Terms of Service

2.1 Age requirement. You must be at least [MINIMUM_AGE] years old to create an account or use the Service. If you are under the applicable age of majority in your jurisdiction, you may only use the Service with the verifiable consent of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.

2.2 Legal capacity. By using the Service, you represent that you have full legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement and are not barred from using the Service under any applicable law.

2.3 Organisations. If you are accessing the Service on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you have authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

3.1 Registration. To access most features you must register and create an account using an accurate name and email address. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials.

3.2 Email verification. We require you to verify your email address before accessing protected features. Accounts that have not been verified may have limited functionality.

3.3 Multi-factor authentication. You may optionally enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to increase account security. We recommend doing so.

3.4 Account security. You are solely responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at [CONTACT_EMAIL] if you suspect unauthorised access.

3.5 One account per person. You may not create multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions, obtain additional trial periods, or for any other improper purpose.

3.6 Tutor accounts. Tutor accounts are subject to additional review and approval before courses can be published. We reserve the right to reject or remove courses that do not meet our quality standards.

4.1 Subscription plans. We offer subscription plans as described on our pricing page. Plans may differ in billing cycle (monthly, annual, or other intervals), price, and included features.

4.2 Free trial. We may offer a free trial period for new subscribers. At the end of the trial, your subscription will automatically convert to a paid plan unless you cancel before the trial ends.

4.3 Automatic renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each billing cycle. By subscribing, you authorise [PAYMENT_PROVIDER_NAME] (our payment processor) to charge your payment method on a recurring basis. You will be notified before renewal.

4.4 Price changes. We reserve the right to change subscription prices. We will notify you at least [NOTICE_PERIOD, e.g. 30] days before any price change takes effect. Continued use after the new price takes effect constitutes acceptance.

4.5 Cancellation. You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings or by contacting us. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You retain access to subscriber features until that date.

4.6 Refunds. Subscription fees are generally non-refundable except where required by applicable law. We may grant refunds at our sole discretion in exceptional circumstances.

4.7 Failed payments. If a payment fails, we will retry the charge and notify you by email. If payment cannot be collected after reasonable attempts, your subscription may be suspended or terminated, and access to subscriber content will cease.

4.8 Access on expiry. Upon the expiry or cancellation of your subscription, your access to subscription-gated content (courses, progress tracking, certificates, etc.) will be restricted until a valid subscription is reinstated. Your account data and progress records are retained in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

4.9 Taxes. Prices displayed may or may not include applicable taxes, depending on your location. You are responsible for any taxes imposed on your purchase in your jurisdiction.

5.1 Booking process. Learners may schedule one-to-one tutoring sessions with Tutors through the booking feature. A Booking is confirmed when both the payment is processed (if applicable) and the Tutor confirms availability.

5.2 Session conduct. Confirmed sessions are conducted through LingoHelps' in-platform session chat or video interface. Users must not share personal contact information, external links, or any material that violates these Terms during a session.

5.3 Cancellations and rescheduling. [BOOKING_CANCELLATION_POLICY — e.g. "Cancellations made more than 24 hours before the scheduled session are eligible for a full refund; cancellations within 24 hours may forfeit the session fee."]

5.4 No-shows. [NO_SHOW_POLICY — e.g. "If a Learner does not attend a confirmed session without prior cancellation, the session fee is forfeited. If a Tutor does not attend, the Learner will receive a full refund or credit."]

5.5 Tutor obligations. Tutors are responsible for maintaining accurate availability, attending confirmed sessions on time, and delivering sessions with professional care. Tutors are independent contractors, not employees of [COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME].

5.6 Platform role. LingoHelps acts as a marketplace facilitator. We are not a party to the tutoring relationship. We do not guarantee the quality, accuracy, or outcome of any session.

6.1 Ownership. You retain ownership of User Content you submit. By submitting User Content, you grant [COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME] a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable licence to host, store, reproduce, display, and distribute your User Content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the Service.

6.2 Responsibility. You are solely responsible for the legality, accuracy, and appropriateness of your User Content. We do not endorse User Content and exercise no editorial control over it.

6.3 Prohibited content. You must not submit User Content that:

• Infringes any third-party intellectual property right, including copyright, trade mark, or patent;
• Is defamatory, obscene, harassing, threatening, hateful, or discriminatory;
• Contains viruses, malware, or other harmful code;
• Violates any applicable law or regulation;
• Promotes illegal activity or violence;
• Impersonates any person or entity, or misrepresents your affiliation;
• Contains unsolicited commercial communications (spam).

6.4 Takedown. We may remove or disable access to any User Content that we reasonably believe violates these Terms, without notice and at our sole discretion. We will endeavour to notify you when practicable.

6.5 Repeat infringers. We maintain a policy of terminating accounts of users who repeatedly infringe intellectual property rights in accordance with applicable law, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and equivalent laws.

6.6 Copyright claims. If you believe that your copyrighted work has been infringed on our Platform, please send a written notice to [CONTACT_EMAIL] with the details required by applicable law.

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any regulation;
• Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the Service without our prior written consent;
• Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with any subscription check, paywall, or security mechanism;
• Access or attempt to access another user's account without authorisation;
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service;
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service or course content without our written authorisation;
• Transmit any unsolicited or unauthorised advertising material;
• Use automated tools (bots, scripts, macros) to interact with the Service in a manner that places unreasonable load on our infrastructure;
• Take any action that could damage, overload, or impair the proper functioning of the Service.

8.1 Platform IP. The Service, including its design, code, trademarks, logos, and all original content created by [COMPANY_LEGAL_NAME], is owned by or licensed to us and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of Platform IP to you.

8.2 Limited licence. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Service for your personal, non-commercial use (or, for Tutors, for the purpose of creating and delivering courses on the Platform).

8.3 Feedback. If you provide us with feedback or suggestions about the Service, we may use such feedback without restriction and without obligation to you.

9.1 Payment processing. Payments are processed by [PAYMENT_PROVIDER_NAME]. By making a payment, you agree to their terms of service and privacy policy. We do not store full payment card details.

9.2 Links and integrations. The Service may contain links to third-party websites or integrate third-party tools (e.g. video hosting, analytics). We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or availability of those services.

9.3 No endorsement. Reference to any third-party product or service does not constitute an endorsement.

13.1 By you. You may close your account at any time by contacting us. Closing your account cancels any active subscription at the end of the current billing period.

13.2 By us. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraud, or pose a risk to other users or the platform.

13.3 Effect of termination. Upon termination, your licence to use the Service ends immediately. Sections 6 (User Content licence grant), 8 (IP), 10 (Disclaimers), 11 (Liability), 12 (Indemnification), and 15 (Governing Law) survive termination.

13.4 Data on termination. We will handle your personal data after account closure in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

15.1 Governing law. These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [COUNTRY/STATE OF GOVERNING LAW], without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

15.2 Dispute resolution. You agree to first attempt to resolve any dispute informally by contacting us at [CONTACT_EMAIL]. If the dispute cannot be resolved within [e.g. 30 days], either party may pursue formal proceedings. [OPTIONAL: Insert arbitration clause or jurisdiction clause here.]

15.3 Class action waiver. [OPTIONAL — review with legal counsel: "To the extent permitted by applicable law, you waive the right to participate in a class action, class arbitration, or representative proceeding."]