Terms of Service.

Acceptance and parties

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a binding contract between Pinellas Web Studio, a sole proprietorship located in Belleair Bluffs, Florida, USA ("Pinellas Web Studio," "Studio," "I," "me," or "my"), and the individual or entity that engages the Studio for paid services ("Client," "you," or "your"). The contracting party on the Studio side is Pinellas Web Studio; references to "Dean Thompson" elsewhere on the site refer to the public-facing principal and do not change the contracting party.

You accept these Terms when any of the following happens, whichever is first: (a) you sign or otherwise approve a written project scope that references or links to these Terms; (b) you pay an invoice for Studio services; (c) you continue to use Studio services after these Terms have been posted at pinellaswebstudio.com/terms. If you don't accept these Terms, do not engage the Studio.

For each engagement, the contract between the Studio and the Client consists of, in order of precedence: (1) the written project scope (the "Scope") for that engagement; (2) these Terms; (3) any privacy or fulfillment policies linked from this site. If a term in the Scope conflicts with these Terms for that specific engagement, the Scope controls for that engagement.

Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into binding contracts to engage the Studio. If you are entering into the contract on behalf of a business or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity, and "Client" refers to that entity.

How an engagement starts

A typical engagement begins by email. You describe what you want; I send back a written Scope that includes the deliverables, the flat price, the payment schedule, and an estimated delivery window. You confirm by reply, the Studio issues the deposit invoice through Stripe, and the engagement formally begins on receipt of the deposit payment.

Verbal or hallway-style requests do not change what's being built. Anything not in the Scope is not in the Scope; new requests after sign-off are handled under section 7.

Services

The Studio offers the following packages, as further described on the public service pages:

• Website Refresh ($500 flat). One-page mobile-friendly rebuild of an existing site.
• Starter Website ($900 flat). A full one-page launch for a business without an existing site.
• Growth Website (from $1,800). 2 to 5 pages, scoped per project.
• Custom Build (from $3,000). Bespoke projects: e-commerce, custom booking systems, integrations, full-stack web applications. Scoped and quoted as a flat project after a written scope conversation.
• Website Care ($49 per month). Hosting, SSL, weekly backups, security and software updates, uptime monitoring, and up to 30 minutes per month of small edits as defined on the Care page. Cancel anytime.

What you receive on launch day for any paid build, unless the Scope says otherwise: a live site at the agreed-on domain, a one-page handover document describing what's where and how to update it, ownership of the site files on final payment, confirmed SSL, a basic local-search setup check, and a 30-day bug warranty for Custom Build engagements (see section 11).

Order fulfillment for digital services means delivery of the deliverables described in the Scope to the agreed-on domain or a download link. There is no physical shipment, no shipping fees, and no destination restrictions beyond the acceptable-use rules in section 13.

Pricing and payment

All prices are quoted in United States dollars ($USD) and are flat-rate per Scope. Prices are stated in writing in the Scope before any work begins. Sales tax is not currently charged on Studio services to customers in Florida (web design services are not subject to Florida sales tax as of the effective date); if applicable tax law changes or if Client is located in a jurisdiction that taxes the services, the applicable tax will be added to the invoice.

Payment schedules

• Website Refresh and Starter Website: 50% deposit at scope sign-off, 50% at launch.
• Growth Website and Custom Build: 40% at scope sign-off, 30% at preview, 30% at launch.
• Website Care: $49 per month, charged in advance to a card or bank account on file with Stripe, beginning the day Care is added.

Invoicing and payment methods

All invoices are issued through Stripe, payable by major credit card or ACH bank transfer. Payment terms are Net 14 unless the Scope says otherwise. Invoices are due 14 calendar days after issue.

Late payment

Invoices not paid within 14 days of the invoice date are subject to a late fee of 1.5% per month on the outstanding balance, or the maximum rate permitted by Florida law, whichever is lower. If any invoice is more than 7 days past due, the Studio may suspend further work and pause the engagement until the balance is settled, without itself constituting a breach.

Disputes about an invoice

If you believe an invoice contains an error, email [email protected] within 14 days of the invoice date describing the issue. Disputes raised in good faith pause the late-fee clock for the disputed portion only while the dispute is resolved.

Refunds and cancellation

"First concept is on me" guarantee

For every paid build (Refresh, Starter, Growth, Custom Build), the first concept the Studio sends back is free in this sense: if the concept isn't what you wanted and you decide not to move forward, the deposit is refunded in full and the engagement ends. To exercise this, reply to the concept email within 7 calendar days of receipt indicating that you wish to end the engagement under this guarantee.

