Terms & Conditions of Use

1. Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms:

2. Eligibility

To use the Marketplace, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age, or have the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
• Provide accurate and truthful information during registration.
• Maintain the security of your account credentials.
• Comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Providing false information may result in immediate suspension or permanent removal of your account.

3. User Accounts

Users are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of their passwords.
• Updating their account information whenever it changes.
• All activity occurring under their account.

Users must notify the Marketplace immediately if they suspect unauthorised access to their account.

4. Business Listings

Advertisers are solely responsible for the content they publish.

All advertisements must be:

• Truthful
• Accurate
• Lawful
• Respectful
• Relevant

Advertisers must ensure that product descriptions, pricing, images and contact details remain accurate.

5. Prohibited Content

The following content is prohibited:

• Fraudulent advertisements
• Misleading information
• Counterfeit goods
• Stolen property
• Illegal products
• Drugs or narcotics
• Weapons where prohibited by law
• Hate speech
• Discrimination
• Pornography
• Violence or graphic material
• Malicious software
• Phishing attempts
• Spam

Administrators reserve the right to remove such content without prior notice.

6. Intellectual Property

Users retain ownership of content they upload.

By uploading content, users grant the Marketplace a non-exclusive licence to display, reproduce, optimise and distribute that content solely for operating and promoting the Marketplace.

Users must not upload material that infringes another person's intellectual property rights.

7. Premium Membership

Premium Membership provides additional features and promotional advantages.

Premium fees are published within the Marketplace and may change from time to time.

Premium subscriptions are activated after successful payment confirmation.

8. Sponsored Advertising

Sponsored adverts receive enhanced visibility for the purchased sponsorship period.

Sponsorship does not guarantee sales or customer enquiries.

9. Payments

Payments are processed using approved payment providers.

Users agree that:

• Payments are final unless otherwise required by law.
• Payment confirmations may take several minutes depending on the payment provider.
• Invoices are generated electronically.

10. Refund Policy

Premium subscriptions and sponsored adverts are generally non-refundable once activated.

Refunds may only be considered where:

• Duplicate payments occur.
• Technical errors prevent service delivery.
• Applicable consumer protection laws require a refund.

Each refund request will be assessed individually.

11. Reviews and Ratings

Users are encouraged to provide honest, respectful and constructive reviews.

Fake reviews, abusive language or attempts to manipulate ratings are prohibited.

Administrators may remove reviews that violate these Terms.

12. Messaging

The Marketplace provides communication tools between users.

Users must not:

• Harass others.
• Send unsolicited advertising.
• Impersonate another person.
• Transmit harmful content.

Repeated abuse may result in suspension.

13. Reporting

Users may report:

• Inappropriate adverts.
• Offensive content.
• Fraudulent activity.
• Abusive behaviour.
• Copyright infringement.

Reports are reviewed by administrators.

False or malicious reporting may itself constitute a violation of these Terms.

14. Content Moderation

Administrators reserve the right to:

• Edit
• Reject
• Suspend
• Remove

content that violates these Terms or harms the integrity of the Marketplace.

15. Suspension and Termination

Accounts may be suspended or permanently terminated where users:

• Violate these Terms.
• Engage in fraud.
• Abuse other users.
• Publish prohibited content.
• Attempt to compromise platform security.

Serious violations may be reported to the relevant authorities where appropriate.

16. Privacy

The Marketplace respects user privacy.

Personal information is collected solely for operating and improving the platform.

Information is handled in accordance with the Marketplace Privacy Policy.

The Marketplace does not sell personal information to third parties.

17. Security

The Marketplace implements multiple layers of security, including:

• Encrypted HTTPS communication.
• Password hashing.
• Google reCAPTCHA.
• Malware screening of uploaded files.
• Secure authentication tokens.
• Rate limiting.
• Security headers.
• Administrative audit logs.

No online platform can guarantee absolute security, but reasonable technical and organisational measures are implemented to protect users and their information.

18. Availability

While every effort is made to ensure continuous availability, the Marketplace may occasionally be unavailable due to:

• Maintenance.
• Software upgrades.
• Infrastructure failures.
• Circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

The Marketplace is provided on an "as available" basis.

19. Limitation of Liability

The Marketplace serves as a platform connecting buyers and sellers.

The Brethren In Christ Church Zimbabwe does not guarantee:

• Product quality.
• Service quality.
• Business performance.
• Delivery times.
• Payment between private parties.

Users transact at their own discretion.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Marketplace and the Brethren In Christ Church Zimbabwe shall not be liable for indirect, incidental or consequential losses arising from the use of the platform.

20. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

Any disputes shall first be addressed through good-faith negotiations. Where a dispute cannot be resolved amicably, it shall be submitted to the courts of Zimbabwe.

21. Changes to these Terms

The Marketplace may update these Terms from time to time.

Users will be notified of material changes through the platform or by email where appropriate.

Continued use of the Marketplace after such updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

22. Contact Information

For questions relating to these Terms, users may contact:

Brethren In Christ Church (BICC) Zimbabwe

Website:
https://business.bicczim.org

Email:
ict@bicczim.org

Privacy Policy (Summary)

The Marketplace collects only the information necessary to provide and improve its services. This may include:

• Name
• Email address
• Profile photograph (optional)
• Business information
• Advert content
• Messages exchanged within the platform
• Payment transaction references
• Device and browser information
• Usage analytics

This information is used to:

• Authenticate users.
• Provide Marketplace services.
• Process payments.
• Improve platform performance.
• Enhance security.
• Communicate important account and service information.

Appropriate technical and organisational measures are implemented to protect personal information. Users may request correction or deletion of their personal information, subject to applicable legal and operational requirements.