Clear terms.
Clear expectations.

By accessing or using this website, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use this website. Using the website for general browsing does not by itself create a client or contractual relationship with ShifteQ. A binding engagement is only established when both parties have agreed to a written scope of work.

Work begins only after a written agreement is in place. This includes scope, deliverables, pricing, payment schedule, and timeline. Website copy, case studies, or general service descriptions are not binding proposals or guaranteed quotes. Quotes and estimates are valid for 14 days from the date of issue unless stated otherwise. Pricing may vary based on actual requirements identified during scoping.

Project work is billed on a 60/40 split. 60% is paid upfront before work begins, and 40% is paid before final delivery or handover. Monthly retainers and subscription-based services are billed in advance and are non-refundable once the billing period has started. Subscription services. Plan-based services (care plans, backups, security hardening, speed audits, and other catalogued offerings) are sold and renewed through Chargebee on a custom checkout domain (pay.shifteq.com). By completing a Chargebee checkout, the customer authorises ShifteQ to charge the saved payment method on the renewal schedule shown at checkout until the plan is cancelled. The "Manage subscription" link in the footer opens the Chargebee customer portal where customers can change payment methods, download invoices, upgrade, downgrade, or cancel at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; no proration is offered for partial periods. One-time purchases. One-off services such as a Rescue Assessment, Security Hardening engagement, or Speed Audit are charged in full at checkout. These are services delivered against a defined scope, not refundable subscriptions; refunds are governed by Section 05 (Refunds and Cancellations). Currency. Clients based in India are billed in Indian Rupees (INR). Clients based outside India are billed in United States Dollars (USD). Taxes. Indian clients are charged 18% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on top of the invoice amount. International clients are not charged GST. For subscription purchases, taxes shown at the Chargebee checkout are applied based on the billing address provided. Late payments. ShifteQ does not charge interest or late fees on overdue invoices. However, invoices not paid within 14 days of the due date may result in work being paused, timelines being extended, or access to project materials being withheld. For subscription services, a failed renewal payment triggers Chargebee's standard dunning retry sequence; service may be suspended if the renewal cannot be collected after the retry window. Final deliverables, source files, and credentials remain withheld until all outstanding balances are cleared.

Refunds are handled differently depending on whether the purchase is a subscription, a one-time service, or a project engagement. In all cases, customers should email support@shifteq.com before initiating a chargeback so the issue can be reviewed and resolved directly. Subscription services. Cancellation through the Chargebee customer portal stops all future renewals and takes effect at the end of the current billing period. The current billing period is not refunded, and no partial-month proration is offered. Cancelling does not delete the account or the historical billing records held by Chargebee. One-time deliverable services. Speed Audit, Security Hardening, Malware Removal, and similar deliverable-based services may be refunded in full if cancelled before any work has begun. Once any portion of the work has been initiated (discovery call, access handover, environment setup, scanning, or any other delivery step), the engagement is non-refundable. The amount paid is instead credited toward future ShifteQ work for twelve months from the original purchase date. Rescue Assessment. The $49 Rescue Assessment fee is non-refundable. It is credited in full toward the cost of the remediation work when the client proceeds with the recommended fix, as stated on the Rescue checkout page. Project work. The 60% upfront engagement deposit for custom project work is non-refundable once work has begun. See Section 15 (Revisions, Disputes, and Termination) for the dispute and termination process that governs partially delivered project engagements. Failed renewals. If a renewal payment fails, Chargebee runs its standard dunning retry sequence. If all retries fail, the service is suspended until payment is restored. ShifteQ does not charge a separate penalty fee for failed renewals. Refund method and settlement. Approved refunds are returned via the original payment method through our payment processors: Stripe for USD charges and RazorPay for INR charges, both routed through Chargebee. Settlement typically takes 5 to 10 business days depending on the issuing bank or card network. Communication trail. ShifteQ retains the email correspondence, briefs, project notes, and delivery confirmations associated with each service engagement as the canonical record of scope, agreements, and delivery. This trail is used to assess refund eligibility in disputed cases and to provide evidence in the event of a chargeback. Retention follows the schedule in the Privacy Policy. Chargebacks. Customers are required to contact support@shifteq.com before initiating a chargeback with the issuing bank or card network. Chargebacks raised without prior support contact may be contested using the engagement record above. A successful chargeback against a delivered service may, at ShifteQ's discretion, result in suspension of any related ongoing subscription or future engagement.

The agreed scope defines what is included. Requests outside the agreed scope will be quoted separately and require written approval before being actioned. ShifteQ will flag scope changes as they arise. Additional work completed at a client's verbal or written request (even informally) may be billed at the applicable hourly or project rate. Clients are encouraged to review scope carefully before signing off.

