Read our FAQ, or feel free to just contact us
How much does it cost for a website?
That's like asking how much a house would cost, it really does depend on what you want, we can only determine this if we talk, please get in contact to discuss your requirements and will will provide an estimate for the work.
No really, what are your prices?
Here's our statement on pricing.
What are your payment terms?
Firm but fair. We set our payment terms on our invoices according to how you expect business to be done e.g. if you expect a fast turn around, then expect to pay on delivery, if you allow reasonable time for delivery then expect more breathing room re. payment. We really like and respond positively to professional, courteous, respectful conduct and prompt payment.
What happens to my website if you die?
Nothing. Your website will continue to function as normal until the end of our next billing period and your files and database will always be accessible.
Can I access my data?
Always, 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
Is it easy to move my website elsewhere?
It should be frictionless, there are literally no barriers for you to access your data and move elsewhere if that is what you would like to do. Of course we hope you don't.
Will you help me move elsewhere?
When you are leaving us? Erm, no! You need to ask your new service provider to do that for you, we will be cooperative when needed, though usual rates will apply.
As an upgrade, or if you are moving from one service to another, and still retaining our services, then sure, we are very experienced in such matters and can usually do so without any loss of data and minimal downtime (if any), even on busy e-commerce sites!
Will other web developers understand your code?
Absolutely. We follow best practice where appropriate and run well managed websites that any competent web developer will be able to work with. Our technology choices, WordPress and Laravel, are very popular for very good reasons.
Do you include IT Support for my computer?
No, we are not an IT support company. Our services 'just work', if you have a problem e.g. sending mail, it is highly likely that the problem is local to you and due to your settings or because of third party limitations. We will generally be helpful where we can though.
Do you comply with GDPR?
Yes. These are guidelines, but we take data security very seriously. Please read our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions for further information.
Will you take on my epic e-commerce store?
Maybe! Unlike other web development and IT service agencies, legacy systems do not scare us, actually, we enjoy a challenge. Please understand that asking us to take on any kind of liability for this work is an hard no.
This is because it takes a tremendous amount of work to completely understand a system someone else has built.
There is simply no way for us to assimilate a complex business system in it's entirety without doing the work. This is not The Matrix, we can't just do instant brain dumps - although we certainly wish we could. Having said that, we are known for pulling rabbits out of hats, and generally make rapid progress and broad improvements, especially if the site is running poorly or is a big mess. The minimum charge for taking on work like this is 6 days and we can not guarantee results.
Why can't you guarantee results?
Ask us about the time we discovered a website where all the original content had been deleted and they had been running their entire business from a cached copy for months. We're good, but we're not that good - the only way to fix this particular problem was a complete rebuild from scratch.
Will you work on my servers?
Yes. But please understand that we can not take full responsibility for any work undertaken on Third Party Servers because we don't have exclusive control. We offer competitive and high quality hosting suitable for most small business websites that we guarantee with 99.9% uptime.
Okay, but you guarantee your own work right?
Absolutely, that's a different matter entirely. If HBM build something for you from scratch then that's on us. Of course, things can still go wrong. WordPress often has bugs, so do many plugins and we can't be held responsible for what other people do, naturally. We will always be reasonable in identifying what is just a case of 'more work needed' and 'we messed up, so we will fix it'.
Ooops... something has broken!
We care a lot about this kind of thing and do our best to make sure it doesn't happen, but if it does we will always fix the problem as soon as possible. Read our Emergency Code of Conduct for more information on how we manage our time supporting websites for many customers at the same time.
Will you sign a contract?
Probably not, HBM Terms and Conditions cover the main areas of possible contention. HBM often operate on a payment in arrears basis, and invariably our customers are delighted to make immediate payment for the work we do. HBM always go above and beyond and operate at the highest standards. You are probably going to do very well indeed out of our base agreement. However, if you are really unhappy, it's probably due to a misunderstanding and we are much more likely to walk away from the last invoice payment than make a fuss. In the last 30 years no one has brought any legal action against HBM because that's just not how we operate. If you find yourself in this position, it's highly likely that it's a 'you' problem, not an 'us' problem. Ultimately, we think life is too short to dedicate precious time, energy and resources to making lawyers rich - but hey, if you really feel you must... you do you!
So how do you negotiate terms?
Typically via email as additions to our Terms and Conditions. This works very well. We address concerns as they arise before committing to any work, we get agreements in place on an ad hoc basis so there is little possibility of misunderstanding. We are huge fans of documentation, it's clear, unambiguous, you will love it. We back this up with phone calls, face to face meetings and on larger scale projects we can implement full task management systems. Ultimately, we deliver what we say we will.
We Are Reasonable People!
I am not happy, what are you going to do about it?
Actually this isn't a frequently asked question, but just in case, the answer is "Everything we can". Seriously - please get in contact with us! If you are not happy, we are not happy.