Terms and Conditions

As noted in all agreements, Expansion Support Services terms are part-and-parcel of all working relationships with you, our valued clients.

Right of Refusal – Expansion Support Services reserves the right at its sole discretion to refuse or discontinue any or all services to potential or current clients that market illegal, borderline illegal or other morally questionable/unacceptable products or services. Further, we reserve the right to determine at our discretion if a product or service is one that may or may not be tremendously helpful to the social welfare and greater good of our society and refuse acceptance of those that do not qualify.

Such products and services would include but are not limited to narcotics, drug paraphernalia, non-hunting weaponry, pornography, psychotropic medications, psychiatry, parasitic lawyers, gambling, psychics, strip clubs, voodoo medicine, etc. If an order somehow or other slips through our sales department and is so determined to not be a qualified order for our company the client will be fully refunded ASAP with a brief explanation as to the unacceptability to our terms.

PRIVACY POLICY  

We respect and are committed to protecting your privacy. We may collect personally identifiable information when you visit our site. We also automatically receive and record information on our server logs from your browser including your IP address, cookie information and the page(s) you visited. We will not sell your personally identifiable information to anyone.

You can see our full Privacy Policy by clicking HERE.

WE COMMUNICATE

By consenting to Expansion Support Services’ SMS marketing in the checkout of a service and initializing a purchase or subscribing via our subscription tools, you agree to receive phone calls, emails, text messages and/or recurring text notifications for your order, text marketing offers, and transactional texts, including requests for reviews from us, even if your mobile number and/or email account is registered on any state or federal do-not-call list. Message frequency varies. Consent is not a condition of purchase.

If you wish to unsubscribe from receiving text marketing messages and notifications, reply with STOP to any mobile message sent from us or use the unsubscribe link we provided you within any of our messages. You understand and agree that alternative methods of opting out, such as using alternative words or requests, will not be considered a reasonable means of opting out. We do not charge for the service, but you are responsible for all charges and fees associated with text messaging imposed by your wireless provider. Message and data rates may apply.

For any questions, please text HELP to the number you received the messages from. You can also contact us at support@expansionsupportservices.com for more information.

We have the right to modify any telephone number or short code we use to operate the service at any time. You will be notified on such occasions. You agree that any messages you send to a telephone number or short code we have changed, including any STOP or HELP requests, may not be received, and we will not be liable for honoring requests made in such messages.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, you agree that we will not be liable for failed, delayed, or misdirected delivery of any information sent through the service, any errors in such information, and/or any action you may or may not take in reliance on the information or Service.

Your right to privacy is important to us. You can click here to see our Privacy Policy to determine how we collect and use your personal information.

SECURITY POLICY  

Your payment and personal information is always safe. Our Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software is the industry standard and among the best software available today for secure commerce transactions. It encrypts all of your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address, so that it cannot be read over the internet.

Annual Security & Optimization Updates is when we renew the website’s security certificate (SSL), renew the domain if needed, update their content management system, update specialize and custom computer coded features, ensure all forms are secured, review and optimize as needed accounts such as Google My Business, Bing, Apple Maps, delete all cashed files, optimize site for speed and functionality, and ensure site is ranking well.

The cost of this annual service is $500 and this fee is part and parcel to call campaigns that include websites and web hosting.

GUARANTEED RESULTS

Expansion Support Services is not Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. thus we cannot guarantee that your search results will be on any particular page. For those that have ordered our Get Found Service, we do guarantee that we will build 1 to 3 well optimized pages for every search term in accordance with the client’s order and submit these pages for indexing on the various search engines. This has proven to be a very successful action and we expect it to be very successful in the future.

Do we make a client’s phone ring off the hook? This creates a mental picture of an old time switch board operator that can’t possible keep up with the calls coming in. If that is your picture, no, we do not make the phone ring off the hook.

Our goal is to increase the quantity of prospects that find out about you and contact you for a quote, estimate, etc. There are many factors that will determine the quantity of prospects. Clients that hire us to handle all of the recommendatioSn in our analysis, Get Found, web development, email campaigns, pay-per click, social media marketing, phone apps, etc. have a better opportunity to get more prospects than those that just have us address a few of the items. Additionally, the clients that engage in paid ads in addition to the foundational Get Found service have historically gotten more prospects than those that do not engage in paid ads.

What we do provide a money back guarantee on is our Competitive Marketing Analysis. If we cannot locate at least 5 areas in your online marketing that need correction, we will refund the fee you paid. If we locate 5 or more areas in your online marketing that need attention, we will not refund your money. Clients that do not take time to receive their consultation wherin we go over the data discovered do not qualify for a refund.

