Terms of Service
Important Legal Agreements
Channel Island Hosting provides web/email hosting services, web design services and domain registration services to clients worldwide, and we have a responsibility to protect each client and to provide the best services possible. All clients of Channel Island Hosting are subject to the following terms of service:
Customer Service and Support Commitments
Channel Island Hosting feel that the level of support we deliver to customers is one of the most important aspects of our service and we undertake to respond to all support requests and complaints within 48-hours (our present average response time is 5.00 hrs and our target is to reduce this further). We believe in treating customers fairly, as we ourselves expect to be treated.
Customer complaints have a strict escalation procedure, with all complaints being reviewed and tracked by senior management.
Complaints or Abuse Reports can be logged with Channel Island Hosting via the following methods:
- Email us at: [email protected].
- Contact us via: Contact Us page
- You can call us on: +44 (0)3300 437308 (Lines open 8am – 6pm UK time, Monday to Friday. Closed on UK bank holidays)
- You can write to us at: Complaints, Enrapture Limited, PO Box 331, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 3UB, Channel Islands, Great Britain
General enquiries from individuals who are not yet Channel Island Hosting registered customers can contact us via:
- Email us at: [email protected].
- Contact us via: Contact Us page
- You can call us on: +44 (0)1481 730808 (Lines open 8am – 6pm UK time, Monday to Friday. Closed on UK bank holidays)
Support or general enquiries from Channel Island Hosting registered customer can be sent via:
- Log in to your client area and create a support ticket. (Support tickets are then channelled to your dedicated support consultant.)
- Email us at: [email protected].
- Contact us via: Contact Us page
- You can call us on: +44 (0)3300 437308 (Lines open 8am – 6pm UK time, Monday to Friday. Closed on UK bank holidays)
If we are not able to answer your query within 48-hours, we will update you within that period and explain the timeline required to find out the information you need and then call/email/mail you back. All communications will receive an automated confirmation of receipt response and a manual customer support response within 48 hours. All complaint responses are reviewed and tracked by senior management. If you feel that your communication has not been handled fairly or in a timely manner, as per our stipulated response times, please request that your communication be escalated. All complaints, support tickets, or Abuse Reports are treat with the utmost respect and degree of importance.
Domain Registration & Renewals:
When you register a domain through CIH, you are entering into an electronic agreement to comply with all local and international rules and regulations pertaining to, but not limited to, the accuracy of registrant data and usage of the registered domain/TLD.
Different TLD registries have their own Terms & Conditions that apply to the registration of their domains, and the registrant is also required to comply with those Terms & Conditions. Please note the following links below for ease of access to those individual Terms & Conditions. These Terms & Conditions may change without notice, as is the right of the respective registries.
CIH comply with ICANN registrant rules and requirements and will enforce those rules and requirements when appropriate. On occasion, CIH may request verifiable proof of identity from domain registrants. This type of request may follow the receipt of a complaint from the public, monitoring services, registries, or the different authorities in the Bailiwick of Guernsey or other jurisdictions we service. All personal data is subject to data protection/GDPR law, and the registrant accepts that their personal data may be shared with the respective authorities/service providers with a valid reason for requesting such information. CIH undertake to advise customers when their identities are shared with authorities unless this contravenes ‘Tipping off’ laws in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
When you register a domain, you have the option to choose to hide your identity from the relevant WHOIS databases. Registrants cannot obfuscate/fake their own registrant data to achieve this. When registering a domain, in most cases, you will have the option to hide your ID; CIH then passes that request on to the registry or third-party registrar to action that request. Where that option is not given when registering your domain, this may be because that particular domain does not support ID protection or, in the case of .GG/.JE domains, that service is automatically provided by the registry.
Channel Island Hosting cannot be held liable for any errors in the enacting of ID protection by third-party registrars or registries. The registrant indeminfies CIH from any errors due to changes or system issues at the respective registries.
