Terms and Conditions

Stella Maris Services, LLC (d/b/a www.stellaora.com) Effective date: 10/2/2026 |  Last updated: 10/2/2026

1. Agreement

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") are an agreement between you and Stella Maris Services, LLC, doing business as www.stellaora.com ("Stellaora," "we," "us," or "our"), a Colorado limited liability company in Fort Collins, Colorado. They govern your use of www.stellaora.com, the Family Vault, and all services we provide, including digitization, document scanning, secure destruction, the D&D (Digitize & Destroy) bundle, and the Pre-Planning Program (together, the "Services").

By placing an order, creating an account, dropping off or shipping materials, or using our website, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

If you are a business, law firm, or government customer with a signed services agreement, that agreement controls where it conflicts with these Terms.

2. Eligibility and Authority

You must be at least 18 and able to form a binding contract. If you place an order on behalf of someone else (for example, as an adult child, executor, trustee, agent under power of attorney, or personal representative), you confirm that you have the legal authority to do so and agree to provide documentation if we ask.

3. Our Services

  • Media digitization: VHS, micro-cassette, DVD, DV, and similar formats, with basic editing and restoration. Additional formats (photos, slides, negatives, 8mm film, audio) may be fulfilled by our vetted fulfillment vendors.

  • Document scanning and organization.

  • Secure document destruction, performed by us or through vetted vendors.

  • D&D bundle: selected documents are digitized, home movies and photos are digitized and placed in your Family Vault, and originals are then securely destroyed as you authorize.

  • Family Vault: secure online storage and family sharing for your digitized content.

  • Pre-Planning Program: a proactive service to organize photos, video, legal and financial documents, recipes, and family history into a Family Vault, offered as a one-time "Big Bang" project or a six-month "Guided Build-Out."

  • Pickup, delivery, and drop-off through our team or partner locations.

Service descriptions on the website are summaries. Your order confirmation or written quote controls what is included.

4. Orders, Quotes, Pricing, and Payment

  • Prices are shown at checkout or in your written quote. Prices may change, but not for an order you've already placed and we've confirmed.

  • Per-item pricing (such as per-tape pricing) is based on the count we verify at intake. If the verified count or format mix differs from your order, we will contact you with an adjusted quote before proceeding.

  • Work performed by vendors may be priced at vendor cost plus a service charge, as shown in your quote.

  • Payment is due as stated at checkout or in your quote. Projects may require a deposit or full payment before work starts.

  • Prices exclude applicable sales tax, shipping, and insurance unless stated.

  • If a payment fails, we may pause work or Vault access until it's resolved.

5. Subscriptions and Recurring Charges

Some Services are billed on a recurring basis, including monthly service plans (for larger libraries), Pre-Planning Guided Build-Out (monthly for six months), and Family Vault (annual or as otherwise stated).

  • Authorization. By enrolling, you authorize us to charge your payment method on the schedule and amount shown at sign-up until the plan term ends or you cancel.

  • Fixed-term plans. Monthly plans and the Guided Build-Out run for the term shown at sign-up (for example, six months). Unless your order says otherwise, you are responsible for payments through the end of the term. Canceling early does not eliminate remaining installments if work has begun. 

  • Family Vault. Renews automatically each YEAR at the then-current price unless you cancel before renewal. We will send a reminder 45 DAYS before annual renewals. You can cancel at any time by emailing info@stelaora.com; cancellation takes effect at the end of the paid period.

  • Included first term. Where a completed project includes Vault access for an initial period, the project's order confirmation will state it.

  • Price changes. We will give at least 30 days' notice before changing the price of a recurring plan.

  • After cancellation or non-payment, your Vault enters a 90 day grace period during which you can download your content. After that, we permanently delete it (see Section 12).

6. Pre-Planning Program

  • Big Bang: a flat project fee covering the volume and categories described in your order, plus Vault access. Volume above what was quoted will be re-quoted before additional work.

  • Guided Build-Out: a six-month paced program (typically one category per month) billed monthly. Timelines depend on your timely delivery of materials and feedback; delays on your side may extend the program but do not reduce the amount due.

  • You stay in control. You decide what is included, what is shared, and who your family contacts or successors are.

  • Not professional advice. The Pre-Planning Program organizes and preserves records. It is not legal, financial, tax, medical, or estate-planning advice, and does not create or replace a will, trust, power of attorney, or advance directive. Consult a licensed professional for those matters.

7. Shipping, Drop-Off, and Pickup

  • Packing. You are responsible for reasonable packing. Please do not send irreplaceable originals you have no other copy of by common carrier without insurance. We recommend tracked, insured shipping or hand delivery.