ACCEPTANCE

Clients are only accepted by ESS that select listed products as detailed within an order form, described in the Competitive Marketing Analysis, and published online at expansionsupportservices.com. They must authorize Expansion Support Services to manage their online marketing accounts as needed so ESS can professionally deliver the services ordered. Clients must also authorize their provided bank account or credit card to be charged for any ordered one-time, monthly and/or annual services they order from Expansion Support Services.

REFUND POLICY

Hours & Labor

Clients usually purchase labor and staff time from ESS. For example, a client purchasing a website is not at Walmart looking at websites on a shelf and selecting the website they want. Instead, the client purchases a quantity of hours and then ESS spends that time developing a website. Even delivering services such as Google Maps optimization, Voice Search Optimization, Facebook Business Pages, Get Found, etc. are services that are all labor intensive and take ESS’s staff time to produce results. As development time cannot be “put back on a shelf and resold”, it literally cannot be returned, so hours purchased and any services developed in-house using ESS labor and time are not refundable.

Tangible Products

We offer a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee on all tangible products we offer. Please call customer service at 727.888.5358 in advance to obtain an RMA number (Return Merchandise Authorization) within 30 days of purchase date. Please be assured that your items will ship out within two days of purchase. We determine the most efficient shipping carrier for your order. The carriers that may be used are: U.S. Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS) or FedEx. Sorry, but we cannot ship to P.O. Boxes. If you’re trying to estimate when a package will be delivered, please note the following: credit card authorization and verification must be received prior to processing. Federal Express and UPS deliveries occur Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. If you require express or 2 day shipping, please call us at 303.477.3361 for charges. SHIPPING AND HANDLING COSTS: There is no handling charge. Florida residents will pay sales tax of 6% on products and out of state orders WILL NOT be charged sales tax.

Any refunds provided will be done as a credit to the credit card used at the time of purchase within five (5) business days upon receipt of the returned merchandise. If a client does a chargeback, the refund will be automatically disapproved at ESS and turned over to the ESS Legal team to sort out.

Only the Quality Control Manager may authorize refunds to be sent to the client or a reduction in the number of months in the service agreements. General staff, Customer Service professionals, Business Consultants & Sales Management do NOT have authority to authorize client refunds, credits, or contract modifications, and we ask that you notify the Expansion Support Services Quality Control Manager if any such promise as been made. The ESS Quality Control Manager may authorize a refund if found ESS did not deliver what was agreed upon in the order form. If ESS did deliver what was ordered, no refund will be approved.

Intangible Services

Creative arts and digital marketing services, such as, web design, logos, content creation, hosting, etc. cannot be “put back on the shelf” resold, thus are not refundable.

CANCELS

Cancellations & Contract Modifications

Clients that no longer want to be serviced by Expansion Support Services may terminate their service Agreement at any time by sending in a letter of cancellation and any balances due satisfying the financial obligations of development services, remaining months of term agreements, and any received paid advertising services not yet billed.

Site files, content and domain access are transferable to those clients that have paid for the services and fulfilled all financial obligations. Transfers, especially site files, often take time and this time is billed at standard rates in advance of the transfer work being done. Expansion Support Services maintains full copyright and licensing authority on all content and other parts of a project created for a client by Expansion Support Services until full payment obligations for services have been fulfilled.

If the client requests to terminate services prior to the end agreed upon period, they will sign the Early Termination Agreement or pay the remaining balance via a cashier’s check or money order.

Expansion Support Services proprietary technologies are not ever transferable. We occasionally go above and beyond for clients we believe will be with us for a long duration, including doing extra work that was not ordered and/or paid. This free service is not transferable unless payment for the work is made.

Services that do not require a transfer can be terminated immediately by delivering a written letter of cancelation. Services needing to be transferred require a 30-day advance notice permitting Expansion Support Services ample time to complete transfers professionally. Upon receipt of a client’s written request and fulfillment of their financial obligations, all pertinent project information will be forwarded directly to the client (not a 3rd party vendor) within 30 days from receipt date of notification and or contract fulfillment, whichever is later. Website files and databases will be uploaded to an electronic storage platform, like Dropbox, with access provided to client and this will be considered fully transferred.

From time to time, clients change their minds in midstream during a project or have personal tastes that cannot be satiated. We do our best within the scope of the project to satisfy each and every client, however this is not always possible. Clients who have changed their mind on the project or are not satisfied may request projects to be stopped and request in writing a full or partial refund proportional to the work produced or time spent on the project. All requests must be received within 30 days of project completion and will then be reviewed, addressed and handled professionally by the Quality Control Manager, including communicating with the client, internal investigations, etc. so that we not only ensure the client is well handled, but also ensure our staff are corrected on our Policies and Procedures.

