Service terms

1. Our agreement

Village Keepsakes is a trade name used by the business identified below. These Service Terms, your selected package, and our Shipping & Returns policy govern your order. By ordering, you confirm that you are at least 18, can enter a binding agreement, and accept these terms. Your checkout identifies the version that applies; later changes do not retroactively change a paid order without your agreement.

2. What we digitize

We accept loose, unmounted printed photographs from 3 × 3 inches to 5 × 7 inches that can be safely handled. We do not accept slides, negatives, film, videotapes, documents, framed prints, albums, glass plates, or photos stuck to other material. Please contact us before ordering for unusually fragile, torn, curled, sticky, moldy, or damaged prints. We may decline materials that cannot be processed safely.

Packages cover up to the selected number of photo fronts. Scans are delivered as JPEG files with orientation correction, cropping, and basic color adjustment where appropriate. Backs, handwritten notes, detailed naming, and custom organization are not included unless separately agreed in writing. The source print limits achievable quality; scanning cannot recover detail that is not present.

3. Your package and payment

Payment is due in full at checkout. Prices are in US dollars. The total includes the selected photo-count package, one USB flash drive and any optional extra USB drives you select, packing kit, prepaid inbound shipping, and shipment of your originals and completed media back to you within the United States. Applicable taxes are shown before payment. Your package is a one-time purchase. The first USB drive costs $25 and is included in the displayed package total. You may add up to 3 extra USB drives containing the same photo files for $15 each at checkout; you are charged only for the quantity you select.

Photo-count packages are fixed prices, not a charge for the physical volume of the box. Sending fewer prints does not reduce the package price. If you send more than your allowance, we will request approval of an upgrade or return unprocessed extras; we will not automatically charge you. Additional services require your express agreement.

4. Packing and your originals

You are responsible for selecting the correct package, providing a deliverable address, and following the packing instructions. Use the supplied protective materials and prepaid label. Do not attach tape, staples, or adhesive labels to photos. Keep a personal inventory and any copies you already have. Do not send materials whose financial value exceeds the ordinary cost of personal photo prints without first discussing them with us.

You retain ownership of your originals. We use reasonable care, but physical handling and transit involve risks, including damage, loss, and effects of pre-existing fragility. We do not promise risk-free shipping, archival conservation, or repair of pre-existing damage. These disclosures do not excuse our failure to exercise legally required care. We will return your originals; they do not become our property.

5. Timing and communication

Our estimated kit dispatch time is within 5 business days after payment. Digitization normally takes 4–6 weeks after we receive your photos, excluding transit. We will notify you of a material delay, provide an updated estimate, and offer cancellation and refunds when required by applicable law. We do not treat silence as agreement to an indefinite delay. Please keep your email and shipping address current.

6. Digital delivery and compatibility

USB delivery contains JPEG files on a USB-A flash drive. An adapter may be necessary for some devices. Check compatibility before ordering. We do not supply ongoing software support or guarantee that a storage device will remain readable forever. Make your own backup after delivery.

7. Permission and privacy

You represent that you own or have permission to reproduce the materials you send. You grant us only the limited permission needed to scan, adjust, store temporarily, copy, and return them for your order. We do not acquire copyright in your photographs. We do not use customer photos in advertising or AI training without separate permission. Do not send unlawful materials or materials you are prohibited from sharing. Our Privacy Policy describes the handling of order information and working files.

8. Problems, corrections, and refunds

Please inspect your return package and open the delivered files promptly. Contact chris@villagekeepsakes.com, preferably within 30 days of delivery, about missing files, unreadable media, or scanning errors. This request helps us investigate while working files are retained; it does not waive rights or deadlines that cannot legally be limited. Where we have failed to provide the agreed service, we will offer an appropriate correction, replacement, or refund. The Shipping & Returns policy explains cancellations and additional remedies.

9. Limits of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we are not liable for indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or loss of profits, arising from the service. Subject to the exceptions below, our total aggregate liability relating to an order will not exceed the amount paid for that order. We cannot assign a monetary replacement value to sentimental memories.

These limits do not apply to fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence, or liabilities and consumer remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. Some jurisdictions do not permit certain limitations, so those limitations may not apply to you. Nothing requires you to waive a non-waivable right or excuses us from legally required care.

10. Disputes and applicable law

Please contact us first so we can try to resolve a concern promptly. Alabama law governs to the extent permitted, without displacing mandatory consumer protections that apply where you live. Any court proceeding must be brought in a court with lawful jurisdiction; these terms do not remove a right to an available small-claims forum. No mandatory arbitration or class-action waiver is imposed by these terms. If a provision is unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply. Neither party is responsible for delays beyond reasonable control, but statutory cancellation and refund rights remain in effect.