Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you and TrustedByFriends.ca ("Company," "we," "our," or "us") governing your access to and use of:

• The TrustedByFriends.ca mobile application (iOS and Android)
• The TrustedByFriends.ca website
• All related services, features, and content (collectively, the "Service")

By creating an account, accessing the Service, or using any features, you represent that:

• You are at least 18 years of age (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction)
• You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract
• You will comply with these Terms and all applicable laws

2. Description of Service

TrustedByFriends.ca is a platform that enables users to:

• Share recommendations for service providers (plumbers, electricians, contractors, cleaners, etc.)
• View recommendations from their network of friends, family, and community members
• Post reviews, ratings, and photos related to service provider experiences
• Search for and discover service providers based on community recommendations

Important: TrustedByFriends.ca is ONLY a platform for sharing information. We are NOT a service provider directory, booking service, employment platform, or referral agency. We do not employ, endorse, recommend, or guarantee any service provider.

3. User Accounts

3.1 Account Creation

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account by providing:

• Valid email address
• Name (you may use a display name, but must provide your real name for verification)
• Password meeting our security requirements
• Additional optional information (location, profile photo, etc.)

3.2 Account Responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
• All activities that occur under your account
• Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized access or security breach
• Ensuring your account information is accurate and up-to-date

3.3 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, without notice, for:

• Violation of these Terms
• Fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity
• Impersonation of another person or entity
• Posting false, misleading, or defamatory content
• Any other reason at our sole discretion

You may delete your account at any time through the app settings or by contacting us.

4. User Conduct and Prohibited Activities

You agree NOT to:

4.1 Prohibited Content

• Post false, misleading, or fraudulent reviews or recommendations
• Post content that is defamatory, libelous, or slanderous
• Post content that is obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit
• Post content that promotes violence, hatred, or discrimination
• Post content that infringes on intellectual property rights
• Post personal information of others without consent
• Post spam, advertising, or promotional content without authorization

4.2 Prohibited Activities

• Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely represent your affiliation
• Create multiple accounts or fake accounts
• Manipulate reviews, ratings, or recommendations
• Harass, threaten, or intimidate other users
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or other users' accounts
• Use automated scripts, bots, or scrapers to access the Service
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Service
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
• Use the Service for any illegal purpose or to violate any laws
• Collect or harvest user information without consent

4.3 Service Provider Conduct

If you are a service provider featured on the platform:

• You may NOT create fake accounts or solicit fake reviews
• You may NOT offer payment or incentives for positive reviews
• You may NOT post negative reviews about competitors
• You may NOT harass users who post negative reviews

5. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

5.1 No Verification of Service Providers

TrustedByFriends.ca does NOT:

• Verify the identity, qualifications, licenses, or insurance of any service provider
• Conduct background checks on service providers
• Verify the accuracy of reviews, ratings, or recommendations
• Endorse, recommend, or guarantee any service provider
• Have any control over the quality, safety, or legality of services provided

5.2 No Liability for Service Provider Actions

You acknowledge and agree that:

• TrustedByFriends.ca is NOT responsible or liable for any actions, omissions, errors, or conduct of any service provider
• We are NOT liable for the quality, safety, timeliness, or legality of services provided
• We are NOT liable for any property damage, personal injury, financial loss, or other harm caused by service providers
• We are NOT a party to any agreement between you and a service provider
• We do NOT guarantee any specific results or outcomes

5.3 User-Generated Content Disclaimer

All reviews, recommendations, ratings, and other user-generated content on the platform:

• Represent the personal opinions of individual users, not TrustedByFriends.ca
• May be inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or biased
• Are not verified, endorsed, or guaranteed by TrustedByFriends.ca
• Should not be relied upon as the sole basis for any decision

5.4 "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" Disclaimer

The Service is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis without any warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to:

• Warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement
• Warranties regarding accuracy, reliability, or completeness of content
• Warranties that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
• Warranties regarding the results or outcomes of using the Service

5.5 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• TrustedByFriends.ca, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates shall NOT be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• This includes damages for loss of profits, revenue, data, or other intangible losses
• Our total liability to you for any claims arising from your use of the Service shall not exceed the greater of: (a) $100 CAD, or (b) the amount you paid us in the past 12 months
• Some jurisdictions do not allow limitation of liability for personal injury or incidental/consequential damages, so some of these limitations may not apply to you

5.6 Specific Disclaimers

Pricing and Costs: We are NOT responsible for pricing disputes, unexpected costs, or financial disagreements between you and service providers.

Quality of Work: We are NOT responsible for poor workmanship, incomplete work, delays, or unsatisfactory results.

Property Damage: We are NOT responsible for any damage to your property caused by service providers.

Personal Injury: We are NOT responsible for any injuries sustained during or as a result of services provided.

Fraud and Impersonation: We are NOT responsible for fraud, impersonation, identity theft, or criminal activity by users or service providers. We do not verify user identities.

Third-Party Disputes: We are NOT responsible for resolving disputes between you and service providers. Any disputes must be resolved directly between the parties involved.

