# Terms of Service

> Terms for Designs Decoded website design, managed hosting, domain management and support services.

Canonical URL: https://designsdecoded.co.uk/terms

Terms and conditions for DesignsDecoded web development services

Last updated: 14 July 2026

## 1. Service Provider Information

**Provider:** Codey West **Trading as:** CodeyDecoded **Business Name:** Designs Decoded **Email:** CW@codeydecoded.com **Website:** https://designsdecoded.co.uk

Note: For service of legal notices or correspondence, please use email.

This web development service provides website design, development, and hosting services primarily to small businesses. These terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("Customer", "you") and the service provider ("we", "us", "our").

## 2. Service Overview

### 2.1 Services Provided

We provide:

- Custom website design and development
- Web hosting on Europe-based servers
- Domain name registration and management
- Technical support for hosting-related issues
- Minor content updates and maintenance

### 2.2 Service Limitations

- This is currently operated as a hobby business with limited availability
- Support is provided on a best-efforts basis during UK business hours
- We do not provide 24/7 support or guaranteed response times
- Hosting infrastructure located in Germany (Hetzner)

## 3. Payment Terms

### 3.1 Monthly Hosting Fee

- **Fee:** £10 per month for hosting and domain management
- **Payment Method:** Stripe recurring subscription
- **Billing Cycle:** Monthly on the same calendar date
- **Currency:** GBP (British Pounds Sterling)

### 3.2 Payment Processing

- Payments are processed by Stripe, an FCA-authorized payment service provider
- By providing payment details, you authorize recurring monthly charges
- You will receive email confirmation of each payment
- Payment details are stored securely by Stripe, not by us

### 3.3 Optional Donations

- Voluntary donations may be accepted upon project completion
- Donations are not required and do not affect service quality
- All donations count toward the source code ownership threshold (Section 6)

### 3.4 Premium Domains

- Standard domains (under £10/year) included in monthly fee
- Premium domains incur additional pass-through costs
- Premium domain costs will be agreed before registration

### 3.5 Failed Payments

- **Grace Period:** 30 days from failed payment
- **Notifications:** Immediate email upon payment failure
- **Service Suspension:** After 30-day grace period
- **Data Retention:** 30 days post-suspension before deletion

## 4. Cancellation and Refunds

### 4.1 Your Cancellation Rights

- You may cancel at any time with immediate effect
- Email cancellation requests to cw@codeydecoded.com
- No refunds for partial months
- By default website remains active until end of paid period, unless early closure requested by client

### 4.2 Cooling-Off Period

- 14-day cooling-off period from initial sign-up
- Full refund if cancelled within 14 days
- Cooling-off period does not apply to renewals

### 4.3 Our Cancellation Rights

- 30 days written notice for any reason
- Immediate termination for serious violations
- Pro-rata refund for unused service period

### 4.4 Post-Cancellation Data Handling

- **Data Retention:** 30 days after cancellation
- **Data Export:** Available during retention period
- **Automated Deletion:** After 30-day period
- **Your Responsibility:** Export data before deletion

## 5. Domain Management

### 5.1 Domain Registration

- Domains registered in our account on your behalf
- You are the beneficial owner of the domain
- We manage technical aspects and renewals

### 5.2 Domain Ownership Transfer

- Available after £120 total payments received
- Transfer initiated within 7 days of request
- You become responsible for renewals post-transfer

### 5.3 Domain Expiry

- Domains not renewed after service cancellation
- 30-day grace period before release
- We are not liable for expired domains

## 6. Intellectual Property

### 6.1 Your Content

- You retain all rights to your content and data
- You grant us license to host and display content
- You warrant content doesn't infringe third-party rights

### 6.2 Website Code Ownership

- Source code remains our property initially
- Ownership transfers after £120 in total payments upon request
- Includes monthly fees plus any donations
- Code provided within 14 days of qualifying request

### 6.3 Third-Party Components

- May include open-source components
- Third-party licenses apply to those components
- We are not liable for third-party code

## 7. Service Level Agreement

### 7.1 Uptime Commitment

- **Target:** 99.9% monthly uptime
- **Measurement:** External monitoring service (e.g., UptimeRobot, Pingdom)
- **Exclusions:**Scheduled maintenance (notified 48 hours in advance)
- Customer-caused issues
- Force majeure events

