Terms of Service

Part A. Terms that apply to everyone

1. Who we are and how to contact us

1.1 EPlanit is a service operated by the EPlanit founding team, based in London ("EPlanit", "we", "us", "our"). EPlanit is in the process of incorporating as a limited company in England and Wales; the company name, company number and registered office will be published here on incorporation.

1.2 You can reach us at hello@eplanit.co.uk. We aim to reply to messages within one working day, and in any event within five working days.

1.3 We are not currently VAT registered. Where these terms refer to a sum being exclusive or inclusive of VAT, that meaning applies only for so long as we are VAT registered.

2. These terms, and the other documents that form part of them

2.1 These Terms of Service are a legally binding agreement between you and EPlanit. They apply every time you access or use the EPlanit website, create an account, post a brief, list as a supplier, send a message through the platform, or make or accept a booking.

2.2 The following documents are incorporated into these terms by reference and form part of your agreement with us. Where there is a conflict, the order of precedence is as listed:

• these Terms of Service;

• the Fees and Commission Statement, which sets out what we charge and when;

• the Refund and Cancellation Policy, which sets out what happens when a booking does not go ahead;

• the Role and Liability Statement, which sets out what we are responsible for and what we are not;

• the Privacy Policy, which sets out how we handle personal data.

2.3 By creating an account you confirm that you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, you must not use EPlanit.

2.4 You must be at least 18 years old and have legal capacity to enter into a contract to use EPlanit.

3. Definitions

4. What EPlanit is, and what it is not

4.1 EPlanit is a marketplace that introduces Planners to event Suppliers. We currently support eight supplier categories: balloon decorator, cake maker, caterer, DJ, florist, magician, photographer and venue, together with the subcategories listed on the Platform.

4.2 We are an introduction and coordination service. We are not an event supplier, a venue, a caterer, an entertainment agency, an insurer, or a party to the contract for services between a Planner and a Supplier, except where clause 4.4 applies. The contract for the event services themselves is between the Planner and the Supplier.

4.3 We do not employ Suppliers. Suppliers are independent businesses. They set their own prices, their own deposit terms, their own availability and their own travel radius, and they decide which work to accept.

4.4 On an EPlanit-led brief we take a more active role: we source and shortlist Suppliers, we coordinate between the parties, and we charge a planning fee for doing so. Even then, the contract for the event services remains between the Planner and the Supplier, and our responsibility is limited to performing the coordination service itself with reasonable care and skill. The Role and Liability Statement explains this boundary in full.

4.5 Nothing on the Platform is a recommendation, endorsement or guarantee of any Supplier, beyond what the verification badge expressly means in clause 8.

5. Your account

5.1 To use most of the Platform you must create an account. You must give accurate information and keep it up to date.

5.2 You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure and for everything done through your account. Tell us straight away at hello@eplanit.co.uk if you think someone else has accessed it.

5.3 You may hold both a Planner account and a Supplier profile on the same login. One person or business may hold only one Supplier profile unless we agree otherwise in writing.

5.4 You may close your account at any time. Closing your account does not end any Booking you have already made, or any obligation to pay fees already incurred.

6. Messaging through the Platform

6.1 The Platform provides a messaging thread between a Planner and a Supplier. All enquiries, quotes and negotiations relating to a Booking must take place in that thread until the Booking is confirmed.

6.2 We may read, store and retain messages in order to operate the service, to support users, to resolve disputes, to detect breaches of these terms including attempts to take a booking off the Platform, and to comply with the law. Messages are retained as described in the Privacy Policy.

6.3 You must not use the messaging system to send abusive, harassing, discriminatory, misleading or unlawful content, to send unsolicited marketing, or to solicit users to a competing platform.

6.4 You must not use the messaging system to circumvent the Platform. Clause 12 sets out what that means and what happens if you do.

7. Briefs

7.1 A Planner may post a Brief describing their event. A Brief includes the event type, the date or timeframe, start and end times, any alternative dates, the location, the categories of supplier wanted, a budget and a description.

7.2 When posting a Brief the Planner chooses how it is handled: self-served, or EPlanit-led. The choice determines which fees apply. See the Fees and Commission Statement.

