Terms of Use

User agreement

Please read this agreement carefully before accessing or using this service. This agreement sets out the terms and conditions under which you may use the website Homebuddies.com.au. By accessing or using this service, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions below. Home Buddies may revise these terms and conditions at any time by updating this posting. You should visit this page periodically to review the terms and conditions. Your continued use of this Web Site following the posting of any changes to the Terms and Conditions constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Definitions

The term “buddy” or “buddies” refers to individuals or businesses advertising their services on the Home Buddies website.

The term “customers” and “employers” refers to Users of the site wishing to employ the services of a buddy.

The term “users” refers to “buddies”, “customers” and “advertisers” of www.homebuddies.com.au.

The term “matching service” refers to the online matching of domestic service personnel and/or tutors with persons wishing to employ domestic service personnel and/or tutors.

The terms “site” and “website” refers to www.homebuddies.com.au

The term “the company” means Home Buddies.

The term “home service professionals” refers to businesses listed on the website.

1. Buddies & Customers

1.1. To become a Buddy and/ or Customer you must register your details online, agree to the terms of use and acknowledge the privacy statement. Buddies and customers must be aged 18 years or over.
1.2. Buddies of foreign citizenship must be legally entitled to work in Australia as granted by DIMIA.
1.3. Once you are registered, you are able to update or alter your information as necessary.

2. Password and Login

2.1. When you register your details and become a Buddy and/or Customer you will be provided with a password and login name.
2.2. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your password and for activities occurring under your account.
2.3. Be sure to notify us if you believe your account is being accessed by others.
2.4. Each user must register separately. You may not loan your user name and password to others. You may not use another person's account without their authorization. 

3. Buddy Material

3.1. The Buddy warrants ownership of or authority to supply all text, trademarks, artworks and other material given to Home Buddies.
3.2. The Buddy grants Home Buddies a license to copy, display and modify the member’s material for the purpose of the service only.
3.3. No Intellectual property rights are created by the Buddy’s use of the Home Buddies Website.
3.4. Buddy’s agree to comply with Home Buddies Editorial Policy that forms part of these Terms of Use. The Company may remove, revise or refuse to publish any material supplied by a Buddy.

4. Guarantee and Confidentiality

4.1. Home Buddies does not guarantee the success of any website or other service.
4.2. All account information provided by the Buddy and/or Customer will be kept confidential. Home Buddies will use reasonable efforts to keep information about Users secure and ensure that Home Buddies agents and employees who have access to the information do not make unauthorized use, modification, reproduction or disclosure of that information.

5. Acceptable Site use

5.1. As a Buddy and/or Customer of homebuddies.com.au, you are connecting to a community of other Users and must act in a way that does not interfere with the website or other Users in any manner.
5.2. Users may not use the Website in order to transmit, copy, distribute, store or destroy any kind of material
(a) in violation of any applicable law or regulation
(b) in a manner that will infringe the copyright, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property rights of others or violate the privacy, publicity or other personal rights of others
(c) that is defamatory, obscene, threatening, abusive or hateful.
5.3. Users are prohibited from violating or attempting to violate the security of the Website, including, without limitation,
(a) accessing data not intended for such user or logging into a server or account which the user is not authorized to access
(b) attempting to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of a system or network or to breach security or authentication measures without proper authorization
(c) attempting to interfere with service to any user, host or network, including, without limitation, via means of submitting a virus  to the Website, overloading, “flooding,” “spamming,” “mailbombing” or “crashing,”
(d) sending unsolicited e-mail, including promotions and/or advertising of products  or services, or
(e) forging any TCP/IP packet header or any part of the header  information in any e-mail or newsgroup posting.
5.4. Violations of system or network security may result in civil or criminal liability. Home Buddies will investigate occurrences that may involve such violations and may involve, and cooperate with, law enforcement authorities in prosecuting any and all Persons who may be involved in such violations.