After concept approval

Once you approve the concept and the Studio begins the build, the deposit covers the work performed from that point forward and is non-refundable. If the Client cancels for convenience after concept approval:

• For Refresh and Starter (50/50 split): the Studio retains the deposit. The Client is not invoiced for the launch payment. The Studio delivers any in-progress files via email or download link.
• For Growth and Custom Build (40/30/30 split): the Studio retains the deposit and any milestone payment already received, and is entitled to invoice for any additional work demonstrably completed past the most recent paid milestone, billed at $50 per hour up to a cap equal to the next milestone payment. The Studio delivers any in-progress files via email or download link.

Website Care cancellation

Website Care cancels at any time on email request to [email protected]. The cancellation takes effect at the end of the current already-billed month. The current month is not prorated or refunded. No further months are billed. On cancellation, the Studio will help migrate the site files to a host of your choosing on a reasonable-efforts basis at no extra charge.

Refunds for Studio nonperformance

If the Studio materially fails to perform (for example, missing a deadline by a wide margin without notice, or delivering work that does not meaningfully match the Scope), the Client may request a partial or full refund by emailing the Studio. The Studio will respond within 5 business days with a proposed resolution. The Studio prefers fixing the underlying issue to refunding, but where a refund is the right answer, it will be issued through Stripe to the original payment method.

Chargebacks

If you intend to dispute a charge, contact me first at [email protected] so we can resolve it directly. A chargeback filed without first attempting to resolve the issue with the Studio is a breach of these Terms and the Studio reserves the right to pursue collection of the chargeback amount and any associated chargeback fees.

Revisions, changes, and timeline

Included revisions

Each project includes one round of revisions per stage at no additional cost: revisions to the concept, then revisions to the preview before launch. A "revision" is a consolidated set of changes returned in a single email or a single annotated document, not an open-ended back-and-forth.

Additional revisions and change requests

Additional revision rounds, new requests outside the original Scope, or changes that materially expand the project (a new section, a new page, a new feature, a copy direction shift) are quoted as a flat add-on or, where the work is too small to flat-quote, billed at $50 per hour. Add-on work proceeds only after the Client approves the quote in writing.

Timeline

The Scope includes an estimated delivery window. The Studio uses commercially reasonable efforts to meet that estimate. Delivery is subject to timely Client cooperation under section 8. Deadlines are extended day-for-day for any period during which the Studio is waiting on Client input, content, or approvals.

Client responsibilities

To do my job, I rely on you to:

• Provide content (text, photos, logos, brand assets) on the agreed-on schedule and in usable formats. If content isn't ready by the agreed-on date and the Studio doesn't hear from you for 30 days, the engagement may be paused; resumption may require a small reactivation fee to cover re-onboarding time.
• Provide accurate information about the business and ensure that any content you supply is truthful, lawful, and yours to use.
• Grant the Studio the access it needs to do the job: domain DNS, current hosting credentials, third-party tool credentials where relevant. Credentials should be transmitted through a password manager or a one-time secure-share link rather than plain email.
• Review concepts and previews and reply with feedback or approval within a reasonable time, normally within 7 calendar days of delivery. Lack of response after 14 days is treated as approval of that stage for purposes of triggering the next milestone invoice.
• Pay invoices on time per the Scope.

Intellectual property

Pre-existing materials

Each party retains all right, title, and interest in materials that party owned or licensed before the engagement began. Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of pre-existing materials.

Client materials

You retain ownership of all materials you provide to the Studio, including text, photos, logos, brand assets, and any other content you supply. You grant the Studio a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use those materials solely to perform the Scope and to keep a copy of the delivered work for the Studio's archival and portfolio purposes.

Deliverables

On final payment of all amounts due for an engagement (deposit, all milestone payments, any approved add-ons, and any late fees), the Studio assigns to the Client all right, title, and interest in the original elements of the deliverables created specifically for the Client under that Scope, including the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, image files generated by the Studio, and the written copy approved by the Client. Until final payment clears, all work-in-progress files remain the property of the Studio and are licensed to the Client only for review purposes.

Third-party and open components

Many sites incorporate third-party or open-source components: web fonts, icon sets, photography from stock providers, JavaScript libraries, and similar materials. Those components remain the property of their respective owners and are governed by their own licenses. The Studio uses commercially reasonable efforts to ensure all third-party components used in the deliverables are properly licensed for the Client's intended use and to disclose any non-trivial license restrictions in the handover document.

Studio tools and templates

The Studio retains ownership of any general-purpose tools, scripts, snippets, design system components, or templates that pre-existed the engagement or that are reused across multiple clients. The Client receives a perpetual, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use those tools as integrated into the Client's specific deliverables, but does not receive ownership of those general-purpose tools themselves.

