Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account on or using dootsa.com or dootsa.co.za (the “Platform”), operated by Dootsa (Pty) Ltd(“Dootsa”, “we”, “us”, “our”, “Company”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”), our Privacy Policy, and our Cookie Policy.

If you are using our services on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organisation to these Terms. If you do not agree, you may not use the Platform.

2. Eligibility

1. You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Platform or participate in any promotions.
2. By registering, you confirm that you are 18 or older and that the information you provide is accurate and complete.
3. Promotions may be limited to specific regions or countries. Eligibility will be clearly stated in the relevant promotion details.
4. If we discover that a user is under 18, their account will be terminated immediately and all associated data deleted.

3. Account Registration & Security

1. Free membership. Joining Dootsa as a survey participant is free. We do not charge membership fees and do not enrol you in paid or automatic subscription plans through the standard participant registration flow.
2. You must provide a valid email address, your real full name, and create a secure password (minimum 8 characters).
3. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities under your account.
4. You may not create multiple accounts, impersonate another person, or use a false identity.
5. You agree to provide accurate and complete information and to update it as necessary.
6. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, without notice in cases of severe misconduct.

4. Platform Description

Dootsa is an enterprise survey and market research platform that connects survey participants (“End Users”) with businesses and researchers (“Creators”). End Users earn points by completing surveys, which can be redeemed for rewards. Creators distribute surveys and receive anonymised, aggregated response data.

4.1 Developer SDK and Integrations

• Where Dootsa provides a mobile SDK, API client, or integration tooling (“SDK”), it may be published publicly for transparency and interoperability.
• You acknowledge that client-side software is an untrusted environment and may be reverse engineered, modified, or instrumented by third parties.
• You must not embed private keys, long-lived secrets, or privileged credentials in mobile applications, SDK distributions, or client code.
• Integrators must use short-lived, scoped access tokens issued by secure backend systems under their control and must implement server-side authorization checks.
• Dootsa may suspend, rate-limit, or block SDK traffic or integrations that materially increase fraud, abuse, privacy, or security risk.

5. User Roles

• End Users (Survey Participants): Complete surveys, earn points, redeem rewards, and complete a voluntary profiling questionnaire.
• Creators (Businesses): Create surveys, purchase audience distribution, and receive anonymised research data.
• Staff and Admins: Internal roles for platform management, moderation, and compliance.

5.1 Field Staff, Field Supervisors, and Assisted Onboarding

• Dootsa may permit authorised staff, field agents, supervisors, or managers to assist customers with onboarding, activation, OTP capture, profile completion, telephonic surveys, and field-based survey collection.
• Staff may only act within their assigned permissions, documented procedures, and compliance controls, and must record operational notes where required by Dootsa.
• Where phone calls, recordings, or geolocation are used for compliance, verification, safety, quality assurance, or dispute handling, you consent to such processing to the extent permitted by applicable law and our Privacy Policy.
• Customers must provide truthful information and may not knowingly give false OTPs, impersonate another person, or obstruct identity, fraud, or quality checks.
• Dootsa may suspend field or assisted workflows, limit permissions, or invalidate submissions where misconduct, coercion, device-sharing abuse, or policy violations are suspected.

6. Points and Rewards

6.1 What “Points” Are

“Points” refer to the non-transferable, promotional credits awarded by Dootsa to registered members who complete qualifying surveys. Points:

• Have no cash value and may not be exchanged for money;
• Are not stored value or currency as defined in any financial legislation;
• May be redeemed only for rewards listed on the Dootsa platform;
• Are personal to the member and cannot be transferred, sold, or consolidated with another member's points.

Points expire 12 (twelve) months from the date of award. Dootsa shall notify members via email 60 days and again 30 days prior to any points expiry, confirming the scheduled expiry date in each notice. Dootsa reserves the right to adjust the expiry period with 30 days' written notice posted on the website. A one-time expiry extension may be granted by Dootsa support in exceptional circumstances, at most once every 12 months per member.

6.2 Earning Points

• Points are earned by completing published surveys. The point value is displayed before you start each survey.
• Points are credited after verification of a qualifying response (which may include automated quality, fraud, and completeness checks). Marketing that refers to prompt crediting does not waive this requirement.
• Points may also be awarded for account actions (e.g., welcome bonus, referrals) at our discretion, subject to the rules in this section.

