Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions (Terms) apply to the AfroPacific mobile app, the website at afropacific.co.zw, and the services we provide through them (together, the platform).

The platform is operated by AfroPacific Investments (Private) Limited, registration number 134859A0582026, registered address 6626 Zimre Way, Zimre Park, Ruwa, VAT registration number 2000820760 (AfroPacific, we, us). You means the person using the platform.

You accept these Terms when you create an account. If you are a customer, you also accept them, together with the quotation itself, each time you accept a quotation. If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the platform.

Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal data. It forms part of these Terms.

Sending an enquiry or a job application through the website does not create a contract. A contract for work or goods is formed only when you accept a quotation or place an order, as described below.

You must be 18 or older and legally able to enter into a binding contract. If you use the platform on behalf of a business, you confirm that you have authority to bind that business to these Terms.

• Give us accurate and current information, and keep it up to date.
• Keep your password private. Do not share your account with anyone.
• You are responsible for what is done through your account, unless it happens because of our failure to keep it secure.
• Tell us immediately at support@afropacific.co.zw if you think someone else has used your account.

• Customers request quotations, accept them, pay for work and goods, confirm completed stages, and report defects.
• Artisans are AfroPacific's own vetted, in-house workforce. They carry out the work we assign to them. AfroPacific pays artisans directly, outside the platform; the app never pays artisans. An artisan's working relationship with AfroPacific is governed by a separate agreement, the Artisan Services Agreement. These Terms cover only their use of the platform.
• Project managers are AfroPacific staff. They prepare quotations, manage projects, coordinate artisans and submit completed stages for confirmation.
• Administrators are AfroPacific staff. They review identity documents and payments and give final sign-off on completed stages.
• Suppliers may use the platform for the supply of materials to AfroPacific. Their supply of materials is governed by a separate Supplier Agreement with AfroPacific. These Terms cover only their use of the platform.

When you hire us, you contract with AfroPacific. You do not hire or pay artisans directly, and they are not a party to your contract. The shop sells AfroPacific's own catalogue. Other businesses do not currently sell through the platform.

1. Requesting a quotation. You can ask for a quotation in the app by describing the job and giving a contact phone number, or through a form on our website. A project manager may also prepare one for you directly.
2. Site visit. A project manager may visit the site before pricing the work.
3. Pricing. The quotation lists the work line by line, with a description, quantity, unit and rate for each line.
4. Changes. You can ask for changes. Each revision is saved as a new version of the quotation. Earlier versions are never edited.
5. Choosing finishes. Some lines let you choose a finish from our catalogue. When you choose, the project manager re-prices that line.
6. Validity. A quotation is valid for 14 days from the date it is issued, and its prices will not change during that time. If it expires before you accept it, we may re-price it and issue a new version.

There are two kinds of quotation:

• A project quotation is for building work. Once accepted, it becomes a project, and its line items, in order, become the project's stages (milestones).
• A supply quotation is for goods only. It does not create a project.

Before you accept, the app shows you the full price, every line item and the payment terms. When you tap accept, you agree to that price, those line items and those payment terms, and to these Terms. That creates a binding contract between you and AfroPacific.

Acceptance in the app is an electronic signature and is as binding as signing on paper.

Each quotation sets its own payment terms, and they are shown before you accept. They will be one of:

• Deposit: a percentage of the total is paid upfront. The default is 30%, but the quotation will show the actual percentage.
• Full payment upfront.
• Nothing upfront.

As each milestone becomes due, you pay whatever part of it the upfront payment has not already covered.

When you pay us for a project, AfroPacific holds the money and treats it as unearned. It becomes AfroPacific's money for a milestone only when that milestone has been signed off (see Milestones and sign-off). Until then, it is held against the work still to be done.

This is an "escrow-style" arrangement inside AfroPacific's own records. AfroPacific is not a bank and is not acting as an independent escrow agent. We do not pay interest on money we hold, and we do not charge you for holding it. The normal transaction charges of your payment method (for example Paynow, bank or mobile money fees) still apply.

You can use money we are holding for your project to pay for orders in our shop (see The shop).

Each milestone is completed in three steps, each by a different person:

1. Your project manager submits the milestone as complete, with before and after photos of the work.
2. You confirm in the app that the work has been done.
3. An AfroPacific administrator signs off the milestone. At that point the money held for that milestone becomes AfroPacific's earned revenue.

Please check the work and the photos, and confirm or raise a concern promptly. If you do not think a milestone is complete, say so in the app or in your project chat, with your reasons, instead of confirming it. Your project manager will respond and, where needed, put it right.

If you do not confirm or raise a concern within 5 days of a milestone being submitted, the milestone is treated as confirmed and we continue with the project as planned.

Sometimes a job needs work that the original quotation could not anticipate, for example something found once a wall is opened up. When that happens, we can add further stages to the project. We will tell you what the extra work is and what it costs before we do it, and the extra work goes ahead only once you have accepted it in the app. If you decline it, we will discuss the options with you. If the project cannot safely or properly continue without the extra work, we may pause it until we agree a way forward.

