This Service Level Agreement ("SLA") forms part of the Terms of Service between TradeWind Shipping Limited ("Provider", "we", "us") and you ("Customer") and defines the service levels, support commitments, and remedies applicable to the TradeWind shipping label platform.
1. Platform Availability
1.1 Uptime Commitment
The Provider targets 99.5% monthly uptime for the TradeWind platform, measured across each calendar month. Uptime is calculated as:
Uptime % = ((Total minutes in month - Downtime minutes) / Total minutes in month) x 100
1.2 Exclusions
The following are excluded from uptime calculations:
- Scheduled maintenance windows (notified at least 24 hours in advance)
- Third-party carrier API outages (UPS, Royal Mail, FedEx, etc.)
- Third-party integration outages (Shopify, WooCommerce, eBay, etc.)
- Force majeure events
- Customer-caused issues (misconfiguration, API abuse, etc.)
- Payment processor outages (Stripe)
1.3 Maintenance Windows
Scheduled maintenance is performed during low-traffic periods, typically between 02:00 and 06:00 GMT on weekdays. Emergency maintenance may be performed at any time with as much notice as practicable.
2. Support
2.1 Support Channels
| Channel | Availability | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 (monitored during business hours) | support@tradewind.express | |
| Live Chat | Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00 GMT | Via platform dashboard |
| Help Centre | 24/7 (self-service) | tradewind.express/help |
2.2 Response Times
| Priority | Description | Initial Response | Resolution Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 — Critical | Platform completely down, no labels can be generated, data loss | 1 hour | 4 hours |
| P2 — High | Major feature unavailable (e.g. specific carrier broken, billing errors) | 4 hours | 1 business day |
| P3 — Medium | Feature degraded but workaround available, non-critical bugs | 1 business day | 5 business days |
| P4 — Low | Feature requests, cosmetic issues, general questions | 2 business days | Best effort |
Business hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 GMT, excluding UK public holidays. P1 issues may be actioned outside business hours at the Provider's discretion.
3. Label Generation
3.1 Processing Time
Individual label generation requests are processed within 30 seconds under normal conditions. Batch label generation (10+ labels) is processed within 5 minutes.
These targets are subject to third-party carrier API response times, which are outside the Provider's control.
3.2 Carrier API Dependencies
Label generation depends on real-time API calls to carrier systems. If a carrier API is unavailable:
- The platform will display a clear error message identifying the carrier issue
- Alternative carriers (if configured) will be suggested
- The Provider will monitor the situation and notify affected customers
3.3 Service Availability and Restrictions
Individual carrier services have service area, weight, and dimension restrictions that are validated at booking time. If a selected service cannot be used for a given shipment (for example, the destination is outside the service area), the platform will reject the booking with a clear error message and suggest an alternative service where available. No label is generated and no charge is applied for rejected bookings.
UPS Worldwide Economy (WWE): Ships to the contiguous 48 United States and the District of Columbia only. The following destinations are not serviced and must be sent via an alternative service (for example UPS Standard, Royal Mail International Tracked / Signed, or FedEx International):
- Alaska (AK)
- Hawaii (HI)
- Puerto Rico (PR)
- US Virgin Islands (VI)
- Guam (GU)
- American Samoa (AS)
- Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
- US military addresses (APO / FPO / DPO)
- PO Boxes
Full per-service restrictions (weight, dimensions, service area) are documented on the Rates page and in the Shipping Terms.
4. Data and Backups
- Database backups are performed continuously (point-in-time recovery)
- Backup retention: 7 days minimum
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO): 5 minutes
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO): 1 hour
5. API Rate Limits
API access is subject to the following rate limits to ensure fair usage and platform stability:
| Endpoint Category | Rate Limit |
|---|---|
| Label generation | 60 requests/minute per account |
| Order sync / import | 120 requests/minute per account |
| Rate queries | 120 requests/minute per account |
| Authentication | 10 attempts/15 minutes per IP |
6. Service Credits
If the platform fails to meet the 99.5% monthly uptime target, the Customer is entitled to request service credits:
| Monthly Uptime | Credit (% of monthly spend) |
|---|---|
| 99.0% - 99.5% | 5% |
| 95.0% - 99.0% | 15% |
| Below 95.0% | 30% |
Service credits must be requested within 30 days of the incident. Credits are applied to the Customer's account balance and are not refundable as cash.
7. Escalation
If the normal support process does not resolve an issue:
- Level 1: Contact support@tradewind.express with the ticket reference
- Level 2: Request escalation to the technical team lead
- Level 3: Contact the Managing Director at management@tradewind.express
8. Changes to this SLA
The Provider may update this SLA from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email at least 30 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated SLA.
9. Contact
For SLA-related queries:
- Email: support@tradewind.express
- Help Centre: tradewind.express/help