6.3 Redeeming Points

• Points may be redeemed in the Rewards Shop for items including digital gift cards, merchandise, digital access passes, and mobile bank recognition credits (one-time reward deliveries sent to your verified mobile number via FNB or Standard Bank channels operated by licensed partners).
• All redemptions are final once confirmed. Items are subject to availability.
• For physical items, you must provide a valid shipping address. Dootsa is not responsible for items lost in transit after dispatch, subject to §13.
• Gift cards and subscriptions are subject to the issuer's own terms and conditions.
• Mobile bank recognition credits are not stored value. They are a single reward fulfilment to your mobile number — not a Dootsa bank account, e-wallet, withdrawal, or cash conversion of points. The reward delivery amount (Rand value sent) is shown only at checkout confirmation, not in the shop catalogue (§6.4).

When a member redeems points for a reward, Dootsa acts as an intermediary only. For third-party rewards (vouchers, partner products), the third party's terms and conditions apply. Dootsa's obligation is limited to facilitating the redemption transaction and transferring the member's data to the third-party fulfilment partner as necessary for reward delivery (see §6.7 and our Privacy Policy).

6.4 Shop Display, Curated Rewards, and Fulfilment

The Recognition Shop shows rewards using generic or illustrative media (including images, icons, and 3D models). These assets are not photographs of the exact unit you will receive and must not be read as a promise of a particular brand, model, colour, or specification.

• Points only in the shop. Member-facing catalogue and checkout show the points cost of a reward only. Dootsa does not display cash, Rand, or “retail value” equivalents to members in the shop. Points remain promotional credits with no cash value (§6.1).
• Curated selection. Where a reward offers choices (for example retailer, denomination, or device tier), you select from options approved and listed by Dootsa at checkout. That list may change over time. Your selection defines the reward category and tier, not a guaranteed stock-keeping unit (SKU) unless we expressly confirm a specific SKU in writing for that redemption.
• Variable brand and model. For physical goods (including electronics), Dootsa may procure from approved suppliers and available market stock. Brand, model, and appearance may vary (for example Samsung, Huawei, or equivalent) provided the item remains in the same published reward category and tier you selected.
• Substitution. If your selected option is unavailable, Dootsa may supply a substitute within the same category that is functionally equivalent and, where reasonably practicable, of equal or greater reward tier. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you before dispatch where contact details are available. If no suitable substitute exists, we may offer an alternative from the curated list, delayed fulfilment, or a points credit at our discretion, subject to §6.3.
• Specifications finalised at redemption. Final specifications are confirmed when you complete checkout and when Dootsa or its fulfilment partner processes the order. Minor packaging or accessory differences do not constitute a breach if the core reward matches the selected category and tier.
• Complaints. If you believe a delivered reward materially differs from what you reasonably understood at checkout, contact help@dootsa.com within 14 days of delivery (or digital fulfilment) with your redemption reference. We will review against these Terms and our records.

6.5 Reward Representations and Limitations

Rewards shown on the Dootsa platform are for illustrative purposes as described in §6.4. Dootsa makes no representation or warranty regarding the specifications, quality, or performance of any reward except as required by applicable law. Rewards are provided “as is” and Dootsa shall not be liable for:

• Any defect in a reward after delivery;
• Any change in reward specifications, brand, model, or appearance from images or descriptions displayed in the shop;
• Any manufacturer warranty or service issues (manufacturer warranties, if any, pass through to you from the supplier).

Members accept that reward specifications are finalised upon redemption and may differ from promotional images. Catalogue titles or internal descriptions maintained for operations must not be interpreted as a cash price or guaranteed retail value when not shown to members in the shop.

6.6 Point Adjustments and Programme Changes

Dootsa reserves the right to:

• Adjust point balances in cases of technical error, fraud, or system malfunction;
• Reverse points awarded for incomplete or invalid survey responses;
• Suspend or terminate a member's account if Dootsa reasonably suspects fraudulent activity.

Any adjustment shall be communicated to the member within 7 days.

Dootsa may modify, suspend, or discontinue the rewards programme with 30 days' written notice posted on the website. You are solely responsible for any tax obligations arising from rewards received. Dootsa does not provide tax advice.

6.7 Reward Fulfilment and Third-Party Partners

To deliver rewards, Dootsa shares limited personal information with our fulfilment partners (including voucher providers, telecommunications companies, and electronic retailers) under the following conditions:

Dootsa only shares information necessary for reward delivery. All third-party recipients are bound by written agreements requiring POPIA-compliant data protection.

