Terms of Service

1 About Zapota

Zapota is an agricultural marketplace platform operated by ZAPOTA AGROTECH, based in Karnataka, India. The Platform connects farmers, agri-service providers, and buyers directly — enabling them to discover services, post listings, and establish contact with each other.

2 Eligibility

To use the Zapota Platform, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Have a valid Indian mobile phone number capable of receiving SMS or WhatsApp messages.
• Be legally capable of entering into a binding contract under Indian law.
• Not be barred from using the Platform under any applicable law or previous account ban.

By registering, you confirm that all information you provide is accurate and that you meet these requirements.

3 Your Account

Registration

• You register using your mobile phone number, verified via a 4-digit OTP sent by SMS or WhatsApp.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and any activity that occurs under it.
• You must immediately notify us at support@zapota.in if you suspect unauthorised access.
• You may not create multiple accounts for the same person or use another person's number.

Account Termination

• You may delete your account at any time from Profile → Account → Delete Account.
• We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or pose a safety risk to other users.
• On deletion, your data is soft-deleted for 30 days and then permanently purged.

4 Acceptable Use Policy

✅ You Must

• Provide accurate and truthful information in your profile and service listings.
• Post only genuine services and products that you can actually provide.
• Respond to service requests in good faith and in a timely manner.
• Treat other users with respect and professionalism at all times.
• Use the Platform only for lawful agricultural commerce and related services in India.

❌ You Must Not

• Post false, misleading, or exaggerated service listings.
• Submit fake or malicious service requests with no genuine intent.
• Harass, threaten, abuse, or harm other users through the Platform or via calls.
• Post content that is defamatory, obscene, or violates any third-party rights.
• Use automated tools, bots, or scripts to interact with the Platform.
• Attempt to hack, reverse-engineer, or disrupt the Platform or its servers.
• List items or services that are illegal under Indian law.
• Impersonate any person or organisation.
• Create multiple accounts to manipulate listings, ratings, or search results.

5 Service Listings

Seller Responsibilities

• You are solely responsible for the accuracy of your listings — title, description, price, photos, and delivery radius.
• You must hold any necessary licences or permits required to offer your listed services.
• You must honour your listed prices and descriptions when dealing with buyers.
• The Verified Zapota Partner badge indicates basic account checks only — not quality or safety guarantees.

Listing Standards

• Photos must accurately represent your actual products or services. Stock images are prohibited.
• Prices must be in Indian Rupees (INR) and reflect the actual cost to the buyer.
• Service area must reflect the genuine geographic area you are willing to serve.

6 Service Requests

The Request Process

• A buyer submits a Request Service — an expression of interest, NOT a binding order or purchase.
• The seller may Accept or Decline the request.
• Upon acceptance, both parties' in-app Call buttons activate for direct phone communication.
• All negotiation, pricing, delivery terms, and payment happen directly between buyer and seller — entirely outside the Platform.

Call Tracking

• After a call, users are shown a voluntary in-app prompt: "Were you able to connect?"
• This self-reported response is used for platform analytics only.
• Zapota does NOT record, listen to, or store the content of any phone calls.
• Zapota does NOT access your call logs. READ_CALL_LOG permission is never requested.

7 Payments & Transactions

• Buying and browsing on Zapota is free forever for farmers and buyers — no charges, no commission, ever.
• Zapota charges zero commission on any deal made between users.
• Sellers and service providers may be charged a listing fee to publish or promote listings. Any free trial period and the pricing that follows it are entirely at Zapota's discretion and may vary for new listings.
• If you have an active paid listing, it will remain live under the terms you paid for until the end of its current billing cycle, even if our pricing changes afterward. We will not cut short a cycle you've already paid for.
• Zapota is not responsible for payment disputes, non-payment, fraud, or financial losses arising between users conducting their own transactions.
• Users are responsible for complying with applicable tax laws (including GST) for their transactions.
• Zapota is not a payment aggregator, escrow service, or financial intermediary of any kind.

8 Refund Policy

This section applies only to listing fees or other charges paid directly to Zapota — it does not cover transactions between buyers and sellers, which Zapota is not a party to.

• Listing fees and other charges paid to Zapota are generally non-refundable once a listing has gone live or a paid feature has been activated.
• If your listing is rejected during our verification process before going live, any fee already paid for that listing will be refunded in full.
• Refund requests can be sent to support@zapota.in; approved refunds are processed to the original payment method within a reasonable timeframe.

9 Fraud Warning

• Be cautious of anyone claiming to represent Zapota and asking for payment via UPI, bank transfer, or any channel outside official, verifiable Zapota billing.
• Zapota does not guarantee, insure, or take responsibility for the identity, quality, or conduct of any buyer or seller on the Platform — verify who you're dealing with before making any payment or exchanging goods.
• If you suspect fraud, or receive a suspicious request claiming to be from Zapota, report it immediately to support@zapota.in or via WhatsApp.

10 Future Paid Features & Monetisation

Buying and browsing on Zapota is free forever. Selling and listing services may involve fees, with any current trial or pricing at Zapota's discretion — see Section 7 (Payments) for details. To sustain and grow the platform, we plan to introduce or evolve paid features over time. These may include:

11 Verified Zapota Partner Badge

Some sellers display a ✓ Verified Zapota Partner badge. This badge indicates that the account has undergone basic verification checks by our team. It does NOT constitute:

• A guarantee of quality, safety, or fitness of the seller's services or products.
• An endorsement by Zapota of the seller's business practices.
• A warranty that the seller holds all required licences or permits.

Zapota reserves the right to revoke the Verified badge at any time if a seller violates these Terms.

12 Intellectual Property

Zapota's IP

The Zapota name, logo (including the leaf-incorporated 'p' mark), app design, website design, and all related content are the exclusive intellectual property of ZAPOTA AGROTECH. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any Zapota IP without our express written consent.

Your Content

You retain ownership of content you post (listings, photos, descriptions). By posting, you grant Zapota a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display and distribute that content to operate and promote the Platform. You warrant that you have the right to post all content you submit.

13 Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

We Are Not Liable For:

• The quality, safety, legality, or fitness of any listed service or product.
• Disputes between buyers and sellers, including payment disputes or delivery failures.
• Financial losses arising from transactions between users.
• Platform downtime, data loss, or interruptions caused by technical or third-party failures.
• Actions taken by users in violation of these Terms.

Maximum Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Indian law, Zapota's aggregate liability for any claim shall not exceed INR 1,000 (One Thousand Rupees), regardless of the nature of the claim.

14 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless ZAPOTA AGROTECH, its directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from:

• Your violation of these Terms.
• Content you post on the Platform.
• Any dispute between you and another user.
• Your violation of any applicable Indian law.

15 Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of India, including:

• The Information Technology Act, 2000 and its amendments.
• The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (where applicable).
• The Indian Contract Act, 1872.

Disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Shivamogga, Karnataka, India. Before legal proceedings, both parties agree to attempt amicable resolution within 30 days. Unresolved disputes may be referred to arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

16 Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via in-app notification at least 7 days before they take effect. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

17 Contact Us

For any questions about these Terms: