Policies and Procedures

Privacy Policy

We at The Geek Factory have designed our business practices to safeguard your privacy. This privacy policy applies to all the web pages related to this website.

You can visit www.the-geek-factory.co.za without revealing who you are or providing any personal information about yourself.

The Site may collect certain information about your visit, such as the name of the Internet service provider and the Internet Protocol (IP) address through which you access the Internet; the date and time you access the Site; the pages that you access while at the Site and the Internet address of the Web site from which you linked directly to our site. This information is used to help improve the Site, analyse trends, and administer the Site.

There will be times, such as when you submit a questionnaire, request a service, purchase a product, etc., when we will need to obtain personally identifiable information from you or about you. Such personally identifiable information may include your name, home address, e-mail address, telephone number, identity/passport number, income, credit references, etc. The information we receive about you or from you may be used by us or shared by us with our corporate affiliates, agents, vendors and others to help process or complete a transaction; to comply with any law, regulation, audit or court order; to help improve our website or the products or services we offer; for research; to better understand our clients’ needs; to develop new offerings, and to alert you to new products and services in which you may be interested. The information will not be used for anything other than which is stated in the Terms & Conditions of use for this service. None of the information will be sold or made available to anyone. By accepting these Terms & Conditions you consent to receive informational material from us, this would include promotions, price changes and information related to your services. We believe that knowing more about you can enable us to serve you better.

You should be aware that we collect usage information about you when you visit us, which helps us understand how our site is navigated, how many visitors arrive at specific pages, the length and frequency of a stay at our website, etc. In addition, The Geek Factory’s web pages may place “cookies” on your personal computer. “Cookies” are small identifiers, similar to a license plate, that help us to recognize you if you visit our website again. Cookies are used to help us personalize your viewing experiences. Cookies are not designed to be used to get data from your hard drive, your e-mail or any other personal data about you. You can reject cookies by changing your browser settings. Please note, however, that if you reject our cookies it is possible that some web pages may not properly load, your access to certain information might be denied or you might have to enter information about you or your application, inquiry or purchase more than once.

We safeguard your information using known encryption, security standards and procedures. We also assess new technology for protecting client information on an ongoing basis.

Please be aware that we may change our Statement of Privacy from time to time. If we do, we will update this Statement of Privacy at our website, so be sure to check back here frequently.

If you have any questions about our Statement of Privacy or privacy policies, please feel free to e-mail your questions to us at feedback@the-geek-factory.co.za

By using this website, you signify your acceptance of our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our site and related pages. Your continued use of the website following the posting of changes to these terms will mean that you accept those changes.

Service Policy

When you click to make a purchase with us legal obligations arise and your right to refund of monies charged to your credit card or paid in any other way agreed by us, are limited by our terms & conditions. You must not make any purchase through this site unless you understand and agree all our terms and conditions. Once payment is made for the purchase, it is deemed that you have read and understood the terms and conditions for such purchase. If you have any queries please contact us before making any purchase for any service through this website. Our 24-hour, 7 day a week support number is 079 035 7110.

Service Levels

All services sold by The Geek Factory are provided as a best-effort service, uptime and speeds cannot be guaranteed unless otherwise stated. During any technical failure, modification or maintenance of the service provided, The Geek Factory will use its reasonable endeavours to resume the service as soon as possible. This excludes upstream provider infrastructure that is not within the control of The Geek Factory DSL.

Static IP’s

Minimum Requirements

Only one static IP can be linked to one active ADSL service (username)

A static IP cannot be transferred from one service to another

The static IP will remain active as long as the ADSL service (username) it is linked to is active, should the ADSL service (username) it is linked to be cancelled, the static IP will automatically be deleted. Please be aware that once the static IP is deleted it cannot be recovered, should you repurchase the service a new static IP will be issued.

Failure to pay for your static IP and linked service before the due date will result in the static IP being deleted, once the static IP has been deleted it cannot be recovered.

