Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the Zippiq platform — the Zippiq mobile applications, the website at www.zippiq.in, and related services (collectively, the “Platform”). The Platform is operated by New Dawn IT Solutions, 1st Floor, KC Centre, Karunagappally, Kerala, India (“Zippiq”, “we”, “us”, “our”). By accessing or using the Platform you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

1. About the service

Zippiq is a hyperlocal marketplace that connects customers with local shops, restaurants, service providers, delivery partners, and transport partners. We facilitate listings, order broadcasts, quote selection, payments, and delivery coordination. We are not the seller of any product, the provider of any service, or the operator of any vehicle. Each vendor and partner is an independent third party.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and capable of entering into a legally binding contract under applicable Indian law to use the Platform. By using Zippiq you represent that you meet these requirements and that the information you provide is accurate and complete.

3. Electronic communications consent

By using the Platform, you consent to receive communications from Zippiq electronically — including SMS, email, push notifications, WhatsApp messages, automated calls, OTP verification messages, transactional alerts and order updates, and (where permitted by law) marketing communications. You agree that electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing. You may opt out of non-essential marketing communications using the in-app preferences or by writing to support@zippiq.in; transactional and service messages necessary to operate the Platform cannot be opted out of while you have an active account.

4. Customer terms

• Orders are subject to vendor and delivery-partner availability.
• Prices are set by individual vendors. Zippiq selects the best available quote based on a composite of availability, price, and distance, but does not guarantee the lowest possible price.
• Once a vendor confirms your order, cancellation may not be possible if preparation has begun. See the cancellation & refund section below.
• You are responsible for providing an accurate delivery address, contact number, and any access instructions, and for being available to receive the order.
• You agree to use the Platform for personal, lawful purposes only and not to resell, scrape, or misuse any content or service.

5. Vendor terms

Summary only — the full vendor agreement (commission, payouts, KYC, tax, restricted goods, suspension, indemnity, governing law) lives at /vendor-terms and is the document a vendor accepts at onboarding.

• Vendors are independent businesses solely responsible for their listings, pricing, stock, product quality, packaging, food safety (where applicable), and compliance with all applicable laws including the FSSAI Act, GST law, and the Legal Metrology Act.
• Vendors must hold and maintain all licences, registrations, and certifications required for the goods or services they offer, and must upload valid copies on request.
• Vendors must respond to order broadcasts within the stated time window, honour confirmed quotes, and not discriminate between Platform and walk-in customers on price or quality.
• Zippiq may charge commission, listing, or service fees as agreed at onboarding. Payouts are settled on the cycle communicated separately.
• Zippiq may suspend or remove a vendor for repeated cancellations, customer complaints, regulatory issues, prohibited listings, or any breach of these Terms.

6. Partner terms (delivery & transport)

Summary only — the full partner agreement (eligibility, conduct, payments, insurance, loss in transit, deactivation, indemnity, governing law) lives at /partner-terms and is the document a partner accepts at onboarding.

• Delivery partners (bikers fulfilling product orders) and transport partners (auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers providing passenger transport) operate as independent contractors and are not employees, agents, or representatives of Zippiq. Nothing in these Terms creates an employer-employee, partnership, or joint-venture relationship.
• Partners must hold a valid driving licence, valid vehicle registration, and valid insurance, and must comply with the Motor Vehicles Act and applicable transport rules at all times.
• Partners are responsible for the safe handling of goods (delivery) or safe carriage of passengers (transport), including loss, damage, or personal-injury liability arising from their conduct.
• Distance-based pricing is set within Platform guidelines. Payouts are settled on the cycle communicated separately.
• Zippiq may suspend or remove a partner for safety violations, repeated cancellations, customer complaints, fraudulent activity, or any breach of these Terms.

7. Pricing, fees & taxes

• All prices are displayed inclusive of applicable taxes unless stated otherwise. Goods and services taxes (GST) are charged in accordance with Indian law and reflected on your order summary or invoice.
• Platform fee. Every grocery and restaurant order includes a small platform fee that helps cover the cost of running the marketplace, supporting customers, and processing payments. The applicable platform fee for your order is shown in the bill breakdown on the cart screen, along with any promotional discount that may apply to it. Goods and services tax (GST) at the prevailing rate (currently 18%) is charged on the platform fee in accordance with Indian law and is itemised on your invoice.
• Delivery fees are calculated based on distance and may include a base fee, per-kilometre fee, and applicable surge during peak hours, weather, or low partner availability. The total delivery fee, together with GST charged on it, is shown before you confirm the order.
• Transport fares are calculated on distance and time, with applicable surcharges for night-time, waiting, toll, or out-of-area drops.
• Zippiq may revise pricing structures, commissions, platform fees, and other fees from time to time. The fee in force at the moment you confirm the order is the fee that applies to that order; material changes for future orders will be communicated in advance.

8. Payments

Online payments are processed by third-party payment service providers (such as Razorpay) operating under RBI guidelines. Zippiq does not store full card details. Cash on delivery may be available at the discretion of the vendor and partner. Failed payments are auto-reversed by the payment provider as per their standard timelines.

