Terms of Use
Last updated: 19 August 2026 · Effective: 19 August 2026
These terms govern your use of this website. They are deliberately short and in plain English. If you go on to hire Black Oak Consulting for a project, that work is governed by a separate written agreement — not by this page (see Section 5).
1. Agreeing to these terms
By using this website you agree to these terms. If you don't agree with them, please don't use the site. If you're agreeing on behalf of a company, you're confirming you have the authority to do that.
You must be at least 13 years old to use this site. It is aimed at businesses, not children.
2. Who you're dealing with
This site is operated by Black Oak Consulting, an assumed business name of Black Oak Design LLC, a web design, photography and 3D visualization studio based in Denver, North Carolina, United States. In these terms, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Black Oak Design LLC; “you” means whoever is using the site.
3. Using this site
You're welcome to browse, read, and get in touch. Please don't:
- break the law, or use the site to harm, harass, or defraud anyone;
- try to gain unauthorised access to the site, its server, or any connected system;
- scrape, harvest, or bulk-download the site's content or any contact details on it;
- use the contact form to send spam, chain messages, or unsolicited sales pitches;
- upload or transmit malware, or anything designed to disrupt the site;
- place excessive automated load on the site, or interfere with anyone else's use of it;
- copy the site's design or code and present it as your own.
We may restrict or block access to the site if any of the above happens, without notice.
4. Who owns what
Unless something says otherwise, the content on this site — the text, layout, design, code, graphics, and the Black Oak Consulting name and oak leaf mark — belongs to us or is used with permission. You may view it, and share ordinary links to it. You may not copy, republish, sell, or build a derivative work from it without written permission.
Any third-party names, logos, or marks that appear on this site remain the property of their respective owners. Their appearance does not imply any endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation in either direction.
5. Project work is governed separately
Nothing on this site is an offer, a quote, or a contract. Prices, packages, timelines, and service descriptions on this site are general information and may change at any time. Sending us an enquiry does not create a client relationship, and neither does our reply to it.
If we work together, the project will be governed by a separate written proposal, statement of work, or services agreement signed by both of us. That document controls scope, price, timing, revisions, ownership of the finished site, hosting, and support. Where that document and this page disagree, that document wins.
6. Examples, concepts, and portfolio pieces
Some of the work shown on this site is conceptual — design studies and mock-ups made to demonstrate an approach, using invented company names and placeholder details. These are labeled as concepts where they appear. They are not live websites, and they do not represent a client engagement or a real business.
Any before-and-after comparison on this site is illustrative. It shows design approaches side by side, and is not a claim about any specific business, its website, or its results.
7. No professional advice, and no guaranteed results
Information on this site is general and provided for information only. It isn't legal, financial, accessibility-compliance, or marketing advice for your particular situation, and you shouldn't rely on it as a substitute for advice from a qualified professional who knows your circumstances.
We do not guarantee search rankings, traffic, leads, sales, or any other business outcome. Search engines, advertising platforms, and browsers are controlled by third parties and change their behavior without notice. Anything on this site describing likely benefits is a good-faith description of what good web work aims to achieve, not a promise of a result.
8. What you send us
When you send an enquiry, you confirm the information is accurate and that you're entitled to send it. Please don't send confidential material, trade secrets, passwords, or sensitive personal information through the contact form or by email — it isn't a secure channel, and nothing you send is treated as confidential unless we've signed something saying so.
You keep ownership of what you send. You give us permission to read it, store it, and use it to respond to you and to discuss a possible project. How we handle personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy.
If you send an unsolicited idea, suggestion, or feedback about this site or our services, we may use it without obligation, payment, or credit to you.
9. Third-party links and services
This site may link to other websites. Fonts are served from this site itself, not from a third-party provider (see the Privacy Policy). We don't control linked sites or services and aren't responsible for their content, their availability, or their privacy practices. A link is not an endorsement.
10. Disclaimer
This site is provided “as is” and “as available”. We try to keep it accurate, current, and online, but we don't promise that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free of viruses, or that any information on it is complete or up to date.
To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties of any kind relating to this site, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement.
Some jurisdictions don't allow certain warranties to be excluded, so parts of this section may not apply to you. Nothing here limits any right you have that cannot legally be limited.
11. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Black Oak Consulting and its owner will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to your use of this website — including lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, lost goodwill, or business interruption — even if we were told such damages were possible.
Our total liability for all claims relating to this website will not exceed one hundred US dollars ($100).
This section is about the website only. Liability for paid project work is dealt with in the separate signed agreement for that project, not here.
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or anything else that cannot lawfully be excluded. Some jurisdictions don't allow some of these limits, so parts of this section may not apply to you.
12. Governing law and venue
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. You and we agree that any dispute that ends up in court will be brought only in the state or federal courts located in North Carolina, and both of us consent to those courts having jurisdiction.
13. Sorting out disputes
If something goes wrong, please contact us first. Most problems get solved with a phone call. We each agree to try to resolve any dispute informally for at least 30 days after written notice before starting formal proceedings.
Either of us may still bring an individual claim in small claims court if it qualifies.
Open question for your attorney: many services businesses add a binding arbitration clause and a class-action waiver here. That can cut legal costs, but it also gives up your own right to sue in court, and consumer-facing arbitration clauses have to be drafted carefully to be enforceable. This page deliberately leaves it out rather than guessing. Ask your attorney whether it's worth adding for your situation.
14. Changes
We may update these terms. If we do, the “last updated” date at the top changes, and the new version applies from the date it's posted. If a change is significant, we'll flag it on the site. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.
We may also change, suspend, or discontinue any part of the site at any time.
15. General
- Severability — if any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest still applies, and the unenforceable part is limited to the minimum extent necessary.
- No waiver — if we don't enforce something straight away, we haven't given up the right to enforce it later.
- Assignment — you may not transfer your rights under these terms. We may transfer ours if the business is sold or reorganized.
- Entire agreement — together with the Privacy Policy, these terms are the whole agreement between us about your use of this website, and replace anything said earlier about it.
- Headings — section headings are for convenience and don't affect how these terms are read.
16. Contact
Questions about these terms:
- Email: preston@blackoakconsulting.net
- Phone: 580-756-7507
- Post: PO Box 1, Iron Station, NC 28080