6.8 Creator-Supplied Bundle Rewards

Some survey bundles may include rewards supplied by a Creator, retailer, or other third party rather than standard Dootsa shop inventory. These rewards are subject to the custody model, participant disclosures, verification status, and claim rules displayed before you start, complete, or claim a bundle.

• Dootsa warehouse custody. Reward claims may be enabled only after authorised staff confirm that the committed item, voucher, or inventory evidence has been received or validated by Dootsa.
• Retailer direct fulfilment.Where a retailer or fulfilment partner delivers directly, staff/admin must verify the retailer's legal, stock, and delivery commitment before claims become valid.
• Creator direct fulfilment. Creator-direct rewards are high-risk. The Creator remains responsible for the promised reward, accurate specifications, delivery, substitutions, support, fraud, and non-delivery except to the extent Dootsa is finally found liable under applicable law.
• Participant consent. Participants must expressly acknowledge high-risk disclosures before starting relevant bundle surveys and again before claiming. Dootsa records consent evidence, disclosure snapshots, IP address, user agent, and consent version for audit purposes.
• Verification and cancellation. Dootsa may block, pause, reject, substitute, or cancel a creator-supplied reward workflow where custody evidence is missing, misleading, expired, fraudulent, disputed, or inconsistent with these Terms.

7. Profiling Questionnaire

1. After registration, you may complete a profiling questionnaire to improve survey matching.
2. Completion is voluntary. You may skip the questionnaire, though this may reduce the number of surveys available to you.
3. Your profiling data is used to match you with relevant surveys. It is shared with survey creators only in anonymised, aggregated form.
4. You may update or delete your profiling data at any time through your account settings.
5. Where provided, government-employment and department selections are stored as structured classification fields to improve matching quality.

8. Survey Participation & User Accuracy

1. By completing a survey, you consent to your anonymised responses being used for research purposes by the survey creator.
2. Your identity is never disclosed to survey creators. Responses are associated with anonymised respondent identifiers.
3. You may only submit one response per survey. Duplicate submissions will be rejected.
4. You certify that all information provided (text, images, or other content) is truthful to the best of your knowledge, not misleading, fraudulent, or defamatory, and voluntarily submitted without coercion.
5. You will review responses before submission to correct errors. You will not impersonate others or falsify data.
6. You agree not to submit illegal, hateful, or harassing material; confidential or third-party intellectual property without permission; or personally identifiable information (PII) unless explicitly requested.
7. You are solely responsible for ensuring your responses comply with applicable laws (e.g., defamation, privacy) and professional or ethical obligations.
8. Dootsa is not responsible for offence taken by third parties due to your responses, consequences of your submissions (e.g., legal claims, reputational harm), or accuracy of aggregated data derived from your input.
9. You waive all claims against Dootsa related to the use, modification, or publication of your survey responses, and disputes arising from your content.
10. Dootsa may remove or report violative content without notice.

9. Creator obligations, lawful use, and risk allocation

This section applies to every account with Creator capabilities (including after role promotion), whether surveys are drafted by you, your employees, contractors, or anyone using your credentials. By activating Creator features or distributing surveys, you acknowledge it as a binding, additional compliance layer on top of the rest of these Terms.

