Terms of Service

1. Agreement to These Terms

These Terms of Service govern your access to and use of DistressNow, including our mobile applications, website, listings marketplace, messaging tools, support services, and related features.

By creating an account, browsing listings, posting content, messaging other users, or otherwise using DistressNow, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

2. Eligibility and Regional Use

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or use DistressNow as a buyer, seller, or service provider.

DistressNow is designed for users in Nigeria. If you access the service from another location, you are responsible for complying with local laws that apply to you.

3. Your Account

You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when you register and keep your account details up to date.

You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for activity that occurs through your account. You must notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access or misuse.

4. Marketplace Role and User Content

DistressNow is a classifieds platform that allows users to publish listings, upload images, communicate with one another, and discover goods and services. We do not own listed items and, unless expressly stated, we are not a party to transactions between users.

You are solely responsible for the listings, messages, images, ratings, reviews, profile details, and other content you submit to the service.

5. Seller and Service Provider Obligations

If you post a listing or advertise a service, you represent that you have the right to do so, that the listing or service description is materially accurate, and that you will comply with all applicable laws, licensing rules, and safety obligations.

You must not publish misleading pricing, false availability, deceptive images, or claims you cannot substantiate.

6. Buyer Obligations and Transaction Safety

Buyers are responsible for evaluating listings, verifying condition, authenticity, ownership, and suitability before completing a transaction.

Unless DistressNow expressly offers a protected payment flow for a specific product, users should meet safely, inspect items carefully, and avoid sending money in advance to unknown parties.

7. Paid Features, Fees, and Billing

DistressNow may offer optional paid features, promotions, boosts, subscriptions, or service fees. Any applicable price or billing term will be shown before purchase.

Marketplace transactions between users may be completed offline or through third-party payment providers. If we offer digital features within the app, billing may be handled through the relevant app store or another payment method permitted by applicable platform rules and law.

Refund eligibility for paid platform features will be governed by the billing channel used, applicable law, and any feature-specific terms presented at purchase. User-to-user transaction disputes are generally not refundable by DistressNow unless we explicitly state otherwise.

8. Prohibited Conduct and Restricted Items

You may not use DistressNow to break the law, endanger others, interfere with the platform, or exploit users.

• fraud, scams, impersonation, or deceptive conduct
• harassment, hate speech, threats, extortion, or abusive behavior
• counterfeit, stolen, unsafe, or illegal goods
• weapons, drugs, explicit sexual content, human exploitation, or regulated items offered unlawfully
• spam, phishing, malware, scraping, or unauthorized access to systems or accounts
• copyright, trademark, privacy, or other intellectual property violations
• attempts to bypass fees, platform controls, moderation, or enforcement actions

9. Moderation, Reports, and Enforcement

We may review listings, profiles, messages, reports, metadata, and other content to maintain safety, investigate fraud, enforce these Terms, and comply with legal obligations.

DistressNow may remove content, limit visibility, suspend features, restrict accounts, preserve records, or cooperate with regulators or law enforcement when we reasonably believe it is necessary.

10. License to User Content

You retain ownership of the content you upload. However, by posting or submitting content to DistressNow, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, adapt, publish, display, distribute, and process that content only as needed to operate, improve, promote, secure, and provide the service.

11. Third-Party Services

DistressNow may rely on third-party services such as cloud infrastructure, maps, notifications, analytics, authentication, identity verification, and payment processors. Your use of those third-party services may also be governed by their own terms and privacy policies.

12. Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

DistressNow is provided on an as-is and as-available basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and uninterrupted availability.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, DistressNow will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for losses arising from user transactions, fraud, listings, third-party conduct, lost profits, lost data, or service interruptions.

13. Suspension, Termination, and Deletion Requests

You may stop using the service at any time. You may also request deletion of your account and associated personal data by contacting us or by using any in-app deletion tool we may make available.

We may suspend or terminate accounts, listings, or access to features if you violate these Terms, pose a safety risk, misuse the service, or if we are required to do so by law.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date and, where appropriate, provide additional notice. Continued use of DistressNow after the updated Terms take effect means you accept the revised Terms.

15. Governing Law and Contact

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.