Portfolio and confidentiality

Portfolio rights

The Studio may include a screenshot, the live URL, the Client's brand name, and a short factual description of the engagement (project type, scope, year) in the Studio's portfolio, case studies, social posts, and similar promotional materials. If you'd prefer to be excluded from the portfolio, email [email protected] at any time and the Studio will remove or refrain from publishing the engagement.

Confidentiality

Each party agrees to keep confidential any non-public information the other party marks as confidential or that a reasonable person would understand to be confidential under the circumstances (including, on the Studio side, business strategy, internal financials, customer lists, or unreleased product details the Client shares to scope the project). Confidential information may be used only to perform the Scope. This obligation survives termination for three years. It does not apply to information that is or becomes public without breach, that the receiving party already knew without an obligation of confidence, that the receiving party independently develops, or that must be disclosed under law.

Bug warranty (Custom Build only)

For 30 calendar days after launch of a Custom Build engagement, the Studio will fix bugs in the delivered Scope at no additional charge. A "bug" means a defect in functionality that was specified in the Scope but does not work as specified, or a layout break in current versions of major browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) on common desktop and mobile screen sizes.

The bug warranty does not cover: new features or scope additions, content updates, third-party services that change their APIs or terms, browser or device versions released after launch, hosting platform changes, or issues caused by Client modifications to the deliverables. Refresh, Starter, Growth, and Care engagements do not include the 30-day bug warranty; bug fixes for those engagements are handled under Care if applicable, or quoted separately.

Hosting and Website Care

The build is one-time. After launch you may host the delivered site on any hosting provider you choose. The Studio will assist with a one-time handover (export of files, basic setup notes) at no charge.

If you choose to add Website Care, the Care service includes hosting on the Studio's chosen platform (currently Cloudflare), SSL certificate management, weekly backups, security and software updates, uptime monitoring, and up to 30 minutes per calendar month of "small edits."

"Small edits" means text changes, photo swaps, and updates to hours, prices, menu items, or service lines. The 30-minute allowance is per calendar month and does not roll over. New sections, new pages, redesigns, and new functionality are not small edits and are quoted as a flat scope (or, where too small to flat-quote, at $50 per hour). Detail and current Care boundary descriptions are published on the Website Care page.

Website Care is sold as a recurring monthly service. The price stated at the time of subscription remains in effect for that subscription unless the Studio gives at least 30 days' notice of a price change. If you don't accept the new price, you can cancel without penalty before the new price takes effect.

Acceptable use and refusal of service

The Studio reserves the right to decline a project at the scoping stage, with a refund of any deposit, or to terminate an engagement in progress, if the requested work is unlawful, fraudulent, deceptive, infringes the rights of others, promotes hatred or violence, involves regulated industries the Studio is not equipped to serve safely (for example: regulated financial services, regulated healthcare, gambling outside Florida-licensed contexts, weapons manufacturing, adult content), or is otherwise outside the Studio's scope of work as described on this site.

The Client warrants that any content provided to the Studio is lawful, accurate, owned or licensed by the Client, and does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or any other rights of any third party.

Independent contractor relationship

The Studio is engaged as an independent contractor. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, agency, or fiduciary relationship between the Studio and the Client. Neither party may bind the other to obligations to third parties without express written authorization.

Disclaimers

Except as expressly stated in these Terms or the applicable Scope, the Studio's services and deliverables are provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE." To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Studio disclaims all other warranties, express or implied, including the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement.

The Studio does not warrant that: (a) the deliverables will achieve any specific business outcome (number of leads, sales, search rankings, conversion rate, or customer acquisition); (b) the deliverables will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free over time, particularly as third-party platforms and browsers evolve; (c) any specific search engine ranking will result from local-search-basics setup. Search engines, hosting providers, and third-party services are independent of the Studio and their behavior is outside the Studio's control. Some jurisdictions don't allow the exclusion of certain warranties; in those jurisdictions, the exclusions above apply only to the extent permitted.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Studio's total aggregate liability to the Client arising out of or relating to an engagement, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), warranty, or any other legal theory, is limited to the total amount the Client actually paid the Studio for the specific engagement that gave rise to the claim during the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Studio is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost revenue, lost customers, lost data, business interruption, or third-party hosting outages, even if the Studio has been advised of the possibility of such damages. The limits and exclusions in this section do not apply to liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law (for example, gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud).

Indemnification

By Client

The Client will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Studio from and against any third-party claim, demand, lawsuit, settlement, judgment, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to (a) content the Client provided that infringes the intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights of a third party; (b) the Client's misuse of the deliverables after delivery; (c) the Client's breach of these Terms; or (d) the Client's violation of applicable law in connection with the engagement.

