Terms of Use

These Terms of Use apply when you use the OSAM Websites website, contact us, request a quote, make a payment, approve a proposal or buy any service from us.

By doing any of these, or by instructing us to begin work, you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy and our Refund Policy. Please read them carefully before placing an order, in particular Section 11 (Project Completion), Section 12 (Changes After Completion) and Section 13 (File Storage and Data Retention), which explain that we keep project files for 3 months after your project is completed and then permanently delete them.

1. About Us and Key Definitions

OSAM Websites provides logo design, branding, website design and development, ecommerce, app design and development, SEO, PPC, social media, content, automation, hosting support and related creative and digital services to individuals, sole traders, startups, companies, charities and organisations.

The exact services in your order are those stated in your package, proposal, invoice, written confirmation or agreement.

In these Terms:

• "We", "us", "our" means OSAM Websites.
• "You", "your", "Client" means the person or business ordering or using our services.
• "Project" means a one-off piece of work, such as a logo, brand identity, website or app.
• "Ongoing Service" means a recurring service, such as SEO, social media, PPC management, hosting or maintenance.
• "Deliverables" means the final approved work we supply to you under your package.
• "Project Files" means all files and materials relating to a Project, including concepts, drafts, working files, source files, design files, code, staging sites, backups, and content or materials you supplied.
• "Project Completion Date" has the meaning given in Section 11.
• "Retention Period" means the 3-month period described in Section 13.
• "In writing" includes email and messages sent through our agreed communication channels.

2. Using Our Website

You agree to use our website lawfully and responsibly. You must not:

• Use the website for unlawful purposes.
• Damage, disrupt or interfere with the website.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems.
• Copy, scrape, reproduce or misuse website content.
• Submit false, misleading, abusive or harmful information.
• Use our forms, chat, phone, email or messaging channels to harass, threaten or abuse our team.

We may restrict access to our website or services if we believe they are being misused.

3. Enquiries, Quotes and Packages

Prices, offers, package details, timelines and service descriptions shown on our website, adverts, emails, chats or proposals are general guidance unless confirmed in writing for your specific project. We may update them at any time.

A quote is valid for the period stated on it. If no period is stated, we may revise or withdraw it at any time before payment.

A Project is not booked or started until we have received the required payment or deposit and your written approval or instruction to proceed.

4. Scope of Work

The scope of work is what is stated in your package, proposal, invoice or written confirmation. It may set out deliverables, number of concepts and revisions, file formats, pages, features, integrations, content items, marketing activities or support periods.

Anything not clearly included in the agreed scope is not included. Work outside the scope will be quoted separately and may require payment before we continue. This includes, for example: extra concepts or revisions, new design directions, additional pages or features, copywriting, stock images, brand guidelines, social media assets, source or vector files, hosting, domains, plugin licences, third-party tools, maintenance, SEO, marketing campaigns and urgent delivery.

5. Client Responsibilities

You agree to provide accurate, complete and timely information. You are responsible for:

• Providing the correct business name, wording, spellings and contact details.
• Providing clear requirements, preferences and references.
• Providing content, images, copy, logins, hosting and domain details and any other material we need.
• Reviewing work carefully and giving clear, consolidated feedback within a reasonable time.
• Checking all final files, wording, contact details, pages and content before approval or use.
• Ensuring you have permission to use any content, images, trademarks, fonts or materials you supply to us.
• Downloading and safely storing your final Deliverables and keeping your own backups (see Section 13).
• Changing passwords and access details you shared with us once the Project is completed.

We are not responsible for delays, errors, extra costs or limitations caused by missing, late, unclear or incorrect information from you.

6. Project Communication

We may communicate with you by email, phone, live chat, online meetings, a project management system or other agreed channels.

Approvals, payment confirmations, scope changes, cancellation requests, refund requests and final decisions should be confirmed in writing.

We keep records of communication for project management, quality control, dispute handling, and legal, tax and business purposes, as explained in Section 13.7.

7. Logo Design and Creative Work

Logo, branding and creative work is subjective. When you buy a creative package, you are paying for the professional service needed to produce the agreed deliverables: research, initial concepts, design exploration, communication, project management, revisions and file preparation.

If the initial concepts are not suitable at all, you may request a refund review before asking for revisions, reworks, new directions or more concepts. We will review it fairly based on the package, brief, work completed, concepts delivered and resources used.

If you ask us to revise, rework or continue after receiving initial concepts, this is an instruction to continue the Project. Any later refund request will be assessed on the additional work carried out.

Disliking a creative direction, changing your mind or preferring a different style does not mean the service was not provided. Where revisions are included, they are the first step to refine the design.

