Terms and Conditions

1. Who we are and key words

1. We, us, our: GLD Consulting Ltd, trading as AI 4 Small Businesses. Registered in England and Wales, company number 16922039. Registered office: 86 Namu Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH9 2RA.
2. You, your: the business named in the Order.
3. Order: the proposal or scope of work you sign or accept in writing.
4. Services: the work described in the Order.
5. Deliverables: anything we give you as part of the Services, such as systems, tools, dashboards, automations, code, content and reports.
6. Our IP: our code, tools, software, prompts, templates, workflows, automations, methods and know-how, whether created before or during our work with you, including any improvements to them.
7. Your Materials: information, content, data, logos and access you give us.

2. How the documents fit together

1. Each engagement is made up of the Order, the schedule for that type of service (Part B), these core terms and the data processing terms (Part C).
2. If they conflict, the Order takes priority, then the schedule, then these core terms.
3. The contract starts when you sign or accept the Order in writing, or pay our first invoice.
4. We may update these terms. Changes apply to new Orders, and to ongoing services after 30 days’ written notice.

3. Our services

1. We will provide the Services with reasonable skill and care, as described in the Order.
2. We may use carefully chosen subcontractors and third-party tools. We stay responsible for their work for you.
3. Any changes to scope, timing or price must be agreed in writing. Work outside the Order is quoted separately or charged at our ad hoc rate.

4. Your responsibilities

1. Give us accurate information, the access we need and timely decisions.
2. Make sure you have the right to share Your Materials with us and for us to use them for the Services.
3. Review and approve anything before it goes live or is relied on in your business.
4. Keep your own back-ups of your systems and data, unless the Order says we will.
5. If you are late with information, access or approvals, timelines move and extra time may be charged.

5. Fees and payment

1. Fees, any recurring charges and payment stages are set out in the Order. All prices exclude VAT, which is added at the current rate.
2. Invoices are payable within 14 days unless the Order says otherwise.
3. If an invoice is unpaid, we may charge statutory interest and compensation under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
4. If an invoice is more than 14 days overdue, we may suspend the Services and access to Deliverables, after giving you 7 days’ written notice.
5. Third-party costs such as software licences, subscriptions and hosting are paid by you, either directly or recharged by us, as set out in the Order.
6. Onsite work is charged at our onsite day rate plus reasonable travel and expenses, unless the Order says otherwise.

6. Intellectual property

1. Our IP stays ours. Nothing in an engagement transfers ownership of Our IP to you.
2. Your Materials stay yours. You give us a licence to use them only to provide the Services.
3. Deliverables are licensed to you. While you are a customer and your account is paid up, you have a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Deliverables for your own business.
4. The licence ends when the engagement ends, except for delivered reports (clause 7.3).
5. If the Order says the project is your IP, ownership of those Deliverables passes to you once you have paid in full. Our IP inside them stays ours, and you get a permanent licence to use it as part of those Deliverables. The price in that Order reflects this.
6. You must not copy, resell, reverse engineer or share Deliverables or Our IP with third parties, except as allowed by this clause.

7. Your data and leaving us

1. Your data, meaning your customer records, content, analytics and other business data, always belongs to you.
2. When an engagement ends, live systems, dashboards, tools and access we provide stop, unless the Order transferred them to you.
3. Reports and documents we have already delivered to you are yours to keep for internal use.
4. If you ask within 30 days of the end date, we will export your data in a standard format such as CSV. Exports that take significant effort are charged at our ad hoc rate.
5. After 30 days, we delete or return your personal data in line with Part C, unless the law requires us to keep it.

8. AI, tools and results

1. We use AI and third-party tools to deliver the Services. We review AI outputs before we give them to you.
2. You decide what to publish or rely on in your business. AI outputs can contain errors, so check anything important.
3. Third-party tools run under their own terms. We are not responsible for their outages, changes, pricing or withdrawal, but we will help you find alternatives.
4. Rankings, AI visibility, traffic, enquiries and savings depend on factors outside our control. Targets in an Order are aims we measure and report against, not guarantees.

9. Our AI Results Guarantee

1. If we don’t identify clear, practical ways to save you time or improve how your business runs, you don’t pay.
2. Each Order sets out how the guarantee applies to that engagement, for example which fee it covers and how it is measured.
3. To use the guarantee, tell us in writing within 30 days of the relevant stage ending. Nothing else in these terms limits it.

10. Confidentiality

1. Each of us will keep the other’s confidential information private and use it only for the engagement.
2. This does not apply to information that is public, already known, or must be disclosed by law.
3. With your permission, we may name you as a client and describe our work in general terms. We will never share your confidential information.

11. Data protection

1. Each of us will comply with UK data protection law, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
2. Where we handle personal data on your behalf, Part C applies.
3. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, registration number ZC146836.

12. Liability

1. Nothing limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or anything else that cannot be limited by law.
2. Neither of us is liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, business, goodwill or data.
3. Our total liability under each Order is limited to the fees you paid under that Order in the 12 months before the claim arose.
4. We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control.

