Welcome to Item Support
Having support for your purchased item means that the author will be available to you, the buyer, to iron-out any potential issues you have in using the item.
This page will tell you all about what you can expect from authors who sell supported items. Here’s a summary:.
| What’s included | Supported item – 6 months support from purchase with options to extend | All items |
|---|---|---|
| Updates to ensure the item works as described and is protected against major security concerns | ||
| Discretionary version updates | ||
| Availability of the author of the item to provide item support | ||
| Technical questions about the item’s built-in features, functionality and third party plugins | ||
| Assistance with reported bugs and issues | ||
| Help with included third party assets (e.g. image sliders, contact forms) |
Read the item documentation first
Many support queries and technical questions will already be answered in supporting documentation such as FAQ’s and comments from previous buyers.
What’s included in item support
The item support period
A supported item includes item support for 6 months from the purchase date. During those 6 months, the author is expected to be available to provide the item support services we’ve set out on this page. Response times can vary depending on the volume of inquiries, the nature of the request, and whether questions have already been answered or support has already been provided (see ‘fair-use’ later on).
If you’re about to purchase the item, many items have the option to purchase extended item support, increasing the item support period up to a maximum of 12 months from the date of purchase.
Answering questions about how to use the item
During the item support period, the author is expected to be available to answer your general questions about the item and how to use it. For example, how do I get my homepage to look like the one in the preview? The response to this type of question can come in various formats including directing you to an already documented response (e.g. in the comments or FAQs).
Answering technical questions about the item (and included third party assets)
During the item support period the author is expected to be available to:
- Answer your specific questions about the features and functionality of the item
- Provide some guidance on the way the item is designed
- Help you with issues related to using the item and getting the most value out of its functionality.
- Answer questions about third party assets or functionality (e.g. plug-ins) bundled with the item, such as how they work and other technical questions.
Help with defects in the item or included third party assets
During the item support period, you can report and discuss bugs and minor item defects with us, and we are expected to be available to assist you with reported bugs. If appropriate, we may issue bug fixes directly to you as part of item support. (If we decides to address a bug fix through a general version update, that update will be available to all buyers.)
A supported item may include third party functionality or items from other authors such as plugins, image sliders or contact forms. During the item support period, the author is expected to be available to assist with questions about third party assets, and to either help you to address particular issues with the third party asset or direct you to where you can find the solution.
Item updates to ensure ongoing compatibility and to resolve security vulnerabilities
If a supported item includes a third party asset (e.g., a plugin), or is intended to work with third party software or platforms (e.g. a CMS), we are expected to ensure the item remains compatible if the software or platform version is updated. This includes if the third party asset has a security update. Item updates of this type will generally be delivered as version updates available to all buyers. Choosing a supported item (or upgrading to extended support) ensures you’re getting an item that’s backed by us, and enables us to maintain our items in these ways.
What’s not included in item support
Item customization
Item support does not include services to modify or extend the item beyond the original features, style and functionality described on the item page. For customization services that will help you tailor the item to your specific requirements, we recommend contacting us and we will redirect you to a customization shop.
Installation of the item
Buyers have varying levels of experience with different software platforms and technologies and getting your item up and running can depend on many variables that are specific to your circumstances. You’ll need to have a working knowledge of the software platforms and technologies for which items are created, so item support does not include help to install the item on your server or on a CMS. If you’re just starting out or skilling up, try a course or tutorial on Tuts+.
Hosting, server environment, or software
We are not required to support issues about your web hosting or server environment, or issues with the software you’ve got installed on your machine to use the item. Please check your ISP/web hosting provider or other software documentation that you’re trying to use to help solve your issues.
Help from authors of included third party assets
If a supported item includes a third party asset (e.g. a plugin or slider), the author of the third party asset is not required to provide support for that asset to buyers of the supported item. Direct your questions about third party assets to us.
Fair-use, and other details
We believe our time is best spent using our creative and technical skills to build great new items and keep our existing items up-to-date. We have outlined what item support is all about and we ask that you’re mindful of the our time when making item support requests. We suggest that before you ask for support, read the documentation (included with the downloaded item) and any additional information available on the item pages (FAQs, Comments, etc) to see if that information answers your questions.
We sell our items to many buyers, so the time taken to respond to your request can vary. If you’re waiting for an update or fix to an item, it may take several days/weeks for us to properly fix, test, review and release. We can also take breaks (e.g. a vacation) from providing item support. We will let you know of any extended breaks via the Support and Comments tabs on our items.