1. Lawful purpose only. You warrant that every survey, incentive description, recruitment message, webhook payload, export, and downstream use of Dootsa data will comply with all applicable laws (including POPIA, CPA, financial sector, employment, child protection, electoral, and criminal law). You will not use the Platform to commit, solicit, facilitate, advertise, or conceal any crime or civil wrong.
2. Zero tolerance categories. Without limitation, you must not use the Platform (including surveys, rewards, or respondent communications) for: child sexual exploitation or grooming; human trafficking or forced labour; terrorism or violent extremism; illegal arms, drugs, or wildlife trade; money laundering or terrorist financing; revenge porn or non-consensual intimate imagery; hate crimes; extortion; corruption of public officials; illegal gambling promotion; pyramid or advance-fee fraud; malware distribution; or any content that violates our acceptable-use standards in §12.
3. No criminal or tort liability for Dootsa. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Dootsa (including its directors, employees, contractors, and affiliates) shall notbe liable for any fines, penalties, damages, losses, regulatory actions, or criminal proceedings arising from your conduct, your survey content, your instructions to respondents, or any third party's misuse of tools you configure — even if Dootsa previously reviewed, approved, published, or distributed the underlying survey, and even if a verification step was bypassed, spoofed, or incomplete.
4. Screening is not endorsement. Automated checks, manual moderation, fraud scoring, identity verification, or staff assistance do not constitute legal advice or a guarantee that your content is lawful, complete, or fit for your intended purpose. You remain solely responsible for legal, ethical, and regulatory compliance.
5. Indemnity.You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Dootsa from any claim, investigation, subpoena, penalty, or cost (including reasonable attorneys' fees) brought by any person or authority that arises out of or relates to your surveys, incentives, data exports, integrations, instructions to participants, or breach of this §9.
6. Cooperation. Where we reasonably suspect unlawful activity, policy breach, or risk to participants or infrastructure, we may preserve evidence, suspend distribution, withhold payouts or points, notify regulators or law enforcement, and terminate accounts without prior hearing to the extent permitted by law.
7. Creators must not include questions that collect directly identifying personal information (e.g., ID numbers, bank details) unless explicitly authorised in writing by Dootsa for a documented compliance programme.
8. Survey content must not be harmful, discriminatory, defamatory, deceptive, or illegal under the laws applicable to you and your audience.
9. All surveys are subject to review and publication controls. We may refuse, suspend, or remove any survey at our discretion.
10. Creators receive anonymised or aggregated outputs as configured by the Platform and must not attempt to re-identify individual respondents.

9.1 Client indemnification

Where you use the Platform as a Client (Creator), you indemnify Dootsa and hold Dootsa harmless against any claim, loss, damage, or expense arising from:

• Your use of survey data for business decisions, including product launches, employment decisions, or marketing campaigns;
• Any third-party claim arising from your reliance on survey results;
• Your failure to obtain necessary internal approvals before acting on survey data.

9.2 Limitation of liability (Clients)

For Clients, Dootsa's total liability under this agreement shall not exceed the total fees paid by you in the 12 months preceding any claim, except where liability cannot be limited under applicable law (including for gross negligence or wilful misconduct).

9.3 No representativeness warranty

Dootsa makes no warranty that survey results are representative of any population beyond the responding sample. Survey data is provided “as is” for informational purposes only. You remain solely responsible for how you interpret, combine, or act on Research Materials.

9.4 Creator bundle rewards and fulfilment liability

If you configure a survey bundle with a reward you supply, you represent that the reward exists, that you have authority to offer it, and that all descriptions, images, quantity commitments, delivery promises, retailer confirmations, and eligibility terms are accurate and not misleading.

• You must select the correct custody model: Dootsa warehouse, retailer direct, or creator direct.
• You must upload or provide truthful evidence requested by staff/admin, including receipts, warehouse confirmations, retailer commitments, and terms documents.
• You must not invite, pressure, or instruct participants to bypass Dootsa's custody, approval, consent, claim, or support workflow.
• You remain responsible for participant claims, non-delivery, substitutions, support escalations, misleading reward information, and third-party retailer failures tied to your reward commitment.
• You agree that Dootsa may suspend bundles, disable claims, preserve evidence, notify affected participants, and recover costs where you breach these obligations.

10. Promotions, Contests & Prize Draws

1. These rules apply to any contests, giveaways, surveys, or promotions (“Promotions”) conducted by Dootsa.
2. Entry methods will be specified for each Promotion. Unless otherwise stated, only one entry per person is allowed.
3. Prizes will be clearly described in the Promotion details (e.g., gift cards, cellphones, or cash). Prizes are non-transferable and subject to availability.
4. Dootsa reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if the advertised prize becomes unavailable.
5. Winners will be selected as described in the Promotion details and notified via email, phone, or other specified method within 7 days of the selection date.
6. Winners may be required to provide proof of identity, age, and eligibility. Failure to respond within 48 hours of notification will result in forfeiture of the prize, and an alternate winner may be selected.
7. By participating, you grant Dootsa the right to use your name, likeness, and entry content for promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.
8. Prizes are provided “as is” without any warranty, express or implied. Dootsa is not responsible for any tax implications associated with claiming or using the prize.
9. Dootsa is not responsible for technical issues, including website malfunctions or errors in winner selection, or force majeure events.
10. You may opt out of future promotions by contacting us at help@dootsa.com.

