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About Dot Monster

Dot Monster was established in May 2011 after a series of successful freelance website design and graphic design jobs over two to three years.

We are able to offer you, fast, reliable and friendly web design, graphic design and search engine optimisation solutions. We aim to provide high quality, flexible and dependable services to non-commercial and commercial organisations – all under an excellent customer support blanket! Our popular services include Website Design and Development, Search Engine Optimisation, Logo Design, Business Card Design, Posters and Brochure Design.

Our mission is to help you accomplish your objectives using design and the internet, with full friendly support at every stage of the project. We are committed to understanding your needs and exceeding the minimum expected service standard whilst delivering our work. Making it easy is key, that’s why Dot Monster can take care of everything from Web Hosting to updating the website and deliver you a hassle free service. We make sure you are always in the loop and understand what is going on and how to use your product – we aren’t happy until you are.

Based in Central Scotland we look to create strong working bonds and help local businesses grow. Dot Monster will meet with you in person if you would like to discuss your project. Having said that – we have international clients too!

Dot Monster will never forget their commitment to the local community. We look to support local business and charities and help them grow through media. We are proud of our support to our valued local clients.

Check out what we have to say in our blog!

 

Social Networking

The Dot Monsters have managed to break into Facebook and Twitter, the giant social networking websites. Check out what we have to say on Facebook or even chat and like us!. If you are a twitter’er (?) you can follow us!

We do offer Twitter skinning services, Facebook Branding and automatic Facebook and Twitter updates from your website if you are interested. Check out our website design page for more information.

 

Other Stuff Dot Monster Design ServicesAbout the Monsters

The Dot Monsters live in the Ochil Hills which surround Clackmannanshire, Central Scotland. Whilst their population is unknown we do know a little about them as they land in the fields and towns from their paragliding sessions – just look into the sky on a sunny weekend and you’ll surely see some! These occasions are the only recorded sightings of the nocturnal creatures who break the night-time lifestyle to jump off the hills.

Their first names appear to mimic code snippets, whilst they share the middle name Pedro which is often referenced. Their champion paraglider, Echo Pedro, is thought to be the top Dot.

They spend most of their time arranging sticks into size order. When they are not arranging sticks they browse the internet trying to make it a better place for small to medium business, increasing their search rankings and increasing sales! Clever. Whilst they are browsing the internet they can be seen getting very frustrated with slow websites. This is evidenced through them putting on an angry face and messing up the stick arrangements to the annoyance of other Dots.

 

Other Stuff Dot Monster Design ServicesLegal

Last Updated: 17th April 2012

Any company, organisation, group or individual undertaking any services from Dot Monster agrees to the details listed under this section.

Client or Buyer means the persons responsible for payment of services.
Services means the website or graphic design packages provided by Dot Monster to the client.
Work means the specific element of the service provided by Dot Monster, such as Logo Design.
Project means the programme of work set out by the client for Dot Monster to achieve an end goal.

Quotations. Quotations provided by Dot Monster are valid for 10 days. Graphic Design quotations never include printing, printing is handled by another company and payments and quotations will be provided separately unless stated in the quotation. If the client is unsure of the all work required a flexible quotation can be provided. The flexible quotation will include an upper and lower quotation and the final price will be between the two values depending on services and time required to complete the eventual project goals. Flexible quotations must be agreed upon before work commences.

Copyright. Dot Monster clients will not hold Dot Monster responsible for any infringement of copyright relating to text used on the website. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure that no copyright infringements are occurred in the use of their site and or company name. Refunds will not be made in any case of such copyright infringement. We always do our best to sure that our work does not infringe upon any existing trademarked design. In the unlikely event that this does occur then the limit of our liability is the price of the project. This means the client will be offered a full refund. Until the full payment is made and the project is finished all work remains copyright of Dot Monster or appropriate party and may not be reproduced without permission. Dot Monster reserves the right to reproduce any of its work, including finished projects for promotional purposes. The client will retain ownership of copyright, trademarks and other intellectual property rights in materials provided by the client for use in the project.

Responsibility. Dot Monster will not in any circumstances be liable to the client for any indirect or direct losses or loss of profit suffered by the client. Dot Monster will not be liable for any failure in the performance or delivery of any obligations under the client agreement caused by factors outside its control. This includes delayed payment, waiting on approval and providing further details required for the project from the client and printing services which are provided from another company. If the deadline outlined at the start of the project is changed by the client, Dot Monster is not responsible to adhere to the new deadline. The websites hosting uptime and performance is not the responsibility of Dot Monster. Web hosting services are provided by UK2.net and will be covered under their terms and conditions and SLAs. Dot Monster can’t be responsible for any price changes or renewal fees from any hosting provider, such as UK2, as these companies have no connection with Dot Monster. Hosting companies are in complete control of their pricing structure and Dot Monster has no influence over them. If graphic design work is to be delivered, Dot Monster does not take any responsibility for loss or damage in transit. Loss or damage in transit should be covered by the courier and is the responsibility of the client to peruse appropriate compensation from the courier. Dot Monster cannot warrant that the software or server that the website is hosted on will be free of vulnerability to intrusion or attack. No liability will be accepted for the loss, corruption or theft of personal or financial information caused by deliberate and malicious attach or intrusion.