9. Cancellations & refunds

• Customer cancellation before vendor acceptance: free of charge; any prepaid amount is refunded in full.
• Customer cancellation after vendor acceptance: a cancellation fee may apply, particularly for food preparation or perishable items already in progress. The applicable fee is shown before you confirm cancellation.
• Vendor or partner cancellation / non-fulfilment: any prepaid amount is refunded in full and you may receive an alternative quote where available.
• Partial availability: if a vendor delivers fewer items than ordered, the unfilled portion is refunded.
• Quality complaints: raise a complaint within 24 hours of delivery. Eligible refunds are processed at our discretion after review.
• Refund timeline: approved refunds are initiated to your original payment method within 5–7 working days; the time taken to reach your bank or wallet depends on your issuing bank.
• Transport ride cancellations follow the same principle: free before driver acceptance; a cancellation fee may apply after driver dispatch.

10. Delivery & shipping

• Service area: the pilot delivery and transport service is currently operational in Karunagappally, Kerala. Coverage may expand from time to time and is shown to you in-app based on your address.
• Delivery scope: deliveries occur within a vendor’s configured radius. Drop-off locations outside the radius cannot be served.
• Transport scope: pick-up locations must be within the service area. Drop-off can be anywhere, subject to fare and applicable charges shown before you confirm.
• Estimated time of arrival (ETA): ETAs are estimates based on real-time information and may vary due to traffic, weather, vendor preparation time, or partner availability.
• Undeliverable orders: if you are unreachable or unavailable at the delivery address after reasonable attempts, the order may be cancelled. Perishable items may not be refundable in such cases.

11. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful, fraudulent, or harmful purpose.
• Place fraudulent or duplicate orders, abuse refund or cancellation policies, or misuse promotional codes.
• Misrepresent your identity, business, vehicle, or licence; impersonate another person; or create multiple accounts to evade restrictions.
• Reverse engineer, scrape, copy, or otherwise extract data from the Platform other than as expressly permitted.
• Interfere with the operation of the Platform, including by uploading malware or attempting to gain unauthorised access.

12. AI & synthetic content

Parts of the Platform use AI and machine-learning systems to parse spoken and photographed shopping lists, structure orders, match vendors, score quotes, and moderate content. You acknowledge that automated systems may not always be accurate and that Zippiq does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or suitability of AI-generated outputs or recommendations.

You agree not to upload or share Synthetic Content that:

• impersonates Zippiq personnel, vendors, partners, or other Users;
• misrepresents a real individual, business, event, or communication;
• fabricates reviews, ratings, complaints, or evidence;
• simulates customer-support exchanges or transactional confirmations;
• generates fake order receipts, delivery proofs, or KYC documents;
• facilitates fraud, defamation, harassment, or any unlawful purpose.

“Synthetic Content” means AI-generated, digitally altered, machine-generated, or algorithmically manipulated audio, video, image, text, or communication intended to resemble real individuals, businesses, events, or communications. Where applicable law requires disclosure of AI-generated content, you must comply. Zippiq may label, demote, remove, or take down Synthetic Content, suspend accounts that distribute it, and cooperate with regulators or law-enforcement authorities as required.

13. Intellectual property, content licence & counterfeits

The Zippiq name, logo, software, designs, and content are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by Indian and international intellectual property laws. You may not use them without prior written permission. Vendors are responsible for the content of their listings. If you believe a listing infringes your intellectual property or sells counterfeit goods, write to support@zippiq.in with proof of ownership and the listing details for review and takedown.

Licence to your content.When you submit content to the Platform — voice clips, photos of shopping lists, typed orders, reviews, ratings, in-chat messages, listing photos (for vendors) — you grant Zippiq a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, sublicensable licence to host, store, display, reproduce, analyse, and modify that content for the purposes of operating, improving, and promoting the Platform. This licence specifically includes the right to use de-identified content to train and improve Zippiq’s AI and machine-learning systems (for example, the local-grocery intent parser learning from your corrections). You represent that you own or are otherwise authorised to grant this licence and that your content does not violate anyone else’s rights.

14. Disclaimers & limitation of liability

The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Zippiq is not liable for product quality, food safety, delivery delays caused by third parties, transport incidents, or disputes between customers and vendors or partners. Our aggregate liability for any claim arising out of or in connection with the Platform shall not exceed the total amounts paid by you to Zippiq in the three (3) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

Force majeure. Zippiq shall not be liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, government actions, pandemics, cyber-attacks, infrastructure failures, internet or utility outages, strikes, civil unrest, or third-party service-provider disruptions (including payment gateways and SMS / WhatsApp providers).

15. Governing law & dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. The parties shall first attempt to resolve any dispute amicably through Zippiq’s grievance redressal process described below. If a dispute cannot be resolved that way within thirty (30) days, it shall be referred to binding arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, conducted in English by a sole arbitrator, with the seat and venue at Kollam, Kerala. Subject to the arbitration provisions above and to mandatory consumer-law jurisdiction rules, the courts at Kollam, Kerala shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any matter arising out of or in connection with these Terms.

No class actions. To the extent permitted by applicable law, you and Zippiq agree to pursue disputes individually. You waive any right to participate in class actions, representative actions, or collective proceedings against Zippiq. Nothing in this clause limits any non-waivable consumer right available to you under Indian law.

16. Grievance redressal

In accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, the rules framed thereunder, and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, the contact details of our Grievance Officer are:

We will acknowledge complaints within 48 hours and endeavour to resolve them within 30 days of receipt, in line with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.

17. Changes to terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified through the app, email, or a notice on the website. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of the change constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

18. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at support@zippiq.in.