11. Intellectual Property

1. All content, trademarks, logos, and software on our website are owned by or licensed to Dootsa and are protected by intellectual property laws.
2. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use the Platform for personal, non-commercial purposes.
3. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works based on our content without our prior written consent.
4. Survey content is owned by the respective Creator, subject to a licence granted to Dootsa for platform operation.
5. You retain ownership of your User Content but grant Dootsa a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use, reproduce, and modify it for business purposes.
6. Your survey responses are owned by you and licensed to Dootsa and the survey Creator for research use in anonymised form.

12. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use bots, scripts, or automated tools to interact with the Platform
• Create multiple accounts or share your account
• Attempt to exploit, hack, or reverse-engineer the Platform
• Submit fraudulent, misleading, or spam responses
• Use the Platform for any illegal or unauthorised purpose
• Scrape, harvest, or collect data from the Platform
• Harass, defame, or harm other users or our staff
• Interfere with the operation of our website or services
• Upload or distribute harmful content, such as viruses or malware
• Creators: use surveys, rewards, or respondent channels to recruit participants into off-platform schemes, unlicensed financial products, multi-level marketing without clear disclosure, political or charitable solicitation where prohibited, or any activity inconsistent with §9

13. Shipping & Delivery

1. You are solely responsible for providing accurate and complete shipping information (e.g., full name, correct address, and valid contact details) when redeeming prizes or placing orders.
2. Dootsa is not liable for any delays, failed deliveries, or lost packages resulting from: incorrect, incomplete, or outdated shipping details provided by you; unforeseen issues with third-party shipping couriers; or packages lost due to customs, theft, or other external factors beyond our control.
3. While we make reasonable efforts to ensure successful delivery, Dootsa is not responsible for lost, stolen, or misdelivered packages once they are handed to the shipping courier, or packages returned due to incorrect addresses or failure to claim the shipment.
4. If a package is lost in transit, you must contact the shipping courier directly and provide any necessary documentation (e.g., tracking numbers, proof of address) to assist in recovery.
5. No replacements or refunds will be issued for lost, stolen, or undelivered items unless the error was solely due to Dootsa's negligence (e.g., wrong item shipped by us).
6. Delivery times, tracking, and claims are subject to the policies of the third-party shipping courier (e.g., DHL, FedEx, local postal services). Dootsa does not guarantee delivery timelines or assume liability for courier delays.

14. Refunds & Returns

14.1 Eligibility

• Services: If you are dissatisfied with a service provided by Dootsa, you may request a refund within 14 days of the service delivery date.
• Products: Products must be returned in their original condition, unused, and with all packaging and tags intact. Returns must be requested within 30 days of the purchase date.

14.2 Process

1. To initiate a refund or return, contact our customer support team at help@dootsa.com. Provide your order number, details of the issue, and any supporting documentation (e.g., photos of damaged products).
2. For product returns, you are responsible for the return shipping costs unless the return is due to an error on our part (e.g., wrong item shipped).
3. Once we receive and inspect the returned product, we will process your refund within 7–10 business days.

14.3 Refund Methods & Non-Refundable Items

• Refunds will be issued to the original payment method used for the purchase, or as store credit at your preference.
• The following items are non-refundable: digital products (e.g., downloadable software, e-books); services that have been fully performed; products damaged due to misuse or improper handling.

14.4 Exchanges & Cancellations

• If you received a defective or incorrect product, we will gladly exchange it for the correct item.
• You may cancel a service before it is performed and receive a full refund. You may cancel a product order before it is shipped. If already shipped, follow the return process above.
• This policy does not affect your statutory rights under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) or other applicable laws.

15. Data Protection

We process your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy, the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable.

You have the right to access, correct, delete, and port your personal data. See our Privacy Policy for full details and how to exercise your rights. By using our services, you consent to such processing. This includes searchable profiling attributes, internal respondent-link intelligence, and controlled archive/restore lifecycle records for research governance.

Where you use the Dootsa browser extension, you agree that extension link tokens and extension settings may be stored in browser extension-local storage, and that page URL + optional notes you explicitly submit as brand-interest signals are processed according to our Privacy Policy.

Where Dootsa enables maintenance and service-update notices, you agree that in-product notice state and delivery telemetry may be processed to keep platform update messaging reliable and transparent.

Where Dootsa enables SMS notifications, you agree that approved communications providers may process recipient phone number, message body, provider message references, and delivery status metadata solely for service delivery and compliance.

