Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using the services provided by HostForge Australia (Sister concern of Cyvera Pty Ltd), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, you may not use our services.

2. Company Information

3. Services Description

HostForge provides web hosting services, domain registration, and related products including but not limited to:

• Shared Web Hosting
• Managed WordPress Hosting
• Business Hosting
• Developer Hosting
• Domain Registration
• SSL Certificates
• Professional Services (Development, SEO, Support)

4. Account Registration and Security

To use our services, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Provide accurate and complete registration information
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Promptly update any changes to your information
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized account access

You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account.

5. Billing and Payments

5.1 Fees and Payment

All fees are in Australian Dollars (AUD) and are exclusive of GST unless stated otherwise. Payments are processed securely through Stripe. By providing payment information, you authorize us to charge the applicable fees.

5.2 Billing Cycle

Services are billed in advance on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis depending on your chosen plan. Domain registrations are billed annually.

5.3 Automatic Renewal

All services renew automatically unless cancelled before the renewal date. You will receive a renewal notice via email prior to processing.

5.4 Late Payment

If payment is not received by the due date, we may suspend or terminate your services. A reactivation fee may apply for suspended accounts.

5.5 Price Changes

We reserve the right to change prices at any time. Price changes will not affect current billing terms but will apply upon renewal.

6. Refund Policy

6.1 Money-Back Guarantee

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all hosting plans. If you're not satisfied within the first 30 days, we'll refund your hosting fees.

6.2 Non-Refundable Items

The following are non-refundable:

• Domain registration fees
• SSL certificate purchases
• Professional services (development, SEO, support hours)
• Setup fees
• Accounts terminated for Terms of Service violations

6.3 Refund Process

Refund requests must be submitted via email to billing@hostforge.com.au. Refunds will be processed within 5-10 business days to the original payment method.

7. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree not to use our services for:

Violation of these policies may result in immediate account suspension or termination.

8. Resource Usage

Shared hosting resources are limited to ensure fair usage for all customers. Excessive resource usage affecting server performance may result in:

• Resource usage warnings
• Temporary account suspension
• Requirement to upgrade to a higher plan

Resource limits are specified in your plan details. For developer plans, dedicated resources are guaranteed.

9. Domain Registration

Domain registrations are subject to the policies of the relevant registry. By registering a domain through us, you agree to:

• Provide accurate registrant information
• Abide by the registry's terms and conditions
• Maintain valid WHOIS information
• Renew domains before expiration to avoid loss

10. Intellectual Property

You retain all rights to the content you host on our servers. However, you grant us a license to host and process your content as necessary to provide our services. Our website, logos, and brand materials are the property of Cyvera Pty Ltd.

11. Third-Party Services

We use third-party services including:

• Stripe - Payment processing
• cPanel - Hosting control panel
• LiteSpeed - Web server technology

Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms and policies.

12. Service Level Agreement (SLA)

12.1 Uptime Guarantee

We guarantee 99.9% network uptime across all hosting services. Uptime is calculated on a monthly basis excluding scheduled maintenance.

12.2 Compensation

If uptime falls below 99.9%, you may request compensation in the form of service credits equal to 5% of your monthly fee for each 30 minutes of downtime, up to 100% of your monthly fee.

12.3 Exclusions

SLA does not cover downtime caused by:

• Scheduled maintenance
• Customer's own applications or code
• Third-party services or networks
• DDoS attacks or security incidents
• Force majeure events

13. Data Backup

We perform regular backups of our servers, but we do not guarantee that backups are complete or error-free. You are responsible for maintaining your own backups of critical data. Additional backup services are available upon request.

14. License Usage

Some services provided by HostForge may include shared or volume software licenses (such as cPanel, Plesk, LiteSpeed, CloudLinux, or similar tools). These licenses are owned and managed by HostForge or its upstream providers and are offered as part of the hosting service. Customers do not own, transfer, or resell these licenses, and usage remains subject to the original software vendors’ terms.

15. Cancellation and Termination

15.1 Cancellation by Customer

You may cancel your services at any time through your account dashboard or by contacting support. Cancellation requests must be received at least 24 hours before the renewal date to avoid charges.

15.2 Termination by HostForge

We may suspend or terminate your account for:

• Violation of these Terms
• Non-payment of fees
• Illegal activities
• Abusive behavior toward staff

15.3 Data Retention

Upon termination, we may delete your data after 30 days. It is your responsibility to retrieve your data before termination.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, HostForge and Cyvera Pty Ltd Australia shall not be liable for:

• Indirect or consequential damages
• Loss of profits or revenue
• Loss of data or content
• Service interruptions

Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid for services during the 12 months preceding the claim.

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless HostForge, Cyvera Pty Ltd Australia, and our employees from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of our services or violation of these terms.

18. Disclaimer of Warranties

Our services are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that our services will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.

19. Privacy

Your use of our services is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

20. Modifications to Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or through our website. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.

21. Governing Law

These terms shall be governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of New South Wales.

21. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us: