Service Terms

1. Definitions

In these Service Terms:

• we, us, our means Chatsifieds.com Pty Ltd T/A Your IT & Tech Mates.
• you, customer or client means the person, business or entity requesting or receiving services.
• Services means IT support, managed services, cybersecurity services, consulting, software development, website services, device repairs, education, onsite/remote support, Quick Help, field technician work and related services.
• ACL means the Australian Consumer Law in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).
• Quote, proposal or SOW means any written quote, custom proposal, statement of work, service agreement, approval page or written scope we issue.

2. Scope of services

These Service Terms apply to services supplied through Quick Help, customer portals, referrals, quotes, invoices, phone, email, onsite visits, remote support and written arrangements.

3. Engagement, quotes and scope

• Services will be provided as described in a written quote, custom proposal, service agreement, statement of work or other written scope. If no written scope exists, work may be performed on a time-and-materials basis.
• Any variation, extra fault, extra feature, new device, new account, change request or additional support need may result in additional charges.
• We are not obliged to perform work outside the agreed scope unless agreed by us.
• Software, website and development work may be split into stages, milestones, testing, customer review and deployment steps.
• Timeframes are estimates unless expressly confirmed in writing.

4. Quick Help and initial estimates

Quick Help is the main public entry point for repair and technology support requests. AI/automated responses, initial estimates and suggested next steps are guide-only and are not official quotes, final diagnoses or guaranteed repair instructions. A technician/admin must confirm diagnosis, price, scope and next steps.

5. Customer responsibilities

You agree to:

• provide accurate and complete information;
• ensure you have lawful authority to request work on the device, account, website, business system, data or property;
• ensure lawful access to systems, devices and data;
• maintain current backups unless we have agreed in writing to manage backups;
• maintain licensed software and valid third-party accounts/subscriptions;
• follow reasonable technical, safety and cybersecurity recommendations;
• review quotes, invoices, staged work, test links, approval requests and completed work promptly;
• keep passwords, PINs, MFA codes, seed phrases and banking codes private.

We are not responsible for issues arising from unsupported or obsolete systems, unlicensed software, missing permissions, failure to maintain backups, failure to implement recommended security measures, or third-party account restrictions.

6. Fees, payment and charges

• Fees are payable as set out in our quote, invoice, proposal, service agreement or approved scope.
• Quotes are generally valid for 7 days unless stated otherwise.
• Invoices are generally payable within 14 days unless stated otherwise.
• Customers cannot mark invoices as paid. Cash payment is only pending until admin confirms. Stripe payments are paid only after Stripe confirms payment.
• All prices are inclusive or exclusive of GST as stated on the quote or invoice. If GST treatment is not shown, we may clarify it before payment.
• We may suspend or delay services for non-payment, suspected fraud, safety concerns, lack of access, lack of authority, or breach of these Service Terms.
• You are responsible for reasonable recovery costs incurred due to overdue accounts, to the extent permitted by law.

7. Managed IT services

• Managed services are provided on a best-efforts basis unless a separate SLA applies.
• We do not guarantee continuous uptime, error-free service, prevention of every issue, or prevention of every cybersecurity incident.
• Scheduled maintenance may occur outside business hours or at agreed times.
• Remote monitoring, remote support or management tools may be installed where required to deliver the services and with appropriate authority.

8. Cybersecurity and scam-safety services

• Cybersecurity and scam-safety support reduces risk but does not eliminate it.
• We do not warrant that all threats will be detected, no breach will occur, all vulnerabilities will be found, all accounts will be recovered, or all money/data will be recovered after a scam or compromise.
• You remain responsible for staff behaviour, password hygiene, phishing awareness, internal approvals, account recovery details, bank notifications and following safety recommendations.
• To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for losses caused by social engineering, business email compromise, ransomware, phishing, customer negligence, unsafe customer actions, bank/platform decisions or third-party breaches.

9. Data, backup and recovery

• You are responsible for maintaining backups unless backup management is expressly contracted.
• Before repair, migration, remote support, software changes or system work, you should ensure your data is backed up.
• Data recovery, successful transfer, full restoration and preservation of settings are not guaranteed.
• To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for data loss, corruption, hardware failure, software failure or lost settings during repair or service work, except where liability cannot be excluded under the ACL.

10. Repairs, hardware and parts

• Repair quotes and estimates are based on information available at the time and may change after diagnosis.
• Additional faults discovered during repair may incur further charges or require a revised quote.
• Replacement parts may be new, refurbished, aftermarket or third-party compatible, depending on availability, budget and customer approval.
• We are not responsible for pre-existing faults, latent defects, manufacturer design flaws, liquid damage, prior repair attempts, unsupported devices or faults outside the agreed scope.
• Manufacturer warranties remain the responsibility of the customer unless otherwise agreed in writing.

