1. About these Terms
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the virtual private server (VPS) and related services (the "Services") provided by CoAI Host ("CoAI Host", "we", "us" or "our") through host.coaiwork.com. By creating an account, placing an order or using the Services, you agree to these Terms.
Our Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") forms part of these Terms, and our Privacy Policy describes how we handle personal data. If you do not agree to these Terms and the AUP, do not order or use the Services.
2. Your account
- You must provide accurate, complete and current account and billing information and keep it up to date.
- You must be legally able to enter into a binding contract. If you order on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to bind it to these Terms.
- You are responsible for keeping your client area password, API credentials and server credentials secure, and for all activity under your account.
- We may ask you to verify your identity or payment method, and we may refuse or cancel any order, for example where we suspect fraud or where the information provided cannot be verified.
3. The Services
Each plan is a KVM virtual server with the vCPU, memory, NVMe SSD storage, network rate limit and monthly traffic allowance described on the order page at the time you order. Unless stated otherwise:
- Location: servers are hosted in Utah, United States.
- Access: you receive full root access (Administrator access on Windows servers), one dedicated IPv4 address and a browser-based (noVNC) console. IPv6 is not currently provided.
- Network: servers share a 1 Gbps uplink, and each server is rate-limited to the speed of its plan. Speeds are maximums, not guarantees.
- Traffic allowance: each plan includes a monthly traffic allowance, measured in binary units: each "GB" of allowance is one GiB (1,073,741,824 bytes), so a 2,000 GB allowance is 2,000 GiB. The allowance resets on the 1st day of each calendar month (Japan time, Asia/Tokyo), not on your billing date. If a server uses its full allowance, its network speed is limited (throttled) to 10 Mbps until the next reset. No overage charges apply.
- Storage performance: disk throughput and IOPS are limited per plan to keep performance fair for all customers.
- Email: outbound connections to TCP port 25 (SMTP) are blocked on all servers. Use an authenticated email-sending service on another port if you need to send email.
- No backups: the Services do not include backups, snapshots or custom ISO images. You are solely responsible for backing up your data (see section 8).
- IP addresses: IP addresses remain our property. They are assigned to you only for the duration of the Service and may not be transferred.
We may change or improve the underlying hardware, software and network, provided the resources of your plan are not reduced during a paid billing period.
Windows Server (bring your own licence)
On the CoAI S4 and CoAI S8 plans you may choose Windows Server 2025, installed as Microsoft's 180-day evaluation edition. We do not sell, include or sublicense any Microsoft licence; Windows Server is offered on a bring-your-own-licence basis only.
- You are solely responsible for licensing Windows Server and any other Microsoft software on your server. You may use it only if you hold a valid, eligible licence that permits use with a third-party hosting provider (for example a licence with active Software Assurance or a subscription licence under Microsoft's Flexible Virtualization Benefit), and you must convert and activate the evaluation with your own licence within the evaluation period.
- Use of Windows Server without a valid licence after the evaluation period is not permitted. It is a breach of these Terms and may lead to suspension or termination of the Service.
- We provide no product keys, activation or Microsoft support. Details and instructions: Windows Server (bring your own licence).
4. Orders, billing and payment
- Prices are in US dollars (USD) and are billed in advance for the billing cycle you choose (monthly, quarterly or annually). There are no setup fees.
- Your server is provisioned automatically after your first payment is received. Stock is limited, and an order may be cancelled and refunded if capacity is not available.
- Upgrades: you can move a server to a larger plan in the client area; you pay the price difference for the rest of the current billing period. Right after the upgrade invoice is paid, the server is shut down and started again to apply the new resources. This takes about 2 minutes, during which the server is offline; the data on it is kept. Upgrades are not available for a service with a pending cancellation request, or to plans that are out of stock.
- Services renew automatically at the end of each billing cycle until cancelled. Renewal invoices are issued 7 days before the due date, and a payment reminder is sent 3 days before the due date.
- Card payments are processed by our payment processor, Stripe. We never see or store your full card number. When you pay by card, the card is saved to your account (as a token held by Stripe) so that renewals can be charged automatically. By paying with or saving a card you authorise us to charge it automatically on each invoice's due date for renewals and any other amounts due under these Terms. You can remove a saved card at any time in the client area under Payment Methods; renewals then have to be paid manually.
- If an invoice becomes overdue, overdue notices are sent 1, 4 and 10 days after the due date; the third notice is a final warning before deletion. We do not charge late fees.
- Time zone: all billing dates and times (invoice, due, suspension and termination dates, and the times shown in the client area and in our emails) are Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9, Asia/Tokyo). Automated billing tasks run once a day at about 03:00 JST, which is still the previous calendar day in the Americas (for example 12:00 noon MDT or 11:00 MST in Utah).