Remedy: Pro-rata credit for downtime exceeding 0.1%Calculation: (Downtime minutes / Total monthly minutes) × Monthly fee

### 7.2 Performance Standards

- Page load times under 3 seconds (standard pages)
- Weekly full VPS backups
- Code repositories maintained on GitHub

### 7.3 Support Response Times

- **Initial Response:** Within 2 business days
- **Resolution Target:** 5 business days for standard issues
- **Critical Issues:** Best efforts for faster resolution
- **Business Hours:** Monday-Friday, 9 AM-5 PM UK time

## 8. Data Protection and Privacy

### 8.1 Data Controller Information

We process personal data as a data controller under UK GDPR. Contact us at cw@codeydecoded.com for data protection queries.

### 8.2 Personal Data We Collect

- Business name and contact details
- Payment information (processed by Stripe)
- Website usage data and logs
- Communication records

### 8.3 Lawful Basis for Processing

- **Contract Performance:** To provide hosting services
- **Legal Obligations:** Tax and accounting requirements
- **Legitimate Interests:** Service improvement and security

### 8.4 Your Rights

You have the right to:

- Access your personal data
- Rectify inaccurate data
- Erase data (subject to legal requirements)
- Restrict processing
- Data portability
- Object to processing
- Complain to the ICO

### 8.5 Data Retention

- Customer data: 6 years after relationship ends (legal requirement)
- Website logs: 90 days
- Backups: 30 days rolling retention

### 8.6 Security Measures

- Encrypted data storage
- Regular security updates
- Access controls and monitoring
- Incident response procedures

### 8.7 International Data Transfers

- **Hosting Location:** Hetzner data centers in Germany
- **Legal Basis:** EU-UK adequacy decision permits transfers
- **Your Data Location:** Primarily stored in Germany (EU)
- **Safeguards:** EU data protection standards apply
- **Backup Locations:** GitHub (US) for code only

## 9. Acceptable Use Policy

### 9.1 Prohibited Content

You must not use our services for:

- Illegal activities or content
- Copyright infringement or piracy
- Malware, viruses, or hacking tools
- Spam or unsolicited communications
- Adult content involving minors
- Hate speech or discrimination
- Defamatory content

### 9.2 Resource Usage

- Fair use applies to all resources
- No cryptocurrency mining
- No excessive database queries
- No file storage service operation

### 9.3 Security Requirements

- Keep software updated
- Use strong passwords
- Report security incidents immediately
- Cooperate with security investigations

## 10. Liability and Indemnification

### 10.1 Our Liability Limitations

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

- Total liability limited to 12 months of fees paid
- No liability for indirect or consequential losses
- No liability for third-party actions
- These limits do not apply to:Death or personal injury from negligence
- Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
- Breaches of your statutory rights

### 10.2 Your Indemnification

You indemnify us against claims arising from:

- Your website content
- Breach of these terms
- Violation of laws or third-party rights
- Your negligent or wrongful acts

### 10.3 Force Majeure

Neither party liable for delays due to:

- Natural disasters
- War or terrorism
- Government actions
- Pandemic or epidemic
- Internet infrastructure failures
- Other events beyond reasonable control

## 11. General Terms

### 11.1 Entire Agreement

These terms constitute the entire agreement and supersede all prior agreements.

### 11.2 Amendments

- Material changes notified 30 days in advance
- Continued use constitutes acceptance
- You may cancel if you disagree with changes

### 11.3 Severability

If any provision is invalid, the remainder continues in full effect.

### 11.4 No Waiver

Failure to enforce any right does not constitute waiver.

### 11.5 Assignment

You may not assign rights without our written consent.

### 11.6 Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

### 11.7 Dispute Resolution

- First attempt: Good faith negotiation
- Then: UK court jurisdiction

## 12. Complaints Procedure

### 12.1 How to Complain

**Email:** CW@codeydecoded.com **Response Time:** Within 2 business days **Alternative Contact:** hello@designsdecoded.co.uk

### 12.2 Our Process

- Acknowledgment within 2 business days
- Investigation and response within 14 days
- Escalation available if unsatisfied

## 13. Accessibility

We are committed to digital accessibility. If you experience any accessibility issues, please contact us for assistance.

**By engaging our services and making payment, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.**

**Consumer Rights Notice:** Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer. For more information about your rights, contact Citizens Advice or Trading Standards.