We understand that from time to time, clients may have cash flow challenges, change their mind, have a 3rd party situation or upsets about what has been delivered. We strive to duplicate what the client wants and needs. Unfortunately, there are many potential arbitrary viewpoints that can crop up when dealing within such an artistic medium.

Written Communication

With an overall goal to help our clients expand their business, it is imperative that we communicate and coordinate at optimum levels.

Of course, we love speaking directly with our clients, which is why our preferred method of doing business is face-to-face. We have created our business model to support this point of view and normally will be able to make one of our Marketing Consultants available to visit you at your place of business, if so desired.

With that in mind, and to also ensure we duplicate what is ordered, it will be necessary to receive signed order forms and change orders in writing. There are online forms within this corporate site that allow clients to submit their written requests directly online. We can also receive them via fax or snail mail – your choice.  With the modern conveniences of telephones, smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc., we also know that it can be more convenient for clients to place orders directly over the phone.  These are acceptable as long as we have pertinent data and electronic signatures that can be verified.

When there are delays with projects, we normally discover there is some basic confusion with order specifics, indecision, inadequate content, payment challenges or simple non duplication between client, Account Managers, and our delivery staff. Clients are encouraged to contact their Account Managers and the company as often as possible to ensure their project is moving along smoothly.

Orders, Change Orders and Service Requests must all be in written format. Thank you for your cooperation as this allows us to better track situations and keep our costs of doing business lower than normal, which eventually translates into solid savings for our clients.

Clients in good standing can elect to correspond with our company via telephone, mail, online ticket systems, online chat services, email, etc.  This is reserved for clients that are in exchange and in communication and paying fair value for services.

It’s understood and agreed that Expansion Support Services retains the exclusive right to decide which forms of communication will be allowed to and from LExpansion Support Services on a client-by-client basis.  If for an example, a client chooses to terminate services in an antagonistic manner, Expansion Support Services may choose to only accept communications through written mail sent via normal post.

Online Customer Support

For active clients, we maintain an online help desk customer support ticket system.  If so inclined, a client can simply go to our main site and to the customer support page and complete a ticket.  This can be accessed normally 24 hours per day.  We do our best to respond in an expeditious manner but reserve the right to other time frames as needed and to move tickets out of the system that do not belong.

The system is setup for technical support, billing or change order issues.  All other concerns should be addressed with either a phone call or written email to support@expansionsupportservices.com.

Price Fees

Clients understand and agree that Expansion Support Services reserves the right to increase or decrease price structures for services on an “as needed” basis to maintain viability & profitability so the company can continue to provide high quality services for future clients.  Any price increases needing to be made will be done directly with a client as needed or as a general announcement within our web presence if something such as a cost of inflation monthly service increase.

Call Tracking and Reports – $20 per Quarter and $.09 per minute

Company will utilize software to identify the quantity of traffic to the website, how many pages are viewed, what devises people are using, etc. as well as emailing and storing forms generated, and calls produced will be recorded and available to client for quality control purposes. Quarterly, Company will provide Client with a full report including online rankings, web traffic, forms produced and recordings of all calls and will charge the client $20 per quarter plus $.09 per minute on calls produced in the campaign.

All Projects

Client satisfaction is our #1 goal. To accomplish this goal, the client, ESS, and company staff will coordinate & communicate to duplicate what is needed by the client at the time the order is made.

It goes without saying that each client will want to receive the best services for the lowest costs possible and that the company will do its best to provide what is needed and ordered by the client within the payment arrangements made to ensure company profitability.

The company and client must formalize a project agreement with a printed, faxed, emailed, scanned, or online order contract that outlines the products and services ordered as well as the costs and payment terms.  No matter how contracted, clients always agree to the full scope of Expansion Support Services terms of agreement and service specifications as outlined within the Expansion Support Services corporate site.

Verbal agreements are not valid. We delineate projects based upon complexity and have two major groups – basic and advanced – please review the differences below.

Mediation

All clients understand and agree that any and all project disagreements (outside collection activities by Expansion Support Services) unsolvable through basic communication with our company and related to projects will be settled by an independent third party mediation company located in Pinellas County Florida selected by Expansion Support Services and agreed upon by the client.  Clients hire us to produce marketing and advertising works that can be vulnerable and subjectable to attack from either good or bad intentioned third parties with various degrees of professional marketing acumen.  This would include but not be limited to a client being “dissatisfied” with the work or results provided, a client wanting to cancel prematurely, a client wanting assets prior to contract fulfillment, etc. A professional mediator must be hired and paid for by the initiator of the dispute in order to quickly, efficiently and cost effectively sort out any unsolved disagreements.  It is agreed that mediation must occur prior to any initiated lawsuits.

