Terms of Service

Last Updated: January 16, 2026

Company: Boston Ideas
Contact: info@bostonideas.com

Welcome to Boston Ideas (“we,” “us,” or “our”). We provide website design, development, and related services. Please read these Terms of Service (“Terms”) carefully before paying any fees. By paying, starting a monthly subscription, or using any of our services, you (“Client,” “you,” or “your”) agree that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms in full.

1. Acceptance and Changes to These Terms

1.1 These Terms apply to all services we provide, including but not limited to website design and development, e‑commerce setup, payment gateway integration, monthly hosting and maintenance, security monitoring, SEO, and digital marketing (collectively, “Services”).

1.2 We may update these Terms from time to time. The updated version will be posted on our website or sent to you by email. Changes take effect on the posting/email date. Your continued use of the Services means you accept the changes.

1.3 If these Terms conflict with a separate agreement you sign with us (such as a Quote or Statement of Work), that separate agreement controls. Any issues not covered by that agreement are still governed by these Terms.

2. Scope of Services and Project Definition

2.1 Project Scope: The specific design, feature list, deliverables, timeline, and one‑time fees for a project are set out in a separate Statement of Work (SOW) or Quote. Once both sides agree, that SOW becomes part of these Terms.

2.2 E‑commerce Services: If you choose e‑commerce features, we will integrate product catalogs, online payment gateways (e.g., Stripe, PayPal), and order management as described in your SOW. We do not handle your actual product sales, inventory, order fulfillment, or customer after‑sales support. We are not responsible for disputes arising from product descriptions, pricing errors, or out‑of‑stock issues.

2.3 Monthly Subscription: A monthly subscription typically includes basic maintenance, security updates, daily backups, and technical support (see your subscription plan for details). The subscription renews automatically each month until you cancel.

2.4 Any extra work beyond the SOW (including new e‑commerce features, page design changes, or third‑party API integrations) requires a separate request. We may charge additional fees for that work.

2.5 Fees for third‑party services (such as domain registration, hosting, SSL certificates, premium plugins, CDN traffic, and payment gateway transaction fees) are your responsibility, unless the SOW says we will pay them.

3. Your Obligations

3.1 Provide Materials: You must give us all text, images, videos, logos, product info, pricing, shipping policies, and other content needed for the website. You guarantee that your content is true, legal, and does not infringe any third‑party rights. You are solely responsible for any legal claims arising from your content (e.g., copyright infringement or false advertising).

3.2 E‑commerce Operations: You are fully responsible for adding products, updating prices, managing inventory, processing orders, handling returns/exchanges, and responding to customer complaints. We only provide technical support; we do not run your e‑commerce business.

3.3 Timely Feedback: You must review designs and test sites within the agreed timeframes and give feedback. If you cause delays, we are not responsible for missed deadlines.

3.4 Account Security: You must keep your website admin, payment gateway, domain registrar, and API keys secure. We are not liable for data loss, transaction issues, or financial losses caused by your own actions (e.g., password leaks or failure to update software).

3.5 Legal Compliance: You promise that the products or services you sell through the website comply with U.S. and all applicable laws. You may not sell illegal, infringing, or deceptive products. If you do, we may terminate Services immediately and report you to the authorities.

4. Fees and Payment

4.1 Fees include:

One‑time setup fees: for building, designing, and adding e‑commerce features – usually paid before starting.
Monthly subscription fees: for hosting, maintenance, backups, and basic support – automatically charged each month.

4.2 Payment Method: You must provide a valid credit/debit card or authorize us to charge you via a third‑party processor (like Stripe). At sign‑up, we will charge the first month’s fee plus any one‑time setup fees.

4.3 Auto‑Renewal and Billing: Your subscription renews automatically each month. We will attempt to charge your card on the monthly billing date. If the charge fails, we will notify you. You must update your payment info or pay within 3 business days, or we may suspend your Services.

4.4 Price Changes: We may change monthly fees with 30 days’ advance notice. The new rate takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle. If you don’t agree, you may cancel before the new rate takes effect.

4.5 Cancellation

You may cancel your monthly subscription at any time by emailing us. Cancellation requests must be received at least 15 days before the next renewal date; otherwise, we will still charge that month’s fee.

Once cancelled, we will stop providing hosting and maintenance at the end of the current billing period. You must back up and move your website data within 7 business days. If you don’t, we may delete your data without liability.

4.6 Refund Policy

One‑time setup fees and work already performed are non‑refundable once paid.
Monthly subscription fees are charged for the full month – we do not offer pro‑rata refunds for partial months. If our material breach makes the Services unavailable, we may, at our discretion, refund a proportional amount for the downtime, but never more than that month’s subscription fee.

4.7 Late Fees and Suspension: Past‑due balances may incur a monthly late fee of 1.5% of the unpaid amount. If you are more than 30 days late, we may terminate your subscription and remove all access.

