Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern the relationship between Avante Web Studio (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2026/557968/07, part of the Avante Labs ecosystem ("Avante", "we", "us"), and any individual or business ("Client", "you") who orders a service from us.

You accept these Terms when you confirm an order with us (including by WhatsApp or email), make a payment to us, or create a Client Dashboard account where one is made available. We will share a link to these Terms before starting work on your order.

1. You request a website by contacting us on WhatsApp (+27 62 476 7535) or by email, and share your brief, content and preferences.
2. We agree the package (scope tier), domain and any add-ons with you, and confirm the price in writing (WhatsApp or email) before starting.
3. We design and build the website, and send it to you for review.
4. Once you have reviewed the completed website, the once-off fee becomes payable ("See It Before You Pay").
5. After payment, we connect your domain and put the website live.

We aim to have websites live within 72 hours of a finalised brief. This is an estimate based on typical turnaround, not a guaranteed delivery time. Timelines depend on the complexity of the request and on how quickly you provide content, feedback and approvals.

Where we make a Client Dashboard available, you may also use it to submit briefs, track progress, and make payments. These Terms apply equally to orders placed that way.

Once-off build fee. The once-off fee depends on the package (scope tier) agreed for your project, as published on our Pricing page at the time of your order and confirmed to you in writing. The domain extension you choose does not change the price.

Quarterly retainer. A fixed quarterly retainer, as published on our Pricing page, covers ongoing hosting, domain renewal and maintenance.

Free hosting period. The first 9 months of hosting after your website goes live are included at no extra charge. The quarterly retainer is payable from the end of that 9-month period.

AI Support. AI Support plans are optional monthly subscriptions, priced as published on our Pricing page. See Section 7.

How to pay. Payments are made through a secure payment link from one of our payment providers (Paystack, PayFast or Ozow), using card, Instant EFT or the other methods shown on the payment page. Avante never receives or stores your card or bank login details.

Protect yourself from fraud. We will only ever send payment links from our official WhatsApp number (+27 62 476 7535) or official email address (avantelabs.official@gmail.com). If you receive payment instructions from anywhere else, confirm with us before paying.

Because you review the completed website before the once-off fee is payable, the once-off fee is non-refundable once paid.

Quarterly retainer and AI Support payments cover services provided for that period and are non-refundable once paid, including for partially used periods.

Nothing in these Terms limits any right you may have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 or the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Once the once-off fee has been paid in full, the domain name and your website's code and design belong to you.

Domain registration. For convenience, we register your domain through our registrar accounts (HostAfrica, or Cloudflare for .com domains) on your behalf, and we manage renewals as part of the quarterly retainer. You remain the beneficial owner of the domain. You may ask us at any time to transfer the domain to a registrar account of your choice, and we will do so within a reasonable period.

Source code. You may ask for a full copy of your website's source code at any time, at no extra charge, and we will provide it within a reasonable period.

Our reusable elements. We keep a non-exclusive, royalty-free right to reuse generic design elements, layouts, components and patterns from your project in work for other clients. This never includes your brand assets, business content, copy, images, or anything that identifies your business.

If a quarterly retainer payment is not received by its due date:

• First payment after the free period: we will not automatically suspend your website. We will make reasonable efforts to contact you about the outstanding payment before any suspension is considered.
• All later payments: a 7-day grace period applies from the due date. If payment is not received within that period, your website may be suspended (taken offline) until payment is made.

Suspension never affects your ownership of the domain or your right to your source code under Section 5.

The service. AI Support provides an AI assistant for your business, trained on documents and information you provide, answering on the channels included in your plan. Plan features and limits are as published on our Pricing page.

Billing. AI Support is billed monthly in advance through Paystack, by card, until cancelled.

Cancelling. You may cancel at any time by contacting us. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing month, and no further charges will be made. Unpaid subscriptions may be suspended.

Your content. You keep ownership of the documents and information you upload. You confirm you have the right to use them, and that they do not include personal information you are not permitted to share. Uploaded content is processed by the third-party AI providers described in our Privacy Policy.

AI limitations. AI-generated replies may be incomplete or incorrect, and are not professional, legal, medical or financial advice. You are responsible for reviewing how the assistant is used with your customers, and for any decisions made based on its replies.

In line with our "No Contracts" commitment, you are not bound to any fixed-term agreement. You may stop paying the quarterly retainer at any time. Your website will then be suspended under Section 6, with no cancellation penalty. AI Support may be cancelled as described in Section 7. Your ownership of the domain and your right to your source code (Section 5) survive any cancellation.

• Provide accurate and timely information and content for your website.
• Respond to requests for feedback or approval promptly. Delays on your side may affect delivery timelines.
• Ensure that any content, images, logos or other material you provide does not infringe anyone else's rights, and that you are allowed to share any personal information included in it.

Websites and services are provided "as is". We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation, and we are not liable for outages or issues caused by third-party providers, including hosting providers, domain registrars, messaging platforms, AI providers and payment processors.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability arising from these Terms or our services is limited to the total fees you paid us in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

We process your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), as described in our Privacy Policy at studio.avantelabs.org/privacy.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

We may update these Terms from time to time. The effective date at the top shows when they were last changed. For material changes, we will notify active clients by WhatsApp or email before the changes apply to them.

Avante Web Studio (Pty) Ltd

• Registration number: 2026/557968/07
• Address: 113 Jabu Ndlovu Street, Pietermaritzburg, 3201, South Africa
• Email: avantelabs.official@gmail.com
• WhatsApp: +27 62 476 7535
• Website: studio.avantelabs.org