7.3 A Brief is a request for interest. It is not an offer capable of acceptance and it does not commit the Planner to book anyone.

7.4 A Planner must not post a Brief for an event they do not intend to hold, or use Briefs to gather pricing intelligence for a competing business.

7.5 We may decline to publish, or may remove, a Brief that is incomplete, unlawful, discriminatory, or which we reasonably believe is not a genuine enquiry.

8. Supplier profiles, and what "verified" means

8.1 A Supplier profile shows the business name, category and subcategories, a biography, a location, a travel radius, a starting price, a deposit policy and a portfolio of images.

8.2 Some Suppliers display a verified badge. The badge means only that we have carried out the checks described in the Role and Liability Statement. It is not a guarantee of quality, safety, solvency, punctuality, insurance cover in force on the day, or suitability for a particular event.

8.3 A starting price is an indication of the lowest price at which a Supplier will normally work. It is not a quote and it does not bind either party.

8.4 A travel radius is an indication of how far a Supplier will normally travel. It does not oblige them to accept work anywhere within it.

9. How a Booking is made

9.1 A Booking is formed when a Supplier accepts a Planner's request at an agreed price and scope through the Platform, and the Planner pays the deposit, or the full Booking Value where no deposit applies.

9.2 Until both of those things have happened there is no Booking, and neither party is committed. A quote alone does not create a Booking.

9.3 The scope of what has been agreed is the description in the confirmed request, together with anything expressly agreed in the messaging thread. A Supplier may also apply their own additional terms, provided those terms are disclosed to the Planner before the Booking is made and do not conflict with these terms or reduce a consumer's statutory rights.

9.4 We will send both parties a confirmation recording what has been agreed. That confirmation is a record of the Booking, not a separate contract with us.

10. Prices and payment

10.1 The Supplier sets the price. The Booking Value is the total agreed between the Planner and the Supplier.

10.2 All payments for Bookings must be made through the Platform. We use Stripe Connect to process payments and to pay Suppliers. By using the Platform you also agree to Stripe's applicable terms, and Suppliers agree to complete Stripe's identity and business verification before they can be paid.

10.3 We collect the Booking Value from the Planner and pay it to the Supplier after deducting our commission, in accordance with the Fees and Commission Statement.

10.4 A deposit is payable at the point of Booking. The Supplier sets the deposit level in their profile. Deposits are non-refundable except where the Refund and Cancellation Policy says otherwise.

10.5 The balance of the Booking Value is payable by the date set out in the Refund and Cancellation Policy. If the balance is not paid by then, the Supplier may treat the Booking as cancelled by the Planner and the cancellation ladder applies.

10.6 We do not hold client money as a trustee and we are not a bank. Funds are held and moved by Stripe under its own regulatory permissions.

11. Deposits, cancellations and refunds

11.1 What happens when a Booking does not go ahead is governed by the Refund and Cancellation Policy, which forms part of these terms.

11.2 In summary, and subject to that policy: deposits are non-refundable if the Planner cancels; a tiered cancellation charge applies depending on how close to the event the cancellation happens; and if the Supplier cancels, the Planner receives a full refund including the deposit.

11.3 Nothing in these terms or that policy removes or limits a consumer's statutory rights.

12. Keeping bookings on the Platform

12.1 We invest in finding Suppliers work and in giving Planners a safe way to pay. In return, if you are introduced to someone through EPlanit, the resulting Booking must be made and paid for through the Platform.

12.2 You must not, during the period from your first contact through the Platform until 12 months after that contact:

• share or request personal contact details, or direct payment details, before a Booking is confirmed, in order to take the transaction off the Platform;

• agree or arrange for the event services to be booked or paid for outside the Platform; or

• accept or offer a discount that is conditional on going off-platform.

12.3 If you breach clause 12.2 we may suspend or close your account, and we may charge a circumvention fee equal to the commission we would have earned on the Booking, or £250, whichever is the higher.

12.4 Clause 12.2 does not prevent a Planner and Supplier exchanging the contact details they need to deliver an event once a Booking has been confirmed and paid for through the Platform.