A static IP can be cancelled during the course of a month, but the cancellation will only take effect at the end of the month. E.G if we receive your cancellation on the 1st or 15th of July, the static IP will only be deleted on the 31st of July at 11:59 pm.

Your Static IP can be switched on and off from your CCP/RCP. Static IP’s are assigned on your PPPOE connection. Due to privacy and security concerns, internal network configurations like natting and routing will need to be set up and maintained by your network administrator.

Static IPs are available for all monthly billed services, except SAIX based services and trial services.

All Static IPs on our new network are now allocated per region:

North = Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West

East = KwaZulu-Natal

South = Eastern Cape, Western Cape and the Northern Cape

To give you optimal routing and throughput, we need to lock your DSL service down to the last DSL line you connected from.
Should you move to a different region and would like to connect from your new location, then you will have to cancel your current Static IP and apply for a brand new Static IP address. The Geek Factory does not advise that Dynamic/Static IP’s are used to run email servers. Should the client choose to use our Dynamic/Static IP services to run an email server it is the client’s responsibility to monitor and request removal of all blacklisting’s related to the IP on services such as RBL’s/SBL’s/PBL’s and not the responsibility of The Geek Factory.

When you enable the Static IP option in your Control Panel, we will force your service to disconnect in order to establish your region, so that we can allocate the appropriate Static IP in your area.
The username will be locked to the first successful connection we receive, meaning no other connections can be established from another location.

Also, note that the service will only allow one concurrent connection.

For additional support please go to www.portforward.com

The Geek Factory DNS Suite

The Geek Factory DNS
When enabled, The Geek Factory DNS feature will direct your DNS traffic through the geographically closest operational DNS server to you. This feature also enables clients to make use of the Family the Geek Factory feature. Should the Geek Factory DNS not be accessible the Default DNS will be used, during this time the Family the Geek Factory feature will not be available until The Geek Factory DNS is restored.

Family The Geek Factory
Family The Geek Factory is a feature provided with the activation of The Geek Factory DNS. This feature blocks unwanted domains within pre-defined categories from being accessed. We do our best to block unwanted domains; we however cannot guarantee that domains within the categories selected will not be accessible. Domains found accessible within a selected category can be reported to feedback@the-geek-factory.co.za.

Custom/Corporate DNS
This feature allows you to specify the DNS server settings you would like applied to your service. The Geek Factory accepts no responsibility for service interruptions when activating and using this service.

Remote Access
This feature allows you to create a unique hostname (static subdomain) which will allow you to remotely access your router/modem. The setup of port forwarding and the network configuration is the responsibility of the client and is required in order to use this feature. The Geek Factory takes no responsibility for this feature not working due to the incorrect setup or configuration on the clients’ end. The security of the client’s connection and the network remains their responsibility when using this feature. This feature is provided as a best-effort service and is not guaranteed.

Delivery Policy

This delivery policy applies to services delivered by a Geek Factory appointed representative only. The delivery of certain products/services sold by The Geek Factory are handled directly by the supplier or provider. In these cases, the delivery policy will be stated in the Terms and Conditions for that particular product/service. If you are not sure please contact us so that we may advise you on the delivery policy that applies to your purchase.

Delivery times stated are not guaranteed but are generally attainable within major centres. A possible delay of 24 to 96 hours can be expected outside of major centres and additional delivery costs may apply. Some deliveries might require that information or documents must be produced and copies thereof provided during the delivery, this will be communicated on purchase of the device or product if it is required.

A physical address is required for the delivery of your order. Orders to Postboxes/Private bags/Post Offices will not be accepted.

Deliveries take place on weekdays during business hours and exclude weekends and public holidays, your delivery will be dispatched on the 1st working day thereafter.

Delivery times may be delayed should the need arise for clearance of payment. Clearance for debit order payments may take up to 10 days to clear.

The Geek Factory will not arrange collection of units for exchange or return (or cover related costs). The client will be responsible for arranging for the unit to be delivered to The Geek Factory. This will in no way impact the continued warranty provisions, and only relates to courier charges and logistics.

