Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Last updated: January 15, 2025

1. Service Level Commitments

1.1 Availability Guarantee

1.2 Performance Targets

2. Definitions

2.1 Uptime

"Uptime" is the percentage of time the Flash Americas API is available and operational during a calendar month, excluding scheduled maintenance windows.

2.2 Downtime

"Downtime" occurs when the Flash Americas API is unavailable or returns error responses (HTTP 5xx status codes) for more than 5 consecutive minutes, as measured by our monitoring systems.

2.3 Scheduled Maintenance

"Scheduled Maintenance" includes planned upgrades, patches, and infrastructure maintenance announced at least 48 hours in advance (except for emergency security patches).

3. Exclusions

This SLA does not apply to service interruptions caused by:

• Scheduled maintenance windows (announced 48+ hours in advance)
• Emergency security patches and critical updates
• Forces beyond our reasonable control (natural disasters, terrorism, etc.)
• Internet connectivity issues outside our network
• Third-party service failures (carrier APIs, payment processors, etc.)
• Customer misuse, abuse, or violation of terms of service
• DDoS attacks or other malicious activities
• Beta or experimental features explicitly marked as such

4. Monitoring and Measurement

4.1 Monitoring Systems

We monitor our services using:

• Automated health checks every 30 seconds
• Real-time performance metrics and alerting
• Third-party uptime monitoring services
• Geographic distributed monitoring points

4.2 Measurement Period

Uptime is calculated monthly from the first day to the last day of each calendar month. Performance metrics are averaged over the measurement period.

4.3 Status Page

Real-time service status is available at status.flashamericas.com. Historical uptime data and incident reports are published monthly.

5. Service Credits

5.1 Credit Calculation

If we fail to meet our uptime commitment, you may be eligible for service credits:

5.2 Credit Application

Service credits will be applied as a discount to your next monthly bill. Credits cannot exceed 50% of your monthly fees and do not apply to usage-based charges.

5.3 Credit Requests

To request service credits, you must:

• Submit a request within 30 days of the end of the affected month
• Provide specific details about the service disruption
• Be in good standing with no overdue payments
• Email your request to sla@flashamericas.com

6. Support Response Times

7. Scheduled Maintenance

7.1 Maintenance Windows

Regular maintenance is performed during these windows:

• Production: Sundays 2:00 AM - 6:00 AM CST
• Sandbox: Saturdays 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM CST
• Emergency: As needed with minimal notice

7.2 Maintenance Notifications

We provide advance notice of scheduled maintenance:

• 48 hours minimum for routine maintenance
• 7 days for major system upgrades
• Email notifications to account administrators
• Status page updates and banner notifications

8. Incident Response

8.1 Incident Classification

We classify incidents based on impact and urgency:

• Critical: Complete service outage affecting all customers
• Major: Significant degradation affecting multiple customers
• Minor: Limited impact with workarounds available

8.2 Communication

During incidents, we provide:

• Initial acknowledgment within 15 minutes
• Regular updates every 30 minutes for critical incidents
• Post-incident reports within 48 hours
• Root cause analysis for major incidents

9. Escalation

9.1 Support Escalation

If you're not satisfied with support response:

1. Contact your dedicated account manager (Enterprise customers)
2. Email escalation@flashamericas.com
3. Request executive review for unresolved critical issues

9.2 SLA Disputes

For SLA-related disputes:

• Email sla@flashamericas.com with detailed information
• We will investigate and respond within 5 business days
• Disputes may be escalated to senior management if unresolved

10. Limitations

10.1 Maximum Remedy

Service credits are your sole and exclusive remedy for SLA breaches. Our total liability under this SLA is limited to the service credits specified herein.

10.2 SLA Modifications

We may modify this SLA with 30 days advance notice. Material changes will be communicated via email and posted on our website.

11. Contact Information