Terms & Conditions

1. Who you are contracting with

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of TrustLocal (the "Service"), operated by TrustLocal (Pty) Ltd, a South African private company (in registration) with sole director Sean Zonneveld, trading as "TrustLocal" ("we", "us", "our"). By creating an account, listing a business, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you have authority to bind that organisation.

2. The Service

TrustLocal is an online directory that lets South African service providers list their businesses and lets consumers discover and contact them. We do not provide the underlying services listed on the platform and we are not a party to any agreement between a provider and a consumer.

3. Accounts

You must provide accurate information, keep it up to date, and keep your login credentials confidential. You are responsible for all activity under your account.

4. Acceptable use

You must not:

• use the Service for any unlawful, fraudulent or deceptive purpose;
• send spam, harass other users, or post misleading listings;
• infringe anyone's intellectual property or privacy rights;
• interfere with the security or integrity of the Service, including probing, scanning, scraping, or introducing malware;
• resell, redistribute or reverse-engineer the Service.

5. Intellectual property

TrustLocal, including its software, design, branding and content we create, is owned by us and protected by intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the Service in line with these Terms. You retain ownership of the content you upload (business details, photos, documents) and grant us a licence to host and display it solely to operate the Service.

6. Payment and subscription terms

Paid listings are billed on a recurring monthly basis in South African Rand. Our order process is conducted by our online reseller Paddle.com. Paddle.com is the Merchant of Record for all our orders. Paddle provides all customer service inquiries and handles returns. Payment, billing, taxes, cancellations and refunds are governed by Paddle's Buyer Terms and our Refund Policy.

7. Verification and listing approval

We review documents submitted by providers before a listing goes live. We may reject or remove any listing at our discretion, including where information appears inaccurate, misleading, or non-compliant with these Terms or applicable law.

8. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access for material breach of these Terms, non-payment, suspected fraud or security risk, or repeated or serious policy violations. You may cancel your subscription at any time from your dashboard. On termination, your listing will be removed from public search.

9. Service level and warranties

We work to keep the Service available and accurate but do not guarantee it will be uninterrupted or error-free. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all implied warranties, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

10. Liability

To the extent permitted by law, our aggregate liability arising from or related to the Service is capped at the fees you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim. We are not liable for indirect, consequential, or special damages, including loss of profits, data or goodwill. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot be excluded under South African law (including for fraud, death or personal injury caused by negligence).

11. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify us against claims arising from your content, your use of the Service in breach of these Terms, or your unlawful conduct.

12. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and the South African courts have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute.

13. Changes

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified in the dashboard or by email. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email support@trustlocal.co.za.