The Courier Delivery Fee charged during checkout may differ once your order is finalised. Should this occur, we will contact you before proceeding with the delivery of your order.

Refunds Policy

Refunds will not be granted for services purchased in error. Should it be proven that a service is not working as per the Product Description, Terms and Conditions and/or Acceptable Usage Policy a refund will be granted. Refunds for amounts deposited into a Geek Factory banking account erroneously will also have a 15% fee levied to cover our bank charges and will only be considered for processing 7 days after the original payment date. Refunds for debit order and credit card payments are processed after the second week of the month.

Cancellations Policy

The cancellation of a product or service is the Clients responsibility. Cancellations must be actioned from the Control Panel. Email, fax and telephonic cancellations will not be accepted, all cancellations must be processed via the Control Panel. Failure to cancel your services will result in your service or product being activated for the new month and therefore liable for payment. A minimum calendar months’ notice is required for all services unless otherwise stated. Promotions carry additional Terms and early cancellation fees may be payable.

The Geek Factory will not be responsible for incorrect cancellations processed via the Control Panel or be liable for any losses incurred.

Security Policy

Credit Card transactions are processed via our payment service provider Virtual Card Services PTY (Ltd).
As a payment gateway, Virtual Card Services does not and cannot verify, authorise or settle any transaction. Virtual Card Services provides the conduit (the messenger) for information between the merchant and the merchant’s bank.

Transaction security
Virtual Card Services uses 128-bit SSL certificates to ensure that all transactional information is passed securely between the merchant and Virtual Card Services site. No cardholder information is ever passed unencrypted and any messages sent to our servers from Virtual Card Services are signed using MD5 hashing to prevent tampering. In the event that PAN information is returned, the PAN will be hashed, including the first 6 digits and last 4 digits of the PAN.

Encryption and Data Storage
All sensitive data is secured and stored within Virtual Card Services systems using internationally recognised 256-bit encryption standards. The data held by Virtual Card Services is extremely secure and strict policies are in place ensuring limited and secure access to their servers internally are maintained. The information stored by Virtual Card Services is highly regulated and audited regularly by a Quality Assurance Assessor (QSA).

System security
Virtual Card Services systems are regularly scanned ensuring that their infrastructure and network remains secure at all times. Further to this, Virtual Card Services use an Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) approved by the payment card brands to review scans quarterly. Additionally, Virtual Card Services is PCI DSS Level 1 certified, which is the highest level of compliance. Virtual Card Services are audited annually by a QSA ensuring that the utmost security is maintained at all times.

Payment Options/Terms

All transactions will be processed in South African Rands (ZAR). We do not extend credit and payment is required upfront, services will not be activated without payment. As of 1 October 2014, we no longer accept Cash Deposit and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) as a method of payment.

Credit Card Authority
By supplying your “credit card/debit card/cheque card” hereafter referred to as “account/card” details and agreeing to the Terms & Conditions the following will be seen as accepted and agreed to:

I/we hereby request and authorize you to draw against my/our card (or any other bank or branch to which I/we may transfer my/our account/card) the due amount or any variable amount pertaining to this agreement, on the first working day of each month. This being the amount necessary for the settlement of the monthly invoice and/or any overdue amounts, due to you in respect of my/our purchases/contract/agreement.

All such withdrawals from my/our account/card by you shall be treated as though they had been signed by me/us personally. I/we, “instruct” and authorize your agent Virtual Card Services PTY (Ltd), or by computer through a system provided by the South African Banks to draw against my/our account/card.

I/we understand that if account/card details have been supplied the withdrawals authorized here will be processed by BankServ. I/we also understand that details of each withdrawal will be printed on my/our statement. I/we agree to pay any banking charges relating to this debit instruction. This authority may be cancelled by me at any time by updating/changing the payment method from within the Control Panel.

