Care Plan Terms and Conditions
A link to this page is included in every cover email when I send your Care Plan Report (either monthly or quarterly).
Care Plan Payment
Payment is set up as an automatic monthly subscription, paid each month with a credit card provided by the client and kept "on file". If annual payment is requested, KMS can accept either credit card payment, check, or Zelle. KMS does not accept PayPal, CashApp, Venmo or the like. The credit card processor used by KMS emails receipts for each transaction.
Immediate Tasks done by KMS
A new user name/pw will be created for KMS to use for any work performed on your site.
Two or more plugins that help provide capability to run malware scans and monitor your site remotely will be installed. Scans start running the first day.
A full backup will be taken.
Care Plans include the following
Care Plans include daily backups, daily malware scans, database optimization, reporting, and updates to WordPress core and plugins as soon as they happen. KMS makes every effort to send reports within the first 10-14 days after the applicable reporting period.
Care Plans also include Site Update Minutes (ex: updating existing content or adding something new). Requests for updates are handled in received order. KMS makes every effort possible to handle emergency requests. Unused minutes can be rolled over to the next month, but you can only bank up to 3 rolling months of minutes. On the fourth month, minutes from the third month back expire. There are no refunds on unused minutes. Extra time spent over your allotted minutes will be billed to you at my normal hourly rate ($68/hour) to the credit card on file at the end of the reporting period.
Care plans also include answers to your Technical Questions (ex: review of sketchy emails, domain issues, marketing questions). I prefer to answer questions via email (call if the question or possible answer may be lengthy). This does not include any actual work on your site, nor does this mean any training. There are NO rollovers on Technical Questions time, nor refunds on unused time.
Third-Party Login Protocol
If you hire an outside company to make changes to your site*, you must advise me of the company, contact/phone number/email address. I will use this information to create a unique username/pw for their use. This provides for a major safeguard against untoward changes. If you don't advise me, as soon as they log in, I will be notified; and will then boot them from your site, and change that username's password. This is for your website's (and your) protection. From a security standpoint, as your Care Plan administrator, it's my responsibility to know who has permission to access your site. *examples for third-party logins: Advanced SEO, Google Adwords, Special Projects. I highly recommend you download this 1-page agreement and share it with the company doing the work; this prevents any surprises, and protects your website from future potential cleanup and other additional costs.
Please note that if any clean-up is required after third-parties, this work shall be billable at my hourly rate (not covered by Care Plan Minutes).
Requesting site updates or asking technical questions
Requests for updates, and technical questions need to be emailed (not texted) to kerri@kerrimarvelservices.com - There is no special form to use. Texting should be reserved for emergencies, such as your website is down. KMS will respond within 4 to 6 business hours (typically sooner) to confirm receipt, and advise when your requested work will be completed. Requests for updates are handled in received order. KMS makes every effort possible to handle emergency requests.
Care Plans DO NOT cover the following
KMS Care Plans do not cover the costs of any annual/monthly premium theme or plugin costs, or hosting or domain registration costs and renewals. In the event your site uses premium plugins when you start services with KMS, and/or the license needs to be renewed, KMS will work on your behalf to get it renewed. KMS will work on your behalf to get domains and hosting renewed as needed, and requested. Working on your behalf on these tasks applies to your Site Update minutes.
SEO work is not covered. Building or refreshing new websites is not covered. Google Analytics (or similar) is not covered.
Other Things That Can Happen
The "life" of a plugin can end; the most common way this happens is if the plugin becomes "abandoned", per the WordPress Plugin Repository, or sometimes even removed. This means no new updates will ever come, making the plugin potentially unstable as WordPress core continues its update journey, and possibly even dangerous, as plugins that don't get updated periodically become susceptible to hackers, or to a breakage in your website. In the event of an abandoned plugin, KMS will attempt to find a new one to replace it. If the new one is a premium plugin, new costs will be necessary. Typically, these costs run $35-80 per year per website. This work would apply to your Site Update minutes.
Additionally, even WordPress core or theme updates may "break" a site. In the event of this happening, KMS will investigate what caused it (typically by disabling plugins one by one until the culprit is found), and work to resolve the issue. This work applies towards Site Update minutes, but can be slow and tedious and may go over your available minutes (the remaining time becomes billable).
Note that no protection is 100% foolproof, especially as computer hackers get more sophisticated. However, the act of monitoring your site for changes, and running malware scans significantly lessons the chances. If you notice something is wrong with your site, contact me immediately. Typically I’ll notice an issue before you do and act accordingly. If your site is damaged, usually restoring a backup from a point before the suspected damage is all that is needed. There are many reasons a site may act abnormally that is not from a hack, such as an obsolete plugin, or a newly updated theme (and lots more reasons) – I will do everything I can to get your site back to where it should be, but in the event I can’t find the issue and suspect true hacking that a restored backup doesn’t fix, (although this is extremely rare), I will submit your site to get professionally cleaned - which usually runs between $100-200. This is not covered by the Care Plan and will be billed to you via separate invoice.
Termination of Care Plan
Terminating Care Plan service requires 30-days' written notice (email is fine). If an annual payment was made, a prorated refund beginning after the 30-days' notice will be provided via KMS company check, and mailed. Restarting a plan will incur currently published pricing.
Last updated: February 22, 2024
These terms are subject to change at any time. Written notice will be emailed to all current clients.