When you register a domain name, you will have the following renewal options:
Automatic Renewal. Automatic Renewal is the default setting. Domain names will automatically renew for a period equivalent to the length of your original domain name registration, and payment will be taken from the Payment Method you have on file with Channel Island Hosting at Channel Island Hosting’s then-current rates. Thus, if you have chosen to register your domain name for one (1) year, Channel Island Hosting will automatically renew it for one (1) year. If you have chosen to register your domain name for two (2) years, Channel Island Hosting will automatically renew it for two (2) years, and so on. If you wish to change your automatic renewal term to a different period from your original term, you may manually renew the domain registration to establish a new default automatic renewal term for the domain or email the support team to do that for you.
Manual Renewal. If you have elected to turn off automatic renewal and cancel the product (i.e., cancel the domain name registration) effective at expiration of the then current term, you may nonetheless elect to manually renew the domain name at anytime prior to its expiration date by logging into your Client Area and manually implementing the renewal or by calling customer service (should you in fact want the domain name to be renewed). If you fail to manually implement the renewal before the expiration date, the domain name will be cancelled and you will no longer have use of that name.All renewals will be subject to the terms of this Agreement, as it may be amended from time to time, and you acknowledge and agree to be bound by the terms of this Agreement (as amended) for all renewed domains. Domain name renewals will be non-refundable. In the event that we are unable to automatically renew your domain name for the renewal option selected for any reason, we may automatically renew your domain name for a period less than your original registration period to the extent necessary for the transaction to succeed. If for any reason Channel Island Hosting is not able to take the payment from the Payment Method you have on file, and you fail to respond to our notices, your domain name registration will expire. It is your responsibility to keep your Payment Method information current, which includes the expiration date if you are using a credit card.
You agree that Channel Island Hosting will not be responsible for cancelled domain names that you fail to renew in the timeframes indicated in this Agreement. In any case, if you fail to renew your domain name in a timely fashion, additional charges may apply. If you signed up for privacy services, protected registration, or any other similar service, with your domain name registration, these services will automatically be renewed when your domain name registration is up for renewal, and you will incur the applicable additional renewal fee unless you cancel in advance.
If you fail to renew your domain name in the timeframes indicated in this Agreement, you agree that Channel Island Hosting may, in its sole discretion, renew your expired domain name on your behalf. If Channel Island Hosting decides to renew your expired domain name on your behalf, you will have a Renewal Grace Period during which you must reimburse Channel Island Hosting for the renewal and keep your domain name. The Renewal Grace Period is currently twelve (12) days but subject to change under the terms of this Agreement.
For certain ccTLDs there is no Renewal Grace Period after the expiration date of the domain name. If you do not reimburse Channel Island Hosting for the renewal during the Renewal Grace Period your domain name will be placed on Hold and flagged for deletion after which you may have up to a 30-day redemption period to redeem your domain name, provided that your domain name is not subject to an expired domain name auction bid and you pay Channel Island Hosting a Redemption fee.
The Redemption varies, depending on that set by the respective registry responsible for your domain TLD, and is subject to change under the terms of this Agreement. If you do not redeem your domain name prior to the end of the 30-day redemption period Channel Island Hosting may, in its sole discretion, delete your domain name or transfer it to another registrant on your behalf. During the redemption period your domain name may be parked.
Channel Island Hosting cannot guarantee that all domain registration orders will be approved/accepted by the respective registry or third-party registrars. In the event of a domain registration not being accepted by a registry or third-party registrar, an action beyond our control, a full refund will be given to the customer.
Pricing
Channel Island Hosting reserve the right to decrease/increase our domain and web services pricing to reflect any changes in the underlying cost of those services or registration fees.
Channel Island Hosting undertakes to provide customers with 30 days notice, prior to renewal, of all price increases on products or services they have subscribed to.