Service Category Hourly Rates

We have found that to best serve our clients in an expeditious manner over the long term we must minimally maintain a fair exchange rate for our time.

Our price points are established in a manner that ensures we will remain viable to accomplish this objective.  We do everything possible to deliver what is needed at the most affordable price points within the industry while simultaneously ensuring our company continues to grow.

From Introductory to Advanced Services we strive to deliver services within hourly rates from fifty to two hundred fifty (or more) per hour depending upon the level of services required for the entire – or portion of a specific – project.

Each client agrees to these rates which are flexible and assigned by Expansion Support Services management based upon sliding scales for the type of services or caliber of staff required for work on an ordered project.  Expansion Support Services will include total company invested hours with appropriate rate categories into each project and as an aggregate to ensure clients and Expansion Support Services both receive a fair exchange.

Similar structures for pay for service can be found throughout the professional world such as accounting, consulting, automotive, banking, medical, legal, etc.

SERVICES

Expansion Support Services has evolved into an Advertising & Marketing Agency and now offers it’s cutting edge technologies and expertise to provide high quality TV | Radio | Print | Billboard | Digital | Design services to those that qualify and are able to budget as needed to afford these services.

Introductory Services

Introductory Services such as consulting, logos, print design, entry level radio or TV commercials, brochure style websites, training, entry level shopping carts, marketing reports, video edits, change orders, etc., can be delivered very expeditiously. We attempt and do our best to complete basic project orders within 30 days or less from the date of final payment. For extenuating circumstances, workloads, or project nuances, it may take longer to deliver what was ordered. These types of orders will normally be delivered with the information submitted at the time of order or anything received prior to project launch. Change requests to orders from clients received after delivery can be accomplished for our normal per hour “Change Order” Fees.

To avoid backlogs, we require all necessary client input of content such as logos, specifications, instructions, documents, text, pictures, etc. in a deliverable format for basic projects within 5 business days of when the order is placed. Regular per hour or fixed cost Change Order fees will be required if client content and information is received after project has been launched. If a client is unsatisfied with what was produced -we are more than happy to keep working on their project in exchange for Change Order fees.

Advanced Services

Advanced Services are projects costing over two thousand dollars such as large budget TV and radio, billboard campaigns, direct mail, premier websites, e-commerce, articles, copy writing, branding, surveys, etc. We do our best to complete advanced project orders within 60 days from the date of final payment. For extenuating circumstances, workloads, or project nuances, it may take longer to deliver what was ordered.  Any change requests to these orders from the clients can be accomplished for our normal Change Order fees.

To avoid backlogs, we require all necessary client input such as logos, documents, instructions, text, pictures, etc. in a deliverable format within 10 business days of the order. After 10 business days, our delivery staff will complete the project when ready utilizing stock photography, text, flash, etc. as needed. Per hour Change Order fees will be required if client content and additional information is received after 10 business days.

Design

Design falls within the realm of Art and is highly susceptible to criticism as arbitrary and random viewpoints. We understand this so if an owner or decision maker is not satisfied with our initial work (as a professional marketing firm) based upon content and instructs provided within time frames mentioned above, we will happily continue to work on or modify the work done on the project in exchange for our normal Change Order fees.

Project Coordination

The owner or decision maker at our clients point of business must maintain a direct line of communication and coordination with Expansion Support Services.  We can also coordinate directly with 3rd parties (vendors, staff, spouses, family, friends, etc.) as needed, but only receive major instructions and decision advice from our clients, not 3rd parties.  All 3rd parties providing additional ideas, viewpoints, changes, etc. must get written approval from our client prior to us integrating them into the project.

Domain Management

Client will ALWAYS own their own domain, but ESS will manage it. ESS will maintain client’s website on multiple servers. This is for security purposes and permits ESS to update and service its hosting servers without interuptions to client’s website. So that ESS can repoint the domain as needed 24/7 and instantly, ESS will manage client’s domain in its GoDaddy Master Account.

Payment Options

We accept VISA, Mastercard, Discover, Bank Debit Cards, and automatic bank drafts (ACH).

RUSH Turnaround Fees

If you are in a hurry you can go the front of the line. We normally complete client projects on a first come first serve basis separated by the above payment options but do offer RUSH fee payment as an alternative for those clients really in a hurry to get their project done.

Of course, those clients that pay in full at the time of order will receive priority treatment and if a client is in a RUSH they can move to the front of the project board line (with a guaranteed date of delivery – not counting change orders) by simply paying a RUSH fee. The Rush fee is an additional premium on the order, and it must be based upon an order that is paid in full and at published price points.  Premiums can range anywhere from 25% to 100% of price dependent upon the complexity of the order.