Cancelling before the project starts. You may cancel an accepted quotation only before the project has started, meaning before work on the first milestone has begun. To cancel, tell your project manager or email support@afropacific.co.zw. We refund the money you have paid, less a processing fee of 10% of the amount refunded.

After the project has started. Once work has begun, the project cannot be cancelled by you and payments are not refunded.

Cancellation by AfroPacific. We may cancel a quotation or project at any time for a reasonable cause, for example inconsistencies in payments, or a change in prices that means the work can no longer be done at the quoted price. We will tell you the reason, and communicate any price change to you. If we cancel, we refund the money we are holding for work that has not been signed off, exactly as we received it, with no processing fee.

How refunds are paid. Refunds are paid through Paynow or by bank transfer within 1 to 2 weeks. This can take longer if a legal process connected to the payment has not yet been completed.

Your rights under the Consumer Protection Act are not affected.

• Give us accurate information about the job and the site, including anything that could affect safety, cost or the work itself.
• Give our team safe and reasonable access to the site at the agreed times.
• Make sure you have the right to have the work done on the property, and obtain any approvals that are your responsibility. Building plan approvals and council permits are your responsibility. If you ask us to, AfroPacific can obtain them for you; we will charge you for this service and pass on any fees.
• Pay amounts when they fall due under the quotation.
• Confirm completed milestones, or raise a concern, promptly (see Milestones and sign-off).

Delays caused by you, such as late replies, late payments or not giving access to the site, push back the project timeline. You are responsible for the consequences of those delays.

Our project managers and artisans upload photos and videos of the site before, during and after the work. Uploads by artisans are reviewed by a project manager before they count as proof. These records form part of the project history and may be used to resolve questions about what was done and when.

After handover, our work is covered by a warranty. The warranty period and what it covers vary from project to project, and we tell you what they are at each milestone stage. Unless we tell you otherwise, the warranty does not cover fair wear and tear, misuse or neglect, or damage caused by work done by anyone other than AfroPacific.

To report a defect, use the app to describe the problem and attach photos. We will assess it and, if it is covered, arrange the repair. We will respond to a defect report within 24 to 48 hours.

This warranty is in addition to your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, which still apply.

You can buy building materials and products from AfroPacific's catalogue in the app.

Prices and promotions

• Prices are calculated by our system at checkout. Any promotion applies only if it is running at the time you buy.
• Once you have placed an order, its price is fixed and will not change.
• Prices include VAT. See Payments, receipts and currencies.

Stock

Items are reserved for you when you add them to your cart, and committed when you pay. If any item in your cart becomes unavailable, checkout is blocked for the whole order. You are not charged for part of an order.

Delivery

• The delivery fee is a call-out charge plus a rate per kilometre, using a vehicle sized to the weight of your order. It is calculated from AfroPacific's yard to your delivery address, using road distance from Google Maps.
• A minimum delivery fee applies.
• Orders going to the same site may share one delivery.
• The delivery fee is shown before you pay.
• We tell you the expected delivery date when you place your order.
• You are responsible for delays you cause, for example if nobody is on site to receive the goods, or because of late replies or late payments. A missed delivery may be rescheduled and charged again.
• The goods become yours once they are paid for in full. You are responsible for them once they have been delivered to your address.

Paying from project funds

You can pay for a shop order using money we are already holding for your project.

Refunds, returns and cancellations

• If you paid from project funds, any refund is credited back to those project funds.
• If you paid through Paynow, we refund manually through Paynow or by bank transfer.
• Refunds are made within 1 to 2 weeks, unless delayed by a legal process that has not yet been completed.
• If goods arrive damaged or defective, or are not what you ordered, tell us in the app or at support@afropacific.co.zw within 48 hours of delivery, with photos. We will replace them or refund you.
• You can cancel an order before it has been dispatched, and we will refund it in full. Other returns are accepted only by agreement, with the goods unused and in their original condition.

Your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, including for goods that are defective or not as described, are not affected.

• Payments are processed by Paynow. You can pay by card, EcoCash or OneMoney, or with a saved card. Paynow's own terms also apply to the payment itself.
• We accept US dollars and the local currency, Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG). Each amount is charged in the currency it is stated in. The platform does not convert between currencies.
• Prices include VAT at the standard rate, currently 15.5%, unless we say otherwise. VAT is shown on your receipt.
• Every payment produces a numbered receipt. You can download payment statements as a PDF in the app.
• If you pay twice, or pay more than you owe, we treat the extra as money we owe you and refund it manually through Paynow or by bank transfer within 1 to 2 weeks. This can take longer if a legal process connected to the payment has not yet been completed.

• You can choose to save a card when you pay. Paynow gives us a token that represents the card. We store only that token, and we encrypt it. We never store your full card number or CVV.
• We never charge a saved card unless you tap pay. Saving a card does not mean you agree to automatic or recurring charges.
• You can remove a saved card in the app at any time.

We may ask customers and artisans to verify their identity by providing their legal name, ID number, date of birth and photos of a government-issued identity document. Our administrators review these by hand. Some parts of the platform are available only once you are verified. Artisans must be verified before they can be assigned work.

