Free Technical Support Terms

A website does not stop needing attention on the day it goes live. Browsers change, software is updated, and small faults occasionally appear once real visitors begin using a site in ways nobody anticipated.

For that reason a small website delivered by Neel Networks includes twelve months of technical support from the day it goes live, at no additional charge. It is handled by the same in-house team that built the site.

This page sets out exactly what that support covers, what it does not, how to raise a request, and what your options are once the twelve months have passed. We would rather state the boundary plainly than leave you to discover it at an awkward moment.

The twelve months of included technical support apply to a small website, built either as a custom website in HTML, CSS and PHP, or as a small WordPress website.

Everything else we deliver is supported under a maintenance plan rather than under this policy, because the upkeep involved is of a different order. That includes the following.

• eCommerce stores, on any platform.
• Websites built on a hosted builder such as Shopify, Webflow, Wix, Squarespace, Duda or Framer.
• Web applications, portals, dashboards and business systems.
• Mobile applications.
• AI solutions and automation work.

Where your project falls into one of those groups, your proposal will state the support arrangement that applies to it, and our Website Maintenance & Support Terms govern it. If you are uncertain which applies to your website, you are most welcome to write to support@neelnetworks.com and we will confirm it.

Two conditions that apply throughout

• It covers the website we delivered: the free year applies to the site as we built and handed it over. Additional websites, later projects, and websites built by somebody else are not included.
• The hosting must be managed by us: this policy applies only where the website is hosted on infrastructure we manage and where our team holds the hosting credentials. Section 5 explains what happens where it is not.

• The year begins on the launch date. The twelve months run from the day your website becomes available to the public. They do not run from the date of payment, nor from the date the project began.
• It is included automatically. You do not need to purchase it separately or to ask for it.
• It does not renew by itself. At the end of the twelve months the included period simply ends. Nothing is charged automatically and nothing is cancelled without your knowing.
• You will hear from us before it ends. We write to you in good time, so that you are able to decide how you would like to continue. Section 9 sets out the options.

We confirm your support start and end dates by email on the day your website goes live. You are most welcome to keep that email for reference, and we are glad to send it again if it is mislaid.

The following are covered at no charge during the twelve months, where the issue arises from our own work, and where the website remains on hosting we manage.

The items below sit outside this policy. They are not refused, and we would be glad to carry out any of them. They are quoted and agreed as separate work rather than treated as support.

Work that is development rather than support

• A new feature, page or integration that was not part of the original scope and quotation.
• Changing the look, layout or structure of the website after it has been approved and delivered.
• Writing or producing content, including page copy, blog articles and product descriptions.
• Design work, including banners, illustrations and material for social media.
• Moving the website to a different hosting provider or a different platform.

Problems that originate elsewhere

• A plugin or theme installed by you or by somebody acting for you, which causes a fault.
• Changes made directly to the code, the theme or the database by your own team.
• Changes made by another agency or a freelance developer after handover.
• Recovery from a serious security compromise where the cause lies in one of the above, or in a password that was not kept safe.

Services of a different kind

• Search engine optimisation, including keyword research and content work.
• Advertising and marketing, including Google Ads, social media and email campaigns.
• Licence and subscription costs payable to others, such as premium plugins, an API, a workspace account or payment gateway charges.

Where a request falls outside this policy, we tell you before any work begins and provide a quotation. We do not carry out chargeable work without your written agreement first.

This is the single condition that most often causes misunderstanding, so it is worth stating on its own.

The free twelve months apply only where the website sits on infrastructure we manage, with our team holding the hosting credentials and administrative access. Where the site is hosted on your own server, with a third-party provider, or anywhere we do not hold that access, this policy does not apply, whoever built the website.

The reason is practical rather than commercial. Without access to the server we are unable to read the error logs, restore a backup, apply a security patch or verify that a fix has worked. We would be offering an assurance we have no means of honouring.

Where that is your situation, we would still be glad to help, through prepaid support hours, which work with any platform and any host. Our Website Access & Security Policy explains credentials and access in full.

We would be grateful if you could kindly send support requests through our official channels, so that each one is recorded and can be followed properly. A request made verbally, or sent to a personal number, is easily lost, and we would not wish that to happen to yours.

1. Write to support@neelnetworks.com. Please include the address of the website, a description of what is happening, a screenshot where one would help, and when you first noticed it. The more we have at the start, the sooner we are able to diagnose it.
2. We acknowledge it and classify it. We confirm that we have it, assess how urgent it is, and confirm whether it falls within your included year. If it does not, we tell you at that point, before any work is done.
3. We carry out the work and tell you what was done. Where the change is visible, we share a preview or screenshots for your review.
4. Please review it within five working days. If the fault returns, or the fix is incomplete, simply reply on the same email and we will return to it. A request not raised again within five working days is treated as settled.

Requests are not answered strictly in the order they arrive. Something that has stopped a website working is attended to before something that is untidy, which we hope is the order you would choose yourself.

Requests are attended to during business hours, Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 7:00 pm IST, excluding public holidays in India. We will respond to you promptly, and where something is preventing your website from working we would be grateful if you could say so when you write, so that it is treated accordingly.

The included year is intended for the ordinary care a website needs after launch. It is not an unlimited development service, and it is not a substitute for a maintenance plan. The following apply.

• Requests come by email. We are unable to track a request made only by telephone or in conversation.
• One request at a time. Please allow us to settle one matter before raising the next. Several at once are queued and handled in order of priority.
• Content should be ready when the request is made. We are unable to begin an update that depends on text, images or files until those have reached us.
• Minor content changes are on a reasonable basis. They are not intended to cover changes made weekly or daily. Where your website needs content changed that often, a maintenance plan would serve you considerably better, and cost you less.
• It applies to the website as delivered. We are unable to provide free support for changes made to the code or the database by you or by a third party after handover.

In fourteen years we have never applied this section to a client without discussing it with them first. It exists to make the arrangement clear on both sides, not to limit a reasonable request.

Nothing stops abruptly, and you are under no obligation to continue. There are three ordinary ways forward, and we would be glad to advise which suits your situation.

We would gently suggest deciding before the twelve months are up. A website left without updates or monitoring for a few months is a good deal more likely to need expensive attention later.

A short reference for the questions we are asked most often.

If you are unsure whether a request is chargeable, please write to us first. We will always tell you before carrying out paid work, and we never invoice for work you have not approved.

These terms are governed by the laws of India, and any dispute arising from technical support is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Our liability in connection with technical support is limited to the value of the support service in question. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of business, revenue or data, arising from a fault in the website, from a service provided by a third party, or from an event outside our reasonable control.

These terms supplement our Terms & Conditions and take precedence on matters specific to the included support year. Hosting and domains are governed by our Domain & Hosting Terms. Where your own signed proposal differs from this page, your proposal applies.

We may update this page from time to time. The date at the head of the page shows when it was last revised, and the terms in force when your website went live are the ones that apply to your included year.

We will respond to every support request promptly.