Website Maintenance Terms & Conditions

These Website Maintenance Terms & Conditions apply to website maintenance services provided by Webco Group Pty Ltd trading as Webco (“Webco”, “we”, “us” or “our”).

By subscribing to a Webco Website Maintenance Plan, you (“the Client”, “you” or “your”) agree to these Terms & Conditions.

1. Website Maintenance Plans

Webco provides monthly website maintenance plans that may include services such as:

WordPress core updates
Plugin and theme updates
Website health checks
Contact form checks
Minor website changes
Troubleshooting
Plugin configuration
Minor layout changes
Performance checks
General WordPress maintenance and support

The specific services and included maintenance time depend on the plan selected by the Client.

Each Website Maintenance Plan applies to one website only, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

2. Website Hosting

Website maintenance and website hosting are separate services.

Where a website is hosted by Webco, the applicable hosting fee is charged separately from the Website Maintenance Plan.

Webco website hosting may include services such as hosting infrastructure, SSL, malware protection, daily backups and CDN services in accordance with the applicable hosting plan.

A Website Maintenance Plan does not replace or include website hosting unless expressly stated otherwise.

3. Monthly Maintenance Time

Each plan includes a specified amount of website maintenance time per monthly billing period.

Included maintenance time:

Resets at the beginning of each new monthly billing period
Does not accumulate
Does not roll over into future months
Has no cash or credit value
Cannot be transferred to another website or Client unless agreed by Webco

Maintenance time may be used for reasonable minor website maintenance and website changes within the scope of the selected plan.

4. What Maintenance Time Can Be Used For

Included maintenance time may generally be used for tasks such as:

Updating website text
Updating or replacing images
Changing contact information
Updating services, pricing or business information
Updating banners
Minor layout changes
Updating team member information
Contact form changes
Plugin configuration
Troubleshooting minor website issues
Minor WordPress configuration changes
General website maintenance

Webco will determine whether a requested task reasonably falls within the scope of website maintenance.

5. Work Not Included

Website Maintenance Plans do not include major projects or substantial development work unless specifically agreed.

Examples of excluded work include:

Complete or substantial website redesigns
New website builds
Major new page builds
Custom software development
Custom WordPress development
Complex integrations
Development of major new website functionality
E-commerce development
Branding or graphic design projects
Professional copywriting
SEO campaigns
Paid advertising management
Email or general IT support
Third-party software, licences or subscription costs

Webco may provide a separate quotation for work outside the scope of the Maintenance Plan.

6. Additional Maintenance Work

Where the Client exceeds the included maintenance time for the applicable month, additional work is charged at:

$175 + GST per hour

Additional time is billed in 30-minute increments.

Where reasonably practical, Webco will notify the Client before undertaking additional chargeable work.

Webco may require Client approval before proceeding with work that will materially exceed the included monthly maintenance allowance.

7. Monthly Billing

Website Maintenance Plans are billed monthly in advance.

By subscribing, the Client authorises Webco and its payment provider to automatically charge the nominated payment method for recurring monthly fees and any other charges authorised under these Terms.

All prices displayed exclude GST unless expressly stated otherwise.

The Client is responsible for maintaining a valid payment method.

8. Cancellation

Website Maintenance Plans operate on a month-to-month basis unless otherwise agreed.

The Client may cancel the subscription at any time.

Cancellation prevents future renewal charges but does not normally provide a refund for a billing period that has already commenced, except where required by Australian law.

Services will continue until the end of the Client’s current paid billing period unless otherwise agreed.

9. Support Hours

Standard support hours are:

Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm Melbourne time, excluding Victorian public holidays.

Email support is monitored until 8:00pm Monday to Friday.

Monitoring email outside standard business hours does not guarantee an immediate response or completion of work.

Weekend support is limited to website emergencies.

10. Website Emergencies

For the purposes of these Terms, a website emergency may include:

The website being completely unavailable
A confirmed or suspected active website security incident
Critical website functionality becoming unavailable
An essential enquiry form, booking function or checkout function completely failing
A serious technical issue materially preventing normal use of the website

Minor content changes, routine updates, cosmetic issues and non-critical requests are not considered emergencies.

Emergency response is subject to staff availability and technical circumstances.

11. Response and Completion Times

Webco will use reasonable efforts to respond to maintenance requests within an appropriate timeframe based on the Client’s plan and the urgency of the issue.

Priority or highest-priority support means requests are prioritised ahead of standard support requests where reasonably possible. It does not guarantee an immediate response or a specific resolution time unless separately agreed in writing.