5. Special E‑commerce Terms

5.1 Payment Gateways: We integrate the third‑party payment gateway you choose (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) into your site. All payment transactions are processed by that third party. We do not touch or store your credit card information (we comply with PCI DSS requirements). You must sign your own agreement with the gateway provider and follow their terms.

5.2 PCI Compliance: We ensure that the website’s underlying infrastructure meets basic PCI DSS security standards. However, you are responsible for maintaining your own compliance – including updating software, using strong passwords, and limiting access. We are not liable for compliance failures caused by your oversight.

5.3 Transaction Data: All order and customer data generated by the website belongs to you. However, we may access that data during the service period to provide technical support. After termination, you are responsible for exporting and managing that data.

5.4 Third‑Party APIs: Your e‑commerce site may connect to third‑party APIs for shipping, inventory, ERP, email marketing, etc. Those services are provided by the third parties – we only handle the technical integration. We are not responsible for service interruptions caused by those third‑party providers.

6. Intellectual Property

6.1 Ownership of Deliverables: After you have paid all one‑time fees and subscription fees, ownership of the custom website designs, page templates, and other deliverables we create for you transfers to you. You may copy, modify, and publish them (subject to any open‑source license requirements).

6.2 Our Retained Rights: We keep all intellectual property rights to our general code libraries, frameworks, plugins, design tools, and other existing materials. We may reuse them in other projects.

6.3 Third‑Party IP: You must comply with the license terms of any third‑party software we use (e.g., WordPress themes, e‑commerce plugins).

6.4 Portfolio Use: We may show your completed website (including screenshots and links) on our website, social media, and portfolio, unless you ask us in writing not to.

6.5 Free Website: Free websites can have a maximum of 5 pages, while e-commerce sites are limited to 3 products. Completion typically takes 1-3 days, and you have 7 days to review and modify the website. Once you are satisfied, it will go live.

If you are not satisfied, the domain and server will remain yours, but all other content on the website will belong to Boston Ideas and will be removed within 10 days.

7. Hosting and Maintenance (Monthly Subscription)

7.1 During your subscription, we will use reasonable efforts to keep your website running. Monthly maintenance typically includes:

Monitoring server uptime
Security updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins
Daily automatic backups (we keep the last 30 days; you may download them if needed)
Basic troubleshooting (does not include content editing or new features – those are extra)

7.2 Uptime Commitment: We aim for 99.9% uptime. However, we are not liable for downtime caused by force majeure, third‑party provider failures, DDoS attacks, network issues, or other events beyond our control. If our own error causes continuous downtime exceeding 24 hours, you may request a proportional credit for that month’s fee.

7.3 Backup Restoration: We will restore a backup for you upon request. We provide one free restoration per month; additional restorations may incur a labor fee. We do not guarantee that backup data is 100% complete – we recommend that you periodically export your important data yourself.

8. Confidentiality

Both sides agree to keep each other’s business secrets (including your business data and our technical methods/pricing) confidential. We will not disclose them without written consent, except as required by law. This obligation continues even after the Services end.

9. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

9.1 As‑Is Services: Except as explicitly stated in these Terms, we provide the Services “as is” and make no express or implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

9.2 No Guarantee of Results: We do not guarantee any specific website traffic, order volume, conversion rate, or sales.

9.3 No Indirect Damages: In no event will we be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages – including lost profits, data loss, or transaction disputes – even if we have been advised of the possibility.

9.4 Maximum Liability: Our total liability to you for any claim arising from these Terms or the Services will not exceed the total fees you paid to us during the 12‑month period immediately preceding the claim.

9.5 Force Majeure: Neither party is liable for service interruptions caused by war, natural disasters, government actions, internet failures, power outages, or other events beyond reasonable control.

10. Termination

10.1 Termination by You: You may cancel your monthly subscription at any time under Section 4.5. If you have an ongoing one‑time project, termination requires payment for work already completed; prepaid amounts are non‑refundable.

10.2 Termination by Us: If you materially breach these Terms (e.g., non‑payment, selling illegal goods, infringing others’ rights), we may terminate all Services immediately without refund and reserve the right to take legal action.

10.3 Data After Termination: After termination, we will no longer maintain your website. You have 15 business days to back up and move your data. If you don’t, we may delete all data.

10.4 For one‑time paid projects, the service automatically terminates one month after completion of that project.

11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

11.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, USA, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

11.2 Any dispute arising from these Terms shall first be resolved through good‑faith negotiation. If negotiation fails, the dispute will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in New York, USA.

12. Miscellaneous

12.1 Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with any SOW and Quote, form the entire agreement between you and us, and supersede all prior oral or written communications.

12.2 Severability: If any part of these Terms is held invalid, the rest remains in full effect.

12.3 Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right does not waive that right.

12.4 Notices: All notices must be sent in writing to the email addresses we have on file. Notice is deemed given on the day the email is sent.

Client Acknowledgment:
By using our Services and/or making a payment, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. This agreement becomes effective on the date of your first payment.