Terms of Service

1. Who we are

SettleUs ("Settle", "we", "us") is a payment-protection service operated by 17529724 Canada Inc., a company incorporated federally in Canada and operating under the registered trade name "SettleUs" in Ontario. By using our website or service, you agree to these terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the service.

2. What Settle does

Settle helps two people complete a marketplace transaction more safely. One person creates a deal and shares a link. The buyer sends their payment to Settle by Interac e-transfer. We hold that payment until the buyer confirms they have received the item as described, at which point we send the agreed amount to the seller. If the deal does not complete, the payment can be returned to the buyer as described in these terms.

Settle is a tool that holds and releases funds based on the confirmations of the people in a deal. We are not a party to the underlying sale. We do not buy, sell, inspect, ship, or take possession of any item, and we are not responsible for the quality, legality, safety, or description of anything traded.

3. What Settle is not

• We are not a bank or a deposit-taking institution. Funds we hold are held for the sole purpose of completing or refunding a specific deal, and are not investments or deposits.
• We are not an escrow agent in the formal legal sense unless and where required, and we are not a party to your sale contract.
• We are not responsible for the people you deal with. We cannot guarantee that a buyer or seller is honest, that an item is as described, or that a meetup will be safe.

4. Fees

The buyer pays a service fee of 3% of the deal amount, with a minimum of $2 and a maximum of $50 per deal. The seller receives the full agreed price. Fees are shown before a deal is funded. If a deal is cancelled before the item is handed over, the buyer's payment, including the fee, is refunded.

5. How payments and confirmations work

The buyer funds a deal by Interac e-transfer. Once funds are received and verified, the deal is marked as secured. The seller hands over the item, and the buyer confirms receipt. On confirmation, we release the agreed amount to the seller by Interac e-transfer.

You agree to confirm receipt honestly and promptly once you have received an item as described. You agree not to use Settle to defraud the other party, to launder money, or for any unlawful transaction.

6. Disputes

If a buyer does not confirm receipt because there is a problem (for example, the item is not as described, or was not handed over), the funds stay held. They are not automatically released to the seller and not automatically returned to the buyer. You can contact us at hello@settleus.ca and we will review the information both sides provide and make a reasonable, good-faith decision about whether to release or refund the funds.

Our role in a dispute is limited to deciding what happens to the funds we are holding. We cannot recover money we are not holding, force anyone to behave a certain way, or act as a court. Our decision about the held funds is final as between you and Settle, but it does not affect any other legal rights you may have against the other person.

7. Your responsibilities

• Provide accurate information when creating or joining a deal.
• Meet in a safe, public place, and inspect items carefully before confirming. We recommend a police safe-exchange zone.
• Only use Settle for lawful transactions involving items you are allowed to buy or sell.
• Confirm receipt honestly and only once you actually have the item as described.

8. Prohibited uses

You may not use Settle for illegal goods or services, stolen property, weapons or other restricted items where prohibited, fraud, money laundering, or any transaction that breaks applicable law. We may decline, freeze, or refund a deal if we reasonably believe it involves any of these.

9. Limitation of liability

Settle provides the service "as is". To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for losses arising from the conduct of the other party to your deal, from an item being not as described, from a meetup, or from circumstances outside our reasonable control. Where we are found liable, our total liability to you for a given deal is limited to the amount of the fee we charged on that deal.

Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable Canadian consumer-protection law.

10. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top shows when they last changed. Continuing to use the service after a change means you accept the updated terms.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply there. Any dispute relating to these terms or the service will be handled in the courts of Ontario, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

12. Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to hello@settleus.ca.