Payment Policy

Initial Consultations

• The initial consultation between Affordable Web Design Ltd representatives and the potential client is meant to be a general overview of the client's needs so that we can give you a general idea of cost until such time as we can go through actual details of your requirements with you.
• The initial consultation between the client and Affordable Web Design Ltd, can be of a duration of up to one hour, and is at no cost.
• The initial consultation is usually in the form of an in-office meeting, a telephone call or a virtual meeting through online platforms such as zoom, Google Meet or Teams.

Design Consultations

• Once you have decided to go ahead with us, we will discuss your requirements in detail so that we can give you an accurate cost estimate.
• Discussion of specific elements of the web design or development project forms part of the project and is included in our cost estimate. This includes telephone conversations, discussions over virtual platforms (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, etc), emails and office visits after the initial consultation.

Deposits

Please note that due to the nature of web design and programming work, it is industry standard to require payment in advance before we begin the project.

• We accept E-Transfers, Visa and Master Card, as well as company cheques (no personal cheques).
• The deposit as described below is payable as soon as the client gives us the go-ahead for the project, before work begins.
• For projects involving design only (no programming) which have been estimated at up to $3000.00 + applicable tax, we require payment equal to the estimated amount in full, including applicable taxes, before we begin the work.
• For projects involving design only (no programming) which have been estimated at over $3000.00 + applicable tax, we require a deposit of $3000.00 + 1/2 of the remainder of the estimated design cost plus applicable taxes on that portion, before we begin the work.
• Clients are required to give final approval within 7 days of being advised that we have completed the project. The balance of the remaining amount is then due within 7 calendar days of your final approval for the design portion of any project.
• Programming costs, if applicable, are separate from web design costs, and the estimated programming charge must be paid in accordance with the following schedule:
  
  • For projects where programming work has been estimated at up to $3000.00, we require payment equal to the estimated amount for the programming part in full, including applicable taxes, before we begin the work.
  • For project where programming work has been estimated at between $3000.00 and $10,000 for the programming part, we require a deposit of $3000.00 + 1/2 of the remainder of the estimated design cost plus applicable taxes on that portion, before we begin the work.
  • For project where programming work has been estimated at over $10,000, we require a deposit of $3000.00 + 1/3 of the remainder of the estimated programming portion plus applicable taxes on that portion, before we begin the work.
  • The second 1/3 portion of the estimated programming portion plus applicable taxes is due when we have completed approximately 2/3 of the project based upon your initial requests.
  • Clients are required to give final approval within 7 days of being advised that we have completed the project. The balance of the remaining amount is then due within 7 calendar days of your final approval.

  Domain Names / Hosting

  • Since yearly domain name registration is paid out on your behalf to a third party Domain Registrar, we require the full fee plus taxes at the time of setup. Domain name registration may be done for any time period the client prefers, from one year up to 9 years. Domain name registration fees are non-refundable.
  • Since yearly hosting services are provided by a third-party service, we require the full one year fee at the time of setup. This fee is non-refundable.
  • Unless Affordable Web Design Ltd is advised by the client at least 2 weeks prior to expiration of yearly domain name and/or hosting fee contracts, Affordable Web Design Ltd will automatically renew said services in order to avoid any interruption in service and the domain name and/or hosting fees will be payable in full by the client.

  Delays from Client Side

  • Should completion of a project be delayed beyond 4 weeks from the date the deposit was received due to the client's inability to provide us with all necessary information for whatever reason, we will continue the project at a later date when the client is ready to continue.
  • A credit from the initial deposit will be kept on file and applied to the remaining project once it resumes.
  • For any time not covered by the initial deposit, we will generate an invoice to cover any accrued time which payment will then be due upon receipt of invoice.
  • Should hourly costs have increased during the inactive period from the time the original estimate was given and payment received, the higher rate will apply to any outstanding portion of the project.
  • Please note that should a delay last more than one year, there may be additional fees due to increased technical costs, or changes in coding technology at the time of restart of project.

  Change of Status

  • Should a client decide not to proceed once the deposit has been processed, a credit for the deposit amount will be applied to the client's account.
  • Any credit on file for your account may be applied towards future work for the same client as long as said work is requested within one year of the initial approved start date.
  • Credits may be transferable, subject to a $200 administration fee. Time spent on the initial project up to the time the client requests that we stop will be deducted from the credit amount.
  • Such a request for transfer of credit must take place within 4 months from the original project payment.

  NSF Cheques & Delinquent Accounts

  • All accounts are due upon receipt of invoice. Interest charges of 2.75% per month may be applied to all unpaid accounts beyond 60 days from date of invoice.
  • A $150 + tax administration fee will be applied to all NSF returned cheques and the delinquent payment plus the administration fee must be paid immediately by E-transfer. A replacement payment by cheque will not be accepted.
  • Affordable Web Design Ltd reserves the right to suspend any website where replacement payment by e-transfer or cash for the NSF cheque was not made within 72 hours of notification of receipt of NSF cheque. Should we be forced to suspend your account, a $250 reinstatement fee will be added to your outstanding amount.
  • In the case of accounts which are more than 60 days overdue from date of work completion, or where payment for completed work has been refused, Affordable Web Design Ltd. reserves the right to apply a visible suspension status to the website and remove the website content from the server until such time as payment has been received.
  • In the case of non-payment of domain name registration and/or hosting, Affordable Web Design Ltd reserves the right to apply a visible suspension notice on the website and remove the website content, as well as to change the registrant information to our name until outstanding accounts, including any late fees, have been paid in full.
  • In the case of logo design, photography or any other non-web related services that have been provided through one of our partner services but for which complete payment has not been received, the client forfeits all rights to the use of such logo design, photographs, or the benefit of other services, and the ownership of said designs, photos and other reverts to Affordable Web Design Ltd.
  • Once payment and any applied interest, as well as any other applicable fees, have been received, Affordable Web Design Ltd. will endeavor to reinstate the website content as it was before it was suspended. Reinstatement of accounts are subject to a $250 administration fee.
  • In the case where hosting has been provided but not paid for, the overdue yearly hosting fees must be paid or be subject to further processing by our partner collection agency.
  • Delinquent accounts, either those of 90+ days, or where there is refusal of payment for work already done, may be subject to further processing by our partner collection agency on behalf of Affordable Web Design Ltd. (we do encourage everyone to avoid this drastic measure at all costs since it might affect your credit rating). The delinquent account holder is then responsible for the collection agency fee (an average fee is 35%-40% of total outstanding), in addition to any outstanding account balance, including all late fees and other administration fees.

  We thank you for reading our policies. Please feel free to contact us for any questions or concerns you may have about our policy.