Service Level Agreement & Support

1. Scope

This Service Level Agreement ("SLA") defines the availability commitments, support response times, and service credits for the Global Yacht Brokers Network API service operated by VIYB Ltd.

This SLA applies to all active Basic and Scale memberships in good standing (accounts current on payment).

2. Uptime Commitment

2.1 Uptime Target

GYBN commits to 99.9% monthly uptime, measured as the percentage of time the API is available to accept and process requests during each calendar month.

2.2 Uptime Calculation

Uptime Percentage = (Total Minutes in Month - Downtime Minutes) / Total Minutes in Month × 100

Example: In a 30-day month (43,200 minutes), 99.9% uptime allows for approximately 43 minutes of downtime.

2.3 Excluded Downtime

The following are excluded from downtime calculations:

• Scheduled Maintenance: Announced at least 72 hours in advance, limited to 4 hours/month, conducted during off-peak hours (00:00-04:00 GMT)
• Emergency Maintenance: Critical security patches or infrastructure failures beyond our control
• Force Majeure: Natural disasters, acts of war, internet backbone failures, power grid failures
• Your Infrastructure: Issues with your network, servers, or configurations
• Third-Party Platforms: Downtime at receiving platforms (we only measure GYBN API availability)
• DDoS Attacks: Distributed denial of service attacks (though we implement protections)
• Beta Features: New features explicitly marked as beta or experimental

3. Service Credits

3.1 Credit Eligibility

If monthly uptime falls below 99.9%, you are eligible for service credits according to this schedule:

3.2 Credit Claim Process

• Submit credit requests to support@globalyachtbrokers.net within 30 days of the incident
• Include your account details and the dates/times of downtime experienced
• We will investigate and respond within 14 business days
• Approved credits will be applied to your next monthly invoice

3.3 Credit Limitations

• Credits are your sole remedy for failure to meet uptime commitments
• Maximum credit per month: 50% of your monthly fee
• Credits are not transferable and have no cash value
• Credits expire if not used within 12 months

4. Support Services

4.1 Support Channels

4.2 Support Response Times

Note: Response time is measured from when we receive your request during business hours. Business hours are Monday-Friday, 09:00-17:00 GMT, excluding UK public holidays.

4.3 Support Scope

Included Support:

• API technical issues and error troubleshooting
• Account configuration assistance
• Platform connection verification
• Data format and validation questions
• Billing inquiries

Not Included (Developer Support - £25/hour):

• Custom integration development
• Writing code for your website or CMS
• Debugging your application code
• Third-party platform configuration (WordPress, Wix, etc.)
• Training beyond documentation

5. Performance Commitments

5.1 API Response Time

• GET requests: Target 200ms average, 500ms 95th percentile
• POST/PUT requests: Target 500ms average, 1000ms 95th percentile
• Bulk operations: Dependent on payload size, monitored separately

Note: Response times are measured at the API endpoint. Network latency between your server and our infrastructure is not included.

5.2 Rate Limits

To ensure fair usage and system stability:

• Standard Tier: 1,000 requests per hour per API key
• Burst Allowance: Up to 100 requests per minute
• Rate Limit Headers: X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-RateLimit-Reset included in responses

If you require higher limits, contact support@globalyachtbrokers.net.

6. Monitoring and Transparency

6.1 Status Page

Real-time service status available at: status.globalyachtbrokers.net (planned Q1 2026)

• Current API status
• Scheduled maintenance windows
• Incident history and post-mortems
• Historical uptime statistics

6.2 Incident Communication

During incidents, we will:

• Post initial acknowledgment within 30 minutes of detection
• Provide hourly updates until resolution
• Publish post-incident report within 5 business days
• Send email notifications to all affected subscribers

7. Data Backup and Recovery

7.1 Backup Schedule

• Frequency: Daily automated backups
• Retention: 30 days
• Storage: Encrypted backups in geographically separate AWS region
• Testing: Monthly backup restoration tests

7.2 Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

Maximum data loss in disaster scenario: 24 hours (time since last backup)

7.3 Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

Target time to restore service from backup: 4 hours

8. Maintenance Windows

8.1 Scheduled Maintenance

• Advance Notice: Minimum 72 hours via email and status page
• Frequency: Monthly maximum (typically quarterly)
• Duration: Maximum 4 hours per window
• Timing: 00:00-04:00 GMT (lowest usage period)

8.2 Emergency Maintenance

For critical security vulnerabilities or infrastructure failures, we may perform emergency maintenance with minimal notice. We will notify you as soon as possible.

9. Exclusions and Limitations

This SLA does not apply to:

• Beta program participants (separate SLA provided)
• Accounts with outstanding payment (more than 14 days overdue)
• Violations of Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Policy
• Free trial accounts
• Third-party services, websites, or platforms

10. SLA Modifications

GYBN may modify this SLA with 60 days written notice. Material changes that reduce service levels will give you the option to cancel your subscription without penalty before the changes take effect.

11. Contact Information