16. Research Materials & Data Use

1. All data, reports, analyses, and information (collectively, “Research Materials”) provided by Dootsa to clients, users, or third parties are compiled using commercially reasonable efforts but Dootsa makes no guarantees as to accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or fitness for a particular purpose.
2. Research Materials may contain errors, omissions, or subjective interpretations.
3. Research Materials are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, medical, or professional advice. Recipients assume all risk in relying on such information.
4. Where Research Materials incorporate third-party data, Dootsa disclaims liability for inaccuracies or misuse of such data.
5. Creator-side discoverability tooling may reference indexed survey/question/follow-up metadata to improve participant matching and template drafting. These references do not disclose direct personal identifiers to creators.
6. Insights, publications, and in-product analytics.Charts, dashboards, “Creator Insights” views, public or certified research publications, findings articles, sales-pack briefings, benchmark comparisons, exports, and AI-assisted summaries are provided for general information and illustration only. They form part of or are treated as Research Materials and may be incomplete, experimental, model-assisted, or based on sampling and aggregation choices that do not match your internal records.
7. No advisory relationship. Nothing on the Platform (including Insights or publications) creates a consulting, advisory, fiduciary, broker, or agency relationship between you and Dootsa. You remain solely responsible for your regulatory, tax, employment, marketing, and product claims — including how you describe survey results to third parties.
8. Reliance and decisions. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree that you will not treat Insights or publications as a substitute for independent verification, professional advice, or your own compliance review. You assume all risk of business, investment, or operational decisions made in reliance on such outputs.
9. Claims bar (non-exclusive).Except where a mandatory law prohibits waiver, you waive any right to assert against Dootsa any claim for pure economic loss, lost profits, reputational harm, or opportunity cost allegedly arising solely from your use of or reliance on Insights, publications, or automated charting — other than amounts finally awarded for Dootsa's proven fraud or wilful misconduct after exhaustion of the dispute path below.

17. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services. These links are provided for your convenience, and we do not endorse or assume responsibility for their content or practices. Your use of third-party websites is at your own risk and subject to their terms and policies.

18. Pre-funded distribution wallet & express publish (Creators)

This section summarises the commercial model for optional pre-payment. It is not financial, tax, or regulatory advice — obtain independent advice where required.

1. Nature of funds. Amounts credited to a Creator's distribution wallet on the Platform represent prepaid budget for survey distribution and related platform services we agree to provide, recorded in an internal ledger. Unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing, these amounts are not bank deposits, do not bear interest, and are not insured like a bank account.
2. Internal credit line. Dootsa Finance may approve an additional facility limit (internal trade credit) that allows your ledger to go negative up to an approved floor. Facility terms (including fees, settlement cadence, and withdrawal) are governed by your commercial agreement and invoice schedule with Dootsa.
3. Express publish. Where your account is flagged for express publish and your wallet (including any approved facility) covers the estimated wave cost, you may publish eligible surveys without the standard staff/finance queue for that payment step. Automated distribution does not waive content, lawful-basis, incentive, or POPIA obligations in §9.We may still refuse, pause, or remove surveys that violate law, policy, or risk controls.
4. Charges. When you publish, we may debit your wallet for the estimated distribution cost (typically based on points per response, expected completes, and the configured points-to-ZAR rate). Actual incentive spend may differ if completes, fraud adjustments, or platform rules apply; we may post additional debits or credits to reconcile material differences where permitted by contract.
5. Refunds & credits. Refund eligibility, timing, and method depend on what has already been delivered (e.g. fielded responses, issued incentives) and your agreement with Dootsa. Where a refund is due, we may credit the wallet, issue a credit note, or refund to the original payment channel as appropriate. Non-refundable platform fees may apply as stated on quotes or invoices.
6. Chargebacks & reversals. If a funding payment is reversed or charged back, we may suspend express publish, offset the ledger, and pause active fielding until the account is made good.
7. Freezes. Dootsa may temporarily freeze wallet spend for risk, compliance, or dispute investigation; freezes do not excuse unlawful survey content or participant harm.
8. Record-keeping. You are responsible for your tax, VAT, and internal approvals. Downloadable statements may be provided for convenience only.
9. Self-serve purchase (§18.1). Creators may request distribution credits through the Runway interface at the published rate (typically R1 per point, excluding VAT). VAT is added on invoices where applicable. Credits are non-transferable, cannot be redeemed for cash, and may be forfeited on account termination subject to applicable law and your agreement with Dootsa. Chargebacks or payment reversals may suspend wallet spend and active fielding until the account is made good.
10. Lawful use (§18.2). Credits must not fund unlawful incentives, unlicensed gambling or lending, political manipulation without lawful basis, targeting minors without lawful basis and parental consent where required, or activity that evades sanctions or anti-money-laundering controls.
11. No payment waiver of content duties (§18.3). Pre-funded payment or express publish does not bypass Creator obligations in §9 (lawful content, POPIA, incentive transparency). Staff may still review and refuse surveys before fielding.

