Terms of Service

1 Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, browsing listings, submitting a review, or otherwise using Skill Link ("the Platform", "we", "us", "our"), you confirm that:

• You have read, understood, and agree to these Terms of Service.
• You are at least 18 years of age, or are accessing the platform under the supervision of a parent or guardian.
• You agree to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

2 Description of Service

Skill Link is an online marketplace that connects customers seeking local services with verified service providers across Malawi. We provide:

• A searchable directory of service providers by category, skill, and location.
• Provider profile pages including ratings, reviews, pricing, and WhatsApp contact.
• A registration and subscription system for service providers to list their services.
• A review and rating system for customers to evaluate providers.
• An AI-powered chatbot assistant on the FAQ page to help users navigate the platform.

3 User Accounts & Eligibility

To access certain features you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration.
• Keep your account credentials confidential and not share your password.
• Notify us immediately at legal@skilllinkmw.com if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.
• Be responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that provide false information or violate these Terms.

4 Google Sign-In & Third-Party Authentication

Skill Link offers sign-in via Google OAuth. By using Google Sign-In you acknowledge:

• Your authentication is governed by Google's Terms of Service and Google's Privacy Policy, in addition to ours.
• We receive only your basic profile information (name, email, profile photo) from Google. We do not access your Google Drive, Gmail, contacts, or any other Google services.
• We use your Google account data only for authentication and to create or maintain your Skill Link account.
• We do not share your Google account data with third parties except as described in our Privacy Policy.
• You may revoke Skill Link's access to your Google account at any time via your Google Account Settings.

5 Provider Responsibilities

As a service provider on Skill Link, you agree to:

• Provide truthful, accurate, and up-to-date information in your profile including skills, experience, location, and pricing.
• Only offer services you are genuinely qualified and legally permitted to provide.
• Maintain an active subscription to keep your profile visible. Profiles are hidden automatically when a subscription lapses and restored immediately upon renewal.
• Respond to customer enquiries in a professional and timely manner.
• Not misrepresent your qualifications, certifications, or previous work.
• Comply with all applicable Malawian laws and regulations relevant to your profession.
• Not use the platform to systematically solicit customers to circumvent Skill Link's platform.
• Not solicit, offer incentives for, or otherwise manufacture reviews. Reviews must reflect genuine customer experiences.

6 Subscription & Pricing

Service providers pay a listing fee to keep their profile active and visible on Skill Link.

7 Customer Responsibilities

As a customer using Skill Link, you agree to:

• Use the platform in good faith and only contact providers for genuine service needs.
• Not harass, threaten, or abuse service providers through WhatsApp or any other channel.
• Submit honest and accurate reviews based solely on your genuine experience with the provider.
• Not submit false, misleading, or malicious reviews intended to harm a provider's reputation.
• Independently verify a provider's credentials and suitability before engaging their services.
• Not use automated tools to scrape, copy, or extract provider contact details or listings.

8 Prohibited Conduct

The following activities are strictly prohibited on Skill Link:

• Posting false, fraudulent, or misleading content of any kind.
• Impersonating another person, provider, or organisation.
• Scraping, crawling, or extracting data from the platform without our written permission.
• Attempting to hack, disrupt, or compromise the security of the platform.
• Using the platform to distribute spam, malware, or unsolicited communications.
• Engaging in any activity that violates applicable Malawian or international law.
• Creating multiple accounts to manipulate reviews, ratings, or search rankings.
• Coordinating with others to submit fake or incentivised reviews for any provider.

Violation of these rules may result in immediate account suspension, removal of manipulated content, and legal action where appropriate.

9 Reviews & Ratings

• Reviews must be based on genuine first-hand experience with the provider.
• All reviews are subject to moderation before publication. Skill Link reserves the right to approve, reject, or remove any review that is false, abusive, incentivised, or in violation of these Terms.
• We use automated signals to detect suspicious review patterns. Providers whose reviews trigger these flags may have future reviews held for manual verification.
• Providers may not offer incentives, discounts, gifts, or any other benefit in exchange for reviews.
• Review data may be retained after account deletion to preserve the integrity of the ratings system.
• Providers may reply to reviews publicly via their dashboard. Replies must be professional and may not contain abusive or threatening language.

10 Intellectual Property

• All content on Skill Link including the logo, branding, design, and platform code is owned by Skill Link and protected by applicable intellectual property laws.
• By submitting content (profile descriptions, photos, reviews), you grant Skill Link a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display that content on the platform and in promotional materials.
• You retain ownership of content you submit. You may request its removal by contacting us.
• You must not copy, reproduce, or distribute Skill Link's proprietary content without written permission.

11 Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

• Skill Link is not liable for any loss, injury, damage, or dispute arising from services arranged through the platform.
• We are not responsible for the actions, conduct, or representations of any provider or customer.
• Our total liability to you for any claim shall not exceed the amount you have paid to Skill Link in the 12 months preceding the claim (if any).
• We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages of any kind.
• AI chatbot responses are generated automatically and may not always be accurate. Do not rely on chatbot output for legal, financial, medical, or safety-critical decisions.

12 Termination

• You may delete your account at any time by contacting us at legal@skilllinkmw.com.
• We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate any account that violates these Terms, without prior notice.
• Upon termination, your right to use the platform ceases immediately. Certain data may be retained as described in our Privacy Policy.
• Subscription fees paid prior to termination for cause are non-refundable.

13 Data Collection, Behaviour Tracking & AI Tools

By using Skill Link, you consent to the following data practices. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

• Buyer behaviour tracking: We collect location data (the district you select), service categories you browse, seller profiles you view, search terms you type, listings you save, WhatsApp contact clicks, time spent on pages, and device type. This data is used to personalise your experience, suggest relevant listings, and generate aggregate platform intelligence reports. It is linked to an anonymous session identifier, not your personal identity (unless you create an account).
• Referral source tracking: We log the channel that brought you to Skill Link to understand the effectiveness of our marketing. No personally identifiable data is shared with any advertising platform.
• Seller performance analytics: Sellers consent to us tracking and displaying their profile views, WhatsApp click-through rates, buyer geography, and review scores in their dashboard and weekly email reports.
• AI Chatbot (Google Gemini): Questions submitted to our chatbot are sent to Google Gemini API to generate answers. No personally identifiable data is included. Questions are anonymously logged to improve FAQ content. By using the chatbot, you consent to this processing.
• Automated reporting: Sellers receive weekly performance emails. The platform admin receives monthly aggregate intelligence reports. You may opt out by contacting us.

14 Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Significant changes — including any that affect pricing, data use, or provider obligations — will be notified by email to registered users at least 14 days before they take effect. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of Skill Link after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Malawi. Any disputes arising from the use of Skill Link shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Malawi.

16 Contact

• Legal & Terms: legal@skilllinkmw.com
• Privacy: privacy@skilllinkmw.com
• General: skilllinkmw.com/contact.php