Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using Salonz (“the Service”, “the Platform”), you confirm that you:

• Are at least 18 years of age, or the age of majority in your jurisdiction
• Have the legal authority to enter into this agreement on behalf of yourself or your business
• Have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy
• Will use the Service in compliance with all applicable South African laws and regulations

These Terms apply to all visitors, users, and subscribers of the Salonz platform. Where you access the Service on behalf of a business entity, you warrant that you are authorised to bind that entity to these Terms.

2. Description of Services

Salonz is a cloud-based salon management platform designed for South African hair and beauty professionals. The Service includes:

• Online appointment scheduling and booking management
• Client relationship management (CRM) and profile tracking
• Staff scheduling, roster management, and commission tracking
• Inventory and product stock management
• Revenue analytics and business performance reporting
• Automated appointment reminders via SMS and WhatsApp
• Multi-branch management for salon groups
• A custom public-facing online booking page
• Mobile application access (iOS and Android)

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time, with reasonable notice provided to subscribers where changes materially affect their use of the platform.

3. Account Registration and Security

To access the full features of Salonz, you must register for an account. By registering, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, complete, and current information during registration and keep it updated
• Maintain the confidentiality of your login credentials and not share them with any third party
• Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
• Notify us immediately at security@salonz.co.za if you suspect any unauthorised access to your account
• Not create multiple free accounts to circumvent plan limitations
• Not register for an account on behalf of someone else without their express permission

Salonz uses Clerk for authentication. Account security measures including multi-factor authentication are available and recommended. Salonz will never ask for your password via email or phone.

4. Subscription and Payment

Pricing and Currency

All Salonz subscription fees are quoted and billed in South African Rand (ZAR). Published prices exclude VAT unless otherwise stated. VAT at the prevailing rate (currently 15%) will be added to all invoices issued to South African residents and businesses.

Subscription Plans

Salonz offers monthly subscription plans as published on our pricing page. Subscriptions renew automatically on a monthly basis unless cancelled before the renewal date.

Payment Methods

• Debit and credit cards (Visa, Mastercard)
• Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
• Ozow instant EFT
• PayFast

Free Trial

Paid plans include a 14-day free trial. No payment information is required to start a trial. If you do not cancel before the trial ends, your selected plan will commence and you will be billed accordingly.

Billing and Late Payment

Subscription fees are billed in advance on the monthly anniversary of your subscription start date. Failure to pay within 7 days of the due date may result in suspension of your account. Access is restored promptly upon payment of outstanding amounts.

Refunds

Subscription fees are non-refundable except where required by the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 or other applicable South African legislation. If you cancel mid-cycle, your access continues until the end of the paid period with no partial refund.

5. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree to use Salonz only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with these Terms. You must not:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable South African law, including the POPIA, ECTA, or the Cybercrimes Act
• Upload, transmit, or store any content that is harmful, abusive, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the platform or its underlying infrastructure
• Use automated tools, scrapers, or bots to access the Service without our written permission
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the platform
• Use the Service to send spam, unsolicited communications, or bulk messages not consented to by recipients
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service without our prior written consent
• Introduce viruses, malware, or any other malicious code into the platform

Violation of this Acceptable Use Policy may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account without refund.

6. Data Ownership and Privacy

Your data belongs to you. You retain full ownership of all data you input into Salonz, including client records, booking history, staff information, and business data (“Your Data”). By using the Service, you grant Salonz a limited, non-exclusive licence to process, store, and display Your Data solely for the purpose of providing the Service to you.

• You are responsible for ensuring that you have the necessary rights and consents to upload and process any personal information of third parties (including your clients) in compliance with POPIA.
• You may export Your Data at any time via the platform's data export tools.
• Upon termination of your account, Your Data will be retained for 90 days and then securely deleted, as detailed in our Privacy Policy.
• Salonz will never sell Your Data to third parties.

By acting as a data controller for your clients' personal information, you accept responsibility for compliance with POPIA in your use of that data. Salonz acts as a data processor on your behalf in this regard.

7. Intellectual Property

The Salonz platform, including its software, design, trademarks, logos, user interface, and all related intellectual property, is owned by or licensed to Salonz (Pty) Ltd and is protected under South African intellectual property law, including the Copyright Act 98 of 1978 and the Trade Marks Act 194 of 1993.

• Nothing in these Terms grants you any right, title, or interest in the Salonz platform beyond the limited licence to use the Service as set out herein.
• You may not use the Salonz name, logo, or trademarks without our prior written consent.
• Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide about the Service may be used by us without restriction or compensation to you.

8. Service Availability and Uptime

We aim to provide a reliable and high-availability service. However, Salonz does not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free access to the platform. The Service may be temporarily unavailable due to:

• Scheduled maintenance, which we will endeavour to announce in advance
• Unplanned outages affecting our infrastructure providers
• Force majeure events beyond our reasonable control

We target 99.5% monthly uptime for the core platform. In the event of extended downtime attributable to Salonz, we will provide affected subscribers with service credits at our discretion. We will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by service unavailability.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable South African law, including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008:

• Salonz provides the Service “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
• Salonz shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of the Service, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
• Our total liability to you for any claim arising under these Terms shall not exceed the total subscription fees paid by you to Salonz in the three (3) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
• We are not liable for any loss, corruption, or unauthorised access to Your Data caused by your failure to maintain adequate account security.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable South African law.

10. Termination

Termination by You

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You will retain access to the platform until the end of the paid period.

Termination by Salonz

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account with immediate effect if:

• You materially breach these Terms and fail to remedy the breach within 7 days of written notice
• You engage in conduct that violates our Acceptable Use Policy
• Your subscription payment is more than 14 days overdue
• We are required to do so by law or order of a competent court

Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to access and use the Service ceases immediately. Your Data will be retained for 90 days following termination, during which you may request an export. After this period, Your Data will be permanently deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

11. Governing Law

These Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, including any question regarding its existence, validity, or termination, shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Western Cape, South Africa.

Before initiating legal proceedings, the parties agree to attempt to resolve any dispute through good-faith negotiation for a period of 30 days. Where the parties cannot reach agreement, either party may refer the matter to mediation through the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) before proceeding to litigation.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by email to the address associated with your account and by posting a prominent notice on the platform at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must cancel your account before the effective date.

13. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us using the details below. For privacy-related enquiries, please refer to our Privacy Policy.