Terms Of Service – Balo Services

Welcome to Balo Services 🌸

Thank you for being part of our mindful and supportive community. By using Balo Services, you agree to follow these terms of use and contribute to a respectful, safe, and growth-focused environment.

These terms form a legal agreement between you and Balo Services. They do not replace any rights you may have under applicable law.

1. Account Responsibilities

Provide accurate, up-to-date registration information.
Accounts are personal—do not share, sell, or transfer your account.
You are responsible for all activity under your account; protect your login details.
Tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorised use of your account.

2. Content and Conduct

Treat others with kindness, patience, and professionalism.
No harassment, bullying, hate speech, or abusive behaviour.
Keep content appropriate for a professional/educational environment.
Illegal, explicit, or harmful content may lead to immediate termination.
We may remove content that violates these terms or harms the community.

3. SkillSwitch, Mentorships, and Services

Balo Services is a platform that facilitates connections between users. Any agreements, expectations, or outcomes are primarily between the individuals involved (e.g. mentor & student, provider & client).
You are responsible for being clear and honest about what you offer, the price, and what a user can reasonably expect from your service or mentorship.
If something goes wrong, you should first try to resolve it respectfully with the other person. For serious issues, you can use our dispute tools (see the “Disputes & Resolution” section) or contact us.
Balo Services does not guarantee results, earnings, or outcomes from any mentorship, SkillSwitch, or service listing.

4. Payments, Fees & Escrow

Balo Services uses secure third-party payment processors (currently Stripe) to handle card payments and payouts. We do not store your full card details on our own servers.

4.1 How Payments Work

When you book a mentorship or service through the platform, you may be charged via Stripe using your chosen payment method.
The total price, currency (currently GBP), and any applicable fees will be clearly shown at checkout.
Some providers may choose to handle payments outside the platform (“manual payments”). These are not protected by Balo’s escrow system.

4.2 Escrow System

For eligible bookings marked as “escrow”, part of the payment is held securely in escrow. Typically, up to 50% may be held back until both sides confirm completion in their dashboards.
The remaining portion is released when:
- both parties confirm that the booking has been completed, or
- our team resolves any dispute in favour of releasing the funds.
Balo is not a bank. Escrow funds are processed and held by payment partners such as Stripe under their own regulated framework.
If a booking is cancelled, refunded, or disputed, the escrow funds may be refunded, partially refunded, or released to the provider depending on the outcome of the investigation.

4.3 Platform & Provider Responsibilities

Providers must connect and maintain a valid payout account (for example, Stripe Express) to receive funds.
If a provider fails to connect or complete their payout setup, Balo may hold or return funds to the buyer instead of releasing the payout.
Balo is not responsible for any additional amounts agreed privately outside the platform. Only payments processed through Balo’s official checkout and escrow are covered by these terms.

5. Disputes & Resolution

We understand that disagreements can happen. Our aim is to handle them calmly, fairly, and with a focus on safety.

5.1 Opening a Dispute

If you believe a booking has not been delivered as agreed, you can open a dispute from your dashboard / My Account area for eligible escrow bookings.
When you open a dispute, payouts on that booking may be temporarily paused while we review the situation.
You will be asked to provide clear information (and where possible, evidence) about what went wrong.

5.2 During a Dispute

Both sides may be invited to share their side of the story via messages within the dispute thread.
Our team may review timing, communication, and any evidence shared before making a decision.
While a dispute is open, normal “completion” actions and payouts for that booking may be paused.

5.3 Outcomes

We may decide to: release funds to the provider, refund the buyer, or split/refund partially where appropriate.
In some cases, we may recommend that both parties handle the issue directly if it falls clearly outside our platform’s scope (for example, work done entirely off-platform without records).
Our decision on platform-managed escrow funds is usually final, but you still retain any legal rights you may have under local law.

5.4 Chargebacks

If you raise a chargeback with your bank or card provider, the final outcome may be determined by them under their own rules. We ask that you try our internal dispute process first, as it is designed to be calmer and more collaborative.

6. Chatting and Messaging Etiquette

Chats are for positive collaboration, learning, and mentorship.
Do not share or screenshot private messages without consent.
No spam, solicitation, or offensive language.
Safety monitoring and basic moderation tools may be used to uphold community standards.

7. Video Call and Meeting Policy

Calls are private and should be protected by mutual respect.
No recording or capturing calls in any form (audio, video, or screenshots) without clear, prior consent.
Serious violations may result in immediate termination and, where appropriate, legal action.
Maintain professionalism; any abusive or inappropriate behaviour is not tolerated.

8. Privacy and Data Use

We respect your privacy. We collect only what’s necessary to provide our services and keep the platform safe. For full details, please see our Privacy Policy.

By using Balo Services, you agree that we may use anonymised and aggregated data to improve features, recommendations, and safety systems, without using your real name or direct identifiers for AI training.

9. Prohibited Activities

No hacking, spamming, impersonation, or service disruption.
No attempting to bypass security or exploit vulnerabilities.
No sexual, explicit, hateful, or otherwise offensive content.
Violations may lead to permanent account deletion and, if serious, legal action.

10. Intellectual Property

You retain ownership of the content you create and share. By posting on Balo Services, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive licence to display your content within the platform for the purpose of operating and improving the service.

Only upload materials you own or have permission to use. Respect the intellectual property rights of others.

11. Termination of Service

We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms, harm others, or put the platform at risk. Severe violations—including harassment, recording without consent, fraud, or sexual content—may be referred to legal authorities.

You may stop using Balo Services at any time. Some data (such as financial records or safety logs) may be retained where required for legal, security, or accounting reasons.

12. Changes to These Terms

These terms may be updated from time to time. When they change, we will update this page. Continued use of Balo Services after changes take effect means you accept the updated terms.

13. Contact & Support

If you have questions about these terms, payments, escrow, or a dispute, you can contact us at:

Email: baloservices@proton.me

This is our official business email. We aim to respond within 2–3 business days. Please note that we are closed on weekends.

14. Summary

Be respectful, kind, and professional.
Use payments and escrow inside the platform for safer bookings.
Use the dispute tools and stay calm if something goes wrong.
Never record or share private content or calls without consent.
Reach out to us if you are unsure, worried, or feel unsafe.

By using Balo Services, you agree to these terms and help foster a community of respect, compassion, and responsible growth.