Last updated: 23 July 2026. View change log.

This Annex forms part of the IT Master Services Agreement between you and Cultrix Limited (“Cultrix”, “we”, “us”), and sets out the scope, responsibilities and limits that apply to the Fair Use Policy.

The FUP makes sure Service Desk resources are shared fairly across all customers, so no single user or organisation uses an unfair share of engineer time at everyone else’s expense. It applies only to the Services included in your Order.

1. Purpose of this policy

The purpose of the Fair Use Policy is to:

  • give all customers fair access to the Service Desk;
  • prevent unreasonable or excessive use of support resources;
  • set expectations for appropriate use of Service Desk time;
  • give a clear process for handling exceptional or persistent overuse.

2. Fair and reasonable use

Fair use means using the Service Desk for genuine support needs, in a way that is reasonable for the size of your organisation and the Services in your Order. This typically includes:

  • reporting technical faults or issues;
  • asking for help with supported systems or services;
  • raising tickets for changes covered under Support;
  • short troubleshooting conversations and follow-up questions as needed.

3. Excessive or unreasonable use

Examples of usage we may consider unreasonable include:

  • frequent or daily calls from the same user for non-urgent or repetitive help;
  • extended calls lasting disproportionately long (for example regularly exceeding 30+ minutes);
  • requests for end-user training, coaching or walkthroughs beyond brief guidance;
  • monopolising engineer time at the expense of other customers;
  • repeatedly raising the same issue without following guidance we have already given;
  • excessive “how-to” questions not covered by your Support package;
  • using the Service Desk as a substitute for formal training, consultancy or administration services.

We will act reasonably when we assess whether usage counts as overuse, taking into account the size of your organisation, the nature of the issue, and recent support history.

4. Managing excessive usage

Excessive or unreasonable use is often driven by repeated requests caused by unsupported devices, software or user behaviour. Where we identify it, we may take the following steps:

  1. Informal guidance: we may let you know that usage looks unusually high and discuss adjustments.
  2. Formal notification: if excessive usage continues, we may send a written notice setting out our concerns and proposed alternatives (for example training, consultancy or a more suitable Service package).
  3. Reclassification of work: work that goes beyond fair use may be reclassified as chargeable consultancy or project work, with your approval.
  4. Additional charges or plan adjustment: if usage keeps exceeding fair use on an ongoing basis, we may propose additional charges or recommend a higher-tier Service package.
  5. Restrictions: in extreme cases, we may restrict specific users from extended calls and ask them to log requests via ticket only.

5. Customer expectations

To help us give fair and effective support to all customers, you agree to:

  • make sure users follow reasonable troubleshooting guidance we provide;
  • encourage users to avoid repeated calls about identical issues;
  • provide internal training where needed for systems not covered by Support;
  • nominate key contacts for complex or administrative tasks;
  • avoid using the Service Desk for tasks better suited to consultancy or training services.

6. Self-inflicted issues and customer-initiated changes

Some service interruptions are caused by changes you make, such as using administrative access, installing or removing software, altering configuration or security settings, or replacing routers or other equipment without telling us first. We don’t class these as urgent incidents under the SLA, because they aren’t system faults. Any work needed to investigate or resolve an issue you have caused may be handled as chargeable consultancy, and we’ll always confirm this with you before we start. If you’d like help reducing administrative permissions, or reviewing who has access to make changes, we can help.

7. Services covered by this policy

The Fair Use Policy applies to any of our Services that include Service Desk access, including:

  • Support;
  • Support + Shield;
  • Guardian;
  • standalone Service Desk access where purchased.

Patch-only customers do not have Service Desk access and so are not covered by this Policy.

8. Changes to this Annex

We may update this Fair Use Policy to reflect changes to the Services, customer behaviour patterns or support best practice. We will publish updated versions on our website and, for material changes, give reasonable notice.