12A. Equipment hire

12A.1 Some Suppliers hire out equipment (for example sound systems, lighting, furniture, marquees) rather than provide a service. A hire arranged through the Platform is a Booking, and these terms apply, with the additions in this section.

12A.2 The Supplier’s item list shows day rates, quantities, minimum hire periods and any deposit. A hire request sent through the Platform is not a Booking until the Supplier’s quote is accepted.

12A.3 The Supplier is responsible for the equipment being safe, fit for purpose and, where electrical, tested (PAT) and in good working order at handover, and for any delivery, collection or set-up they agree to provide. Those terms are as stated in the quote.

12A.4 The Planner is responsible for the equipment from handover until it is returned or collected, must use it only as intended, and must return it in the condition received. Loss or damage beyond fair wear and tear is the Planner’s responsibility up to the value stated in the quote or, if none is stated, the reasonable repair or replacement cost.

12A.5 A Supplier may require a damage deposit, stated in the quote. Once on-platform payments are live, damage deposits are held by us and released within 7 days of return unless the Supplier reports damage, with evidence, within 48 hours of return; we then hold the disputed amount while both sides resolve it under section 26.

12A.6 If the quote says so, additional day rates apply for late return.

12A.7 Hire between private individuals is not currently offered on the Platform.

12B. The EPlanit Grant and Community Fund

12B.1 EPlanit runs a Community Fund. It is built from a share of the commission we earn (currently 1%), voluntary round-ups and donations made when paying through the Platform, application fees for the EPlanit Grant where a fee applies, and a pledge from EPlanit of the first 20% of each fund target. Grants are awarded when the fund reaches the published target for the round; half of each target is given as the grant and the rest seeds the next round. The fund is held by EPlanit and used only for grants and their direct costs; the current balance and every grant paid are published on the Giving back page.

12B.2 The EPlanit Grant is awarded on merit by a panel against published criteria. There is no element of chance, and it is not a lottery, prize draw or competition of chance. Applying does not affect your position on the Platform in any way.

12B.3 Where an application fee applies, it is stated before you apply, the whole fee goes into the Community Fund, and it is not refundable once the round has closed. If a round is cancelled before it closes, fees for that round are refunded.

12B.4 If you win, we may publish your name (or organisation) and what the grant was used for only if you agreed to that when applying.

13. Content you post

13.1 You keep ownership of the images, text and other content you upload, including portfolio images and profile biographies.

13.2 You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, resize and display that content for the purpose of operating, improving and promoting the Platform. This licence continues for content that remains visible on the Platform, and ends within a reasonable period after you remove the content or close your account.

13.3 You confirm you own the content or have permission to use it, that it does not infringe anyone's rights, and that you have the consent of any identifiable person shown in an image where consent is required.

13.4 You must not upload content that is unlawful, misleading, defamatory, obscene, discriminatory, or that misrepresents work as your own when it is not.

13.5 We may remove content that breaches these terms.

14. Acceptable use

14.1 You must not misuse the Platform. In particular you must not:

• impersonate anyone, or misrepresent your business, qualifications, insurance or affiliations;

• post fake, incentivised or misleading reviews or testimonials;

• scrape, harvest or bulk-extract data, including supplier contact details or pricing;

• attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Platform or to another user's account;

• introduce malicious code, or attempt to disrupt or overload the service;

• use the Platform for money laundering, fraud, or any unlawful purpose;

• discriminate against a user on the basis of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

Part B. Additional terms for Planners

15. Your responsibilities as a Planner

15.1 Give accurate information in your Brief. Suppliers quote on what you tell them. A material change to guest numbers, timings, venue access or location may entitle a Supplier to revise their price or to decline.

15.2 Make sure the Supplier has what they need on the day, including access, parking where relevant, power, a suitable working area, and any permissions the venue requires.

15.3 Check the Supplier's own terms before booking, including their deposit policy and anything they require of you.

15.4 Pay the deposit and the balance on time.

15.5 Treat Suppliers and their staff with respect. We may close the account of any user who is abusive, threatening or discriminatory.

16. What we do and do not check for you

16.1 We carry out the checks set out in the Role and Liability Statement. We do not attend events, supervise Suppliers, or inspect food, equipment, vehicles or premises.