8. Concepts and Revisions

The number of concepts and revisions depends on your package. A concept is an initial design direction prepared by our team. A revision is a change to an existing concept or agreed direction.

Revisions do not include a new brief, new business name, new brand direction, new style, new concept set, new website structure or new scope unless agreed separately. We may charge extra where revision requests:

• Exceed the package limit.
• Change the original brief or require a new direction.
• Require substantial additional work.
• Are made after approval, after final files are prepared or delivered, or after the Project Completion Date.

Included revisions must be used before the Project Completion Date. Unused revisions expire on that date and cannot be carried over, refunded or used later.

9. Approval and Acceptance

A stage, concept, layout, direction or deliverable is treated as accepted if you:

• Confirm approval in writing, or say you like it or wish to proceed.
• Request revisions based on it, or ask us to continue to the next stage.
• Use, publish, share, print, register or implement the work.
• Do not raise specific concerns within 14 days of it being sent to you for review.

Approval does not remove your responsibility to check spelling, details, colours, layout, content, links, images and functionality before final use. Significant changes to an approved stage may be charged separately.

10. Timelines and Delivery

Timelines are estimates, not guarantees, unless expressly agreed in writing. They may be affected by project complexity, your response time, revision requests, missing content or access, scope changes, payment delays, third-party or platform issues, technical issues, public holidays and staff availability.

We are not responsible for delays caused by you, third parties or circumstances beyond our reasonable control. Urgent delivery may be available at extra cost if agreed before work begins.

11. Final Delivery and Project Completion

11.1 A Project is completed on the Project Completion Date, which is the earliest of:

1. The date you approve the final Deliverables in writing.
2. The date we deliver the final files to you.
3. The date your website or app is launched, published or handed over.
4. 14 days after we send you the final Deliverables for review, if you have not raised specific concerns in that time.
5. The date the Project is cancelled or terminated by either party.

11.2 For an Ongoing Service, the Project Completion Date is the date the service ends, is cancelled or is terminated.

11.3 We will confirm the Project Completion Date in our final delivery email, together with the date your Retention Period ends.

11.4 Once the Project Completion Date has passed, the Project is closed. Your package, its included revisions and our obligations under it are fulfilled, except for the error-fix period in Section 12.2.

12. Changes and Support After Completion

12.1 Any change, update, revision or new request made after the Project Completion Date is new work. It will be quoted at our current rates and handled as a new order with its own payment, timeline and scope. This applies whether the request comes one week or several years after completion.

12.2 Error-fix period. If you find a genuine error that we caused, such as a spelling mistake we introduced or agreed website functionality that does not work as specified, please tell us in writing within 14 days of the Project Completion Date (30 days for website and app Projects). We will correct it free of charge. Errors in content you supplied or approved, changes of preference, and issues caused by you or third parties (for example, plugin updates, hosting changes or edits made by you or another developer) are not covered.

12.3 If your request relates to a Project whose files have already been deleted under Section 13, we may need to recreate the work from scratch. This will be quoted and charged as a new Project.

12.4 A request for changes after completion does not make the original order unfinished or defective, and is not grounds for a refund, dispute or chargeback of the original payment.

13. File Storage, Data Retention and Deletion

13.1 Retention Period. We will keep your Project Files for 3 months (90 days) after the Project Completion Date. This gives you time to download your Deliverables, check them and request any error fixes.

13.2 Deletion. After the Retention Period ends, we may permanently delete all Project Files from our systems, including:

• Concepts, drafts, rejected designs and working files.
• Source files, editable files, vector and layered files.
• Website and app code, staging sites, development copies and backups.
• Content, images, documents and materials you supplied to us.
• Login details, passwords and access credentials you shared with us.

13.3 Your responsibility to keep copies. It is your responsibility to download your final Deliverables and keep your own secure backups. We strongly recommend storing them in more than one place.

13.4 No liability after deletion. Once Project Files are deleted, they cannot be recovered. To the extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for any loss, cost or inconvenience caused by the deletion of Project Files after the Retention Period, or by your failure to download or back up your Deliverables during it.

13.5 Extended storage. If you want us to keep your Project Files for longer, you must ask in writing before the Retention Period ends. Extended storage may be offered for an additional fee.

13.6 Earlier deletion. You may ask us in writing to delete your Project Files or personal data earlier. We will do so, subject to Section 13.7.

13.7 Records we keep for longer. Section 13.2 does not apply to business records we must or may lawfully keep, such as invoices, payment records, orders, proposals, written approvals, and communication and revision history. We keep these for as long as needed for accounting, tax, legal, dispute and chargeback purposes (normally up to 6 years), as explained in our Privacy Policy. We may also keep copies of final Deliverables used in our portfolio under Section 25.