Upon receipt of full and final payment, ShifteQ assigns ownership of final deliverables, including design files, developed features, and written content created for the client, as specified in the project agreement. ShifteQ retains ownership of its methods, frameworks, internal tooling, reusable code libraries, proposal materials, and any work created prior to a paid engagement. ShifteQ reserves the right to reference completed work in its portfolio unless the client requests otherwise in writing. Third-party assets, fonts, plugins, stock images, and licensed tools incorporated into a project remain subject to their respective licenses. The client is responsible for maintaining any ongoing license fees for such assets after handover.

Both parties agree to treat sensitive information shared during an engagement as confidential. ShifteQ will not disclose client business information, credentials, or project details to third parties without consent, except where required by law. This does not prevent ShifteQ from listing the client as a past or current client, or from referencing the nature of work done in general terms, unless the client has requested confidentiality in writing.

Many projects involve third-party platforms such as WordPress, WooCommerce, hosting providers, payment gateways, email services, plugins, APIs, and domain registrars. These services have their own terms, pricing, uptime records, and support policies. ShifteQ has no control over them. ShifteQ is not responsible for service interruptions, data loss, pricing changes, or discontinuation of third-party platforms. Clients are encouraged to review the terms of any platform they rely on. Domain purchases, hosting accounts, and software licenses are purchased in the client's name where possible.

For urgent services such as WordPress Rescue and Malware Removal, ShifteQ commits to acknowledging the request and providing a first response within 24 hours of receipt. Time to resolution depends on the nature and severity of the issue. Some incidents are resolved within hours; others, particularly those involving deep malware infections, compromised hosting, or third-party platform failures, may take longer. ShifteQ will keep the client informed throughout and will not commit to a fixed resolution time without first scoping the issue.

Domains from DNStars (ShifteQ's premium domain marketplace) are listed for sale across multiple third-party domain marketplaces, including Atom.com (formerly Squadhelp), Afternic, Sedo, and NameClub. The specific marketplace through which a domain is purchased depends on the transaction. All domain purchases, transfers, escrow services, and related transactions are subject to the terms of service and policies of the marketplace through which the purchase is made. Those terms apply in full to the transaction. ShifteQ acts as the seller and listing partner only. Post-purchase support, transfer assistance, and dispute resolution for domain transactions are handled by the marketplace where the purchase took place.

The Domain Concierge service is a buyer-side acquisition service. ShifteQ researches the target domain, identifies the registrant, conducts outreach under buyer anonymity, negotiates the price, and guides the closing through escrow. Fees. A flat $79 retainer is charged when the brief is accepted (non-refundable, regardless of acquisition outcome). A 10% commission on the final close price is paid only when a deal closes. The retainer and commission are payable directly to ShifteQ; the domain purchase price is paid to the seller through the closing escrow. Closing path. All closings are routed through Escrow.com (or an equivalent escrow service named in the service agreement) unless ShifteQ agrees in writing to an alternative. The buyer wires the agreed domain price plus the 10% commission into escrow; the escrow service disburses the agreed price to the seller, the commission to ShifteQ, and releases the domain to the buyer. No-engagement outcomes. If the seller refuses to sell, goes silent after initial contact, or cannot be reached, the $79 retainer is not refunded. The work performed (research, identification, outreach attempts) is documented in the buyer's brief. Tail clause. The service agreement signed before the retainer is charged includes a 90-day tail period: if the buyer acquires the target domain from the registrant ShifteQ identified within 90 days of ShifteQ's introduction, the 10% commission applies regardless of the channel through which the acquisition is completed. This protects the brokerage relationship from being routed around after the introduction is made. Walk-away rights. The buyer can decline any negotiated price. The 10% commission only applies on deals the buyer accepts and closes. Declining a closed offer ends the engagement; the $79 retainer is not refunded. Governing agreement. Each Domain Concierge engagement is governed by a separate one-page service agreement that incorporates these terms. Where the service agreement and these terms conflict, the service agreement controls.

Revisions are defined in the project agreement. Work accepted and signed off on is considered complete for that phase. If a dispute arises, both parties agree to attempt resolution in good faith before escalating. Written notice of any dispute must be provided within 14 days of the issue arising. Either party may terminate an engagement by providing written notice. The 60% upfront payment constitutes a non-refundable engagement deposit. If ShifteQ terminates due to client breach, all outstanding invoices become immediately due. If the client terminates after work has commenced, completed work will be invoiced at the applicable rate, and the deposit is not refunded.

Neither party is liable for delays or failures caused by circumstances beyond reasonable control, including natural disasters, infrastructure outages, government actions, illness, or other unforeseen events. Both parties will notify each other promptly and make reasonable efforts to resume as soon as possible.

These terms are governed by the laws of India. Any disputes that cannot be resolved informally are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Thane, Maharashtra, India.

ShifteQ may update these terms as the website and services evolve. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the website after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms. Material changes to active project agreements require written consent from both parties.