6. Specific Prohibited Uses

6.1. The Website may be used only for lawful purposes by: (i) individuals and businesses seeking to advertise their services (ii) Customers wishing to employ the services of such (iii)  Advertisers promoting their services.
6.2. Home Buddies specifically prohibits any use of the Website, and all Users agree not to use the Website, for any of the following purposes:

• Posting any incomplete, false or inaccurate biographical information.
• Deleting or revising any material posted by any other Person.
• Ratings and feedback on service providers can only be posted by customers; service providers and/or their officers are strictly prohibited from posting feedback and ratings about their own services. Providers who are found to breech this condition will be removed from the Home Buddies website.
• Taking any action which imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on this Website’s infrastructure.
• Disclosing to or sharing with a Person who is not an Authorized User a password by which such non-Authorized User may gain access to any private site area of this Website.
• Attempting to decipher, decompile, disassemble or reverse engineer any of the software comprising, available on, or in any way making up a part of the Website.
• Using any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of this Website or any activity being conducted on this website.
• Using or attempting to use any engine, software, tool, agent or other device or mechanism (including, without limitation, browsers, spiders, robots, avatars or intelligent agents) to navigate or search this Website other than the search engine and search agents available from Home Buddies on this Website and other than generally  available third-party web browsers (e.g., Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Explorer).
• Aggregating, copying or duplicating in any manner any of the Website Content.
• Framing of or linking to any of the Website Content.

7. Home Buddies’ Liability

7.1. Home buddies provides information and services that may be used to find, select and connect with home services professionals.
7.2. Home Buddies is a venue and database directory only. As such, Home Buddies expressly disclaims any liability that may arise between Users of this site.
7.3. Home buddies does not screen Buddies who post their information on the website. Home Buddies will only provide a background check, comprising of a Police Check and/or WWCC,  on a Buddy when expressly asked to do so by a User. Those requesting a background check are required to pay for this additional service, and a check is only conducted with the permission of the person being checked.
7.4. It is understood by the users of this site that interviews, bookings, appointment of employment, schedules and pre-employment screening is the sole responsibility of the Users.
7.5. Neither Home Buddies nor any of its officers or employees undertake to screen listings offered.
7.6. Home Buddies is not involved in the actual transaction between prospective employers and the respective service providers. Therefore, Home Buddies has no control over the quality, safety or legality of the profiles posted, the truth or accuracy of the listings, the ability of prospective employers to offer job opportunities to providers or the ability of the providers to fill employment positions.
7.7. Home Buddies does not provide any assurance or guarantee that those seeking employment or contract work as a home service professional will find such employment; likewise, Home Buddies does not provide any assurance or guarantee that those persons seeking to engage the services of any home service professional will be successful in doing so. 
7.8. Users of this website acknowledge and understand that there are risks, including but not limited to the risk of physical harm, of dealing with strangers, foreign nationals, underage persons, or people acting under false pretenses. Each User of this Website assumes all risks associated with his or her dealings with other Users of the Website and any person who may be contacted directly or indirectly by way of the Website.
7.9. Customers should carefully screen, interview, and conduct background investigations on any person(s) identified on this Website with whom this customer may undertake to enter into a business or personal relationship.
7.10. Users acknowledge and agree that they are solely responsible for the form, content and accuracy of any resume, profile or material contained therein placed by themselves on the Website.
7.11. Home Buddies is not to be considered to be an employer with respect to use of the Website and Home Buddies shall not be responsible for any employment decisions.
7.12. The site homebuddies.com.au and material provided by the website is on an “as is” basis without any warranty or condition, express or implied.
7.13. Homebuddies.com.au does not guarantee continuous, secure or uninterrupted access to the website and its services. Homebuddes.com.au does not warrant that the site and its server are free from viruses, Trojan horses, worms or other harmful mechanisms.
7.14. Homebuddies.com.au and its Users are not legally affiliated in any way by virtue of membership or use of the site and information contained therein other than by the Terms of Use. No partnerships, joint venture, employer-employee, franchisee-franchiser, agency or independent contractor relationship is intended or created by these Terms of Use.
7.15. The Customer acknowledges and agrees that they, he or she do not rely on any representation made by Home Buddies as to the suitability of any home service professional when engaged for work purposes.
7.16. The Customer accepts that any decision that he or she makes to engage a home service professional has been based entirely on his or her own experience, enquiries, investigations and/or knowledge, however gained, of such person or business.
7.17. All Users agree to indemnify Home Buddies and keep indemnified, for all claims arising out of any relationship or connection between Home Buddies and the Users for injury, loss or damage, however caused and whether the conduct is criminal or otherwise.