11. Software support, program installations and operating system issues

• Software support includes help with Windows, macOS, applications, drivers, printers/scanners, email clients, browsers, business tools, configuration, updates, installation and troubleshooting.
• Software issues can be caused by many factors outside our control, including operating system updates, vendor updates, corrupted settings, malware, user changes, expired licences, third-party add-ons, driver conflicts, hardware faults, account restrictions, internet/network issues and vendor platform outages.
• Unless we expressly provide a separate written warranty, software support, program installation and configuration work is supplied on a best-efforts basis. Our responsibility is to perform the agreed work with due care and skill and to confirm the agreed item is working, or has been reasonably attempted, at the time we finish the job.
• We do not guarantee that a software error, warning, crash, setting issue, driver issue, update issue or compatibility issue will not return later, especially after updates, restarts, user changes, third-party changes, malware activity or vendor changes.
• If an error returns after software support is completed, further investigation, configuration, reinstall, vendor support, hardware testing or onsite/remote assistance may be treated as a new job or additional charge unless Australian Consumer Law requires otherwise.
• Program installation support does not guarantee the program will remain compatible with all future versions of the operating system, drivers, files, hardware, subscriptions, vendor servers or third-party integrations.
• Customers remain responsible for software licences, activation keys, account access, subscriptions, backups, data files, settings and compliance with software vendor terms.

12. Third-party products, vendors and platforms

• We may recommend, configure, support, resell or help you use third-party products, platforms, domains, hosting, subscriptions, hardware or software.
• You are bound by applicable third-party terms and pricing.
• We are not liable for third-party outages, vendor pricing changes, policy changes, security incidents, account bans, warranty decisions, discontinued products, API changes or platform restrictions.

13. Intellectual property and development work

• Unless otherwise agreed in writing, we retain ownership of intellectual property, know-how, reusable tools, templates, methods, scripts, libraries and background materials we create or use.
• After full payment, you receive a licence to use agreed deliverables for their intended purpose.
• Source code, admin credentials, build files, designs or documentation are supplied only where agreed in writing.
• We may reuse general knowledge, skills, methods and experience gained during an engagement, provided we do not misuse confidential customer information.
• Development work may require testing and acceptance by you. Bugs, revisions, new features or changes outside the agreed scope may be quoted separately.

14. Confidentiality

Both parties must keep confidential information secure and not disclose it except as required by law, with consent, to professional advisers bound by confidentiality, or where reasonably required to provide the services.

15. Privacy, security and sensitive information

Personal information is handled under our Privacy Policy. You should not provide unnecessary sensitive information. We may redact or remove device PINs, passwords, MFA codes, API keys, TFNs or other sensitive secrets if submitted through public forms or support channels.

16. Warranty and follow-up

Warranty information is shown only after admin sets the warranty start date/time and confirms the applicable warranty. Reopened warranty work does not automatically extend or reset the original warranty expiry. Warranty does not cover misuse, liquid damage, unrelated faults, third-party platform changes, customer changes, unauthorised repair attempts, consumables, accidental damage, data loss or issues outside the agreed scope.

Software support, Windows/program installation, driver setup, configuration and troubleshooting are not normally covered by the same warranty approach as physical parts or confirmed hardware repairs. If the agreed software task is working when we finish, or has been reasonably attempted with due care and skill, later software errors may require a new investigation because software behaviour can change due to updates, settings, malware, third-party vendors, accounts, drivers, hardware, network conditions or customer changes.

17. Referrals and payout terms

Referral rewards are governed by our Referral Policy. Referral rewards are not automatic and may be delayed, declined, reduced, reversed or voided for refunds, disputes, duplicate referrals, self-referrals, late referral claims, misuse, suspected fraud, scam activity or breach of referral terms. We do not collect TFNs through the referral system.

18. Vulnerable customers and safety

We take extra care where a customer may be vulnerable, digitally excluded, scam-affected, under pressure, or relying on a support person. See our Vulnerable Persons Safeguarding Policy.

19. Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in these Service Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any rights under the ACL. If you are a consumer, our liability for breach of a consumer guarantee may be limited, at our option, to resupplying the services or paying the cost of resupply, to the extent permitted by section 64A of the ACL. This limitation does not apply where the law does not allow it.

20. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of business opportunity, loss of goodwill, loss of data, loss of use, business interruption, third-party platform loss, or losses caused by customer actions, third-party systems or events outside our reasonable control.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability for any claim arising out of the services is limited to the total fees paid by you for the affected services in the 3 months preceding the claim. This limitation does not apply to liability that cannot legally be excluded.

21. Indemnity

You indemnify us against claims, losses, costs and expenses arising from your misuse of services, breach of these Service Terms, unlawful instructions, unauthorised access requests, unlicensed software, misleading information, or negligent or unlawful acts. This indemnity does not apply to the extent we are at fault or where the law does not allow it.

22. Suspension and termination

• We may suspend services if payment is overdue, there is a security/safety risk, access is not lawful or safe, you breach these Service Terms, or continuing work may expose you or us to unreasonable risk.
• Either party may terminate an ongoing engagement with 28 days' written notice unless otherwise agreed in writing.
• On termination, outstanding invoices become due, access credentials and remote tools may be revoked, and stored data may be deleted or anonymised after reasonable notice unless we are legally or operationally required to retain it.

23. Force majeure

We are not liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, power or telecommunications failure, vendor outages, cyber incidents, illness, supply-chain issues, strikes, government action, platform restrictions or payment processor issues.

24. Dispute resolution

Both parties must first attempt good faith negotiation. If unresolved within 28 days, either party may request mediation in Victoria before court proceedings, except where urgent relief is required or the law provides otherwise.

25. Governing law

These Service Terms are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia. The parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of Victorian courts.

26. Contact

Service questions can be sent to [email protected] or raised by calling 0452 323 571.