Billing and Refunds
To explain our policy in simple (non-legalese) terms: Whilst we are obliged to reflect the respective terms and conditions relative to a service or domain, set by the respective registries and third-party providers, we will always try to ensure that a full or partial refund will be made if at all possible. In most cases, as long as you meet the requirements below, a refund will be provided. Back to legal speak; In the event of third-party costs being incurred by Channel Island Hosting, we reserve the right to recover those costs and provide a partial refund. If you are not satisfied within your first 30 days, we undertake to provide you with a refund, less the period of time used, if at all possible.
Cancellation Guidelines:
New and auto-renewal hosting service packages: Contact us within 7 days of your initial purchase and we will undertake to provide a full refund. Where a hosting service has obviously been activated and used, any refund may be less the equivalent of the first months fee.
Add-on products/packages: Contact us within 7 days of initial purchase and we will undertake to provide a partial-refund, less the equivalent of the first months fee. Monthly paid add-ons can be cancelled at anytime with 30 days notice. All security products with remediation service or SSL certificates cannot be refunded once a cleanup request has been submitted or the certificate activated.
Domain Registrations:
Timeframe in which you may cancel your order.
- New Registration – 3 Days (72 hours): Premium domains may not be cancelled after registration, unless the respective Registry agrees to refund Channel Island Hosting accordingly.
- Auto-renewals and transfers: Once an auto-renewal or transfer is initiated with the respective registry, we are unable to provide a refund. It is the responsibility of the Registrant to ensure that a domain is not set to auto-renew prior to the renewal, which may take place up to 15 days prior to the expiry date.
- Pre-Registrations: For TLD pre-registrations, application fees are non-refundable.
- Transfers: Domain transfers cannot be cancelled or refunded once initiated, where the respective registries require us to charge a 12-month extension to the registration period at the time of a transfer.
- New registrations and renewals are subject to a 120 day hold on transferring out of Channel Island Hosting.
Channel Island Hosting automatically notifies customers of upcoming domain and hosting service renewals in a timely manner to allow you the option to cancel or adjust your services.
We accept payment via credit card and PayPal. All services and products are charged for in advance and, where appropriate, on a subscription basis. Channel Island Hosting do not hold your credit card information within our databases; all credit card information required for auto-renewals is securely held by the payment processing service providers referenced above.
Cancellation Process
If you wish to cancel a service, please contact us via one of the following methods:
- Log in to your Client Area and navigate to the respective service, where you will have the ability to cancel that service.
- If you are unable to cancel a service in your Client Area, create a support ticket. (Support tickets are then channeled to your dedicated support consultant.)
- Email us at: [email protected].
- Contact us via: Contact Us page
Please note that we will not accept a cancellation request by phone, we will always require an email from the registered address in your profile, or a support ticket via your secure client area log-in. This is simply to protect your domain and hosting service from hoax cancellation requests (yes, that really is a thing people do). Once a service has been deleted, all data is also deleted permanently, to comply with data protection standards.
Late or Delinquent Payments
All accounts are billed according to the dates they were first activated on. Non-payment of account will result in a service or domain registration being deactivated. If a service renewal payment is still unpaid for a period of more than five days, the account will be suspended. If payment is still not received within 30 days after account deactivation, the account will be terminated. In respect to renewals, customers will receive an email reminder 30 days, 7 days and 3 days prior days prior to the renewal date. In the event of an invoice remaining unpaid for more than 30 days, Channel Island Hosting reserves the right to recover any outstanding costs and administrative costs by reselling domains held on the delinquent account. Channel Island Hosting will give fair opportunity for any delinquent payments to be made prior to this final course of action. Channel Island Hosting are keen to resolve any delinquent accounts in an amicable and fair manner, and as such are always happy to work with the account owner to this end.
Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”)
All services provided by Channel Island Hosting may be used for lawful purposes only. Transmission, storage, or presentation of any information, data or material in violation of any Bailiwick of Guernsey Law or UK Law is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to copyrighted material, material we judge to be threatening or obscene, or material protected by trade secret and other statutes. Subscribers should be aware that Channel Island Hosting undertakes to comply with all legal requests for access to an account where an AUP violation or breach of the law is deemed to have taken place. The subscriber agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Channel Island Hosting and its employees from any claims resulting from the use of the service which damages the subscriber or any other party. Our AUP is actively and strictly enforced. Offending content or users are suspended from our network, usually, as soon as they are discovered, although, where legally appropriate, we will inform you when and why any action has been taken. Any subscribers found to be undertaking illegal activities via the services we provide will be reported to the responsible authorities.