6. Your Responsibilities and Assumption of Risk

By using the Service, you acknowledge and agree that:

6.1 Due Diligence

You are solely responsible for:

• Verifying the identity, qualifications, licenses, and insurance of any service provider
• Conducting background checks and reference checks
• Obtaining written estimates and contracts
• Ensuring service providers comply with all applicable laws and regulations
• Confirming that service providers carry appropriate liability insurance
• Protecting your property and personal safety

6.2 Independent Investigation

You should:

• Not rely solely on reviews or recommendations from the platform
• Conduct your own research and investigation
• Request and verify credentials, certifications, and licenses
• Obtain multiple quotes and compare service providers
• Check with relevant licensing boards or regulatory agencies
• Review contracts carefully before signing

6.3 Assumption of Risk

You expressly assume all risks associated with:

• Hiring or engaging any service provider found through the platform
• Allowing service providers access to your property
• Relying on user-generated content, reviews, or recommendations
• Any interactions, communications, or transactions with other users or service providers

7. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TrustedByFriends.ca, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to:

• Your use of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any rights of another person or entity
• Any content you post or share on the platform
• Your interactions with service providers or other users
• Any services you receive from service providers found through the platform
• Any disputes between you and service providers

8. User Content

8.1 Content Ownership

You retain ownership of content you post on the Service (reviews, photos, recommendations, etc.). However, by posting content, you grant TrustedByFriends.ca a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable license to:

• Use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and display your content
• Distribute your content through the Service and promotional materials
• Create derivative works from your content
• Sublicense these rights to third parties

8.2 Content Standards

You represent and warrant that your content:

• Is accurate and truthful to the best of your knowledge
• Does not violate any laws or these Terms
• Does not infringe on any intellectual property rights
• Does not contain malicious code or viruses

8.3 Content Moderation

We reserve the right (but have no obligation) to:

• Monitor, review, or edit user content
• Remove any content that violates these Terms
• Remove content for any reason at our sole discretion

8.4 Content Backup

You are responsible for maintaining backups of your content. We are not responsible for any loss or corruption of your content.

9. Intellectual Property Rights

9.1 Our Intellectual Property

The Service and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by TrustedByFriends.ca and are protected by:

• Copyright laws
• Trademark laws
• Patent laws
• Other intellectual property laws

9.2 Trademarks

"TrustedByFriends.ca," our logo, and related marks are trademarks of our company. You may not use these trademarks without our prior written permission.

9.3 Limited License

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for personal, non-commercial purposes, subject to these Terms.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service may contain links to third-party websites, apps, or services. We are not responsible for:

• The content, privacy policies, or practices of third-party sites
• Any damages or losses caused by third-party sites
• The availability or accuracy of third-party sites

Your use of third-party sites is at your own risk and subject to their terms and conditions.

11. Apple App Store Additional Terms

If you access the Service through an iOS device:

11.1 Acknowledgement

These Terms are between you and TrustedByFriends.ca only, not with Apple Inc. Apple is not responsible for the Service or its content.

11.2 Scope of License

The license granted to you is limited to a non-transferable license to use the Service on any Apple-branded device you own or control, as permitted by the App Store Terms of Service.

11.3 Maintenance and Support

TrustedByFriends.ca is solely responsible for providing maintenance and support services. Apple has no obligation to provide support.

11.4 Warranty

TrustedByFriends.ca is solely responsible for any product warranties. Apple has no warranty obligation.

11.5 Product Claims

TrustedByFriends.ca is solely responsible for addressing any claims relating to the Service, including:

• Product liability claims
• Claims that the Service fails to conform to legal or regulatory requirements
• Claims arising under consumer protection laws

11.6 Intellectual Property Rights

If a third party claims the Service infringes their intellectual property rights, TrustedByFriends.ca, not Apple, will be responsible for investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of such claim.

11.7 Third-Party Beneficiary

Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms. Upon your acceptance of these Terms, Apple has the right to enforce these Terms against you.

12. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

12.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing a claim, you agree to contact us and attempt to resolve the dispute informally by sending a written notice to support@trustedbyfriends.ca.

12.2 Binding Arbitration

If we cannot resolve the dispute informally, you agree that any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be resolved through binding arbitration, rather than in court, except:

• You may assert claims in small claims court if your claims qualify
• Either party may seek injunctive or equitable relief in court

12.3 Arbitration Rules

Arbitration will be conducted by the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) or a similar arbitration service under their rules. The arbitrator's decision will be final and binding.

12.4 Class Action Waiver

You agree that any arbitration or court proceeding will be limited to the dispute between you and us individually. You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.

12.5 Location and Costs

Arbitration will take place in [Your Province], Canada. Each party will bear their own costs, except that we will pay arbitration filing fees if your claim is for less than $10,000.

12.6 Opt-Out

You may opt out of arbitration by sending written notice within 30 days of first accepting these Terms to support@trustedbyfriends.ca.

13. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of [Your Province] and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law provisions.

If arbitration does not apply, you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in [Your Province], Canada.

14. Termination

14.1 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by:

• Using the account deletion feature in the app
• Contacting us at support@trustedbyfriends.ca

14.2 Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service immediately, without notice, for:

• Violation of these Terms
• Suspected fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity
• Extended periods of inactivity
• Any other reason at our sole discretion

14.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your right to use the Service ceases immediately
• We may delete your account and content (subject to our data retention policies)
• Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive (e.g., disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification)

15. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make changes:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date
• We will notify you of material changes via email or in-app notification
• Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms
• If you do not agree to the changes, you must stop using the Service and delete your account

16. General Provisions

16.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and TrustedByFriends.ca regarding the Service.

16.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

16.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision.

16.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under these Terms without our written consent. We may assign these Terms without restriction.

16.5 No Agency

Nothing in these Terms creates any agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment relationship between you and TrustedByFriends.ca.

16.6 Force Majeure

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

16.7 Notices

We may provide notices to you via email, in-app notification, or posting on the Service. You may provide notices to us at the contact information below.

17. Contact Information

These Terms of Service are designed to comply with Canadian law and Apple App Store requirements. This is a template and should be reviewed by a qualified attorney before publication. Consult with legal counsel regarding specific provisions for your business, especially regarding arbitration, liability limitations, and jurisdiction-specific requirements.

← Back to Main Site