Terms of Service – Monthly Website Management
Giant Donut Marketing
Last Updated: May 1, 2025
1. Overview of Service
Our Monthly Website Management plan provides essential website maintenance, updates, and support to keep your site functional, secure, and up to date. This service offers a fixed-cost solution, giving you direct access to our agency via email, phone, or in-person contact for website-related needs. It also serves as a form of insurance, ensuring predictable costs for website maintenance—even when major, time-intensive updates or fixes are required, which might otherwise be cost-prohibitive for your business. This service includes:
✔️ Regular plugin and core software updates
✔️ Minor content and functionality updates
✔️ Security monitoring and malware protection
✔️ Emergency website support for critical issues
✔️ Direct access to our agency
✔️ Up to 1 hour of included development work per month with a 3 hour maximum rollover. Note: Custom plans may include a larger bucket of development hours.
By enrolling in this service, you acknowledge and agree to the terms outlined below.
2. Software & Plugin Updates – Risks & Responsibilities
Websites require regular updates to stay secure and functional. While we take every precaution, updates can sometimes cause unintended issues, including:
- Broken functionality
- Display or styling errors
- In rare cases, complete website failure
We proactively monitor for downtime and errors, striving to fix issues as quickly as possible. However, we cannot guarantee immediate resolution outside of normal business hours (M–F, 8 AM – 4 PM Pacific Time).
🔹 If your site goes down or has a critical issue, we will prioritize restoring functionality as soon as possible—often within an hour during business hours.
🔹 After-hours or weekend support is not guaranteed. If available, we will attempt to fix urgent issues, but response times may vary.
By signing up for this service, you understand that updates carry inherent risks and that Giant Donut Marketing is not liable for any downtime or disruptions caused by routine updates.
3. Emergency vs. Non-Emergency Requests
To ensure efficient service, we categorize support requests into emergencies and non-emergencies:
✅ Emergencies (High Priority – Immediate Action)
The following are considered emergencies and will be addressed as a top priority:
✔️ Website is completely down (offline)
✔️ SSL/security certificate errors preventing users from accessing the site
✔️ Critical website functionality is broken (e.g., forms, checkout process)
✔️ Malware infection detected
✔️ Incorrect business-critical information (e.g., hours, pricing, contact details)
⏳ Non-Emergencies (Added to Work Queue)
The following are considered routine updates and will be completed as part of our normal queue:
➖ Text or photo updates
➖ Design/style changes (colors, fonts, layouts)
➖ Adding new pages, products, or services
➖ Minor feature adjustments
We aim to complete most non-emergency requests within 24 hours, but larger changes or current projects in queue may extend that timeline. We will typically let you know a timeline for any request at the time you make them.
4. Included Monthly Development Time
Each month, your plan includes up to 1 hour of development work, which can be used for design and content additions and adjustments, new features, or minor enhancements outside of routine updates. Note: Custom plans may have a larger bucket of hours.
🔹 Brief phone calls and emails (within reason) do NOT count toward this hour.
🔹 Scheduled consults longer than 15 minutes may count toward this time.
🔹 Visits to stop by and say hello do not count against this time. 🙂
🔹 Any additional time required will be quoted separately.
🔹 Unused hours can roll over for up to 3 hours of development at a time.
5. Client Responsibilities – Contact Form Testing
While we monitor for errors and downtime, we cannot guarantee that all form submissions are reaching your inbox. Some issues (e.g., email deliverability problems) may not be detectable on our end.
🔹 Clients should test their contact forms at least once per month to ensure submissions are properly received.
🔹 If you notice missing submissions or email issues, notify us immediately.
Giant Donut Marketing is not responsible for lost leads or messages due to email filtering, inbox issues, or third-party email provider settings.
6. Exclusions & Limitations
While this service covers most routine updates, the following are not included in Monthly Website Management and may incur additional charges:
🚫 Major website redesigns or overhauls
🚫 Third-party software subscriptions or licensing fees
🚫 Hosting costs (if not hosted by us)
🚫 Content creation (blog posts, custom graphics, etc.)
🚫 Paid advertising services (sold separately)
Any services outside of this scope will be quoted separately.
7. Termination of Services
Clients may cancel their Monthly Website Management plan at any time by submitting a cancellation request through our online form at Site Management Cancellation Request or by sending a detailed email to info@giantdonutmarketing.com.
🔹 Cancellation Notice: Clear notice must be received at least 30 days before your next renewal date to avoid being charged for the upcoming billing cycle.
🔹 Non-Refundable Payments: Payments for services already rendered are typically non-refundable.
🔹 Required Service for Marketing Clients: Clients utilizing our Monthly Paid Advertising services may be required to maintain an active Monthly Website Management plan. Please contact us for details.
After cancellation, Giant Donut Marketing is not responsible for website functionality, security, or updates. Clients will assume full responsibility for their website’s maintenance and any potential issues after termination.
8. Hourly Rates for Non-Management Clients
Clients who are not currently enrolled in a Monthly Website Management plan can still request website assistance on an hourly basis. Our standard rate is $125 per hour, with a 3-hour minimum per calendar month. This means any hourly engagement will incur a minimum charge of $375 per month.
For urgent support needs, emergency website fixes are available to non-management clients starting at $500, subject to availability and scope. Emergency response times are not guaranteed and will be quoted based on availability.