Payment. For all work carried out Dot Monster requires a payment of 30% upfront unless otherwise agreed. When working with flexible quotations the 30% deposit is taken from the upper limit of the flexible quotation. This 30% is non refundable and is required before work commences. The final payment, 70%, must be paid within 30 days of the project ending. The project ends when the website goes live for website design projects, or when the final designs are handed over for graphic design projects. If the final invoice hasn’t been settled within 30 days of the project ending Dot Monster reserves the right to suspend services where applicable until the outstanding payment(s) are completed. If there has been no progress or forthcoming information from the client for 30 days without notice, the client will be invoiced for the work. After 60 days of no contact without notice, the project will be abandoned, current work deleted and no refunds given. Dot Monster reserves the right to withhold delivery and any transfer of ownership of work if any current or overdue invoices are not paid in full. Any travel costs or accommodation costs incurred by Dot Monster to travel to and from any meetings outside of Clackmannanshire, Scotland must be covered by the client.

Design Process. Every Dot Monster client will be provided with a login to this website to access their own private page on the site, this page will be used to display information about the project and allow clients to check the status, check work to be done and download files amongst other things. Dot Monster clients may request any number of revisions to the initial designs providing they provide clear and concise feedback on alterations. When the graphic(s) or website(s) are approved changes to the design are classed as post approval alterations. If the client is indecisive on content such as images or text to be used on the project and it starts to delay the completion of the project the client will be charged for the additional time spent making these alterations. Costs for these content alterations will always be agreed by the client first, there will be no hidden added costs come the final invoice. The additional costs will be based on a standard hourly rate. The client has the right to reject these additional fees, however the content which hasn’t been decided upon by the client will be left in its current state. When website functionality is changed or added during the project the final cost of the project can change and the quotation will no longer be valid since the project goals have changed. Clients will be notified if modifications to the project will effect final costs before they are agreed. All liabilities for errors, changes or alterations become the responsibility of the client once the design has been approved. These post approval alterations will be charged. The client will be provided with a cost for this work before it is carried out. Once the project is finished and full payment is made the ownership of the final graphics and/or website is automatically transferred to the client. Whilst the client owns this, they do not have the right to sell copies for other projects, unless stated or permission is granted from Dot Monster.

SEO, Website Optimisation. Dot Monster will always aim to improve your search engine results for your specified criteria, however we do not guarantee increase of position.

Termination. Dot Monster may at its discretion suspend or terminate any services or projects if the client fails to make payments when they are due or if the client fails to adhere to any obligations set out within this agreement. Dot Monster also reserves the right to terminate its services or projects if the buyer becomes insolvent or has an administrative receiver appointed. If the client has not been in contact with Dot Monster by email, telephone or written letter within 60 days of the last contact without notice, the project will be terminated or abandoned. Dot Monster will not be held liable for compensation or damages except where mentioned in this agreement, if the clients project is terminated or abandoned.

Warranty and Support. From the agreed date of project completion Dot monster provides a thirty (30) day warranty and support period unless otherwise agreed for and paid by the client. The warranty covers any errors or omissions on behalf of Dot Monster, based on the brief and will be rectified at no cost to the client. This initial warranty also offers basic support should the client need it. All warranty and support is immediately void if the website or designs have been tampered with outside of the instructions provided by Dot Monster, however additional support can still be provided but may be charged in some cases. Dot Monster makes no warranty that the website software is totally error free or that the client will be able to operate the website software without any problems or interruptions caused by unforeseen circumstances or untested scenarios. Due to the continual development of new techniques in intruding and attacking internet based systems Dot Monster cannot warrant that the software or server that the website is hosted on will be free of vulnerability to intrusion or attack. No liability will be accepted for the loss, corruption or theft of personal or financial information caused by deliberate and malicious attach or intrusion. Dot Monster can only provide guaranteed telephone support between normal office hours. Out with these times support is only guaranteed through email, however telephone support may still be provided. Problems with the clients computer and/or internet connection are excluded from the warranty and support agreement. In the two support packages Dot Monster offers both are subject to a fair use limit on time, this is five (5) hours per month. Time may not be rolled over into other months. Any support which exceeds this limit will be agreed upon with the client and charged at a standard rate of £20 per hour.

Dot Monster Trading. Dot Monster is the trading name of Robert Ritchie. The business address is 29 Auld Kirk Road, Tullibody, FK10 2TG. Should you need to contact us, please visit our Contact Page.

Privacy. At Dot Monster we take your privacy seriously. Your personal information will not be sold or distributed to third parties without your consent unless there is a court order to provide such information, to investigate illegal activities or if you provide information to be used in the public domain such as a testimonial. When you provide Dot Monster with your personal details it’s only used in our own records. Personal details are ones which can be used to identify you, like your name, address and email address. This policy does not cover the practices of other companies, or information collected for analytical statistics such as IP addresses and browser types. Our email mailing list service is provided by MailChimp and therefore details held about you for that are governed by the MailChimp Privacy Policy.