Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using phoneAtrade (the "Platform") at phoneatrade.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms") and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Platform.

These Terms apply to all visitors, registered users, and tradespeople who list their services on the Platform. "We," "us," or "our" refers to phoneAtrade. "You" refers to any individual or entity using the Platform.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use the Platform. By using phoneAtrade, you represent and warrant that you are 18 or older and that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. If you are using the Platform on behalf of a business, you represent that you have authority to bind that business to these Terms.

3. Description of Service

phoneAtrade is an online directory and marketplace that enables customers to search for and contact local tradespeople, and enables tradespeople to list their business information and collect customer reviews. phoneAtrade:

• Is not a party to any agreement, contract, or transaction between customers and tradespeople.
• Does not broker, schedule, or manage jobs, appointments, or work orders.
• Does not process payments on behalf of any user.
• Does not employ or supervise tradespeople listed on the Platform.
• Does not verify the accuracy of credentials, licenses, or insurance claims made by tradespeople, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

All arrangements, payments, contracts, and disputes between customers and tradespeople are solely the responsibility of those parties. phoneAtrade bears no liability for the quality of work performed, non-performance, or any disputes arising from those relationships.

4. User Accounts

Registration

To access certain features (saving favorites, writing reviews, creating a tradesperson listing), you must register for a free account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information up to date.

Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately through our support center if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.

One Account Per Person

Each individual or business entity may maintain only one active tradesperson listing. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent review systems, tier requirements, or suspension is prohibited and grounds for permanent removal.

5. Tradesperson Listings

Accuracy

Tradespeople are solely responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and legality of the information they provide on their listing. This includes but is not limited to: business name, contact information, service areas, trade category, license numbers, insurance status, and pricing information.

Prohibited Listing Content

You may not include in your listing:

• False, misleading, or fraudulent information.
• License or insurance claims you cannot substantiate.
• Content that infringes on any third party's intellectual property rights.
• Discriminatory content based on race, religion, gender, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
• Spam, promotional links to unrelated businesses, or affiliate content.
• Personal contact information of individuals other than yourself.

Listing Removal

phoneAtrade reserves the right to remove or suspend any listing at any time for violation of these Terms, at our sole discretion, with or without notice.

6. Reviews

Eligibility to Review

Any registered user may submit a review for a tradesperson. By submitting a review, you represent that:

• The review reflects your genuine personal experience with the tradesperson.
• The content is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
• You have not been compensated, incentivized, or coerced to write the review.
• You do not have a personal or business conflict of interest with the tradesperson.

Prohibited Review Content

Reviews may not contain:

• False statements of fact or fabricated experiences.
• Personal attacks, harassment, or hate speech.
• Competitor reviews submitted to damage a rival business.
• Reviews exchanged for compensation, discounts, or other incentives.
• Private personal information about the tradesperson or their employees.
• Profanity, explicit content, or threats.

Review Moderation

phoneAtrade reserves the right to remove reviews that violate these Terms. Tradespeople may flag reviews for investigation through our support center. Flagged reviews are investigated within 5 business days. A low star rating alone is not grounds for removal.

Review Permanence

Compliant reviews are a permanent part of the public record. Tradespeople may not demand removal of accurate, guideline-compliant reviews. Reviews removed by phoneAtrade staff may be retained in anonymized form for data integrity purposes.

7. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Platform, other users' accounts, or our infrastructure.
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to extract data from the Platform without our prior written consent.
• Introduce malware, viruses, or any destructive code.
• Impersonate any person, business, or entity.
• Engage in any activity that disproportionately burdens our infrastructure.
• Manipulate the review or ranking system through fake accounts, coordinated review campaigns, or other artificial means.
• Use the Platform to solicit users for competing services or to harvest contact information for unsolicited outreach.

8. Intellectual Property

The Platform and its original content — including but not limited to the phoneAtrade name, logo, design, ranking algorithms, and proprietary software — are owned by phoneAtrade and protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

By submitting content to the Platform (reviews, profile information, bio text, photos), you grant phoneAtrade a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to display, reproduce, and distribute that content on the Platform and in promotional materials related to the Platform.

You retain ownership of the content you submit. You represent that you have the right to grant the license above and that your content does not infringe on any third party's rights.

9. AI Assistant (Pat)

phoneAtrade includes an AI assistant called Pat, powered by Anthropic's Claude. Pat is designed to provide general information and guidance about home services, the Platform, and profile optimization. Pat's responses:

• Are for informational purposes only and do not constitute professional advice.
• Should not be relied upon as legal, financial, safety, or contractor licensing advice.
• Are generated by AI and may occasionally be inaccurate or incomplete.

By using Pat, you agree that phoneAtrade is not liable for actions taken based on Pat's responses. Do not share sensitive personal information (SSNs, financial account numbers, passwords) in chat with Pat.

10. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. PHONEATRADE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

PHONEATRADE DOES NOT ENDORSE, RECOMMEND, OR GUARANTEE THE QUALITY, SAFETY, LEGALITY, OR SUITABILITY OF ANY TRADESPERSON LISTED ON THE PLATFORM. CUSTOMERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR VETTING TRADESPEOPLE BEFORE HIRING THEM.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, PHONEATRADE AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM — EVEN IF PHONEATRADE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN NO EVENT SHALL PHONEATRADE'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO PHONEATRADE IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM (WHICH MAY BE ZERO, AS THE PLATFORM IS FREE), OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless phoneAtrade and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your use of the Platform, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any third party's rights.

13. Termination

phoneAtrade may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Platform at any time, for any reason, with or without notice. Upon termination, your right to use the Platform ceases immediately. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including intellectual property, disclaimers, and limitation of liability) shall survive.

You may delete your account at any time through our support center.

14. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising out of or related to these Terms or the Platform shall be resolved through binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, conducted in English. You waive the right to participate in class action lawsuits or class-wide arbitration.

Nothing in this section prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of those Terms.

16. Contact Us

For questions about these Terms, please contact us through our support center.