By accepting our website design services (“Website Services”), website hosting (“Hosting Services”), technical and support services (“Support Services”) or any other services (each a “Service” or collectively, the “Services”) of Visual Design Expert, LLC or its subsidiaries, parent companies or affiliates (“Visualdesignexperts”) you are agreeing to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”). Any new features or tools which are added to the current Services shall be also subject to the Terms of Service. You can review the current version of the Terms of Service at any time at https://Visualdesignexpert.com/terms. VisualDesignExpert reserves the right to update and change the Terms of Service by posting updates and changes to the VisualDesignExpert website. You are advised to check the Terms of Service from time to time for any updates or changes that may impact you.
You must read, agree with and accept all of the terms and conditions contained in this Terms of Service agreement before you may become a client or customer of VisualDesignExpert (“Client(s)”).
Please read the “Terms of Service” for the complete picture of your legal requirements. By using VisualDesignExpert or any Services, you are agreeing to these terms. Be sure to occasionally check back for updates.
1. Account Terms
1.1) You must be 18 years or older or at least the age of majority in the jurisdiction where you reside or from which you use a Service.
1.2) To access and use the Services, you must agree to become a Client and therefore maintain a VisualDesignExpert Client account (“Account”) by providing your full legal name, current address, phone number, a valid email address, and any other information indicated as required.
1.3) You acknowledge that VisualDesignExpert will use the email address you provide as the primary method for communication.
1.4) You are responsible for keeping any/all related passwords secure. VisualDesignExpert cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage from your failure to maintain the security of your Website Services and/or Hosting Services.
1.5) You are responsible for all activity and content such as photos, images, videos, graphics, written content, audio files, code, information, or data uploaded, collected, generated, stored, displayed, distributed, transmitted or exhibited on or in connection with your Account (“Materials”).
1.6) The specific Services, schedule and pricing will be confirmed between the parties in a written scope of work before Services begin.
1.7) A breach or violation of any term in the Terms of Service, as determined in the sole
discretion of Visual Design Expert, may result in an immediate termination of your Services.
2. Account Activation & Ownership
2.1) VisualDesignExpert Account – The person signing up for the Service will be the contracting party (“Account Owner”) for the purposes of our Terms of Service and will be the person who is authorized to use any corresponding account we may provide to the Account Owner in connection with the Service. If you are signing up for the Service on behalf of your employer or a business entity you own, your employer or the business entity shall be the Account Owner. You represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind the Account Owner to our Terms of Service.
2.2) Domain Names – Upon purchasing a domain name through Visual Design Expert, domain registration and fees will be preset to automatically renew each year, or monthly if on monthly terms, so long as your Account remains active. You acknowledge that it is your sole responsibility to contact VisualDesignExpert to deactivate the auto-renewal function should you choose to do so.
2.3) Website Hosting – Upon purchasing Hosting Services through Visual Design Expert, web hosting and fees will be preset to automatically renew each year, or monthly if on monthly terms, so long as your Account remains active. You acknowledge that it is your sole responsibility to contact VisualDesignExpert to deactivate the auto-renewal function should you choose to do so.
3. General Conditions
3.1) Support Services are only provided to paying Account Owners and is only available via email, voice phone calls, or in person meetings via applicable office and/or account manager.
3.2) VisualDesignExpert will not alter the agreed-upon scope of work without prior written approval from the Client. All changes to the scope of work will be approved and billed to Client in an appropriate and expedient manner and subject to Standard Fee Payment Schedule as outlined below.
3.3) VisualDesignExpert will work with all diligence to adhere to project schedules outlined in proposal. Client understands that they are responsible for providing timely feedback and schedules can and will be extended due to feedback. Client also understands and accepts that they are responsible for providing content and revisions in a timely manner. VisualDesignExpert is not liable for any schedule issues or delays that arise during project work and Services.
3.4) Hosting Services commence at project onset and scope of work approval. Hosting Services are subject to Standard Fee Payment Schedule as outlined below.
3.5) Client agrees to revision process outlined in their scope of work and their allocated revision hours. The launch of the Client’s website to live domain or Final Payment, whichever comes first, is considered final acceptance of website. You agree that any and all revisions and/or Services after such acceptance will be billed at Visual Design Expert’ standard hourly rates.
3.6) Client acknowledges that Client is responsible for performing the following in a reasonable and timely manner: (a) provide content in a form suitable for development to Visual Tailors; and (b) proofread all content and text provided.