You must give us genuine documents that belong to you. We may refuse or withdraw verification if the information is false or cannot be confirmed. Our Privacy Policy explains how we protect these documents.

When using the platform, including chat and uploads, you must not:

• break the law, or help anyone else to;
• harass, threaten or abuse anyone, including our staff and artisans;
• upload anything that is false, misleading, unlawful, offensive, or that you do not have the right to share;
• upload malware, or try to access accounts, data or parts of the platform you are not entitled to;
• interfere with the platform's operation or security, or use automated tools to access it without our permission;
• impersonate anyone or misrepresent your identity.

Dealing with our artisans directly. You must not pay AfroPacific's artisans directly, or hire them to do work for you privately outside AfroPacific, while you are a customer and for 12 months after your last project ends. Doing so is a breach of your contract with us. It voids the warranty on the work concerned, and we may take legal action against you for the breach.

If you are an artisan, you must also:

• upload photos and videos only to the milestones you are assigned to;
• upload only genuine, accurate photos and videos of the actual work on that site, taken at the stage you say they show;
• use customers' personal information and site details only to do the assigned work, and keep them confidential;
• not ask customers to pay you directly, or offer to do work for them privately.

Breaking these rules may lead to suspension of your platform access. It may also be dealt with under your Artisan Services Agreement.

You keep ownership of the photos, videos and messages you upload. You give AfroPacific a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, copy and use them to provide the service, keep the project record, handle warranty claims and resolve disputes, and to meet legal requirements, and to use them in marketing as described below.

We may use photos and videos of our work, including site photos, to market AfroPacific, for example on our website, on social media and in our portfolio. Before we do, we remove addresses and other details that could identify you, and we do not show people's faces without their permission. If you do not want photos of your project used, email support@afropacific.co.zw and we will stop using them in future marketing.

You confirm that you have the right to upload what you upload, and that doing so does not infringe anyone else's rights.

You can stop using the platform and delete your account at any time. See Deleting your account. Deleting your account does not cancel an accepted quotation or remove amounts you owe. If we are holding money for you, or a job is in progress, your project manager will contact you to settle or wind it down.

We may suspend or close your account if you seriously or repeatedly breach these Terms, if we reasonably suspect fraud or misuse, or if the law requires us to. Where it is reasonable, we will tell you why and give you a chance to respond first.

When an account is closed, by you or by us, a 30-day period begins in which we hand over or wind down any project in progress and settle any money we hold for you or you owe us. This period can be extended if we cannot reach agreement within it.

The platform, including its software, design, text, the AfroPacific name and logo, and our product catalogue, belongs to AfroPacific or its licensors. You may use it only to use the platform as these Terms allow. You must not copy, modify, distribute or reverse-engineer it except where the law permits.

We are responsible for the work we carry out and the goods we sell, as set out in these Terms and as required by law.

Your consumer rights. Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act [Chapter 14:44] or any other law that cannot be excluded by contract. If any part of these Terms conflicts with those rights, those rights prevail.

To the extent the law allows:

• we are not liable for loss that was not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was formed;
• we are not liable for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as extreme weather, power or network outages, or shortages of materials across the market;
• we do not promise the app and website will always be available or free of errors, though we work to keep them running;
• we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as loss of profit, rent, income or business opportunity;
• our total liability to you for any claim about a project or order is limited to the total price of the quotation or order concerned.

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud.

If something goes wrong, please tell your project manager or email support@afropacific.co.zw. Most problems can be fixed quickly that way.

If it is not resolved that way:

1. Written complaint. Send your complaint in writing to support@afropacific.co.zw. We will acknowledge it, and we will both try in good faith to resolve it within 14 days.
2. Mediation. If it is still not resolved, either of us may refer it to an independent mediator agreed between us. Each side pays its own costs, and we share the mediator's fees equally.
3. Courts. If mediation does not resolve it within 30 days of the mediator being appointed, or either of us declines mediation, either of us may take the dispute to the courts of Zimbabwe.

Nothing in this section stops you from contacting the Consumer Protection Commission or another body that handles consumer complaints.

These Terms, and any dispute arising from them, are governed by the law of Zimbabwe. Subject to Disputes, the courts of Zimbabwe have jurisdiction.

We may update these Terms when the platform or the law changes. We will change the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, for significant changes, tell you in the app or by email at least 1 day before they take effect. If you keep using the platform after a change takes effect, the updated Terms apply.

A quotation you have already accepted stays governed by the Terms in force when you accepted it, unless you agree otherwise.

• If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the rest still applies.
• If we do not enforce a right straight away, we have not given it up.
• You may not transfer your rights under these Terms to anyone else without our written agreement.
• These Terms, the Privacy Policy and any quotation you accept are the whole agreement between you and AfroPacific about the platform. If a quotation conflicts with these Terms, the quotation applies to that job.

• Email: support@afropacific.co.zw
• Post: AfroPacific Investments (Private) Limited, 6626 Zimre Way, Zimre Park, Ruwa, Zimbabwe