Terms of Service

These terms apply to every service you buy from AS Hosting through ashosting.co.za. By placing an order or paying an invoice, you agree to them. Please read them together with our Privacy Policy and Acceptable Use Policy.

1. Who we are

2. Our services

We sell web hosting packages and domain name registration, transfer and renewal. Each hosting package's disk space, email accounts and other limits are shown on our order pages at the time you order. Our hosting runs on infrastructure supplied by our upstream provider, and domains are registered through accredited registrars and the relevant registries.

3. Orders and your account

• An agreement is formed when you place an order and we receive payment for it.
• You must be 18 or older, or have the consent of a parent or guardian, to order.
• You must give accurate, complete contact information and keep it up to date. Incorrect domain contact details can lead to a domain being suspended by the registry.
• You are responsible for keeping your login details safe and for everything done under your account.

4. Prices and payment

• All prices are in South African rand (ZAR). Because we are not VAT-registered, the price shown is the full price.
• You can pay by card or instant EFT through Payfast, or by manual EFT into our bank account. We never see or store your card details.
• Services paid by card or instant EFT are set up automatically once payment is confirmed. Services paid by manual EFT are set up once the payment reflects in our account, usually within 1 to 2 working days.
• We may change our prices. A new price applies to your next renewal, and we will give you at least 30 days' notice of any increase to a service you already have.

5. Renewals, overdue invoices and suspension

• Services renew automatically for the same billing period unless you cancel. We send a renewal invoice 14 days before the due date and a reminder before it is due.
• If an invoice is still unpaid 5 days after its due date, the service may be suspended until payment is received.
• If an invoice is still unpaid 30 days after its due date, the hosting account may be terminated and its data deleted. Please keep your own backups.

6. Domain names

• Domains are registered in your name as the registrant. You own the domain, subject to the rules of the relevant registry, such as the ZA Central Registry for .co.za or ICANN for generic domains like .com.
• Your contact details are supplied to the registry and may appear in public WHOIS records where the registry requires it.
• Domain fees are paid to the registry on your instruction and cannot be refunded once a domain is registered, renewed or transferred.
• Renewing your domain on time is your responsibility. If a domain expires, the registry may charge extra fees to restore it, or it may become available to someone else.
• You may transfer your domain to another provider at any time. We will not hold a domain back because of an unpaid hosting invoice.

7. Cancellation and refunds

• Cooling-off period: you may cancel a new hosting package within 7 days of ordering and receive a full refund of the hosting fee.
• After 7 days, you may cancel at any time from your client area, and the service will end at the end of the period you have already paid for. Fees for the current period are not refunded, except where the Consumer Protection Act requires it.
• Domain registration, renewal and transfer fees are not refundable, as explained in section 6.
• Refunds are paid back using the original payment method, or to your bank account for EFT payments, within 30 days.

8. Your responsibilities

• You must use our services in line with our Acceptable Use Policy and South African law.
• You are responsible for the content of your website and email, and for keeping your website software, such as WordPress and plugins, up to date.
• Our provider makes periodic backups, but they are not guaranteed. Keep your own copies of your website, databases and email.

9. Service availability

We aim to keep services available at all times. We do not guarantee that they will be uninterrupted, because planned maintenance, upstream provider outages, network problems or events beyond our control (such as load-shedding or natural disasters) can affect them. We will try to give notice of planned maintenance.

10. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, and subject to your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, our total liability for any claim is limited to the fees you paid us for the affected service in the 3 months before the claim arose. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as loss of profit, data or business, unless it was caused by our gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

11. Suspension for misuse

We may suspend or terminate a service without notice if it breaches our Acceptable Use Policy, puts our systems or other customers at risk, or if we are required to do so by law, a court order or a valid take-down notice. Where possible, we will tell you why.

12. Complaints and disputes

If you are unhappy with our service, email billing@ashosting.co.za or open a support ticket in your client area. We aim to respond within 2 working days. If we cannot resolve your complaint, you may refer it to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud or the National Consumer Commission. Domain name disputes are handled under the relevant registry's dispute resolution rules.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. The current version is always on this page with its effective date. We will email you about material changes at least 30 days before they apply to services you already have.

14. Law

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa. Nothing in them limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act or the Protection of Personal Information Act.