16.2 You are responsible for satisfying yourself that a Supplier is right for your event, including asking to see current insurance, food hygiene ratings, DBS certificates, PAT testing or risk assessments where those matter to you.

16.3 Where a Supplier will work with children or vulnerable adults, you should ask to see a current DBS certificate. We do not obtain, hold or verify DBS certificates unless we expressly say so on the Supplier's profile.

17. EPlanit-led briefs

17.1 If you choose the EPlanit-led route we will source and shortlist Suppliers, coordinate quotes and help arrange the Booking. A planning fee applies as set out in the Fees and Commission Statement.

17.2 We will perform that coordination service with reasonable care and skill. We do not guarantee that a suitable Supplier will be found, that any particular Supplier will be available, or that quotes will fall within your budget.

17.3 You remain the contracting party with each Supplier. We do not contract with Suppliers on your behalf unless we expressly agree in writing to do so.

17.4 The planning fee is earned when we deliver the shortlist. Whether and when it is refundable is set out in the Refund and Cancellation Policy.

18. Your rights as a consumer

18.1 If you are a consumer, you have statutory rights that these terms do not affect. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 services must be performed with reasonable care and skill, within a reasonable time, and for a reasonable price where none was agreed.

18.2 Under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 you normally have 14 days to cancel a contract made at a distance. An important exception applies to events: contracts for services connected with leisure activities which provide for a specific date or period of performance are excluded from that right. Most event Bookings fall within that exception. The Refund and Cancellation Policy explains where the right does and does not apply.

18.3 Our planning fee for an EPlanit-led brief is a service we provide to you directly, and the 14-day right may apply to it. If you ask us to begin work within the 14-day period, you may be required to pay for the work done up to the point you cancel.

Part C. Additional terms for Suppliers

19. Eligibility and your listing

19.1 You may list on EPlanit only if you are a genuine business trading lawfully in the United Kingdom, and you are able to supply the services you advertise.

19.2 Your profile must be accurate. Your business name must be the name you trade under, your category and subcategories must reflect the work you actually do, your starting price must be a genuine indication, and your portfolio must show your own work.

19.3 You must hold and maintain the licences, registrations, qualifications and insurance appropriate to your category. Depending on what you do, that may include public liability insurance, employer's liability insurance, a food business registration and food hygiene rating, a premises or alcohol licence, PAT testing of electrical equipment, and a current DBS certificate where you work unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults.

19.4 You must tell us promptly if any of those lapse, or if you are subject to an enforcement action, prohibition notice or hygiene rating below 3.

20. Your obligations on a Booking

20.1 Respond to enquiries promptly, and keep your availability accurate.

20.2 Quote clearly, including what is and is not included, travel charges, and any assumptions about access, timings or guest numbers.

20.3 Perform the services with reasonable care and skill, on the agreed date, to the agreed scope.

20.4 You are responsible for your own staff, subcontractors, equipment, vehicles, tax and National Insurance. Nothing in these terms creates an employment relationship, partnership or agency between you and us.

20.5 You must not cancel a confirmed Booking except for reasons outside your control. Supplier cancellation is treated seriously and is dealt with in the Refund and Cancellation Policy and clause 22.

20.6 If you cannot attend, tell the Planner and us immediately. Where you propose a replacement Supplier, the Planner must agree to the replacement, and you remain responsible for performance unless the Planner enters a new Booking with the replacement.

21. Commission and payment to you

21.1 We charge commission on every Booking made through the Platform: 7% of the Booking Value on a self-served Booking, and 15% of the Booking Value on an EPlanit-led Booking. The Planner separately pays a 10% planning fee on an EPlanit-led brief. Full detail, including VAT treatment and payout timing, is in the Fees and Commission Statement.

21.2 Commission is deducted before payout. You will be paid the Booking Value less commission, through Stripe Connect, to the bank account on your Stripe account.

21.3 You must complete Stripe's verification before you can receive any payout. We are not responsible for delays caused by incomplete Stripe verification.

21.4 You must not ask a Planner to pay you directly, offer a discount for paying off-platform, or invoice a Planner outside the Platform for services introduced through it. See clause 12.