Renewals (monthly invoice) will be processed on the first working day of every month. If your payment fails, your service(s) will be disabled immediately Please note that if you are cancelling your service(s) with The Geek Factory, you need to cancel via your control panel before the last day of the month if you are paying via account/card (excludes debit order payments). Failure to do so will result in the product being activated and the monthly subscription being debited.

All other accounts/card instructions (new account signups/activations, hardware/device purchases, top-ups, upgrades), besides the monthly subscription, will be processed on a daily basis.

Debit Order Authority
This Authority and Mandate refers to our contract as dated as on acceptance hereof (“the Agreement”). I / We hereby authorise you to issue and deliver payment instructions to the bank for collection against my / our above-mentioned account or credit card at my / our above-mentioned bank (or any other bank or branch to which I/we may transfer my / our account) on condition that the sum of such payment instructions will never exceed my / our obligations as agreed to in the Agreement, and commencing on the commencement date and continuing until this Authority and Mandate is terminated by me/us.

The individual payment instructions so authorised to be issued must be issued and delivered as follows

1. On the 1st working day (“payment day”) of each and every month. In the event that the payment day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or recognized South African public holiday, the payment day will automatically be the very next ordinary business day. Further, if there are insufficient funds in the nominated account to meet the obligation, you are entitled to track my account and re-present the instruction for payment as soon as sufficient funds are available in my account.

Debit orders will be processed on 2 days before the end of every month for renewal services. If your debit order fails, your service(s) will be disabled immediately. Your debit order against your bank account is an automated process and cannot be stopped after the 24th of each month. Please note that if you are cancelling your service(s) with The Geek Factory, you need to cancel via e-mail by the 24th of the month for the end of the following month.

All other debit order instructions (new account signups/activations, hardware/device purchases, top-ups, upgrades), besides the monthly subscription debit orders, will be processed on a daily basis. Should you order a new service or upgrade your existing service after the 24th of the month, your first renewal debit order thereafter will remain unchanged and an additional debit order will be processed for the price difference within the first 5 working days of the month. The following month the full amount for the updated services will be processed in a single debit order. Should you cancel one of your services or downgrade a service after the 24th of the month, your first renewal debit order will remain unchanged, but the price difference will reflect as a credit on your account, which can either be refunded to you or will automatically be deducted from your next debit order.

I / We understand that the withdrawals hereby authorised will be processed through a computerized system provided by the South African Banks and I also understand that details of each withdrawal will be printed on my bank statement. Each transaction will contain a number, which must be included in the said payment instruction and if provided to you should enable you to identify the instruction. I / We shall not be entitled to any refund of amounts which you have withdrawn while this authority was in force if such amounts were legally owing to you.

Debit Order Mandate
I / We acknowledge that all payment instructions issued by you shall be treated by my / our above-mentioned Bank as if the instructions had been issued by me personally.

Debit Order Cancellation
I / We agree that although this Authority and Mandate may be cancelled by me/us, such cancellation will not cancel the Agreement. I / We shall not be entitled to any refund of amounts which you have withdrawn while this authority was in force if such amounts were legally owing to you.

Debit Order Assignment
I / We acknowledge that this Authority may be ceded to or assigned to a third party if the agreement is also ceded or assigned to that third party, but in the absence of such assignment of the Agreement, this Authority and Mandate cannot be assigned to any third party.

Debit Order Contract
The signed Authority and Mandate refers to our contract as dated as on signature hereof (“the Agreement”). I / We hereby authorize you to issue and deliver payment instructions to the bank for collection against my / our above-mentioned account at my / our above-mentioned bank (or any other bank or branch to which I / We may transfer my / our account) on condition that the sum of such payment instructions will never exceed my / our obligations as agreed to in the Agreement, and commencing on the commencement date and continuing until this Authority and Mandate is terminated by me/us by giving you notice in writing sent by email to accounts@the-geek-factory.co.za by no later than the 20th of the month or by logging in on your control panel and updating your payment method by no later than the 24th of the month.