Completion time may depend on:

Complexity of the issue
Client response times
Third-party providers
Plugin or theme developers
Hosting providers
External APIs and services
Availability of necessary access credentials

12. Existing Website Problems

A Website Maintenance Plan covers ongoing maintenance from the commencement of the service.

Problems that existed before the Client joined the plan are not automatically included.

This may include:

Existing malware infections
Previously compromised websites
Broken or obsolete plugins
Existing coding problems
Significant performance issues
Unsupported themes or software
Existing compatibility problems
Significant technical debt

Webco may inspect the website and provide a separate quotation to rectify existing problems before ongoing maintenance begins.

13. Website Updates

Webco may periodically update:

WordPress
Plugins
Themes
Related website software

Software updates can occasionally cause unexpected compatibility issues.

Webco will use reasonable care when performing updates, but cannot guarantee that every update will be error-free or compatible with all third-party software.

Where an update causes a minor issue, Webco may troubleshoot the issue within the Client’s included maintenance allowance.

Major compatibility problems or redevelopment required because of obsolete, unsupported or third-party software may be quoted separately.

14. Security

Webco takes reasonable measures to maintain and protect websites under its care.

However, no website, security system, hosting platform or maintenance service can guarantee complete protection against hacking, malware, cyberattack, data loss or unauthorised access.

The Website Maintenance Plan reduces risk but does not guarantee that a website will never:

Be hacked
Become infected with malware
Experience a security vulnerability
Suffer downtime
Lose data
Be affected by a third-party security incident

Where a security incident occurs, Webco will provide reasonable assistance within the scope of the applicable plan.

Major remediation work may be charged separately, particularly where the incident is caused by circumstances outside Webco’s reasonable control.

15. Third-Party Software and Services

Websites may rely on third-party:

Plugins
Themes
APIs
Hosting services
Payment gateways
Email providers
Software
Platforms
External integrations

Webco does not control these third-party services and cannot guarantee their continued availability, security, compatibility or performance.

Webco is not responsible for failures caused solely by third-party services outside our reasonable control.

Any third-party licence, subscription or usage fees are payable by the Client unless expressly included in the relevant plan.

16. Backups and Website Restoration

Where the Client uses Webco’s website hosting service, backups may be provided as part of the separate hosting service.

Webco will use reasonable efforts to maintain and restore available backups when required.

However, the Client acknowledges that no backup system can be guaranteed to operate perfectly in every circumstance.

Restoration is subject to the availability and integrity of an appropriate backup.

17. Client Responsibilities

The Client must:

Provide Webco with reasonable access required to maintain the website
Provide accurate information and instructions
Maintain appropriate access to third-party accounts where required
Respond to requests for approvals or information within a reasonable period
Avoid making changes that materially interfere with work being performed by Webco
Notify Webco promptly of any known website issues

Webco is not responsible for delays caused by missing information, unavailable access or delayed Client responses.

18. Unauthorised Changes by Third Parties

Webco is not responsible for problems caused by changes made by:

The Client
The Client’s employees
Another web developer
Another agency
A third-party contractor
An unauthorised person

If Webco is required to investigate or repair issues caused by third-party changes, the work may be deducted from the Client’s included maintenance time or charged separately.

19. Payment Failure

If a payment fails or an account becomes overdue, Webco may suspend maintenance services until the outstanding amount has been paid.

Webco is not responsible for website issues that arise during a period in which maintenance services have been suspended due to non-payment.

20. Changes to Plans and Pricing

Webco may change plan inclusions or pricing from time to time.

Where a change affects an existing recurring subscription, Webco will provide reasonable notice before the new pricing or material change takes effect.

The Client may cancel the service before the change takes effect if they do not wish to continue.

21. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Webco is not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential or special loss arising from the Website Maintenance Services, including loss of profits, revenue, business opportunities or data.

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law or any other applicable legislation.

Where permitted by law, Webco’s liability for a failure to comply with an applicable guarantee may be limited to supplying the relevant services again or paying the reasonable cost of having those services supplied again.

22. Australian Consumer Law

These Terms do not exclude any rights or remedies available to the Client under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot legally be excluded.

If there is any inconsistency between these Terms and a mandatory right under Australian law, the mandatory legal right will prevail.

23. Changes to These Terms

Webco may update these Website Maintenance Terms & Conditions from time to time.

The latest version will be published on the Webco website.

Material changes affecting an existing subscription will be communicated to the Client where reasonably required.

24. Contact

Questions regarding your Website Maintenance Plan can be directed to:

Webco
Webco Group Pty Ltd
Phone: 1300 893 226
Email: info@webco.au