  • Drop-off partners. Participating partner locations accept sealed, labeled bags and order forms on our behalf for pickup by us. Partners are independent businesses, are not our employees, and are not authorized to make promises about pricing, turnaround, or results. We are responsible for materials once we've taken possession from the partner, and the partner is responsible for reasonable care while holding them. 

  • Our pickup and delivery. If we pick up or deliver, we take reasonable care of your materials in transit.

  • Intake count. We inventory materials at intake, and that inventory (with any photos we take) is our record of what we received. Please review it promptly and tell us about discrepancies within 7 days.

  • Return shipping. Returned originals are shipped to the address on your order, with insurance if you request it and pay for it. We are not responsible for delivery problems caused by an incorrect address you provided.

8. Condition of Media; No Guarantee of Results

Old media is fragile. Tapes can have mold, sticky-shed, brittle or stretched tape, broken housings, or degraded signal. Discs can be scratched or suffer disc rot. Paper can be torn, faded, or stuck together. Photos, slides, and film can be warped or damaged.

  • We use professional care and reasonable efforts, but we cannot guarantee that every item can be played, transferred, or recovered, or the quality of the result.

  • We may need to repair housings or clean media to attempt a transfer. By ordering, you authorize that reasonable handling, which in rare cases can cause further damage to already deteriorated media.

  • If we cannot transfer an item, we will tell you and will not charge you for that item. We will return it as you instruct.

  • Content on commercially produced or copy-protected media may be protected by technology we will not circumvent.

Because original materials may be irreplaceable, we strongly encourage you to keep a copy of any digital files we deliver and to download your Vault content.

9. Originals: Return, Retention, and Destruction

  • Your instructions control. Your order states, for each batch, whether originals are to be returned, retained temporarily, or destroyed.

  • Retention window. Unless you instruct otherwise, we hold originals for 90 DAYS after we notify you the project is complete, so you can review the digital files. After that window we may return them (with shipping billed to you) or, if you have authorized destruction, destroy them.

  • Destruction is permanent and irreversible. Before destruction, you are responsible for reviewing the digital files and confirming that you want the originals destroyed. We destroy only what you authorize in writing (including by checking the destruction option at checkout). Once destroyed, originals cannot be recovered and we are not liable for the destruction of items you authorized.

  • Legal holds. You confirm that the documents you ask us to destroy are not subject to a legal hold, litigation, audit, investigation, or a legal or contractual duty to retain. Determining what you must keep (for example, tax records, deeds, wills, or estate documents) is your responsibility. We recommend consulting your attorney or CPA first. Original wills, trusts, titles, and similar documents may have legal significance in original form.

  • Certificate of destruction. On request, we provide confirmation that your materials were destroyed. Vendor-handled destruction is subject to the vendor's process.

  • Abandoned property. If we cannot reach you after 3 reasonable attempts over 90 DAYS after completion, we may securely destroy or dispose of originals after sending written notice to your last known email and address. We may charge reasonable storage fees after the retention window, as disclosed at order. 

10. Your Content, Your Rights, and Your Promises

  • You own your content. Customer Content (as defined in the Privacy Policy) remains yours. We acquire no ownership.

  • License to us. You grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to handle, copy, reproduce, process, store, host, and transmit your content solely to provide the Services you ordered (including through our vendors and hosting providers) and to operate your Vault. Nothing in this license lets us publish, market, or reuse your content. 

  • Your promises. You confirm that: (a) you own the materials or have authority to have them processed; (b) you have the authority to authorize their destruction; (c) your content does not infringe others' rights or violate law; and (d) you will not submit unlawful content, including child sexual abuse material or content that depicts illegal conduct. We may refuse or report unlawful content as required by law.

  • Copyrighted commercial media. We do not duplicate commercially produced movies, TV, or music for copying or distribution. Our services are for personal and family recordings and records you are entitled to copy.

  • Shared family material. If your materials include recordings of other people (such as family members), you are responsible for any permissions those people may need.

11. Family Vault

  • License. While your subscription is active, we grant you a limited, revocable, non-transferable right to use the Vault for personal, family, or your own lawful business purposes.

  • Sharing. You decide who can access your Vault. You are responsible for who you invite, the permissions you set, and anyone you give a link or password to. Anyone with a shared link may view what it opens, so share carefully and revoke links you no longer want active.

  • Account security. Keep your credentials confidential, use a strong password, and tell us promptly of any unauthorized use. You are responsible for activity under your account unless caused by our failure to use reasonable security.

  • Acceptable use. No unlawful, harmful, or infringing content; no attempts to breach security or disrupt the service; no resale or use of the Vault as a public hosting or distribution service.

  • Backups, availability, and your own copy. We maintain redundancy and backups as a core feature, but we cannot guarantee uninterrupted access or that data will never be lost. The Vault should not be your only copy of irreplaceable material. Download and keep your own copies.

