Terms of Service
22.02.2026
1. Acceptance of Terms & Entity Status
By accessing and using the website and services of The IvoryForge Team ("we", "us", or "our"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. For the purposes of these Terms, "The IvoryForge Team" refers to the individual(s) operating this business as a sole proprietorship/independent contractor. Our services are intended for both commercial businesses and individual consumers. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our services.
2. Our Services & Scope of Work
IvoryForge provides custom web development, including design, development, and deployment. We offer project-based builds and optional managed maintenance subscriptions.
Scope:
The specific scope of work, timeline, deliverables, and included number of revisions for any project will be outlined in a separate written proposal or invoice. Any feature requests or revisions outside this agreed scope will be billed additionally at our standard hourly rate.
Third-Party Expenses:
Third-party costs, including but not limited to premium stock photography, specialized fonts, or paid API integrations, are not included in the base project fee and will be billed separately with prior client approval.
Professional Standard of Care:
IvoryForge is committed to "Digital Craftsmanship." We represent that all services will be performed in a professional, workmanlike manner, consistent with high industry standards and modern web best practices. We utilize "clean-code" principles, prioritize performance (aiming for 95-100 Lighthouse scores), and employ professional-grade infrastructure to ensure your business is represented at the highest level.
3. Payment Terms & Subscriptions
Project Payments:
A deposit is required before work begins; final payment is due upon project completion.
Stalled Projects:
If a project is delayed for more than 30 days due to a lack of feedback, provided assets, or communication from the client, IvoryForge reserves the right to consider the project completed, and the final invoice will become immediately due.
Maintenance Subscriptions:
Billed monthly via Stripe. You authorize IvoryForge to charge your payment method automatically. IvoryForge reserves the right to adjust subscription pricing with at least 30 days' written notice to the client.
Late Payments:
We reserve the right to suspend managed hosting and domain services if payments are more than 14 days overdue.
Chargebacks & Disputes:
If a client initiates a credit card chargeback or payment dispute without valid legal cause, IvoryForge reserves the right to immediately suspend all services, hosting, and domains until the dispute is resolved. The client agrees to be responsible for covering any chargeback fees or administrative costs incurred by IvoryForge as a result.
4. Managed Infrastructure (The "Zero-Friction" Model)
While enrolled in a Managed Maintenance plan, IvoryForge provides a turnkey solution:
Maintenance Scope:
Managed Maintenance covers technical hosting management, security updates, and up to 30 minutes of minor content updates per month. Major design or structural changes are not included and remain subject to standard hourly rates.
Hosting:
We manage the technical environment on our infrastructure (Cloudflare).
Fair Use & Resource Limits:
Managed hosting includes standard traffic and bandwidth usage. If a website experiences continuous, unusually high traffic or resource consumption that exceeds our standard tier thresholds, we reserve the right to negotiate an upgraded hosting plan or invoice the client for the excess third-party overage costs.
Domain Registration:
We include the registration and renewal of one standard domain name (up to €20/year value).
Premium Domains:
Domains exceeding the €20/year threshold ("Premium Domains") are not covered by the standard maintenance fee. In such cases, the cost difference will be invoiced to the client, or the client may choose to manage their own domain subscription.
5. Self-Hosted & Independent Management
If a client declines or cancels the maintenance plan:
Deployment:
The client must provide a personal Cloudflare account and domain registrar access for deployment.
Responsibility:
All hosting fees, domain renewals, server maintenance, and security monitoring become the client’s sole responsibility.
6. Security, Quality Assurance & Liability
Our Commitment to Quality: We do not build "template-level" websites. Every site managed by IvoryForge is built for high-performance and is actively monitored. We utilize professional-grade security layers (Cloudflare WAF) and performance audits to ensure your site is faster and more secure than standard business websites.
Disclaimer of Warranties:
Our services are provided on an "as-is" and "as-available" basis. IvoryForge makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the website's fitness for a particular purpose, search engine (SEO) rankings, uninterrupted uptime, sales performance, or that the custom code will be entirely error-free.
Security Measures:
We utilize Cloudflare’s WAF and Turnstile protections for managed sites.
Data & Backups:
While we implement standard backup protocols for managed sites, the client is ultimately responsible for their data. IvoryForge is not liable for data loss due to user error, third-party plugin failures, or catastrophic server events.
Liability:
While we take active measures to protect managed sites, 100% security is not guaranteed. IvoryForge is not liable for outages, data breaches, or costs caused by malicious attacks or third-party provider failures.
7. Refund & Cancellation Policy
EU Consumer Rights (Right of Withdrawal):
If you are an individual consumer residing in the European Union, you legally have a 14-day right of withdrawal for online purchases. However, because our services consist of custom digital development, you agree that by paying the deposit and instructing us to begin, you explicitly request immediate performance of the service and acknowledge that you lose your right of withdrawal once design/development work has commenced.
Projects:
Deposits are non-refundable once work has commenced. No refunds are issued after launch.
Subscriptions:
Cancel anytime; no long-term contracts. No pro-rated refunds for partial months.
The Handover Period:
Hosting & Migration:
We will provide a standard backup archive (zip file and database export) of the website files at no extra cost. The site must be migrated to the client's own environment. If the client requires IvoryForge to perform the manual migration to their new server, this labor is not included and will be billed at our standard hourly rate.
Domain Transfer:
We will initiate the transfer of the domain name to the client’s preferred registrar. Please note: Under global ICANN rules, domains cannot be transferred to a new registrar within 60 days of initial registration or contact detail updates. If you cancel within this window, you must wait until the lock expires.
Transfer Costs:
Any third-party fees associated with domain transfers are the sole responsibility of the client.
Failure to Migrate & Data Deletion:
After the 14-day transition period, IvoryForge will cease hosting and management. Furthermore, IvoryForge reserves the right to permanently delete all website files, databases, and backups associated with the account. Data recovery after this point will be impossible. We are not responsible for site downtime or data loss if the client fails to migrate their site in time.
8. Intellectual Property & Client Materials
Client Materials:
The client guarantees they own or have the legal right to use all text, images, and media provided to IvoryForge. The client agrees to indemnify and hold IvoryForge harmless against any claims, damages, or legal fees arising from intellectual property infringement related to client-provided materials.
Ownership:
Upon full payment, the client receives full ownership of the final visual design and client-specific custom code.
Background IP:
IvoryForge retains ownership of any pre-existing code, libraries, or frameworks ("Background Technology") used to build the site, granting the client a perpetual, non-exclusive license to use them as part of the finished website.
Showcase:
Third-party libraries remain subject to their respective licenses. We reserve the right to showcase the completed work in our portfolio and marketing materials.
9. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by Bulgarian law, IvoryForge’s liability for any claim arising out of these Terms or our services is strictly limited to the amount paid by the client for the specific service in question during the 3 months preceding the claim. In no event shall IvoryForge, its team members, or its future incorporated entity be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, or business interruption, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
10. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Bulgaria and the European Union. Any disputes arising from these Terms or our services shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in Targovishte, Bulgaria. If you are an EU consumer, you may also have the right to submit disputes to the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
11. Contact & Professional Inquiries
For questions regarding these Terms or to discuss a project, please reach out to the IvoryForge Team. We are dedicated to building the systems that define the high-end web.