8. Return / Refund Policy

8.1. The Free subscription has no contract and buddies can update, upgrade or remove their listing at any time.
8.2. Home Buddies acknowledges that there may be times where a suspension of an advertising subscription may be applicable depending on the special individual circumstances of the business. Such suspension is available with one month's notice and minus the administration fees, credit card processing fees and handling fees.
8.3. Any incorrect amount charged to a credit card will be refunded and the correct amount charged, if applicable.

9. Copyright and Use of Information.

9.1. The content of this website and other material provided for Users remains the intellectual property of Home Buddies and is protected by copyright.
9.2. Users may not copy, download, redesign, reconfigure or retransmit anything for the Home Buddies site without the express permission of Home Buddies.
9.3. Users may view and download the information on the Website solely for their own personal, noncommercial use.
9.4. Information provided by Home Buddies on this website is of a general nature only and does not take into account any circumstances of specific individual’s needs and requirements.
9.5.Home Buddies does not claim that the information supplied for use by Users of this site is complete or without error. Home Buddies encourages individuals to seek further information in relation to their specific requirements and needs.

10. Fees and Services

10.1. Buddies can list their services for free.

• Business name
• Location
• State
• Phone and Mobile Contact Number
• Link to website
• Qualifications/licenses
• Keyword service description
• Detailed services profile
• Business logo or photo
• Two promotional photos
• Star ratings and customer testimonials
• Home Buddies account to access and update your details at anytime

10.2. Home Service professionals are able to purchase a subscription membership using Home Buddies Online payment system.
10.3. All fees stated are in Australian Dollars (AUD) and are GST Exclusive.
10.4. The credit card payment gateway facility is provided by E-way and the National Australia Bank using the National Secure Internet Payment Service and SSL technology. Transactions made through the home Buddies website use 128 bit encryption to safeguard your personal and credit card details.

11. Background Checks

11.1.  Home Buddies conduct background checks, comprising of National Police Checks and  WWCCs, on candidates when expressly asked to do so by a Home Buddies user.
11.2. Home Buddies background checking service is an add-on, fee-based service provided for Users.
11.3. Home Buddies background checks derive information from public records for the purpose of providing our clients with a pre-employment screening check.
11.4. Home Buddies and its designated agents strictly adheres to the Privacy Act (Cth) 1988, Equal Employment Opportunity principles and to the Anti-discrimination Act 1977 which relates to fair employment opportunities for all regardless of age, race, pregnancy, marital status and gender.
11.5. An objective approach to hiring will facilitate the proper use of the pre-employment screening reports.
11.6. Upon acceptance of these Terms of Use, the User contracts Home Buddies to conduct background checks on their behalf and agrees to the following conditions:

(a) The information provided must be used for employment purposes only, including hiring, promotion, reassignment and retention of employees. The information in the investigative report is intended for the User and shall not be disclosed or released to a third party.
(b) Investigative reports contain sensitive information. The security and dissemination of this information will be the responsibility of the User. Necessary precautions include the secure handling of electronic and hard copy reports including their destruction when no longer necessary.
(c) The User agrees to inform the applicant/employee that pre-employment screening will be conducted and as part of the process, the applicant/employee will need to provide further information and consents for the background check to commence.
(d) Home Buddies make every effort to ensure the accuracy of information gathered; however, Home Buddies relies on information from third party sources such as public records obtained from local, state and federal government offices and other organizations
(e) Stated turnaround times reflect the average duration between the receipt of an application form and payment, and the receipt of information from third party sources. Extraordinary circumstances may alter these times for any report.
(f) Home Buddies is responsible for furnishing the requested information. It is understood that the final decision to hire, promote or retain an employee is at the discretion of the User.
(g) All investigative reports will remain the intellectual property of Home Buddies. Reports are stored as electronic and hard copy files, and they are available for access under the Freedom of Information Act.