  • Maintenance and changes. We may perform maintenance and improve or modify features. We will give reasonable notice of changes that materially reduce functionality.

  • Designated successors and deceased account holders. You may name one or more successor contacts. After an account holder's death, we may give a named successor access or an export of the Vault after verifying identity and, where appropriate, a death certificate. If no successor is named, we may provide access to an executor or personal representative who provides documentation of authority. We may continue or end the subscription as the successor or estate instructs. We may decline requests we cannot verify.

  • Cancellation and deletion. You can cancel at any time. After cancellation or non-payment, a grace period of 90 DAYS applies, during which you may download your content. Afterward your Vault and its content are permanently deleted from active systems, and from backups on the rotation described in the Privacy Policy.

12. Referral Partners and Vendors

  • We work with independent referral partners (such as senior move managers, funeral and preneed providers, senior living communities, attorneys, financial advisors, realtors, and others). Partners may receive a referral fee from us. Referral fees are paid by us out of our revenue and do not increase the price you pay. A referral is not an endorsement or guarantee by either of us of the other's services.

  • Attorneys and other licensed professionals who refer you to us are not acting as your representative with respect to our Services, and nothing in a referral changes the independent professional duties they owe you.

  • We may use vetted vendors for shredding, scanning, and some digitization. We remain responsible to you for the Services we sell you, subject to these Terms.

13. Turnaround Times

Estimated turnaround times are good-faith estimates, not guarantees. Volume, condition of media, vendor schedules, and information we need from you may affect timing. Rush options, where offered, are described at checkout.

14. Not Professional Advice

We provide records-preservation and organization services only. We do not give legal, tax, financial, medical, genealogical, or estate-planning advice. We do not provide estate sale or genealogy services. Nothing on our website or from our staff is a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.

15. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Services and website are provided "as is" and "as available." Except for the commitments expressly stated in these Terms, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that results will be error-free, that media can be recovered, or that the Vault will be uninterrupted or free of all security risk. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain disclaimers, so some of the above may not apply to you.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

  • No indirect damages. Stella Maris Services is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including loss of data, loss of profits, or emotional distress, arising out of the Services, even if advised of the possibility.

  • Cap. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Services will not exceed the amount you paid us for the specific order or subscription period giving rise to the claim.

  • Items outside the limits. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including liability for willful or wanton misconduct, fraud, or death or personal injury caused by negligence.

  • Irreplaceable materials. You acknowledge that original materials may have sentimental value we cannot measure or replace. If we lose or damage originals through our own negligence, our remedy is limited to the cap above, which may include refunding the fees paid for the affected items, unless you purchased a declared-value option in writing before shipment.

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Stella Maris Services, LLC harmless from claims, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your violation of law or third-party rights, or content you submit that you were not authorized to submit or have destroyed. This does not apply to the extent a claim results from our negligence or misconduct.

18. Website Use and Intellectual Property

The Stella Maris Services and Family Vault names, logos, site design, text, and software are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by law. You may use the site for its intended purposes but may not copy, scrape, reverse-engineer, interfere with, or use it unlawfully. Your digitized content and files are yours as described in Section 10.

19. Electronic Communications and Texts

You agree we may communicate with you electronically (email, in-account messages, and, if you provide a number and opt in, text messages) about your orders and account. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out of texts. Marketing communications are only sent as permitted by law and your consent.

20. Disputes, Governing Law, and Venue

  • Talk to us first. If you have a concern, please contact us at info@steallora.com. We will try in good faith to resolve it within 30 days.

  • Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.

  • Venue. Any dispute that is not resolved informally will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Larimer County, Colorado, and you and we consent to that venue and jurisdiction. 

21. Business, Government, and Legal-Services Customers

For law firm, SLED, federal, or other commercial engagements, a separate master services agreement or statement of work will set security, confidentiality, rates, and chain-of-custody terms. Those documents control where they differ from these Terms.

22. General

  • Changes. We may update these Terms. We will post the updated version with a new date and, for material changes, notify account holders. Changes apply going forward and do not alter terms of an order already in progress without your consent.

  • Suspension and termination. We may suspend or end access if you breach these Terms, misuse the Services, or for non-payment, with notice where practical. You may stop using the Services at any time, subject to Section 5.

  • Force majeure. Neither party is liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond reasonable control, including natural disaster, fire, flood, power or internet outages, labor disputes, pandemic, or government action.

  • Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without our consent. We may assign them in connection with a merger, sale, or reorganization.

  • Severability and waiver. If any provision is unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.

  • Entire agreement. These Terms, the Privacy Policy, your order confirmation or quote, and any written agreement we sign with you are the entire agreement between us on the Services.

  • Notices. We may give notice by email, in your account, or by posting on our site.

23. Contact

Stella Maris Services, LLC | Website: www.stellaora.com