Terms of Service

BearBridge operates a marketplace platform that connects customers seeking professional services with independent professionals who offer those services. BearBridge is not an accounting firm, professional service provider, or party to any engagement between a customer and a professional. BearBridge does not perform, supervise, guarantee, or take responsibility for the professional services delivered by any professional using the Platform.

You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into binding contracts to create an account, submit a service request, or purchase access to a lead on the Platform.

You are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the information in your account and for all activity that occurs under your account. BearBridge uses a third-party authentication provider to manage account sign-in and session security.

Submitting a service request through the Platform is free. When you submit a request, you provide contact and service-related information that may be shared with matched professionals, subject to our Privacy Policy and the consent you provide at submission. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide. BearBridge attempts to match your request with relevant professionals but does not guarantee that any professional will respond, purchase access to your request, or ultimately provide services to you.

To purchase access to customer leads, a professional account must be reviewed and approved by BearBridge. BearBridge may approve or decline to approve a professional account at its discretion, and approval may be granted, withheld, or revoked at any time. Professionals fund a BearBridge wallet and may use wallet funds to purchase access to matched leads. Once a lead is purchased, the professional is granted access to the customer's full contact details for that request.

Professionals are solely responsible for the professional services they provide to customers, for their own compliance with any licensing, regulatory, or professional-conduct requirements applicable to their profession, and for their own conduct in dealing with customers.

Professionals fund a BearBridge wallet through a third-party payment processor. Access to a specific lead has a price, which is shown to the professional before they confirm the purchase. Purchasing access to a lead debits the professional's wallet by that displayed amount at the time of purchase. BearBridge does not charge customers to submit a request or to be matched with a professional. Refunds, where approved, are issued as BearBridge wallet credit as described in our Professional Lead Purchase & Refund Policy.

Purchasing access to a lead is a purchase of contact information and request details only. It does not guarantee that the customer will respond, engage with, or hire the professional, and it does not guarantee that the professional will win any work or generate revenue from the lead. BearBridge is not responsible for a customer's decision not to respond, not to hire, or to hire a different professional.

You agree to use the Platform lawfully, honestly, and in a manner consistent with these Terms. Section 12 below sets out specific conduct that is prohibited.

BearBridge may review submitted requests and account activity for signs of fraud, duplication, or misuse before or after a request is matched or a lead is purchased.

BearBridge may require customers to verify their email address and/or phone number, and may require professionals to submit documentation, before certain functionality (such as being matched, or purchasing leads) becomes available.

A professional who purchases access to a lead may use the customer's contact information to respond to that specific service opportunity, and for other lawful purposes authorized by the customer. A professional must respect a customer's withdrawal or cancellation of their request, a customer's denial that they submitted the request, and any request from a customer to stop communications. Approval of a refund under our Professional Lead Purchase & Refund Policy does not create a continuing right to contact a customer.

You agree not to, and not to attempt to:

• engage in fraud or submit fraudulent requests or information;
• send spam or unsolicited bulk communications through or in connection with the Platform;
• submit fake, fabricated, or duplicate service requests;
• provide false credentials, qualifications, or verification documents;
• impersonate another person, business, or professional;
• harass, threaten, or abuse another user;
• discriminate unlawfully against a customer or professional;
• scrape, harvest, or extract data from the Platform without authorization;
• attempt to gain unauthorized access to any account, system, or data;
• introduce malware or otherwise interfere with the security or operation of the Platform;
• misuse, resell, or disclose customer information obtained through the Platform to anyone other than as needed to provide the requested service;
• manipulate, abuse, or repeatedly misuse the refund process;
• attempt to circumvent the Platform's security, verification, matching, or access controls; or
• otherwise use the Platform for an unlawful purpose.

Nothing in this section is intended to restrict a professional's ordinary, lawful competition for business or a customer's or professional's ordinary conduct in a legitimate service engagement.

BearBridge may restrict, suspend, or terminate a user's access to the Platform where BearBridge reasonably believes it is necessary due to: a violation of these Terms or any BearBridge policy; a fraud or security risk; abuse of the refund process; misuse of customer information; a legal or regulatory requirement; a material misrepresentation by the user; or conduct that creates a material risk to customers, professionals, or BearBridge.

Where reasonably practicable, BearBridge may provide notice before taking such action. BearBridge is not able to guarantee advance notice in every case — immediate action may be necessary for security, fraud, legal, or customer-protection reasons.

BearBridge is not a party to any service agreement between a customer and a professional. Unless otherwise stated, professionals determine their own fees for the services they provide. Customers and professionals are responsible for agreeing between themselves on the scope, price, deliverables, timing, and other terms of their engagement. BearBridge does not collect payment for, or guarantee payment of, the underlying professional service. Disputes about the professional services themselves are principally a matter between the customer and the professional.

The BearBridge name, logos, Platform design, software, text and content, trademarks, and other proprietary technology are owned by BearBridge or its licensors and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not use them without our prior written permission, except as necessary to use the Platform as intended.

You retain ownership of the information and content you submit to the Platform (such as your service request details or professional profile information). By submitting content, you grant BearBridge a limited licence to use it as necessary to operate the Platform, process your request, perform matching, and provide the service to you. BearBridge does not claim ownership of your underlying business or professional data.

Our collection, use, and disclosure of personal information is described in our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

BearBridge relies on third-party technology and service providers to operate the Platform, which may include authentication, payment, SMS, and email providers. BearBridge does not guarantee the uninterrupted availability or performance of any third-party service.

The Platform may occasionally be unavailable, and BearBridge may maintain, update, or change its functionality from time to time. BearBridge does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation of the Platform. This section does not give BearBridge authority to retroactively change the rights or refund eligibility applicable to a lead purchase that has already been completed.

BearBridge provides the Platform and its matching functionality on an "as available" basis. BearBridge does not guarantee: the accuracy of information provided by any user; the performance, conduct, or qualifications of any professional; the conduct of any customer; the outcome of any engagement between a customer and a professional; uninterrupted or error-free operation of the Platform; or that any purchased lead will convert into paid work. Nothing in this section is intended to exclude any obligation that cannot lawfully be excluded.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, and subject to that law, BearBridge's liability to you arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform is limited, and BearBridge is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential loss, or for any dispute, loss, or damage arising from the professional services provided by a professional to a customer or from any agreement between a customer and a professional. Nothing in this section excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

You agree to indemnify BearBridge against reasonable losses, claims, and expenses arising from: your breach of these Terms; your unlawful use of the Platform; a professional's provision of professional services to a customer; your misuse of customer information; or infringement caused by content you supply to the Platform. This indemnity is limited to the matters described above and is not intended to be an unlimited or one-sided obligation.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ontario. These Terms do not require arbitration and do not include a class-action waiver.

We may update these Terms from time to time, on a prospective basis. We will communicate material changes through reasonable means (such as posting an updated version on the Platform or notifying users directly). Except as required by applicable law, changes to these Terms do not retroactively alter the rights or refund eligibility associated with a lead purchase that was already completed before the change took effect.

Fiscal Financial Inc.
Email: support@bearbridge.ca