By Studio

The Studio will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Client from and against any third-party claim that the original elements of the deliverables created by the Studio specifically for the Client (excluding Client materials and third-party components) infringe the intellectual property rights of a third party. If such a claim is asserted, the Studio may, at its option and expense, modify the deliverable so it no longer infringes, procure for the Client the right to continue using it, or refund the fees paid for the affected deliverable in exchange for its return. This is the Studio's entire indemnification obligation and the Client's exclusive remedy for IP infringement claims.

Process

The party seeking indemnification must promptly notify the other party of any claim in writing, allow the indemnifying party to control the defense and settlement of the claim (provided that no settlement that imposes any non-monetary obligation on the indemnified party may be entered without the indemnified party's consent), and reasonably cooperate in the defense at the indemnifying party's expense.

Force majeure

Neither party is liable for any delay or failure to perform (other than payment obligations) caused by circumstances beyond that party's reasonable control, including acts of God, severe weather, hurricanes, fires, floods, pandemics, government action, war, terrorism, civil unrest, internet or hosting platform outages affecting the Studio's primary providers, or extended power or network outages at the Studio's place of operation. The affected party will notify the other party as soon as practicable and use reasonable efforts to resume performance.

Termination and survival

Termination for convenience

Either party may terminate an engagement for convenience by written notice to the other party. The financial consequences are described in section 6.

Termination for cause

Either party may terminate an engagement immediately on written notice if the other party materially breaches these Terms or the applicable Scope and fails to cure the breach within 14 calendar days of receiving written notice describing it. Failure to pay an undisputed invoice when due is a material breach.

Effect of termination

On termination: (a) the Client pays for all services performed through the effective termination date in accordance with section 6; (b) the Studio delivers any in-progress files to the Client; (c) the Studio retains the right to its general-purpose tools and templates as described in section 9; (d) any rights assigned to the Client conditional on final payment do not transfer if final payment was not made.

Survival

Provisions that by their nature should survive termination do survive, including sections 9 (intellectual property), 10 (portfolio and confidentiality), 13 (acceptable use), 15 (disclaimers), 16 (limitation of liability), 17 (indemnification), 20 (governing law), and 21 (notices and miscellaneous), as well as any payment obligations accrued before termination.

Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the engagement are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, USA, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles, and excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.

Informal resolution first

Before either party initiates a formal proceeding, that party agrees to first send a written notice describing the dispute and a proposed resolution to the other party at the addresses for notices in section 21. The parties agree to attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute by email or video discussion for a period of at least 30 calendar days following such notice.

Venue

If the dispute is not resolved informally, the parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state courts located in Pinellas County, Florida, or, if subject-matter jurisdiction exists, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Each party waives any objection to that venue based on inconvenient forum or otherwise. For amounts within its jurisdictional limit, either party may bring the action in small-claims court without first attempting informal resolution.

No jury, no class

To the extent permitted by applicable law, each party waives any right to a jury trial, and any dispute will be resolved on an individual basis only. Neither party will participate in a class action, class arbitration, or other representative proceeding against the other.

Notices, changes, and miscellaneous

Notices

Notices to the Studio must be sent by email to [email protected]. Notices to the Client must be sent to the email address the Client provided in the Scope or most recently updated by written notice. Email notice is deemed received on the date sent absent a non-delivery error.

Changes to these Terms

The Studio may revise these Terms from time to time by posting an updated version at pinellaswebstudio.com/terms and updating the "Last updated" date at the top. Existing engagements remain governed by the version of these Terms in effect when the applicable Scope was signed unless the parties agree in writing to apply the revised Terms. For ongoing services such as Website Care, material changes take effect on the next billing cycle following at least 30 days' notice; you may cancel before they take effect if you don't accept them.

Severability

If a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of these Terms unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

No waiver

A failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of the right to enforce it later.

Assignment

Neither party may assign these Terms or an engagement without the other party's prior written consent, except that either party may assign without consent to a successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of substantially all of that party's assets, on at least 30 days' written notice to the other party.

Entire agreement

The applicable Scope, these Terms, and any policies expressly referenced in either of them constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter and supersede all prior or contemporaneous understandings, written or oral.

Headings and interpretation

Headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation. "Including" means "including without limitation."

Counterparts and electronic signatures

The Scope may be signed in counterparts, including by email confirmation or electronic signature, each of which is deemed an original and all of which together constitute one agreement.

How to contact me

Questions about these Terms, scope changes, billing, or anything else go to:

Pinellas Web Studio
Belleair Bluffs, FL, USA
[email protected]

I'll reply within one business day.