3.7) All Support Services that exceed a total of 1 hour within a 30 day period are subject to our standard hourly rates.
3.8) VisualDesignExpert does not guarantee any results in regards to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services. Client agrees to, understands, and will not hold liable
VisualDesignExpert for any performance in the rankings whether positive or negative.
3.9) The Terms of Service shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and the laws of the United States applicable therein, without regard to principles of conflicts of laws. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Broome County, New York with respect to any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with the Terms of Service. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods will not apply to these Terms of Service and is hereby expressly excluded.
3.10) You acknowledge and agree that VisualDesignExpert may amend these Terms of Service at any time by posting the relevant amended and restated Terms of Service on Visual Design Expert website, available at https://Visualdesignexpert.com/terms and such amendments to the Terms of Service are effective as of the date of posting. Your continued use of the Services after the amended Terms of Service are posted to VisualDesignExpert website constitutes your agreement to, and acceptance of, the amended Terms of Service. If you do not agree to any changes to the Terms of Service, do not continue to use the Service.
3.11) You may not use any Service or your website for any illegal or unauthorized purpose, nor may you, in the use of a Service, violate any laws in your jurisdiction (including but not limited to copyright laws), the laws applicable to you in your customer’s jurisdiction, or the laws of the State of New York and the United States. You will comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations in your use of the Services.
3.12) You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any portion of the Services, use of the Services, or access to the Services without the express written permission by VisualDesignExpert.
3.13) You shall not purchase search engine or other pay-per-click keywords (such as Google AdWords), or domain names that use VisualDesignExpert or VisualDesignExpert trademarks and/or variations and misspellings thereof.
3.14) You understand that your Materials may be transferred unencrypted and involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices.
3.15) VisualDesignExpert recommends, in conjunction with Google Compliance and best practices, the
use of SSL Certificates. VisualDesignExpert is not responsible for Clients refusal of service and installation of SSL Certificate for security, SEO Rankings, or other impacts that may occur.
3.16) Questions about the Terms of Service should be sent to contact@Visualdesignexpert.com
4. Visual Design Expert Rights
4.1) Visual Design Expert reserves the right to modify or terminate the Services for any reason, without notice at any time.
4.2) Subject to applicable law, Visual Design Expert reserves the right to decline to provide Services to any actual or potential Client for any or no reason in Visual Design Expert’ sole discretion. Visual Design Expert reserves the right to refuse to create content that Visual Design Expert finds in its sole discretion to be offensive, dangerous, immoral or otherwise in conflict with the values of Visual Design Expert.
4.3) We may but have no obligation to, remove Materials and suspend or terminate Accounts if we determine in our sole discretion that the Materials uploaded or posted to a website violate our Terms of Service.
4.4) Verbal or written abuse of any kind (including threats of abuse or retribution) of any Visual Design Expert employee, member, or officer may result in immediate Account termination.
4.5) Visual Design Expert does not pre-screen Materials and it is in our sole discretion to refuse or remove any Materials from the Service.
4.6) We reserve the right to provide our Services to your competitors and make no promise of exclusivity in any particular market segment. You further acknowledge and agree that Visual Design Expert employees and contractors may also be Visual Design Expert Clients and that they may compete with you, although they may not use your confidential information in doing so.
4.7) In the event of a dispute regarding Account ownership, we reserve the right to request documentation to determine or confirm Account ownership. Documentation may include, but is not limited to, a scanned copy of your business license, EIN#, government-issued photo ID, the last four digits of the credit card on file, etc.
4.8) Visual Design Expert retains the right to determine, in our sole judgment, rightful Account ownership and transfer an Account to the rightful owner. If we are unable to determine the rightful Account owner reasonably, Visual Design Expert reserves the right to temporarily disable an Account until a resolution has been determined between the disputing parties.
5. Limitation of Liability
5.1) You expressly understand and agree that Visual Design Expert shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses resulting from the use of or inability to use the Services.
5.2) In no event shall Visual Design Expert or our suppliers be liable for lost profits or any special,
incidental or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with your website or other Services or these Terms of Service (however arising including negligence). You agree to indemnify and hold us and (as applicable) our parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, Visual Design Expert partners, members, managers, officers, agents, employees, and suppliers harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your breach of these Terms of Service or the documents it incorporates by reference, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.
5.3) Your use of the Service is at your sole risk. The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without any representation, warranty or condition, express, implied or statutory.
5.4) Visual Design Expert does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free.
