Terms of Service

These terms are a binding agreement between you and Bouncer ("we", "us"). By creating an account or using the Bouncer app or bouncer.social(the "Service"), you agree to them. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. You must be 18 or older

You must be at least 18 years old to use Bouncer. By using the Service you represent that you are 18 or older and legally able to enter this agreement.

3. Your account

You are responsible for your account and for keeping your credentials secure. Give accurate information and keep it current. One account per person. Do not share your account or transfer it to anyone else.

A profile photo showing your face is required to request access to parties, so hosts can see who is asking to attend.

4. Parties are not our events

Bouncer is a tool for organizing gatherings. We do not host, organize, run, sponsor, supervise, inspect, or control any party listed on the Service, and we are not a party to any arrangement between a host and a guest.

Hosts are solely responsible for their events, including the safety and suitability of the location, compliance with all applicable laws (including occupancy, noise, permitting, and alcohol laws), and anything that happens before, during, or after the event.

Guests attend at their own risk. We do not verify the identity of any user, the accuracy of any listing, or whether an event is safe or legal. Use judgment when meeting people you do not know and when going to an address you have not been to before.

For a small number of hosts we review business documents — a liquor licence, an entertainment permit, or a contract with a venue — before allowing that host to sell tickets, and we show a badge saying so. That review confirms only that a document existed and named that host at the time we looked at it. It is not a check of any person, it does not continue after the review, and it is not a statement that a host, a venue, or an event is safe, lawful, or suitable for you. A badge is a description of a document, not a recommendation.

5. Payments

5.1 Hosting fee

Creating a party requires a one-time hosting fee. In the iOS app this is charged through Apple's in-app purchase system; on the web it is charged through Stripe. Prices are shown before you pay. The fee is waived for hosts who are selling tickets to that party.

The hosting fee is for the ability to create a party and is generally non-refundable, including if your event is cancelled or nobody attends. Purchases made through Apple are subject to Apple's refund policy and must be requested from Apple. For web purchases, contact us at support@bouncer.social.

5.2 Ticket sales

Some hosts sell tickets to their events. When you buy a ticket, you are buying it from the host, not from us. The host is the seller and is solely responsible for the event. We act as the host's limited agent for the purpose of collecting payment, and payment to us discharges your obligation to pay the host for the ticket.

Payments are processed by Stripe. Money is settled to the host's own Stripe account; we do not hold or control it. Ticket proceeds are held by Stripe and released to the host after the event has taken place, which is what allows refunds to be made promptly when an event does not happen.

5.3 Service fee

Tickets carry a service fee, charged to you in addition to the price set by the host. The total you will be charged, including the service fee, is shown before you pay. Every price we display is that total, including the service fee — we do not advertise a ticket price and add mandatory fees afterwards.

An event may offer more than one ticket type, at different prices. Where it does, a listing may show the lowest total currently available as a “from” price, and the individual price of each ticket type is shown before you choose one. If the ticket type you selected sells out before you pay, we will not charge you the higher price without telling you what it is and asking you to confirm it.

The service fee is not refundable, including where the ticket price itself is refunded. It covers payment processing that has already taken place and that is not returned to us when a payment is refunded.

5.4 Refunds

Your ticket price is refunded in full if:

• the host cancels the event; or
• the host removes you from the guest list before the event.

In both cases the refund is issued automatically to the payment method you used, and your ticket stops working. Refunds are returned by your bank or card issuer on their own timescale, typically within five to ten business days.

Tickets are otherwise non-refundable. In particular, we do not refund because you changed your mind, because you did not attend, or because the event was not what you expected. Anything else — a delayed start, a different line-up, a venue change, or an event you consider misrepresented — is a matter between you and the host, who is the seller. Hosts may choose to offer a refund, and may ask us to issue one.

5.5 Tickets are personal to you

A ticket admits one person and is issued to your account. Tickets may not be transferred, resold, or offered for resale, and a ticket presented by anyone other than the person it was issued to may be refused at the door. Hosts and door staff are shown your profile photo when your ticket is scanned so that they can check this.

5.6 Chargebacks and disputed payments

If you dispute a ticket payment with your bank or card issuer, we void the ticket immediately and you will not be admitted with it, whatever the dispute's outcome. If you believe you are owed a refund, ask us or the host first — we can usually resolve it faster than a dispute can, and a dispute cannot be reversed once you have started it.

