How we work together.

hearn.systems is a one-person business run by Justin Hearn out of Port Huron, Michigan. On this page, “I” means me; “you” means you — the client or the visitor reading this.

I design and build the websites and software described on this site. The exact scope of any project lives in the written quote and agreement we settle on — that document governs the specific work, and this page covers the general terms around it.

Before I start, you get a fixed quote in writing. The price doesn't move unless you change what you want — and if that happens, I'll tell you before I do anything. Payment terms (any deposit and the schedule) are spelled out in your quote.

When a project is paid for and shipped, you own the deliverables — the code, the domain, and the content. The domain and your accounts are registered in your name; while I host the site it runs on my Cloudflare account, but that's never a lock-in, because the code and domain are yours to take. I don't hold any of it hostage. This is the whole point of how I work; it's a promise, not fine print.

If you want me to host and look after your site, that's Managed Site (and, later, Living Content) — an optional plan billed 12 months at a time. You're never trapped: cancel whenever and you keep everything, and I'll hand off whatever you don't already hold. I don't refund a year that's already been paid, but I won't lock you into another one.

To do good work on time, I need the things only you can provide: content, access, and timely feedback. If those stall, the timeline moves with them.

Some features rely on services I don't control — hosting, email delivery, payment processors, and the like. Those run under their own terms, and I'm not responsible for outages or changes on their end.

I do my work with real care and skill. But beyond what we agree to in writing, the site and services are provided “as is,” without other warranties. I can't promise a website will produce a specific business result — no honest person can.

To the extent the law allows, my liability for any claim is limited to what you paid me for the work involved, and I'm not liable for indirect or consequential losses. In plain terms: if something goes wrong, the most that's at stake is the price of the work.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, USA.

If these terms change, I'll post the new version here and update the date. The terms in your signed project agreement always win over this page if the two ever differ.