5.5) Visual Design Expert does not warrant that the results that may be obtained from the use of the Services will be accurate or reliable.
5.6) Visual Design Expert does not warrant that the quality of any products, services, information, or other Materials purchased or obtained by you through the Services will meet your expectations, or that any errors in the Service will be corrected.
6. Waiver and Complete Agreement
6.1) The failure of Visual Design Expert to exercise or enforce any right or provision of the Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. The
Terms of Service and the documents it incorporates by reference constitute the entire agreement between you and Visual Design Expert and govern your use of the Services, superseding any prior agreements between you and Visual Design Expert (including, but not limited to, any prior versions of the Terms of Service).
7. Intellectual Property and Client Content
7.1) You can remove your Visual Design Expert website or Hosting Service at any time by emailing contact@Visualdesignexpert.com and requesting deletion of your Account.
7.2) By uploading Materials, you agree: (a) to allow other internet users to view the Materials you post publicly to your website; (b) to allow Visual Design Expert to store, and in the case of Materials you post publicly, display, your Materials; and (c) that Visual Design Expert can, at any time, review all the Materials submitted to its Service, although Visual Design Expert is not obligated to do so.
7.3) You retain ownership over all Materials that you upload to a Visual Design Expert website and web hosting; however, by making your website public, you agree to allow others to view Materials that you post publicly to your website. You are responsible for compliance of the Materials with any applicable laws or regulations.
7.4) We will not disclose your confidential information to third parties, except as required in the course of providing our services or as required by a court or other governmental authority.
Confidential information includes any Materials or information provided by you to us, except for information that: (a) was in the public domain at the time we received it; (b) comes into the public domain after we received it through no fault of ours; (c) we received from someone other than you without breach of our or their confidentiality obligations; or (d) we are required by law to disclose.
8. Payment of Fees
8.1) As a Client of Visual Design Expert, you agree to pay the fees applicable to your project and ongoing Services and any other applicable fees, including but not limited to fees relating to the design, development, and maintenance of your website, including any/all required third-party license fees (“License Fees”) to keep website in good working order (collectively, the “Fees”). You also agree to specific payment terms outlined in specific scopes of work outlined by Visual Design Expert management.
8.2) You must keep a valid credit card on file with us to pay for all incurred and recurring Fees. Visual Design Expert will charge applicable Fees to the credit card account that you authorize (“Authorized Card”), and Visual Design Expert will continue to charge the Authorized Card (or any replacement card) for applicable Fees until the Services are terminated, and any and all outstanding Fees have been paid in full. Unless otherwise indicated, all Fees and other charges are in U.S. dollars, and all payments shall be in U.S. currency.
8.3) Hosting Service Fees, License Fees, and any recurring subscription fees are paid in advance and will be billed in regular intervals monthly or yearly intervals (each such date, a “Billing Date”). Other Fees will be charged in accordance with the scope of work, or otherwise from time to time at Visual Design Expert’s discretion. Visual Design Expert has the right to adjust these Fees based on increases to the cost of Services. You will be charged on each Billing Date for all outstanding Fees that have not previously been charged. Fees will appear on an invoice, which will be sent to the Account Owner via the email provided. In addition to all other possible remedies, Visual Design Expert reserves the right to charge interest at a rate of 1% per month, or the maximum permitted by applicable law, whichever is less, on any Fees remaining unpaid after 30 days.
8.4) As a Client of Visual Design Expert, you agree to Visual Design Expert strict no-refund policy. At no time is Visual Design Expert liable to refund Fees for any service.
8.5) In the event that You fail to pay the Fees applicable to the Service, your project, or any ongoing services or any other application fees within the payment
period specified by any invoice which you receive from Visual Design Expert, a finance charge will be assessed on all past due amount in the lesser of 1% per month (12% per year) or the highest permissible legal rate.
8.6) You agree to pay all costs and expenses Visual Design Expert incurs to collect any amounts due in connection with the Service, your project or any ongoing services. This includes, subject to any limits under applicable law, Visual Design Expert reasonable attorneys’ fee and Visual Design Expert legal expenses whether or not there is a lawsuit, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses for bankruptcy proceedings and appeals. If not otherwise prohibited by applicable law, You shall
pay any court costs, in addition to all other sums provided by law.
9. Cancellation and Termination
9.1) You may cancel your Account at anytime by emailing contact@Visualdesignexpert.com and then following the specific instructions indicated to you in Visual Design Expert response.