21.5 You are responsible for issuing any VAT invoice you are required to issue to the Planner, and for accounting for VAT on the Booking Value.

22. Supplier cancellation and reliability

22.1 If you cancel a confirmed Booking, the Planner is entitled to a full refund including the deposit, and we may:

• recover from you any sums we have already paid out on that Booking;

• charge you a cancellation fee as set out in the Fees and Commission Statement;

• remove your verified badge, reduce your visibility in search, or suspend or close your profile.

22.2 Repeated late cancellation, non-attendance, or failure to respond to confirmed Planners is a material breach of these terms.

Part D. Suspension, liability and general terms

23. Suspension and termination

23.1 We may suspend or close your account, remove content, or withdraw access to the Platform if we reasonably believe you have breached these terms, if we are required to by law, or if we reasonably believe your continued use presents a risk to other users.

23.2 Where it is practicable and lawful to do so, we will tell you why and give you an opportunity to respond. Where the breach is serious, including fraud, safety risk or abuse, we may act immediately.

23.3 We may withdraw or discontinue the Platform, or any part of it, on reasonable notice. Bookings already confirmed will be honoured or refunded.

23.4 Clauses that by their nature should survive termination do so, including clauses 12, 13.2, 24, 25, 26 and 28.

24. Our liability

24.1 The Role and Liability Statement sets out our responsibilities in full and forms part of these terms. This clause is a summary of the position.

24.2 We do not exclude or limit our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

24.3 We are not liable for the acts or omissions of a Supplier or a Planner, for the quality, safety, legality or timeliness of event services, or for loss arising from a Booking that does not go ahead, except to the extent that loss is caused by our own breach.

24.4 Subject to clause 24.2, our total liability to you arising out of or in connection with a Booking is limited to the greater of the total fees we received in connection with that Booking and £250. Our total liability to you in any 12-month period in connection with the Platform generally is limited to the greater of the total fees we received from you in that period and £500.

24.5 Subject to clause 24.2, we are not liable for loss of profit, loss of business, loss of anticipated savings, or loss of opportunity. Where you are a consumer, we are not liable for losses that were not foreseeable at the time the contract was made.

25. Indemnity

25.1 If you are a Supplier or are otherwise using the Platform for business purposes, you will indemnify us against losses, claims and reasonable costs we suffer arising from your breach of these terms, your negligence, your infringement of a third party's rights, or a claim brought by a Planner in respect of services you supplied.

25.2 This clause does not apply to Planners acting as consumers.

26. Complaints and disputes

26.1 If something goes wrong, tell us at hello@eplanit.co.uk. We will acknowledge within 2 working days and aim to respond substantively within 10 working days.

26.2 Disputes about the event services themselves are between the Planner and the Supplier. We will help by providing the messaging record and the Booking confirmation, and on an EPlanit-led Booking we will actively assist in resolving the matter.

26.3 Where we hold funds that are the subject of a dispute, we may hold them until the dispute is resolved or we are satisfied who is entitled to them.

26.4 Nothing in this clause prevents you from taking legal action or, if you are a consumer, from using an alternative dispute resolution scheme.

27. Changes to these terms

27.1 We may change these terms. If a change is material we will give you at least 30 days' notice by email and by notice on the Platform.

27.2 The terms that apply to a Booking are those in force when the Booking was made.

27.3 If you do not accept a change, you may close your account before it takes effect.

28. General

28.1 Whole agreement. These terms and the documents listed in clause 2.2 are the whole agreement between you and us in relation to the Platform.

28.2 Assignment. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another business, and will tell you if we do. You may not transfer yours without our written consent.

28.3 Third parties. No one other than you and us has any right to enforce these terms under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

28.4 Severance. If any provision is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, the rest continues in force.

28.5 No waiver. A delay in enforcing these terms is not a waiver of our right to do so later.

28.6 Notices. We will contact you using the email address on your account. You should contact us at hello@eplanit.co.uk.

29. Governing law

29.1 These terms and any dispute arising out of them are governed by the law of England and Wales.

29.2 The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, except that if you are a consumer resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland you may also bring proceedings in your local courts.