19. Account Termination

1. By you: You may delete your account at any time from your account settings. Your data will be deleted within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
2. By us: We reserve the right to terminate or suspend your access to our services at any time, without notice, for any reason, including breach of these Terms.
3. Upon termination, all unredeemed points are forfeited.
4. You may stop using our website or services at any time.

20. Disclaimers

1. The Platform and all services are provided “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including merchantability, accuracy, or non-infringement.
2. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, accuracy of survey content, or availability of specific rewards.
3. Third-party rewards (gift cards, subscriptions) are subject to the respective provider's terms.
4. For mobile applications and SDK-powered integrations, we do not warrant that any client environment is tamper-proof, malware-free, or resistant to reverse engineering, rooting, instrumentation, custom ROM modification, or emulator abuse.
5. Forked, uncertified, or heavily modified Android distributions may not support equivalent platform security features (including device integrity attestation), and certain features may be restricted or unavailable.

21. Limitation of Liability

1. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Dootsa shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages (including lost profits, reputational harm, data loss, or business opportunities) arising from: use of or reliance on the Platform or Research Materials; errors, delays, or interruptions in data delivery; actions taken based on Research Materials; or your use of or inability to use our services. Without limitation, this includes Creator Insights, public or certified publications, benchmark tiles, narrative summaries, and AI-generated drafting — even where labelled “certified,” “live,” or similar.
2. Dootsa's maximum aggregate liability for any claim related to the Platform or Research Materials shall not exceed: for Clients (Creators), the total fees paid by you in the 12 months preceding the claim (see §9.2); for members, the total value of rewards you have redeemed in the 12 months preceding the claim; or, where both roles apply, whichever cap is greater, except where liability cannot be limited under applicable law.
3. Without limiting the foregoing, Dootsa is not liable for losses caused by customer or end-user device compromise, rooted or jailbroken devices, forked Android behaviour, disabled security controls, insecure SDK implementation, leaked client credentials, or failure to apply recommended security updates.
4. Dootsa is not liable for regulatory fines, criminal penalties, confiscation, or third-party claims tied to Creator survey content, incentives, data handling choices, or downstream analytics — including where a Creator misrepresented facts, bypassed safeguards, or continued after suspension notice.

22. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Dootsa (Pty) Ltd and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) resulting from:

• Your breach of these Terms or misuse of our website or services
• Your misuse or misrepresentation of Research Materials
• Disputes with third parties (e.g., clients, regulators) related to Research Materials
• Your failure to provide correct shipping details
• Lost, stolen, or undelivered packages after dispatch
• Any disputes with shipping couriers regarding missing items
• Your survey responses or User Content
• Violations of applicable laws or regulations
• Creator breach of §9 (including unlawful, fraudulent, or harmful survey programmes) or claims by regulators, participants, or third parties arising from Creator content
• Claims by you or third parties alleging loss from reliance on Creator Insights, publications, dashboards, or automated interpretations of survey data (except to the extent finally proven to arise from Dootsa's fraud or wilful misconduct)
• Subpoenas, investigations, or litigation arising from your use of research outputs in breach of law or third-party rights

23. Dispute Resolution

1. Governing Law: These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
2. Mediation: In the event of a dispute, both parties agree to attempt mediation before pursuing legal action.
3. Jurisdiction: Any legal proceedings shall be brought in the courts of South Africa, unless you are an EU/EEA resident, in which case you retain access to your local courts as required by GDPR.

24. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email or a prominent notice on the Platform at least 30 days before taking effect. The updated version will be posted on our website with the effective date. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you may delete your account.

25. Miscellaneous

1. Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
2. Entire Agreement: These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Dootsa regarding your use of the Platform and supersede all prior agreements.
3. Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that provision.
4. No Reliance: Decisions based on Research Materials or Platform content are made at your own risk.