13. Ending an engagement

1. Each schedule in Part B explains how that type of service can be ended.
2. Either of us may end an engagement straight away by written notice if the other seriously breaches these terms and doesn’t fix it within 14 days, or becomes insolvent.
3. When an engagement ends, you pay for work done and costs committed up to the end date. Clauses 6, 7, 10, 12 and 14 continue to apply.

14. General

1. Non-solicitation: neither of us will directly recruit the other’s staff who worked on the engagement, during it or for 6 months after.
2. Notices: notices must be in writing and can be sent by email to the contact named in the Order.
3. Whole agreement: the Order and these terms are the whole agreement between us for that engagement.
4. Transfer: neither of us may transfer the contract without the other’s written consent, which won’t be unreasonably withheld.
5. Third parties: only you and we can enforce these terms.
6. Law: these terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.

Schedule 1: Projects

For one-off work with a defined outcome, such as assessments, builds, automations and set-ups.

1. Projects are quoted at a fixed price unless the Order says otherwise.
2. Payment stages are set out in the Order. If none are stated, 50% is due on acceptance and 50% on completion.
3. A Deliverable is complete when it meets the “Done when” test in the Order, or when you start using it in your business, whichever comes first.
4. Tell us about any problem with a Deliverable within 30 days of completion and we will fix it at no cost if it doesn’t meet the Order.
5. You can cancel a project by written notice. You pay for work done and costs committed up to that date.

Schedule 2: Monthly programmes

For ongoing work at a fixed monthly fee, such as SEO and AI visibility programmes and AI support.

1. The monthly fee covers the outcomes and activities set out in the Order, including any stated allowance for meetings, updates and briefings.
2. Fees are invoiced monthly in advance. Unused time does not roll over to the next month.
3. Time beyond the stated allowances, or work outside the Order, is charged at our ad hoc rate.
4. Programmes run month to month. Either of us can end one with 30 days’ written notice.
5. An Order may recommend a minimum period to judge results fairly. That is a recommendation, not a fixed term, unless the Order states a fixed term.

Schedule 3: Managed systems

For systems, tools, websites and automations that we host, run or look after for you.

1. While you remain a customer and your account is paid up, we run and maintain the system as set out in the Order.
2. We aim to keep systems available, but we don’t guarantee uninterrupted service. Planned maintenance is done at quiet times where possible.
3. Hosting, software and platform fees are passed on at cost or as stated in the Order.
4. Either of us can end a managed service with 30 days’ written notice, unless the Order states a minimum term.
5. When the service ends, access stops and clause 7 of Part A applies. If you’d like to take a system over, we will quote a handover price based on clause 6.5.

Schedule 4: Ad hoc work

For small pieces of work outside an Order.

1. Ad hoc work is charged at £50 + VAT an hour, in 15-minute blocks, with a minimum of 15 minutes.
2. We will agree the work with you in writing, such as by email, before we start.
3. Ad hoc work is invoiced monthly in arrears.
4. Onsite days are charged at £750 + VAT a day plus expenses, unless the Order says otherwise.

1. What we process: the personal data needed to deliver the Services, such as your customers’ or staff’s contact details, enquiry records and website analytics. The Order may describe this in more detail.
2. Your instructions: we process personal data only on your documented instructions, which include the Order and these terms, unless the law requires otherwise. We will tell you if we think an instruction breaks the law.
3. Confidentiality: anyone we allow to process the data is bound by confidentiality.
4. Security: we use appropriate technical and organisational measures, including access controls, encryption where available, multi-factor authentication and keeping access to the minimum needed.
5. Sub-processors: you authorise us to use sub-processors such as hosting, AI and software providers. We will hold them to equivalent data protection terms, stay responsible for them, and give you notice of new ones so you can object.
6. International transfers: if data is transferred outside the UK, we make sure an approved safeguard is in place, such as adequacy regulations or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.
7. Helping you: we will help you respond to requests from individuals exercising their rights, and with security, breach notification and data protection impact assessments, where reasonable. Significant work may be charged at our ad hoc rate.
8. Breaches: we will tell you without undue delay, and within 48 hours of becoming aware, of any personal data breach affecting your data.
9. End of the engagement: we will return or delete your personal data in line with clause 7 of Part A, unless the law requires us to keep it.
10. Audits: we will give you the information reasonably needed to show we comply with these terms, and allow reasonable audits on 30 days’ notice, at your cost.

What we collect and why

The following table details the personal data we collect, our purposes for using it, the legal basis for processing, and our retention periods.

Data processing disclaimer

When we handle personal data for our clients, such as their customers’ data inside a system we run, we act as their processor under Part C, and the client’s own privacy notice applies.

Who we share it with

We don’t sell personal data. We share it only with providers who help us run the business, under contracts that protect it:

1. hosting, email and cloud storage providers;
2. booking, CRM and accounting software;
3. AI and analytics tools we use to deliver services;
4. our accountant, and professional advisers where needed.
5. Some providers may store data outside the UK. When they do, we make sure an approved safeguard is in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.

Your rights

You have the right to access your data, have it corrected or deleted, restrict or object to its use, and receive a copy in a portable format. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Contact us via our contact form and we will respond within one month.

Complaints

If you’re unhappy with how we handle your data, please contact us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes

We may update this notice. The latest version is always on this page.