Terms of service

Prices and GST

Tea Break Studio is a sole trader business operated by Nick in East Auckland, New Zealand.

Every price on this site is in New Zealand dollars. GST is not added because I am not currently registered for GST. If that changes, new prices will be restated before work is booked. It will not change the price of work already agreed.

The price shown at checkout includes card processing costs. No extra payment fee or GST is added.

Founding prices apply to my first eight clients or until 31 October 2026, whichever comes first. A written quote is held for 30 days even if the founding window closes during that time.

Starting and payment

1. You send the form or email describing the problem.
2. I reply within two working days with my recommendation, the offer that fits, and a fixed price. That first diagnosis is free and creates no obligation.
3. If you accept in writing, that scope and these terms become our agreement. It says what is included, what is not, how many adjustment rounds are included, and when the work is due.
4. Work starts once you confirm and, if a deposit applies, once it is paid.

Payment schedule

• Fixed-price small jobs and online bookings are paid in full at booking.
• A Small Business Site requires a 50 percent deposit after the written scope is agreed, with the balance due before launch and handover.
• Care Plans are charged monthly in advance and can be cancelled with 30 days written notice.
• Other quoted work uses the schedule in its written scope. Invoices are due within seven days unless that scope says otherwise.

Paying through a checkout link requests the named booking. Work still starts only after scope, access and timing are confirmed in writing. If the job does not fit the published limits or I cannot accept it, I will explain why and refund the payment in full to the original payment method.

What you get, and what you own

• Your domain is registered in your name.
• Your Shopify, hosting and email accounts are in your name and billed to your card. I join as staff, not owner.
• You have administrator access from day one and can remove my access at any time.
• On final payment, ownership of the custom work made for you passes to you.
• Project files and assets are handed over at launch with a plain-English guide.

My reusable tools, methods and code libraries remain mine. Third-party fonts, stock, apps and themes remain under their own licences, and I will identify any that the project depends on.

Changes and revisions

Anything outside the written scope needs written agreement on price and timing before it starts. A genuine defect in what I delivered is not a change and I fix it without charging.

The included adjustment rounds are stated on the offer and in your written scope. Further rounds are NZ$180 each. I will tell you before a request becomes a paid round.

Timing

Dates depend on you providing content, access and feedback. If you go quiet for more than ten working days, I may need to reschedule around other work. We will both say promptly when something outside our control causes a delay.

If you are not happy

If you do not like the first design on a new build, you pay nothing and keep the written diagnostic.

For a prepaid fixed-price job, you may cancel for a full refund until I confirm in writing that the booked work has started. Once it has started, any refund is reduced by the work already completed and any third-party cost you approved.

After the first design, if you cancel, you pay for work completed to that date and any third-party costs already committed. I hand over what you have paid for.

If I cancel or cannot finish, you pay only for what was delivered and I hand over the source files for that work without an extra charge.

Everything in writing

All project communication happens by email or through another agreed written channel. This creates a record of what was promised and keeps important decisions from depending on anyone's memory of a conversation.

I read every message and reply within two working days.

What I do not promise

I will do the work with reasonable care and skill. I do not guarantee revenue, search rankings, conversion rates, or the behaviour of a third-party platform such as Shopify, Google or Meta.

Your responsibilities

You confirm that you have the right to use the text, images, logos, product data and accounts you provide. You are responsible for claims arising from material you supply without the necessary rights.

Showing the work

I will not show your project publicly without separate written permission. That permission can say what may be shown, when, and with what disclosure.

Consumer law, liability and disputes

Nothing in these terms limits rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or Fair Trading Act 1986 where those Acts apply.

If you acquire the services for business purposes, then to the extent the law allows, we agree that the Consumer Guarantees Act does not apply. This agreement is recorded in writing in the accepted scope.

To the extent the law allows, my total liability for a claim connected to a project is limited to the amount you paid for that project. I am not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including lost profit, lost revenue, lost data or business interruption. Nothing limits liability for fraud or anything that cannot lawfully be limited.

I do not currently hold professional indemnity insurance.

These terms are governed by New Zealand law. If something goes wrong, tell me in writing and give me a fair chance to fix it. If that fails, we try mediation in Auckland and split the mediator's fee before either of us goes to court or the Disputes Tribunal.

The version that applies to your project is the one in force when you accept the written scope. I keep a copy.