Payments For Monthly Delivered Services

Expansion Support Services offers some services – such as but not limited to tech support, hosting, management, consulting, PPC, SEO, mailings, printing, multimedia ads, reports, etc. – that are delivered on a month-by-month basis.  These services must be paid with monthly automatic debits and normally delivered within 30 days of payment.  These monthly service contracts automatically renew every 30 days until cancelled by either party. Adequate ACH bank or credit card information is required so that agreed upon payments can be automatically debited on an agreed upon date each and every month for the entirety of the agreement.  If client’s monthly payment does not process, Expansion Support Services may regard this failed billing as an intent to cancel.

Monthly and Weekly Fees

There are a variety of administrative and delivery costs associated with the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly upkeep, tech support, maintenance, and monitoring of client domain names, web sites, blogs, e-commerce engines, programs, live U.S. customer service, server security / speed / storage allocation, email accounts, updates, changes, marketing, renewals, security, storage, virus & spam protection, backups, etc.

To ensure we can continue to provide excellent service, we charge Weekly Service Fees (WSF), Monthly Service Fees (MSF’s), Annual Security and Optimization Fees (ASOF).

From time-to-time Expansion Support Services reserves the right to increase service fees as needed to ensure basic service and update costs, inflation, time, etc. are being covered. Notification of any service fee price changes will be forwarded to all clients via email. Clients may contact Expansion Support Services for current price structures, these fees are automatically billed to the client’s account on or near the order date and are not refundable.

Other Parties & Project Management

Each client understands and agrees to keep a direct line from the owner or main decision maker with our operations and account management.  Expansion Support Services is a well healed firm and since 1999, we have evolved a highly specialized proprietary technology that helps those business owners that truly understand they “can’t do it all” and have hired us to help with some portion of their business development.  Like someone wanting to paint a masterpiece unable to paint, we are not in business to be the “arms and hands” for another looking over our shoulder who is unable to paint.

That said, we will perform “over the shoulder” type work for as long as a client wants to pay our normal Change Order fees.

Over the years we have also come to understand that most of our disagreements, upsets, etc. with client relations stem directly from a third party being involved at some level feeding our clients with upsetting information or arbitrary viewpoints.  We are a highly creative firm and do not tolerate random criticism from untalented “expert” critics that do not understand marketing basics and therefore are not operating with the best interests of our clients in mind.

We hire and maintain a specialized crew of highly intelligent and productive people specializing in design, copywriting, programming, marketing, advertising, technical support, videography, etc. and we create  unique and customized web presence assistance for our clients on a one-on-one basis tailor made for each and every client depending upon their particular circumstances.

This said, Expansion Support Services retains full control of all projects.  Third party vendors, staff members, assistants, spouses, family members, friends, etc. can most certainly be consulted by the owners or decision makers coordinating with Expansion Support Services, but Expansion Support Services will only deal directly with the owner or decision maker during the time we work on projects. In this manner we are able to minimize the negative effects of having 3rd parties on our lines.

Third Party Advertisement Campaign Management

Our normal service terms of agreement apply as applicable.  The initial stages of managing a paid advertisement campaign (including but not limited to PPC, Billboards, TV, Radio, Print, etc.) can be inordinately time consuming beyond the extensive time needed to manage the daily, weekly or monthly adjustments, monitoring and reporting work of a campaign.  A minimum of 30 days is required to completely set up, upgrade or establish a paid advertisement campaign and may be longer dependent upon the scope of work.  Expansion Support Services retains sole rights as to determination of how long might be necessary to establish a campaign.

Third party advertising campaign management may consist of but not be limited to the establishment and management of campaigns for TV, radio, print, direct mail, billboards, search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.), social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.), Chambers of Commerce, trade shows, internet banner ads, etc.

Third party advertising campaign management agreements are for a 36 month commitment, because ad campaigns are associated with third party contracts, ad campaigns require a minimum of 90 day notice for service termination and can require further advance notice dependent upon whatever agreement is made with the third party vendor.  Services are only transferable once payment obligations for the full 36 month terms of agreement have been made.

Client billing and contact information will be utilized separately to cover any agreed upon fees and specific ad campaign flows. Third party ad campaigns are distinctly separate from other Expansion Support Services services, to avoid potential confusion or service delays, clients wishing to terminate an ad campaign (set up or managed by Expansion Support Services) with a third party vendor and who have also ordered other Expansion Support Services services, must send a separate and distinct letter of termination to Expansion Support Services.