If Channel Island Hosting believes that a trademark/copyright is being infringed due to the registration of a domain or misleading content on a website, Channel Island Hosting reserves the right to proactively suspend a domain or hosting service until the customer has provided suitable proof that the respective domain(s) or website(s) are not infringing on the legal rights of an owner of a trademark/copyright material.
Subscribers acknowledge that the service provided is of such a nature that service can be interrupted for many reasons other than the negligence of the company and that damages resulting from any interruption of service are difficult to ascertain. Therefore, subscribers agree that the company shall not be liable for any damages arising from such causes beyond the direct and exclusive control of the company.
Subscriber further acknowledges that the company’s liability for its own negligence may not, in any event, exceed an amount equivalent to charges payable by subscriber for services during the period damages occurred. In no event shall the company be liable for any special or consequential damages, loss or injury.
Illegality In any form, including but not limited to the unauthorised distribution or copying of copyrighted software or other data, harassment, fraud, trafficking in obscene material.
Undesirable Content: Certain types of content are not allowed on our network. Content relating to Hacking, Cracking, Warez and IRC is not allowed. Software, audio and video downloads may only be hosted if you are the writer and copyright owner of the resources or you have a right to distribute the materials. Accounts suspended due to content or AUP violation are not refunded under any circumstances.
Limitation of Liability
Channel Island Hosting shall not be responsible for any claimed damages, including incidental and consequential damages, which may arise from Channel Island Hosting servers going off-line or being unavailable for any reason whatsoever. Furthermore, Channel Island Hosting shall not be responsible for any claimed damages, including incidental or consequential damages, resulting from the corruption or deletion of any website from one of Channel Island Hosting servers or domain registered through Channel Island Hosting. All damages shall be limited to the immediate termination of service.
Indemnification Policy
Subscribers agree to use all Channel Island Hosting services and facilities at their own risk. Channel Island Hosting specifically disclaims all warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Channel Island Hosting be liable for any loss, or loss of data, or other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.
Subscribers agree that they shall defend, indemnify, save and hold Channel Island Hosting harmless from any and all demands, liabilities, losses, costs and claims, including reasonable attorney’s fees asserted against Channel Island Hosting, its agents, its customers, officers and employees, that may arise or result from any service provided or performed or agreed to be performed or any product sold by customer, it’s agents, employees or assigns. Subscribers agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Channel Island Hosting against liabilities arising out of any injury to person or property caused by any products sold or otherwise distributed in connection with Channel Island Hosting’s servers.
Channel Island Hosting reserves the right to intervene with any of the sites hosted on its servers in the interest of its customers. Any material supplied by the customer infringing or allegedly infringing on the proprietary rights of a third party Copyright infringement any defective products sold to the customer from Channel Island Hosting’s server. Channel Island Hosting shall be the sole judge of what constitutes a violation of this Policy.
Disclaimer
Channel Island Hosting cannot be held liable for system downtime, server crashes, data loss or data breaches outside of our control and beyond our data protection responsibility. We cannot be held liable for any predicted estimate of profits in which a client would have gained if their site was functioning. Certain services provided by Channel Island Hosting are resold. Thus, certain equipment, routing, software, and programming used by Channel Island Hosting are not directly owned or written by Channel Island Hosting. Moreover, Channel Island Hosting holds no responsibility for the use of our clients’ accounts. If any terms or conditions are failed to be followed, the account in question will be automatically deactivated. We reserve the right to remove any account without advanced notice for any reason without restitution as Channel Island Hosting sees fit. Furthermore, Channel Island Hosting retains the right to change any or all of the above Policies, Guidelines, and Disclaimers without notification.