Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: 9 September, 2026

1. Introduction

These Terms and Conditions govern your access to thestoryguardian.com and your purchase or use of services provided by The Story Guardian.

Throughout these Terms, “The Story Guardian,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to The Story Guardian. “Client,” “user,” “you,” and “your” refer to any person or organization accessing the website, submitting an inquiry, accepting a proposal, or purchasing a service.

By using this website or ordering a service, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree with these Terms, please do not use the website or purchase our services.

2. Our Services

The Story Guardian provides services that may include:

Custom website design
UI/UX design
Website development
Website testing and launch assistance
Other related services specified in a written quotation, proposal, or agreement

The exact scope, deliverables, schedule, and price for a project will be defined in writing before work begins. Services not listed in the approved scope are not automatically included.

3. Project Quotations and Agreements

A quotation or proposal is based on the information provided by the client at the time it is prepared. It may specify:

Project scope
Required pages or screens
Included functions
Client responsibilities
Deliverables
Revision terms
Estimated schedule
Payment schedule
Third-party costs

A project begins only after the required approval, information, and initial payment have been received.

Unless otherwise stated, a quotation remains valid for the period shown in the quotation. Changes requested after approval may require a revised price and schedule.

4. Client Responsibilities

The client is responsible for providing the materials and cooperation reasonably required to complete the project. These may include:

Accurate project instructions
Written content
Images, logos, and other files
Hosting or domain access
Account credentials
Timely feedback and approvals
Required legal notices
Permission to use all submitted materials

The client must ensure that submitted content is accurate, lawful, and does not violate another person’s copyright, trademark, privacy, or other rights.

The Story Guardian is not responsible for delays caused by missing information, delayed approvals, unavailable access credentials, or changes in the client’s instructions.

5. Project Scope and Additional Work

Work is performed according to the approved project scope. A request may be treated as additional work when it introduces:

New pages or screens
New functions or integrations
Substantial design changes after approval
Replacement of previously approved content
Additional revision rounds
Work not described in the original agreement

We will inform the client when a request falls outside the approved scope. Additional work may require written approval, an additional payment, or an updated delivery schedule.

6. Payments

Prices and payment schedules will be stated in the relevant quotation, invoice, or service agreement.

The client agrees to:

Pay invoices by their stated due dates
Provide accurate billing information
Pay approved third-party charges
Review invoices and report any concerns promptly

Work may be paused when a required payment is overdue. Final files, website access, publication, or transfer of completed work may be withheld until the applicable balance has been paid.

Payments may be processed by an external payment provider. The Story Guardian does not intentionally store complete payment-card numbers or card security codes on its own systems.

7. Third-Party Charges

Domain registration, website hosting, paid extensions, software subscriptions, stock materials, fonts, external platforms, and other third-party services are not included unless expressly listed in the project agreement.

Third-party charges may be billed separately and may be subject to the provider’s own terms, renewal periods, refund rules, and privacy practices.

The client is responsible for reviewing and maintaining services registered in the client’s name.

8. Project Timelines

Any delivery date is based on the approved scope and the information available when the schedule is prepared.

A schedule may be adjusted if:

Required materials are provided late
Feedback or approval is delayed
The project scope changes
A third-party provider becomes unavailable
A technical issue outside our reasonable control affects the work
An event beyond either party’s reasonable control interrupts the project

We will communicate material scheduling changes when reasonably possible.

9. Reviews and Revisions

The number and type of revisions included in a project will be stated in the applicable quotation or agreement.

Revision requests must:

Be submitted within the stated review period
Be provided in writing
Clearly identify the requested changes
Remain within the approved project scope
Be combined into an organized round of feedback where reasonably possible

A new direction, replacement concept, or request for additional functionality may be treated as additional work rather than a revision.

The client is responsible for checking names, contact details, links, text, prices, and other factual information before final approval.

10. Client Approval

Approval may be given through email, a project-management system, an electronic form, or another agreed written method.

Once a design, page, function, or project has been approved, later changes may affect the cost and schedule. Final approval confirms that the client has reviewed the work and accepts it for delivery or launch, subject to any separately documented unresolved items.

11. Website Testing and Launch

Before launch, we may test the website’s agreed pages and functions on supported browsers and common screen sizes.

Differences may occur between devices, browsers, operating systems, and display settings. Unless otherwise agreed, the website is not guaranteed to support outdated software or every available device configuration.

The client must complete a final review before authorizing launch. After launch, corrections or support outside the agreed delivery period may require a separate service arrangement.

12. Website Hosting, Domains, and External Platforms

Unless hosting or domain management is expressly included, the client is responsible for maintaining:

Domain registration
Hosting services
Subscription renewals
Account security
Software licenses
Backups
External platform accounts

The Story Guardian is not responsible for interruptions, policy changes, price changes, security incidents, account suspensions, or service failures caused by an external provider.

13. Ownership of Client Materials

The client retains ownership of materials supplied for the project.