Funding for the ad campaigns goes directly to the third party vendor, all financial obligations for ad campaigns are the sole responsibility of the client – Expansion Support Services does not offer refunds for client ad campaigns.

Security

Expansion Support Services provides clients with technical expertise accompanied with some proprietary technologies.  The world is now filled with cyber terrorism which makes anyone in the modern world vulnerable.  To minimize the risks in this arena for our clients, we provide extra security programming for all of our internet services and computer server hosting.  Since some of the computer file structure is shared, to minimize risk, we provide extremely limited access to our clients or their other vendors.  This is normally sufficient for basic content management and updates.  For those seeking full access such as that requiring FTP, CPANEL, WP ADMIN, etc. this can be accomplished with an upgraded and unique and separate and a bit more costly VPS/IP account.  To accomplish this, a client will need to submit an upgraded written service agreement with and approved by our Regulatory Department that the access will not be utilized in a manner that would break laws or violate other Expansion Support Services terms or contractual obligations.

Delivery Schedules

We do our best to satisfactorily complete all client projects within 30 to 60 days from the date we receive the client’s content. Each client is responsible to provide us with all necessary information and content to help complete the project on time. Customers who have been unable to deliver the proper content and material to complete the site should expect appropriately delayed delivery times. Most projects are delivered on a first come first serve basis. Clients that pay in full or pay RUSH fees will receive preferential delivery schedules.

QC Reviews

Each order will be reviewed by our Quality Control (QC) Division to ensure we deliver what was promised and paid for. If a client is unhappy with a delivered product or service QC will review the order, content submitted and what was produced and make an evaluation. If needed the project will either be routed back to delivery for further work or to an account manager to request appropriate Change Order fees.

Expansion Support Services Advertising Awards

We offer an incredibly unique incentive program to our valued clients for providing us with new client referrals.

Clients in good standing can offer Expansion Support Services Advertising Awards to their business friends and contacts which are directly exchangeable for Expansion Support Services services. When a new customer is acquired from a Expansion Support Services Advertising Award, the client providing the referral may receive a 10% service credit to their own account for each newly referred client purchase.  I.E. client “A” refers us new client “B” who purchases a five thousand dollar service.  Client “A” would receive a 10% or five hundred dollar service credit for other services.

Client Responsibility

Once we know the basics of a client’s business and what they like, we can build most anything with basic stock content elements, unfortunately this rarely leaves a client happy. Clients have an exceptionally large portion of responsibility to ensure their respective project is delivered on time, and it mainly involves them providing needed feedback, communication, and content. It is the client’s full responsibility to provide all necessary content at the time of order.

Our price structure is established to provide very reasonable price points for those clients able to provide proper, timely and complete project content and yet provide alternative price solutions for those who are unable to produce proper, timely and complete content for their project.

When the client is unable to provide content and yet is not satisfied with the basic stock content build done by the company, then the client is responsible to pay regular Change Order fees as required to complete the project.

Change Order Fees

From time-to-time people change their minds, forget to send in specifics or content or have new ideas related to a project which could be but also not limited to color specifications, logos, content, instructions, etc. along the way. Our goal is to ensure client satisfaction, it is never too late to modify an order – of course, all “Change Orders” will require additional payments and can be either an hourly or fixed cost Change Order per item fee.

A relevant analogy would be someone ordering a “blue suit” from a tailor.  The tailor may charge a few hundred dollars for the suit.  They get the info from the client, make the suit, tailor it to their physical dimensions, etc. Afterwards, the client decides they would rather have a red suit with wider lapels…no problem but the tailor will need further monetary exchange for the time needed to make the change orders.

Data Processing Fees

Clients unable to electronically send digitally formatted text copy can purchase data processing and or proofreading on an hourly basis. Simply fax, hand write or mail us text and we will do the work for a standard per hour data processing fee. To avoid these fees, simply send us all pertinent content in an electronic format that does not require us to re-type or reformat your content.

Media Editing Fees

Per hour Media Editing Fees will be assessed for the editing of photographs, sound files and video files sent to us not already formatted.

Old Photographs

Do you have old pictures that are not in perfect order? Our designers can normally work some photo magic and reshape, reformat, crop, or generally clean up low grade pictures. This is done for a per hour picture fee. To avoid these extra fees, simply send us your pictures in good condition with resolutions of 72 dpi and not larger than 4 X 6 inches or 50k in size. If image files are combined and zipped, the compressed file should not be larger than 1MB. If sent on a disk; .eps, .tif, .jpg, or .gif formats are acceptable, and the resolution should be 300 dpi.