Prorata Billing

Prorata billing applies to all new monthly billed services and on the initial purchase only. Prorata billing will not apply should you fail to pay your renewal invoice or any outstanding invoice on your account, the renewal/outstanding invoice must first be paid in order to qualify for the pro-rata rate on a new service. The bandwidth on a per gig service will be prorated together with the price on purchase. The pro-rata price and bandwidth is calculated according to the purchase date.

Service Changes (Applies to DSL, Fibre, Mobile and VoIP)

Service Changes are changes to the product, speed, combo or data purchased which changes the renewal of the service/s and are billed pro-rata.

For ease of understanding, services referred to as Upgraded services are services which result in a price increase on the next renewal and Downgraded services are services which result in a lesser billed renewal than the current service.

New services can only be set to Downgrade from the second month (one month after activation) and will only apply from the following month (month 3).

Clients are not able to service change to an Upgraded service and then service change to a Downgraded service in the same month. The Upgraded service change must first be renewed before a Downgrade can be set for the next renewal.

Example: A Mobile Data service is changed from 1GB to 5GB in August. The client will only be able to set a service change to a Mobile Data service smaller than 5GB during the month of September for October as the service must first be renewed on 1 September at 5GB before it can be downgraded.

Transfer of Data

Clients have the ability to transfer their unused data to another Geek Factory Client using the same service (DSL capped to DSL capped, mobile to mobile etc.). Clients using Openserve Fibre and Openserve DSL Capped data will be able to transfer between the two service types. Uncapped data, RAIN data and Cell C data cannot be transferred.

Transferred data will be transferred in the state that it is currently in. If the data transferred is rollover data in month 2, it will transfer as month 2 rollover data to the client receiving the data. Transferred data retains the expiry date of the original purchase. The transfer of data must be done by signing into the Control Panel and providing the information required, data can only be transferred in predefined increments. Should we receive delayed usage reports which result in over usage of available data or a payment fails/is reversed for any reason, any transferred data will immediately be reversed. We reserve the right to refuse to allow the transfer of data for any client who we deem to be abusing the process.

An explanation of how Rollover Data works can be found under the section for the service type you have purchased.

Usage Notifications

The Geek Factory will send an email/WhatsApp notification to all data users who have not opted out of receiving notifications when their data usage reaches 50%, 80% and 100% of the available total. These notifications will be based on the information available to us at the time of sending the notification from our system and as such cannot be guaranteed to be 100% accurate when received by the client.

Our banking details

Bank: Nedbank
Branch: 162734
Account: 1148567798

Debit Orders / Credit Cards

All transactions will be processed in South African Rands (ZAR). We accept credit card and debit order as methods of payment. We do not extend credit and payment is required up front, services will not be activated without payment.

As of 1 October 2014, we no longer accept Cash Deposit and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) as a method of payment. Clients who are in the process of transitioning to Credit Card or Debit Order will continue to be bound by the conditions below until the transition to Credit Card or Debit Order has been completed:

All manual (cash deposit/EFT) monthly payments must reach us before 5 pm on the last day of the month, failure to do so will result in all services being suspended until payment is received.

Always use your six-digit account number as your reference when making payment to avoid delays in your payment being allocated.

Failure to make payment by the due date will result in your services being suspended. Failure to pay your hosting and or domain registration on the due date may result in your domain name being deleted by the registrar and become available to the public for re-registration. Failure to pay your ADSL Line services on the due date may result in your ADSL Line services being transferred to Telkom and Telkom will continue to bill you for this service.

Please email your Proof of Payment/Cash Deposit slip to accounts@the-geek-factory.co.za, please remember to use your six-digit account number as your reference when making your payment.

Month End

Please note that the control panels will be offline between 19:00 and 00:30 on the last day of every month due to various monthly processing operations that need to be performed. Services that have reached 100% usage will be capped and you will not be able to top up until 00:30. Please ensure that all new purchases, service changes and top-ups have been processed before 17:00 on the last day of the month to ensure that your request is actioned before 19:00.