Terms of Service

2.1 Age Requirements

• Students: You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account. If you are under 18, you must have permission from a parent or legal guardian to use the App.
• Parents/Guardians: You must be at least 18 years of age to create a parent account.

2.2 Account Registration

To access certain features of the App, you must register for an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
• Maintain and promptly update your account information
• Maintain the security of your password and account credentials
• Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account

3.1 Account Types

The App offers two types of accounts:

• Student Account: For students to access educational resources, courses, tutoring services, career matching, and other learning features
• Parent Account: For parents or guardians to monitor their child's academic progress and manage linked student accounts

3.2 Account Linking

• Parents may link their accounts to their children's student accounts
• Linked parents can view academic progress, tutoring sessions, and certain app activity
• Students will be notified when a parent account is linked
• Both parties must consent to account linking

3.3 Account Security

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials
• You may enable biometric authentication (Face ID/Fingerprint) for added security
• We recommend using strong, unique passwords
• Never share your account credentials with others

4.1 Educational Resources

The App provides access to:

• Course catalogs and enrollment information
• Study resources and library materials
• Past examination papers and memoranda
• Institution and university information
• Career guidance and matching services

4.2 Tutoring Services

• Browse and connect with qualified tutors
• Book tutoring sessions
• Communicate with tutors via in-app chat
• Access session history and scheduling

4.3 Academic Tools

• Grade tracking and reports
• School calendar and timetables
• Bookmarks and saved resources
• Personalized recommendations

4.4 Communication Features

• In-app messaging with tutors
• Push notifications for important updates
• Session reminders and alerts

5.1 Acceptable Use

You agree to use the App only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree NOT to:

• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringe upon the rights of others
• Impersonate any person or entity
• Upload or transmit viruses or malicious code
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the App
• Interfere with or disrupt the App's functionality
• Use the App for any commercial purpose without authorization
• Harvest or collect user information without consent
• Engage in any form of harassment, bullying, or discrimination

5.2 Content Standards

When using communication features, you agree not to post content that:

• Is defamatory, obscene, or offensive
• Promotes violence or discrimination
• Contains personal attacks or harassment
• Infringes intellectual property rights
• Contains spam or unauthorized advertising
• Violates the privacy of others
• Is false, misleading, or deceptive

5.3 Academic Integrity

You agree to:

• Use study resources for legitimate educational purposes only
• Not share copyrighted materials without authorization
• Not engage in academic dishonesty or plagiarism
• Respect intellectual property rights of content creators

6.1 Tutor Bookings

• Bookings are subject to tutor availability
• You must provide accurate information when booking sessions
• Session times are displayed in your local timezone
• Booking confirmations will be sent via the App

6.2 Cancellation Policy

• Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled session
• Late cancellations may be subject to fees
• Repeated no-shows may result in account restrictions
• Tutors may cancel sessions with reasonable notice

6.3 Payment Terms

• Payment for tutoring services must be made through approved payment methods
• Prices are displayed in the applicable currency (ZAR)
• Refunds are subject to our refund policy
• We reserve the right to modify pricing with notice

6.4 Tutor-Student Relationship

• OVCC facilitates connections between students and tutors
• Tutors are independent service providers, not OVCC employees
• We do not guarantee specific outcomes from tutoring sessions
• Any disputes with tutors should be reported to OVCC support

7.1 OVCC Content

All content in the App, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, images, audio, video, software, and data compilations, is the property of OVCC or its licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

7.2 Limited License

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to:

• Access and use the App for personal, non-commercial educational purposes
• Download and view content for offline personal use
• Save bookmarks and resources within the App

7.3 Restrictions

You may NOT:

• Copy, modify, or distribute App content without permission
• Remove any copyright or proprietary notices
• Use content for commercial purposes
• Create derivative works based on App content
• Reverse engineer or decompile the App

7.4 User Content

By submitting content to the App (such as chat messages or profile information), you grant OVCC a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, store, and display such content as necessary to provide our services.

8.1 Integration Partners

The App integrates with third-party services including:

• Clerk: Authentication and identity management
• Firebase: Data storage, chat, and analytics
• Expo: App updates and delivery
• Educational Institutions: Academic records (with consent)

8.2 Third-Party Terms

Your use of third-party services is subject to their respective terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for the practices of third-party providers.

8.3 External Links

The App may contain links to external websites or resources. We do not endorse and are not responsible for the content or practices of external sites.

10.1 "As Is" Basis

10.2 Educational Content

• Educational content is provided for informational purposes only
• We do not guarantee the accuracy of academic information
• Career matching results are suggestions, not guarantees
• Tutoring outcomes depend on individual effort and circumstances

10.3 Service Availability

• We do not guarantee uninterrupted access to the App
• The App may experience downtime for maintenance or updates
• Features may be modified or discontinued without notice

11.1 Exclusion of Damages

11.2 Essential Purpose

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limitations of liability. In such cases, our liability will be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

13.1 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by:

• Contacting our support team
• Requesting account deletion through the App settings
• Uninstalling the App (note: this does not automatically delete your account)

13.2 Termination by OVCC

We may suspend or terminate your account if:

• You violate these Terms
• You engage in fraudulent or illegal activity
• You abuse the platform or other users
• Your account is inactive for an extended period
• Required by law or legal process

13.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your right to access the App will cease immediately
• We may delete your account data (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Provisions that should survive termination will remain in effect

14.1 Changes

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective when posted in the App. We will notify you of material changes through:

• In-app notifications
• Email (if provided)
• Updated "Last Updated" date

14.2 Continued Use

Your continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you must stop using the App.

15.1 Informal Resolution

Before initiating formal dispute resolution, you agree to contact us first to attempt to resolve any dispute informally.

15.2 Governing Law

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

15.3 Jurisdiction

Any disputes arising from these Terms or the App shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa.

15.4 Time Limitation

Any claim arising from these Terms or the App must be filed within one (1) year after the cause of action arises.

16.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and OVCC regarding the App.

16.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

16.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

16.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under them. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.

16.5 Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, acts of government, or internet outages.