Copyrights

We are hired by clients to expand their current web presence. Potential image, video, content, etc. copyright debates can come into play from time-to-time as the web is filled with a variety of available content that is not properly copyright earmarked.  It has always been our intention to be in alignment with the laws of the land and protect individuals copyrights to the best of our abilities.

It is the client’s responsibility to ensure they are compliant with copyright legislation and the best way for this to occur is for our clients to provide us with properly licensed photos, artwork, videos, written content, etc. that they have personally created or purchased.  Since we operate on deadlines and with the purpose of quick delivery, if a client is not able to do so within the time frames to deliver a project (normally 10 biz days) then we will obtain or create content for them as needed.

Over the years we have produced millions of copyrighted words of our own and purchased large volumes of licensed photos and videos from content providers.  To the best of our ability and knowledge we only utilize properly licensed photographs. Since there are also millions of “free use” content items floating around the universe without watermarks or other identifiable copyright identifications content evolution is not difficult.

That said, it is possible with the numerous pages we create yearly that a human error inadvertently arises in which something not properly licensed might be provided to us with incorrect information and utilized accidentally in a project without any intent to harm. With web server management, we believe our organization falls under the protective umbrella of an Online Service Provider and is protected in these rare accidental human error occasions from limited liability.  Our studies and understanding of the extremely complex and ever changing copyright law existing throughout the world is that final responsibility falls with the business itself, not the marketing firm.

To reiterate – each client must understand they are ultimately responsible for any copyright violations that occur with their web presence so it’s best to follow our recommendations above.

Whenever an inadvertent or accidental human error with no intent to harm does occur, we take corrective actions as quickly as possible to rectify the error.

It should also be noted that content created by Expansion Support Services remains protected under copyright laws as the property of Expansion Support Services until such time that full length of a contract has been reached.  For example, most of our contracts are for a minimum of three years.  If a client decides to cancel service, the content created by our company may or may not be forwarded as part of the cancellation – this is left to the sole discretion of Expansion Support Services to decide whether it will be provided for free, not provided or provided for a fair exchange to end the contractual obligations.

E-Commerce Solutions

We have several options for online merchandising available to our clients – everything from basic PayPal button insertions to robust shopping cart “Online Store” solutions. After initial development costs, standard site/cart platform management fees starting at $75 per month.

A tremendous variety of E-Commerce Solutions are available.  Due to the amount of specialized programming that normally is required for an E-Commerce Solution, a minimum hourly rate for development of between seventy five and one hundred and fifty dollars per hour applies – depending upon the service ordered.  E-Commerce price points are based upon a thirty six month term of monthly service fee commitment.  Clients that cancel service or request to migrate to another service provider may do so only after any balances owed are paid in full which would include but not be limited to any unpaid remaining monthly service fees for the thirty six month commitment.   Standard hourly rates will be required for any needed assistance with site or cart migration.

PayPal accounts are established by the client and product code sent to us for insertion into the clients site. As an additional paid service, we can coordinate and create the account and product codes.

Expansion Support Services shopping carts are turnkey leased solutions – clients own the database information, but not the source files and are responsible for any costs associated with cart set up, modification and site integration. Clients are responsible to manage their cart, load inventory, edit inventory, establish, and finance their own merchant banking and gateway arrangements which might include but not be limited to account relationships with PayPal, Auth.net, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, etc. as needed. Clients are responsible for all fees, contracts, and other related issues with these type of payment related accounts.

Expansion Support Services is not responsible for sales, refunds or other issues related to the online store, normal design change fees apply, and E-Commerce sites are subject to additional sliding scale service fees dependent upon resources utilized in the managing of the site.

Our price points include a couple hours of E-Commerce basic training.  We can assist with inventory loading and store management for extra per hour fees. The client is also responsible to ensure Expansion Support Services receives the proper online account / product computer code for each item, account, gateway, etc. as applicable so Expansion Support Services can load into the E-commerce solution as needed. Again, we can provide assistance for normal hourly rates, if needed.

Occasionally, we run into a scenario in which a client wants specific changes or functionality with their online stores, this can be accomplished for our normal hourly advanced programming integration rates.  Also, clients sometimes have large amounts of inventory or inventory categories with pictures, specifications, codes, etc. in random database files or from RSS feeds from suppliers which are not automatically compatible with our carts and so they need to be customized and modified and manipulated with advanced programming in order to be a workable solution, these issues are above and beyond our normal price points and require advanced programming integration fees.

Non-payment Issues

We understand clients may modify their banking information or have occasional financial issues. It is the customers responsibility to keep their financial administration in order and to notify Expansion Support Services whenever they have a new method of payment for their services, whether it be a change of credit card or bank account or simply a new expiration date. We reserve the right to immediately suspend client service when payments are invalid or uncollectible for any reason whatsoever.