5.7 If you sell tickets

If you are a host selling tickets, you agree that:

• you are the seller of the ticket and are responsible for actually holding the event you have sold access to;
• you are responsible for all licences, permits and permissions the event requires, and for complying with the law where it is held;
• you are responsible for your own taxes on ticket revenue, including any local admission or amusement tax;
• we may refund buyers on your behalf where these Terms require it, and recover those amounts from your ticket proceeds; and
• we may stop your ticket sales, and withhold or reverse proceeds, if we reasonably believe an event will not take place as described, that sales are fraudulent, or that continuing would break the law.

6. Your content

You keep ownership of the content you post. You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, display, and distribute it solely to operate and provide the Service — for example, showing your flyer to people browsing Discover, or your message to others in a party.

You are responsible for your content and represent that you have the rights to post it.

7. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access at any time — including restricting your ability to send messages, or removing your account entirely — if you violate these terms, or where we consider it necessary to protect users or the Service.

You may delete your account at any time from Profile → Delete account. Deleting your account also deletes parties you host. If you host an upcoming event for which tickets have been sold, deleting your account cancels that event and refunds every buyer the ticket price before your account is removed.

8. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any listing, user, or event is accurate, safe, or lawful.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, goodwill, or for personal injury, property damage, or death arising out of or related to your use of the Service, any party you host or attend, or the conduct of any user — whether based in contract, tort, or any other theory. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, or twenty-five United States dollars.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

10. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your content, your use of the Service, any party you host or attend, or your violation of these terms or of anyone else's rights.

11. Copyright and takedowns

We respect copyright and expect you to as well. Do not upload flyers, photos, music, or other material you do not have the rights to use.

If you believe something on the Service infringes your copyright, send a notice to our designated agent at copyright@bouncer.social including: your contact details; identification of the work you say is infringed; identification of the material you want removed and where it appears; a statement that you have a good faith belief the use is not authorised; a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorised to act for them; and your signature (electronic is fine).

We remove material that is the subject of a valid notice, and we terminate the accounts of users who repeatedly infringe. If your material was removed and you believe that was a mistake, you may send a counter-notice to the same address.

12. Child sexual abuse material

There is no tolerance for content that sexually exploits or endangers children. Where we become aware of apparent child sexual abuse material on the Service, we report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) as required by law, preserve the related records, remove the content, and terminate the account. We cooperate with law enforcement.

13. Disputes and arbitration

Please read this section carefully — it affects how disputes between us are resolved, and it limits your right to go to court or take part in a class action.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey, without regard to its conflict of laws rules.

Informal resolution first. Most problems can be sorted out quickly. Before starting a formal proceeding, contact us at support@bouncer.social describing the dispute and what you want. We will do the same for you. If it is not resolved within 60 days, either of us may proceed.

Binding individual arbitration. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these terms or the Service that is not resolved informally will be settled by binding arbitration administered by a recognised arbitration provider under its consumer rules, before a single arbitrator, rather than in court. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court with jurisdiction.

Class action waiver.Disputes will be brought only in your individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims. If this waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim — and only that claim — will proceed in court, and the rest of this section still applies.

Coordinated filings. If 25 or more similar demands for arbitration are filed by or with the assistance of the same people or firms, the demands will be processed in staged batches of no more than 50, with a single arbitrator per batch, and the filing and hearing of later batches deferred until earlier ones conclude. Limitation periods are tolled for claims awaiting their batch.

Exceptions. Either of us may bring an individual claim in small-claims court, and either of us may seek injunctive relief in court for infringement or misuse of intellectual property. For any claim that proceeds in court rather than arbitration, we each agree to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in New Jersey, except that you may bring a small-claims action where you live.

Your right to opt out. You may opt out of this arbitration and class-waiver section by emailing support@bouncer.socialwith your username and the words "arbitration opt-out" within 30 days of first accepting these terms. Opting out does not affect any other part of these terms, and we will not close your account for doing it.

14. Changes

We may update these terms. Material changes will be reflected in the "last updated" date above, and continued use of the Service after changes take effect means you accept them.

15. Severability

If any part of these terms is held unenforceable, that part will be limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary and the rest will remain in force. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.

16. Contact

Questions about these terms: support@bouncer.social