13.8 Ongoing and hosting services. While an Ongoing Service is active, we keep the files needed to provide it. Live websites hosted by us are governed by Section 24. The Retention Period starts when the Ongoing Service ends.

13.9 Credentials. We stop using access details you shared once the Project is completed or the service ends. You should change those passwords and remove our access after handover.

14. Payments

Payment terms are stated in your invoice, quote, proposal, payment link or written agreement. Depending on the Project, we may require full upfront payment, a deposit, milestone payments, monthly instalments, recurring payments, or final payment before delivery, launch, transfer or handover.

All payments must be made on time. If a payment is late, incomplete, disputed, reversed or charged back, we may pause work, withhold files, suspend services, restrict access, delay delivery, cancel discounts or take recovery action.

Where recoverable by law, you are responsible for bank charges, payment provider fees, chargeback fees, collection costs and legal costs arising from failed, reversed, disputed or overdue payments.

15. Deposits, Instalments and Milestones

Deposits reserve our time, begin planning and allocate resources. Once work has started, deposits are not automatically refundable.

Milestone payments are due on the agreed schedule, even if you delay feedback, pause the Project or change the brief. Where instalments are agreed, the full project value remains payable unless we agree otherwise in writing. Missed instalments may result in work being paused, access restricted or deliverables withheld.

16. Refunds and Cancellations

Refunds are handled under our Refund Policy, which forms part of these Terms. Because our services involve custom work and allocated team resources, refund requests are assessed on the project stage and work already completed.

• Before work has started: we will review your request fairly.
• After work has started: any approved refund may be reduced to reflect work completed, time spent, resources used, administration, transaction charges and third-party costs.
• After the Project Completion Date: the Project has been delivered, and refunds are not normally available, except for your statutory rights (Section 31).

Cancelling after work has started does not automatically qualify for a full refund.

17. Chargebacks and Payment Disputes

If you open a payment dispute, PayPal claim, card chargeback or bank reversal after work has started or been delivered, we may pause the Project and any related support until it is resolved.

We may submit evidence to the payment provider, including order details, invoices, the package purchased, your brief, communication history, concepts and deliverables shared, revision and approval records, work completed, and these Terms and our Refund Policy. We keep these records under Section 13.7 for this purpose.

Opening a dispute does not mean a refund is due. Please contact us first; most issues can be resolved directly.

18. Complimentary Work and Goodwill Extras

We may sometimes provide complimentary work, bonus designs, free mockups, website previews, extra advice or other extras at no charge. These are at our discretion and are not part of the paid package unless stated in writing.

Complimentary work has no cash value and cannot be refunded, exchanged, credited or used to increase a refund. We may withdraw it if a Project is cancelled, unpaid, disputed or charged back.

19. Ownership and Intellectual Property

All work we create, including concepts, drafts, designs, layouts, code, files, content, strategies and working files, remains the property of OSAM Websites until full payment has been received.

After full payment, ownership of the final approved Deliverables transfers to you, unless agreed otherwise in writing. This does not include unused concepts, rejected designs, drafts, internal working files, source or editable files, strategy documents or design explorations, unless included in your package or purchased separately.

Where a website or app includes our pre-existing code, reusable components, frameworks or tools, you receive a non-exclusive licence to use them as part of your Deliverables, but we keep ownership of them. Open-source and third-party components remain subject to their own licences.

We may reuse general knowledge, skills, methods and non-confidential techniques developed during a Project.

20. Source Files and Editable Files

Source, editable, vector, layered and working files, code repositories and development files are only included where stated in your package, invoice or written agreement. Otherwise they may be available at extra cost during the Retention Period only. After deletion under Section 13, they can no longer be supplied.

21. Third-Party Materials

Projects may use third-party fonts, stock images, plugins, themes, hosting, domains, software, APIs, payment gateways, email platforms, analytics or advertising platforms. Unless agreed otherwise, their costs are not included in our fees.

You are responsible for complying with third-party terms and paying their charges, renewals, licence fees and ad spend. We are not responsible for third-party changes, outages, price changes, policy changes, account suspensions, plugin conflicts or licence issues outside our control.

22. Website and App Design and Development

Website and app work is based on the agreed pages, features, platform, content, functionality and integrations. Unless expressly included, it does not include copywriting, photography, video, paid stock images, hosting, domains, premium plugins or themes, SEO campaigns, ongoing maintenance, security monitoring, content entry beyond agreed limits, advanced custom development, legal documents, payment gateway approval or email setup.

Website previews, mockups and samples provided during the sales process have no cash value unless purchased as part of a package. Launch, migration, transfer, access handover or final delivery may be subject to final payment.

