Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Last Updated: 01 August 2025
1. Overview & Definitions
This Service Level Agreement (“SLA”) outlines the performance commitments and support standards Smarter Cloud (“we,” “us,” “our”) offers to you, the customer (“you,” “your”). It complements our Terms of Service and is designed to build transparency and trust in our hosting services.
Definitions:
- Service Uptime: The percentage of time your hosting service is available and accessible, calculated monthly.
- Downtime: Periods when the service is non-operational, excluding maintenance or force majeure events.
- Service Credit: A credit applied to your account when we fail to meet our uptime guarantee.
2. Scope of Service
This SLA applies to Smarter Cloud’s core web hosting services: shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers. It covers:
- Server availability
- Network availability
- Basic technical support response times
3. Service Performance & Uptime Guarantee
We guarantee 99.9% uptime per calendar month for our hosting services. That means your site will be available for at least 99.9% of the time each month.
If uptime falls below this threshold (excluding planned or emergency maintenance), you’re eligible for a service credit.
4. Remedies for Downtime
If we fail to meet the uptime guarantee, here’s how service credits are calculated:
| Uptime Level | Monthly Credit |
|---|---|
| ≥ 99.0% and < 99.9% | 25% of monthly fee |
| ≥ 98.0% and < 99.0% | 50% of monthly fee |
| < 98.0% | 100% of monthly fee |
To claim a credit:
- Open a support ticket within 7 days of the incident.
- Provide dates, times, and evidence of downtime (e.g., screenshots or logs).
- If approved, we’ll issue the credit in your next billing cycle.
5. Support & Response Time Commitments
We strive for prompt, helpful support:
- Business hours (Mon–Fri, 9 AM–5 PM UTC): respond within 1 hour
- Off-hours / weekends / holidays: respond within 24 hours
Higher-tier clients may request custom SLAs with faster response times.
6. Client Responsibilities
To help us deliver reliable service, you agree to:
- Keep your files, applications, and configurations up-to-date
- Notify us of planned traffic spikes or resource-intensive events
- Maintain backups of your own data
- Report issues promptly via support channels
7. Exclusions & Limitations
Our uptime commitment does not apply to downtime caused by:
- Scheduled maintenance (we’ll notify you in advance when possible)
- Emergency maintenance (for security or stability reasons)
- Customer actions or third-party software/plugins
- Force majeure events (e.g., natural disasters, ISP outages)
8. Version History & Agreement Review
- Version 1.0: [Insert Date] – Initial agreement
Updates may occur as our services evolve—any changes will be posted here and notified via email.
9. Contact & Escalation
To report issues or request credits:
Email: support@smartercloud.co.uk
All unresolved or urgent cases will be escalated promptly to our SLA manager.