- Any applicable taxes will be shown on your invoice.
- If you believe a charge is incorrect, please contact us before disputing it with your bank. Opening a chargeback or payment dispute may lead to suspension of the related account while it is resolved.
5. Non-payment, suspension and termination
Renewals are handled automatically as follows (all dates in Japan Standard Time, JST):
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| 7 days before the due date | The renewal invoice is issued. |
| 3 days before the due date | A payment reminder is sent. |
| Due date | A saved card, if any, is charged automatically. |
| 1 day after the due date | First overdue notice. |
| 3 days after the due date | If the invoice is still unpaid, the service is suspended: the server is shut down and cannot be accessed. Your data is kept. |
| 4 days after the due date | Second overdue notice. |
| 10 days after the due date | Third overdue notice: final warning that the server and all of its data will be permanently deleted on the termination date. |
| Payment while suspended | The service is unsuspended automatically once the overdue invoice is paid in full, and the server is started again. |
| 14 days after the due date | If the invoice is still unpaid, the service is terminated: the server and all of its data are permanently deleted and its IP address is released. Terminated services and data cannot be recovered. The unpaid invoice is cancelled at the same time. |
Suspended services are shut down and inaccessible: while a service is suspended, for whatever reason, its server is powered off, the console and the power controls in the client area are disabled, and the server is not started again until the service is unsuspended. The data on the server is kept while the service is suspended.
We may also suspend or terminate a Service immediately, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms or the AUP, if we reasonably suspect fraud or a chargeback is filed, if your Service threatens the security or stability of our network or other customers, or if we are required to do so by law. Where the breach can be fixed, we will usually give you an opportunity to fix it first.
6. Cancellation
- You can cancel a Service at any time by submitting a cancellation request in the client area. You can choose to cancel immediately or at the end of the current billing period.
- Cancellation requests are processed automatically. An Immediate cancellation permanently deletes the server and all of its data within 24 hours (at the next daily run), even if the current billing period has not ended. An End of Billing Period cancellation keeps the server until the end of the period you have paid for and deletes it then. Deleted servers and data cannot be recovered, so make sure you have copies of anything you need first.
- No pro-rata or partial refunds are given for the unused part of a billing period, including after an Immediate cancellation, unless required by law.
- When you submit a cancellation request, any unpaid invoices for that service, such as an open renewal invoice, are cancelled automatically, and no further renewal invoices are issued for it. Payments already made are not refunded (see section 7). While a cancellation request is pending, the service cannot be upgraded.
7. Refunds
Payments are non-refundable except where required by law. We do not give pro-rata refunds for unused time. Any refund, credit or partial refund is at CoAI Host's sole discretion. No refunds are given for Services suspended or terminated because of a breach of these Terms or the AUP.
8. Your responsibilities
- Security: you are responsible for securing your server, including the operating system, installed software, updates, firewall rules, passwords and SSH keys. We recommend key-based SSH login and prompt security updates.
- Backups: you are solely responsible for backing up your data to a location outside your server. We do not back up customer servers and are not responsible for lost or corrupted data.
- Lawful use: you are responsible for all content and activity on your server, including that of your own users, and must comply with the AUP and all applicable laws.
- Software licences: you are responsible for holding valid licences for any software you install.
9. Availability and support
We aim to keep the Services available at all times but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. Unless a separate written service level agreement applies, no uptime guarantee or service credit is provided. We may carry out planned maintenance and will try to give advance notice of work that is expected to cause downtime. Emergency maintenance may be carried out without notice.
Support is provided by email and through support tickets in the client area. Support covers the availability of your server, network and control panel; it does not include administering software inside your server.
10. Your data and privacy
You keep ownership of the data you store on your server. We do not access the contents of your server except where needed to investigate abuse or a security incident, to protect our network, to provide support you have asked for, or to comply with the law. We use your account information to provide and bill the Services and to contact you about them, and we may disclose information where required by law or valid legal process. Our Privacy Policy explains in detail what we collect, why, who processes it for us and how long we keep it.
11. Service provided "as is"
The Services are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
12. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, CoAI Host will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, business, goodwill or data, arising from or related to the Services. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Services is limited to the amount you paid for the affected Service during the billing period in which the claim arose.
13. Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and hold CoAI Host harmless from any claims, losses and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Services, the content on your server, or your breach of these Terms or the AUP.
14. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms or the AUP from time to time. The current version is always published on this page with its "Last updated" date. We will notify you by email of material changes before they take effect. Continuing to use the Services after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms, billing or your account can be sent to support@coaiwork.com or submitted as a support ticket in the client area.