Terms of service

1. Quotes and scope

• Every project starts with a written quote that names the deliverable, the price, the delivery date, and the assumptions behind them.
• Work begins when you approve the quote in writing (email is fine) and the deposit is received.
• Anything not listed in the quote is out of scope. If you ask for more, we quote the addition before doing it.
• Quotes are valid for 14 days unless the quote says otherwise.

2. Payment

• A deposit of 50% of the quoted price is due before work starts. The balance is due on handoff.
• Larger projects may be split into milestones stated on the quote.
• Invoices are due within 7 days. Unpaid balances may pause work and delay handoff of final files.
• Prices are in US dollars. You are responsible for any taxes that apply to your purchase, other than taxes on our income.

3. Revisions and changes

• Each deliverable includes one round of consolidated revisions. A round is one set of feedback collected from everyone on your side and sent together.
• Revisions cover adjustments within the approved scope. A change in direction, audience, or deliverable is new scope and is quoted separately.
• Additional revision rounds are available at the rate stated on your quote.

4. Your responsibilities

• Provide the material we need (text, images, access, approvals) at the times agreed. Delays on your side move the delivery date by at least the same amount.
• Confirm that you have the right to use any content, images, or marks you give us.
• Name one person who can approve work and answer questions.
• Review deliverables promptly. A deliverable not reviewed within 10 business days of delivery is considered accepted.

5. Timelines

Delivery dates on the quote assume timely input from you. We tell you promptly if a date is at risk. Rush work, when we can take it, is quoted separately.

6. Ownership and license

• On full payment, you own the final deliverables produced for you, including copy, site files, and research documents.
• We keep ownership of our pre-existing tools, templates, code snippets, and know-how, and grant you a perpetual, non-exclusive license to use them as part of your deliverables.
• Third-party assets such as fonts, stock images, and software remain subject to their own licenses, which we identify on handoff.
• Until full payment, deliverables are provided for review only.

7. Portfolio and samples

We may describe the work in anonymized form (industry, deliverable type, scope) as a sample. We will not name you, show your brand, or quote you without your written permission. Tell us in writing if you prefer that we do not reference the project at all.

8. Tools and AI-assisted work

• We use software tools, including AI-assisted tools, in drafting, research, coding, and quality checks. All work is reviewed and edited by the studio before delivery, and we are responsible for its quality.
• If your project must be produced without AI-assisted tools, tell us before you approve the quote. We will confirm whether we can meet that requirement and price accordingly.
• Research deliverables cite their sources. Decisions you make based on them are yours.

9. Third-party services

Your project may rely on services you contract directly, such as domain registration, hosting, email delivery, or scheduling tools. Their terms, fees, and uptime are between you and them. We recommend options and can set them up under your accounts.

10. Confidentiality

We keep your non-public business information confidential and use it only to do the work. This obligation survives the project. It does not cover information that is public, already known to us, or that we are required by law to disclose.

11. Warranties and liability

• We warrant that the work will be performed with reasonable skill and care and will match the approved scope. We do not guarantee business outcomes such as traffic, rankings, leads, or revenue.
• Except where the law does not allow us to limit it, our total liability for a project is capped at the amount you paid us for that project, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses.
• You are responsible for the legal compliance of your business, its claims, and its content, including advertising rules and privacy obligations that apply to you.

12. Cancellation

• You may cancel at any time in writing. Work completed to that point is billed at the quoted rate, and the deposit is non-refundable once work has started.
• We may cancel if a project cannot proceed because of missing input, non-payment, or conduct that makes the work unreasonable. In that case we refund any portion of the deposit for work not yet performed.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of North Carolina, United States. We will try to resolve any dispute by direct discussion first.

14. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. The version in effect when you approve a quote applies to that project.

15. Contact

Questions about these terms: business@coryshort.com.