By submitting materials, the client gives The Story Guardian permission to use, reproduce, adapt, and place those materials only as reasonably necessary to provide the agreed services.

The client confirms that it owns the submitted materials or has obtained all permissions required for their use.

14. Ownership of Completed Work

Ownership of final project deliverables will be governed by the applicable written agreement.

Unless otherwise stated:

Final approved deliverables created specifically for the client may be transferred after full payment.
Drafts, rejected concepts, working files, internal methods, reusable components, and materials not selected for final delivery remain the property of The Story Guardian.
Third-party materials remain subject to their original licenses and cannot be transferred beyond what those licenses permit.
Open-source software remains subject to its applicable license terms.

No ownership rights are transferred until all applicable invoices have been paid.

15. Confidential Information

Both parties agree to take reasonable care when handling non-public business, technical, account, or project information received from the other party.

Confidential information may be disclosed when required by law or when reasonably necessary for an authorized contractor or service provider to perform project-related work.

This section does not apply to information that is already publicly available, independently developed, or lawfully obtained from another source.

16. Acceptable Use

You may not use our website or services to:

Violate a law or regulation
Infringe intellectual-property or privacy rights
Submit false, misleading, harmful, or unlawful information
Transmit malicious code
Attempt unauthorized access to an account, website, server, or system
Interfere with the security or operation of the website
Impersonate another person or organization
Use automated methods to misuse or overload the website

We may restrict access or decline a project when its requested use is unlawful, deceptive, abusive, or technically harmful.

17. Cancellations and Refunds

Requests to cancel a service must be submitted in writing.

Cancellation does not automatically entitle the client to a full refund. Any refund request will be reviewed according to:

The approved project scope
Work already completed
Payments already made
Third-party costs already incurred
Materials or deliverables already supplied
The circumstances leading to the request
The Refund Policy applicable to the service

The Story Guardian’s Refund Policy forms part of these Terms and Conditions. If a project-specific agreement contains different cancellation or refund provisions, the project-specific agreement will apply to that project.

18. Privacy and Cookies

Personal information collected through the website is handled according to our Privacy Policy.

The website may use cookies and similar technologies, including Microsoft Universal Event Tracking, to operate the website, understand general usage, maintain security, and measure relevant website actions.

Further information about data collection, Microsoft UET, cookie choices, retention, and privacy rights is available in our Privacy Policy.

19. Accuracy of Website Information

We take reasonable care when preparing information for this website. However, website content may occasionally contain typographical errors, technical inaccuracies, or outdated information.

General website information does not replace the terms of a project-specific quotation or written agreement. If website content conflicts with an approved project agreement, the project agreement will govern that project.

20. No Guaranteed Outcome

The Story Guardian agrees to provide the services described in the applicable agreement. However, we do not guarantee a particular level of website traffic, inquiries, revenue, public response, platform availability, or other outcome beyond the agreed deliverables.

Results may depend on factors outside our control, including client decisions, submitted content, user behavior, third-party services, browsers, hosting providers, and technical changes.

21. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the extent permitted by law, the website and its general information are provided on an “as available” basis.

We do not guarantee that the website will always be uninterrupted, completely error-free, or free from every harmful component. Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty or right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Any project-specific warranty or correction period must be stated in the applicable written agreement.

22. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, The Story Guardian will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential losses arising from use of the website or services.

This may include loss caused by:

A third-party platform or service
Loss of access credentials
Client-supplied errors
Unauthorized changes made after delivery
Failure to maintain hosting, licenses, updates, or backups
Use of the completed work outside its intended purpose

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot legally be limited or excluded.

23. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, the client agrees to be responsible for claims, losses, or expenses arising from:

Materials supplied by the client
The client’s lack of permission to use submitted materials
The client’s unlawful use of the completed website
A material breach of these Terms or the project agreement

This provision does not apply where a claim results directly from The Story Guardian’s unlawful conduct.

24. Suspension or Termination

We may suspend or terminate access to the website or an active service when:

A required payment remains overdue
The client materially breaches these Terms or the project agreement
Continuing the work would violate a law or another person’s rights
The client engages in threatening, abusive, fraudulent, or harmful conduct
Continuing the project becomes technically or legally impracticable

Where appropriate, we will provide written notice and an opportunity to address the issue.

25. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of Texas, United State, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Any dispute will be handled by the courts or other dispute-resolution process specified in the applicable service agreement and permitted by law.

26. Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms when our services, website practices, or legal obligations change. The updated version will be published on this page with a revised effective date.

Changes will not retroactively replace the terms of an existing signed project agreement unless both parties agree in writing or the change is legally required.

27. Severability

If any part of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.

28. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Refund Policy, accepted quotation, and any project-specific agreement, form the agreement between the client and The Story Guardian concerning the relevant website use or service.

A project-specific written agreement will take priority if it expressly conflicts with these general Terms.