9.2) Upon termination of the Services by either party for any reason:
9.2.1) Visual Design Expert will cease providing you with the Services and you will no longer be able to access your Account;
9.2.2) unless otherwise provided in the Terms of Service, you will not be entitled to any refunds of any Fees, pro rata or otherwise;
9.2.3) any outstanding balance owed to Visual Design Expert for your use of the Services through the effective date of such termination will immediately become due and payable in full; and
9.2.4) your website and/or web hosting will be taken offline.
9.3) If you purchased a domain name or website hosting through Visual Design Expert, upon cancellation your domain will no longer be automatically renewed. Following cancellation, it will be your sole responsibility to handle all matters related to your domain with the domain provider and your website hosting with a website hosting provider.
9.4) If at the date of termination of the Service, there are any outstanding Fees owing by you, you will receive one final invoice via email. Once that invoice has been paid in full, you will not be charged again.
9.5) We reserve the right to modify or terminate the Visual Design Expert Service or your Account for any reason, without notice at any time.
9.6) Fraud: Without limiting any other remedies, Visual Design Expert may suspend or terminate your Account if we suspect that you (by conviction, settlement, insurance or escrow investigation, or otherwise) have engaged in fraudulent activity in connection with the Site.
10. Modifications to the Service and Prices
10.1) Prices for using the Services are subject to change as determined by Visual Tailors. Notice of such changes may be provided at any time by posting the changes to the Visual Design Expert Site (Visualdesignexpert.com) or the Visual Design Expert terms of service, or by providing direct notice to you.
10.2)Visual Design Expert reserves the right at any time, and from time to time, to modify or discontinue, the Service (or any part thereof) with or without notice.
10.3) Visual Design Expert shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, price change, suspension or discontinuance of the Service.
11. Third Party Services
11.1) In addition to these Terms of Service, you also agree to be bound by the additional service-specific terms applicable to services you purchase from, or that are provided by,
Visual Design Expert partners or other third parties.
11.2) Visual Design Expert may from time to time recommend, provide you with access to, or enable third party software, applications (“Apps”), products, services or website links (collectively, “Third Party Services”) for your consideration or use, including any/all third party themes, plugins, extensions, merchant providers, etc. Such Third Party Services are made available only as a convenience, and your purchase, access or use of any such Third Party Services is solely between you and the applicable third party services provider (“Third Party Provider”). Any use by you of Third Party Services offered through Visual Design Expert is entirely at your own risk and discretion, and it is your responsibility to read the terms and conditions and/or privacy policies applicable to such Third Party Services before using them.
11.3) We do not provide any warranties with respect to Third Party Services. You acknowledge that Visual Design Expert has no control over Third Party Services, and shall not be responsible or liable to anyone for such Third Party Services. The availability of Third Party Services on Visual Design Expert websites, including the integration or enabling of such Third Party Services with the Services does not constitute or imply an endorsement, authorization, sponsorship, or affiliation by or with Visual Design Expert.
11.4) Visual Design Expert strongly recommends that you seek specialist advice before using or relying on Third Party Services, to ensure they will meet your needs.
11.5) If you install or enable a Third Party Service for use with the Services, you grant us permission to allow the applicable Third Party Provider to access your data and to take any other actions as required for the interoperation of the Third Party Service with the Services, and any exchange of data or other interaction between you and the Third Party Provider is solely between you and such Third Party Provider. Visual Design Expert is not responsible for any disclosure, modification or deletion of your data or other Materials, or for any corresponding losses or damages you may suffer, as a result of access by a Third Party Service or a Third Party Provider to your data or other Materials.
11.6) Google Maps is a Third Party Service that is used within the Services. Your use of the Service is subject to your acceptance of the Google Maps and Earth Enterprise Universal Acceptable Use Policy, as it may be amended by Google from time to time.
11.7) Under no circumstances shall Visual Design Expert be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, extraordinary, exemplary or other similar damages whatsoever, that result from any Third Party Services or your contractual relationship with any Third Party Provider, including any expert or consultant. These limitations shall apply even if Visual Design Expert has been advised of the possibility of such damages. The foregoing limitations shall apply to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. You also agree to indemnify and hold us and (as applicable) our parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, Visual Design Expert partners, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, employees, and suppliers harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of your use of a Third Party Service or your relationship
with a Third Party Provider.
