⚠️ DRAFT — Pending attorney review. Not yet in effect.
The short version: Use CFL honestly. Don't misrepresent your business. All deals are redeemed in person — CFL never processes transactions between you and a business. Your membership fee is due only after both launch milestones are reached. We can suspend accounts that abuse the platform.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using CapeFearLocal ("CFL," "the platform," "we," "us"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the platform. These terms apply to all users — residents, visitors, and business members.
We may update these Terms from time to time. Registered users will be notified of material changes by email with at least 14 days' notice. Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.
3. Accounts
You must be at least 13 years old to create an account. By creating an account you represent that the information you provide is accurate and complete. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity under your account.
You may not create multiple accounts, impersonate another person, or create accounts for businesses you do not own or have authority to represent.
4. Member Terms (Residents & Visitors)
A free member account allows you to browse the business directory, access daily deals, receive birthday specials, track your community impact, and participate in community features.
Birthday Specials
By providing your birth month and day, you authorize CFL to notify participating businesses that a member has an upcoming birthday, enabling them to prepare a surprise or special offer. This feature is entirely opt-in and can be disabled at any time.
Deal Redemption
Daily deals are informational listings. You redeem a deal by visiting the business in person and identifying yourself as a CFL member. CFL makes no guarantee that any listed deal will be available, that the business will honor it, or that the deal terms will match what is displayed. If you have a dispute about a deal, you must resolve it directly with the business.
Member Tiers
Member tiers (Cornerstone, Supporter, Champion, Ambassador, Guardian) are determined by verified local purchase activity. CFL reserves the right to modify tier definitions, thresholds, and associated benefits at any time with notice to registered users.
5. Business Member Terms
Business membership is available to locally owned and operated businesses in the Cape Fear region. By registering as a business member you represent that:
- You own or have legal authority to represent the business.
- The business is genuinely locally owned — not a franchise, chain, or corporate-owned entity.
- All information in your business listing is accurate, current, and not misleading.
- You will honor the deals you post on the platform for the duration they are listed.
Founding Member Status
Businesses that register during Phase 1 (prior to the platform's public launch) receive Founding Member status. This status locks in the current annual membership rate and grants three deal credits upon billing activation. Founding Member status is permanent and non-transferable.
Phase 1 Registration
During Phase 1, business registration is open at no charge. No payment is due, no credit card is required, and no billing occurs until both launch milestones are reached: (1) 400 registered businesses and (2) 10,000 registered members. Both conditions must be satisfied before any fees are charged.
6. Daily Deals & Credits
Business members may post daily deals using deal credits. Deal credits are consumed at the time a deal is confirmed for posting — not before. Key terms:
- Each credit entitles a business to one deal listing for one calendar day on the main daily deals board.
- A maximum of [17 by default, adjustable by CFL] deal slots are available per day. Slot availability is shown in real time in the deal posting calendar.
- If a selected date is fully booked, the system will prevent posting and no credit will be deducted.
- Credits are non-refundable once a deal has been posted and confirmed.
- Multi-day deals are displayed on the deals board on day one only. They remain visible on the business's profile page for their full duration.
- CFL reserves the right to remove any deal that violates these Terms or that is reported as inaccurate or misleading.
- CFL does not process, facilitate, or guarantee any transaction between a business and a member. All deal redemptions occur in person.
Special Event Slot Limits
CFL may increase the deal slot limit for specific dates (such as holidays or local events) at its sole discretion. Increased limits are reflected in the deal posting calendar in real time.
7. Billing & Payment
Annual membership fees are [AMOUNT] per year per business listing. Additional deal credits are available at $15 each, purchased in any quantity.
All payments are processed securely through Stripe. CFL does not store payment card information. By providing payment information you authorize CFL to charge the applicable fees.
Annual memberships renew automatically unless cancelled at least 7 days before the renewal date. You may cancel at any time from your business dashboard. No refunds are provided for unused portions of a membership period.
Deal credits do not expire as long as your business membership is active. Credits are forfeited upon account termination.
8. User Content
By submitting content to CFL (business listing information, photos, deal descriptions, gallery submissions), you grant CFL a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display, reproduce, and distribute that content on the platform and in CFL marketing materials promoting the Cape Fear community.
You represent that you own or have the right to submit all content you provide, and that it does not infringe the rights of any third party.
CFL reserves the right to remove any content that violates these Terms, is inaccurate, or is otherwise inappropriate, without prior notice.
9. Prohibited Conduct
You may not use CapeFearLocal to:
- Register a business you do not own or represent.
- Post false, misleading, or deceptive deals or business information.
- Create fake accounts or artificially inflate purchase counts or tier standings.
- Harvest or scrape user data, business listings, or any platform content.
- Use the platform to spam, harass, or contact other users outside of normal platform features.
- Attempt to circumvent security measures, access systems you are not authorized to access, or interfere with platform operations.
- Use the platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation.
10. Disclaimers
CapeFearLocal is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. CFL does not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any content is accurate or complete.
CFL makes no representations about the quality, safety, legality, or availability of any business, product, or service listed on the platform. Your interactions with businesses listed on CFL are solely between you and those businesses.
11. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, CFL and its owners, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the platform, or from any transaction between you and a business listed on the platform.
CFL's total liability to you for any claims arising from these Terms or your use of the platform shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid CFL in the 12 months preceding the claim or (b) $100.
12. Termination
You may close your account at any time through your account settings. Business members may cancel their membership with at least 7 days' notice before the next renewal date.
CFL may suspend or terminate any account that violates these Terms, engages in fraudulent activity, or that we reasonably believe poses a risk to the platform or its users. In such cases, CFL will notify the account holder where reasonably possible.
13. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in New Hanover County, North Carolina, and you consent to the jurisdiction of those courts.