After handover, changes made by you, another developer, plugin or platform updates, or your hosting provider are your responsibility. Ongoing updates and fixes require a maintenance plan or a new quote.

23. SEO, Marketing and Advertising

SEO, social media, PPC and marketing results depend on factors outside our control, including search engine algorithms, platform rules, competition, budget, website quality, market demand and your cooperation.

We do not guarantee specific rankings, traffic, sales, enquiries, revenue, follower growth, ad approvals or business results unless expressly stated in writing. Marketing is a professional service based on agreed activity, time and strategy. Advertising spend is separate from our management fees unless stated otherwise.

When an Ongoing Service ends, reports, research and campaign materials are kept for the Retention Period in Section 13 and then deleted. Please export anything you need, and remove our access to your accounts.

24. Hosting, Domains and Ongoing Services

The terms, renewal dates, payment schedule and cancellation rules for hosting, domains, maintenance and other Ongoing Services are set out in the relevant invoice, proposal or agreement.

Late or missed payments may result in suspension, downtime, non-renewal or restoration charges. We are not responsible for loss caused by expired domains, unpaid hosting, third-party downtime or failure to renew where payment or instruction was not provided on time.

If hosting with us ends for any reason, we will keep a copy of your website for the Retention Period, during which you may request a transfer or backup (fees may apply). After that, it may be permanently deleted under Section 13.

25. Portfolio Use

Unless you ask us otherwise in writing before the Project Completion Date, we may show completed work, visuals, website screenshots, logos, branding and general project descriptions in our portfolio, website, social media, proposals and marketing. We will not disclose confidential information when doing so.

26. Confidentiality

Both parties will take reasonable steps to keep the other's confidential information private and use it only for the Project. This includes business plans, unreleased brand names, analytics data, login details and customer data you share with us, and our pricing, methods and strategy documents we share with you.

Confidential information does not include information that is already public, already known to the receiving party, independently developed, received lawfully from another source, or required by law to be disclosed. We may share information with team members and service providers who need it to deliver the Project and who are bound by confidentiality.

If you need a separate Non-Disclosure Agreement, we can provide one on request.

27. Content, Accuracy and Legal Compliance

You are responsible for ensuring that your business, website content, claims, products, images, wording, trademarks and legal pages comply with applicable laws. We may help with wording, structure or layout, but we do not provide legal, financial, medical, regulatory or tax advice. We do not carry out trademark searches unless agreed in writing; you should check that your logo and business name are available before using or registering them.

28. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, data or business opportunity, arising from use of our website or services. This includes loss of Project Files deleted in line with Section 13.

Our total liability for any claim relating to a paid service will not exceed the amount you paid for the specific service giving rise to the claim.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded by law.

29. Force Majeure

We are not responsible for delay or failure caused by events outside our reasonable control, including hosting or internet outages, power failure, cyber incidents, illness, third-party platform or supplier issues, payment provider issues, legal restrictions, natural events or strikes.

30. Suspension or Termination

We may pause, suspend or terminate work if:

• Payment is late or disputed.
• You breach these Terms.
• You fail to provide required information.
• You do not respond for 30 days or more.
• You request work outside the agreed scope without approving the extra charges.
• Communication becomes abusive, threatening or unreasonable.
• Continuing the Project becomes commercially or practically unworkable.

If you do not respond for 60 days after we request information, feedback or payment, we may close the Project. The date we notify you of closure becomes the Project Completion Date, and Section 13 applies. Restarting a closed Project may require a new quote.

If a Project is terminated after work has started, refunds are assessed under our Refund Policy.

31. Your Statutory Rights

If you are a consumer (an individual acting for purposes outside your trade, business or profession), you have legal rights under UK consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Nothing in these Terms affects those rights.

Where you buy from us at a distance as a consumer, you may have a 14-day right to cancel. If you ask us to start work within that 14-day period, you agree to pay for the services provided up to the point you cancel, and you may lose the right to cancel once the service is fully performed.

These consumer rights do not apply to businesses, sole traders or organisations buying for business purposes.

32. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The version published on our website when you place your order applies to that order, unless we agree otherwise in writing. Changes do not apply retrospectively to orders already placed, except where required by law.

33. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Disputes will be resolved through negotiation first, then payment provider processes or the courts of England and Wales. If you are a consumer living in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in your local courts.

34. Contact Us

For questions about these Terms, please contact:

• OSAM Websites
• Robert-Denholm-House, Bletchingley Road, Surrey RH1 4HW
• Email: info@osamweb.co.uk
• Phone: +44 20 3864 7748
• Website: osamweb.co.uk