12. DMCA Notice and Takedown Procedure
12.1) Visual Design Expert supports the protection of intellectual property and asks Visual Design Expert Clients to do the same. It’s our policy to respond to all notices of alleged copyright infringement. If someone believes that one of our Clients is infringing their intellectual property rights, they can send a DMCA Notice to Visual DesignE xpert designated agent using our email contact@Visualdesignexpert.com. Upon receiving a DMCA Notice, we may take a variety of responsive actions, including but not limited to, removing or disabling access to the Materials claimed to be a copyright infringement. Once provided with a notice of takedown, the Client can reply with a counter notification using our form if they object to the complaint. The original complainant has 14 business days after we receive a counter notification to seek a court order restraining the Client from engaging in the infringing activity, otherwise we restore the material.
13. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
13.1) The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on May 25, 2018. The GDPR imposes new obligations and responsibilities on controllers and processors of data. As a Visual Design Expert Client, you are the controller of your customers’/visitors’ data. This means that you collect your customers’ data and choose how it is handled. Additionally, though it is a European regulation, the GDPR might apply to your business if you make goods and services available in Europe, even if you or your business are not located in Europe. As a service provider, Visual Design Expert follows your instructions on how to handle that data. For more information about the roles of data controller and processor, please see our WordPress GDPR page for more information.
While Visual Design Expert does what it can to set you up for success, there are also steps you will need to take on your own, and ultimately, compliance with the GDPR is the responsibility of each individual Visual Design Expert Client or their users. If you have legal questions specific to your obligations under the GDPR, then please consult with a local lawyer who is familiar with data protection laws.
14. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance
14.1) The Department of Justice’s revised regulations for Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) were published in the Federal Register on September 15, 2010. These regulations adopted revised, enforceable accessibility standards called the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, “2010 Standards.” On March 15, 2012, compliance with the 2010 Standards was required for new construction and alterations under Titles II and III. March 15, 2012, is also the compliance date for using the 2010 Standards for program accessibility and barrier removal.
14.2) As a Visual Design Expert Client, you are the controller of your customers’/visitors’ experience and design standards and level of accessibility. As a service provider, Visual Design Expert follows your
instructions on how to handle that experience, design standard, and access level. Ultimately, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is the responsibility of each individual Visual Design Expert Client. If you have legal questions specific to your obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), then please consult with an attorney.
15. Supported Website Browsers
15.1) While Visual Design Expert makes strong efforts to support the latest website browser versions, there is no guarantee that your existing website will always be compatible with the latest versions.
15.2) Visual Design Expert strives to comply and meet modern web standards. You acknowledge and agree that Visual Design Expert websites will be compatible with the latest versions of the following browsers, during development and launch of your new website: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari, Google Chrome on Android, Apple Safari on iOS, Google Chrome on iOS.
15.3) Visual Design Expert does not support any version of the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser. Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) is an outdated and insecure website browser that is no longer supported by Microsoft, nor Visual Design Expert. While Internet Explorer 11 may be available on some newer versions of Windows machines, it has reached its end-of-life and has been replaced by the Microsoft Edge browser. Microsoft Edge has been the default browser on Windows 10 machines since 2015. Numerous company websites have stopped supporting IE11, including Google and Microsoft themselves. Due to the lack of support for IE11 — along with its limited market share and increased development time for backward functionality — Visual Design Expert does not support IE11 during development. It may be the case that your website will still perform and function well in IE11, however Visual Design Expert does not explicitly test in IE11.
16. Mutual Respect Between Visual Design Expert and Clients
16.1) Visual Design Expert is committed to ensuring respectful behavior between you/your organization and Visual Design Expert team members. Visual Design Expert is also requiring the same respect and professionalism in return. A respectful, polite, and professional relationship is the expected baseline for all communications. If either party determines a lack of respect or professionalism; this can result in termination of the project and support of your websites.
16.2) Examples of disrespect causing termination:
16.2.1) Use of threatening or abusive language, profanity or language that is intended to be, or is perceived by others to be, demeaning, berating, rude, threatening, intimidating, hostile or offensive;
16.2.2) Using of epithets, slurs or negative stereotyping
16.2.3) Making threats of violence, retribution, litigation, or financial harm; shouting or engaging in other speech, conduct or mannerisms that are reasonably perceived by others to represent intimidation or harassment
16.2.4) Making comments or engaging in behavior that is untruthful or directed as a personal
attack on the professional conduct of others
16.2.5) Or other behavior deemed inappropriate, unprofessional, or qualifies as harassment.
16.3) We know you’ll find Visual Design Expert team members to be supportive of your project and act in a professional manner at all times, we ask for the same in return.
