Terms & Conditions

1. Service Delivery & SLAs

We are dedicated to building systems that help your organization operate smoothly. Specific deliverables, development sprints, and timelines will be formally itemized within custom proposals or Statements of Work (SOW):

• Managed Hosting SLA: Our high-speed hosting nodes guarantee a **99.9% uptime** rating. Support for scheduled patches or minor server updates is communicated in advance. We do not accept liability for external infrastructure interruptions beyond our direct administrative nodes.
• Cybersecurity Auditing: Threat hardening and system scanning represent localized, point-in-time assessments based on known signatures. Pique Squid implements robust security benchmarks but makes no warranties regarding absolute immunity to novel or state-sponsored cyberattacks.
• Website Development & Chatbots: Custom software and automated WhatsApp conversational structures are developed and tested across modern browsers. The client is responsible for acquiring and funding third-party integrations (such as official WhatsApp Business API connections).

2. Payment Terms & Financial Compliance

Clear transaction conditions ensure mutually beneficial projects. Unless specified otherwise within a signed Statement of Work, the following financial rules apply:

Fees are communicated in advance. Initial design deposits are mandatory before coding, chatbot configuration, or cybersecurity setup begins. Invoices must be cleared in compliance with the local banking and currency regulations established by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the Bank of Zambia.

In the event of payment delays exceeding 14 calendar days, Pique Squid reserves the right to temporarily pause active development sprints, suspend managed web hosting services, or restrict chatbot API connections until all overdue balances are paid in full.

3. Intellectual Property Rights

We believe in transparent digital ownership:

• Client Deliverables: Upon absolute clearance of all project invoices and outstanding payments, the Client receives full ownership of custom website assets, bespoke applications, localized graphics, and personalized chatbot conversational copywriting.
• Agency Proprietary Assets: Pique Squid retains exclusive ownership, intellectual property rights, and copyright over pre-existing core software code, server infrastructure automation scripts, standard chatbot routing logic, generic plugins, and custom development methodologies used to deploy the final systems.

4. Acceptable Use & Cyber Regulations

Clients agree to utilize our custom systems, chatbot nodes, and hosting environments in complete alignment with regional cyber defense guidelines, including the Zimbabwe Cyber Security and Data Protection Act and the Zambia Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act. You warrant that you will not utilize our infrastructure or services to:

• Transmit or store illegal, defamatory, or copyright-infringing materials.
• Send unsolicited bulk communications (spam) via email or automated chatbot networks.
• Deploy unauthorized automated web scrapers or conduct penetration testing on our servers without written authorization.
• Execute malicious activities that disrupt the performance of our regional network nodes.

5. Warranties & Limitation of Liability

Pique Squid delivers digital solutions utilizing professional standards of software engineering, cybersecurity, and system design. Except as explicitly stated, our systems are provided "as-is" and "as-available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.

To the maximum extent permitted by regional and international law, Pique Squid's aggregate liability for any claims, lawsuits, or actions arising out of this agreement, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), or statutory breach, is strictly capped at the total amount actually paid by you to us in the **six (6) months** prior to the event giving rise to the claim. We are not liable under any circumstances for indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages, including but not limited to business interruption, loss of profits, or data corruption.

6. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Zimbabwe and Zambia, reflecting our SADC and regional operating base.

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this contract, including its formation, validity, or breach, shall first be addressed through amicable executive negotiation. If negotiations do not resolve the dispute within thirty (30) calendar days, it shall be referred to binding arbitration conducted in Harare, Zimbabwe or Lusaka, Zambia, in accordance with the arbitration laws of the respective sovereign jurisdiction.

7. Agreement Amendments

Pique Squid reserves the right to modify these Terms and Conditions at any time to align with new legal statutes or changes in our operational procedures. The revised terms will be published on this page, and the "Last Updated" date will reflect the revision. Continued engagement with our services following updates constitutes your acceptance of the new terms.