algorithms and policies, and does not partake in any deceptive programming processes that aim to attract higher Google rankings.
   
   
8. Unless by prior arrangement, payment for project completion must be made within one financial month of the website going live, otherwise the files will be made unavailable on the server and the site closed until payment is complete.
   
   
9. The HTML files and image files developed by TechWriter during a design and construction project become the property of the client, and are available on CD at any time after payment has been made, for a small fee to cover administrative costs.
   
   
10. If and when website HTML and image files are delivered to the client for purposes other than off-site data backup, such as for further work by another designer or the site owner, TechWriter no longer has any obligation to further maintain the files, and will charge a fee to restore programming changes made by third parties in the event that the client wants further work done on the site by TechWriter.

Website maintenance policies

1. For updates, TechWriter runs a "bar-tab" type of system. The number of minutes spent on each change are recorded and accumulated potentially over several jobs. When the tally reaches an agreed figure (normally about $50) an invoice is sent for an amount based on the current hourly rate.
   
   
2. TechWriter's goal is to have small-scale updates in place within one working day, and two days at the outside. Large-scale updates (such as adding new pages, or site-wide design modifications) may take up to one working week.
   
   
3. Update instructions (including which pages they are on) must be sent by email (preferably), mail or fax, but not verbally by phone. The client may phone to advise or consult on an update requirement, but work will be done only after this is followed up with appropriate written documentation.
   
   
4. If insufficient updates are made within 12 months to trigger an invoice, and an outstanding "bar tab" is 12 months old, or if a client decides to no longer use TechWriter services for updates, a payment for the outstanding account will be invoiced. The minimum fee is $30 + GST for a single update over a single 12-month period, so if a client makes updates to a value less than this figure the client will be charged $30 for that year.
   
   
5. Payment for ongoing website update services is managed on an account basis, and TechWriter expects that all clients will make payments within one financial month of receiving an invoice. In general, if any payment is overdue by more than one month, TechWriter reserves the right to withhold from performing any further website updates until payment is brought up to date.