In addition to the service suspension, to offset the fees charged to us by our merchant account and banks, an automatically assessed $25 per NSF fee will be charged to a client’s account. Once owed moneys are made good, service will be reinstated immediately.

Clients having financial difficulties are encouraged to contact the company in writing with recommended payment solutions to avoid service interruption, these solutions may or may not be approved by the company, they are adjudicated on an individual basis.

Business Closure, Death

Even though a client cannot opt out of an agreement, exceptions may be made in extenuating circumstances such as business closure, death of the owner, etc. Please send full details of the situation and a proposed resolution in these cases.

Technical Estimates

Our quoted estimates are normally fully accurate. If for some reason, our Delivery team is not able to satisfy all of your specific desires outlined in your initial order within the technical estimate provided, you will be responsible for paying a per hour or fixed cost fee for items that are determined to be over and beyond “reasonable” service.

Service Termination & Licensing

We understand that from time totime, someone goes out of business or has a variety of other reasons that they no longer wish to pay for services. We will immediately initiate terminations upon written notification from the client and the client will be automatically billed and responsible to pay any balances due. Its recommended that clients give a 30 or 60 day written notice to provide all parties the opportunity to make a smooth transition.

Disclaimer

Except as expressly stated in a written agreement between a client and Expansion Support Services, all content, services, products, and software provided on this web site are provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. Expansion Support Services and its suppliers and licensors disclaim all warranties, express or implied including, without limitation, those of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

Expansion Support Services does not warrant that the site, its content, or the products and services it offers on the site meet your requirements. Subject to the terms of any agreement between you and Expansion Support Services, its suppliers and licensors shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, special consequential, incidental, or punitive damages, even if Expansion Support Services, its suppliers or licensors have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Certain state laws do not allow limitations on implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. If these laws apply to you, some or all of the above disclaimers, exclusions, or limitations may not apply to you, and you might have additional rights.

Client Recourse

Clients feeling that we have not provided proper exchange can request and pay for a mediation directly with the company management or with an agreed upon third party mediation company within Pinellas County Florida.

Company Recourse

Expansion Support Services reserves the rights to pursue clients to the fullest extent of the law that arbitrarily and without consent break their contractual obligations, initiate charge backs, do not pay for work provided, become antagonistic, fail to communicate, spread libel and or slander about work provided or about the company or its staff, etc.

Email & Email Accounts

Client service fees cover basic numbers of email account setup and maintenance along with normal day-to-day email business activity. For security purposes bulk email promotional activities are forbidden.

For normal hourly rates Expansion Support Services can assist a client’s IT Department or Vendor to coordinate any local cloud based or on site mail server set ups as needed.  Mail server establishment is not a service we offer directly but is something we can assist with if needed and it relates to basic email account modification on our servers as long as we receive payment for our tech support hours and written instructions from the clients IT Department or Vendor.

It is understood that any work provided is simply to assist the IT Department or Vendor and zero liability for work will be incurred by Expansion Support Services as the responsibility lies completely on the client and their IT Department or Vendor to make things run in smooth fashion.

Clients in good standing can elect to correspond with our company via telephone, mail, online ticket systems, online chat services, email, etc.  Most of these mediums are meant for clients that are in exchange and in communication and paying fair value for services.

It’s understood and agreed that Expansion Support Services retains the exclusive right to decide which forms of communication will be allowed to and from Expansion Support Services on a client-by-client basis.  If for an example, a client chooses to terminate services in an antagonistic manner, Expansion Support Services may choose to only accept communications through written mail sent via normal post.

FTP Access & Dedicated Servers

From time-to-time clients wish to have remote FTP access to the actual site files within the Expansion Support Services client server. For security reasons, as our servers are dedicated yet shared with other Expansion Support Services clients, we do not provide FTP access. For those insistent upon having FTP access, we do offer a dedicated or virtual private server option with appropriate monthly service fees.

Transfer To Expansion Support Services

It is the responsibility of the client to provide full access to any account information needed for Expansion Support Services to be able to complete a project.

If the client wishes for Expansion Support Services to take control of and manage client assets the client must coordinate the unlocking and receipt of appropriate authorization codes to allow the transfer. If this cannot be coordinated, Expansion Support Services reserves the right to acquire or create new assets in order for the project to be completed.

Indemnity

All clients agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Expansion Support Services, employees, attorneys, and agents (“Indemnities”) against all claims, expenses, liabilities, losses, costs, and damages, including reasonable attorney’s fees, that the Indemnities may incur in connection with your use of this site or any hyper linked web site or resulting from content supplied by client