Terms and Conditions

1. Definitions

In these Terms and Conditions, the following words and phrases have the meanings assigned to them below:

• Platform Administrator — Cosbeau (Pty) Ltd, the company that owns, operates, and manages the Cosbeau platform.
• Vendor — any individual, sole proprietor, partnership, or registered company that registers on the platform to offer hair and beauty services and receive bookings from customers.
• Customer — any individual who registers on the platform to browse vendors and book appointments.
• User — any person who creates an account on the platform, whether as a Vendor or Customer.
• Account — the registered profile created by a User on the platform.
• Platform — the Cosbeau website, mobile interface, application, API, and all associated technology and services operated by Cosbeau (Pty) Ltd.
• Booking — a confirmed appointment made by a Customer with a Vendor through the platform.
• Booking Fee — the R9.99 fee paid by the Customer at checkout when booking a Vendor on the Pay Per Booking payment method, deducted from the Service Fee and capped at 15 bookings per billing cycle. It is never charged to the Vendor.
• Service Fee — the amount a Vendor charges for a specific service, as listed on their profile.
• Subscription — the R99.99 payment made manually by a Vendor for each billing cycle on the Monthly Subscription payment method. It is not a recurring or automatically renewing charge.
• Trial Period — the 14-day period following Vendor registration during which platform features are available at no charge.
• Content — all information, text, images, descriptions, reviews, ratings, and other material submitted to the platform by any User.

2. Eligibility and Account Registration

By creating an account on the Cosbeau platform, you confirm and warrant that:

• You are at least 18 years of age. If you are under 18, you may not create an account or use the platform.
• You are accessing the platform for lawful purposes only.
• All information you provide during registration is accurate, current, and complete.
• You will maintain the accuracy of your information and update it promptly if it changes.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials.
• You accept sole responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement under South African law.

You are responsible for ensuring the security of your account. Cosbeau will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from unauthorised access to your account where such access resulted from your failure to maintain the security of your credentials.

Cosbeau reserves the right to decline, suspend, or terminate any account registration at its discretion, including where registration information cannot be verified.

3. Acceptable Use

By using the platform, you agree that you will not, under any circumstances:

• Access the platform using automated tools, bots, scrapers, or scripts without our prior written consent.
• Attempt to circumvent, disable, or interfere with any security feature of the platform.
• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information at any point.
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.
• Upload or transmit any content that is unlawful, harmful, defamatory, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.
• Use the platform to harass, threaten, or abuse any other User.
• Attempt to access any account, system, or data that you are not authorised to access.
• Use the platform in any way that violates applicable South African law or regulation.
• Share your login credentials with any other person or allow any other person to access your account.
• Circumvent or attempt to circumvent the booking charge or subscription payment systems.

Cosbeau reserves the right to investigate any suspected violation of these acceptable use provisions and to take appropriate action, including account suspension, account termination, and referral to relevant authorities.

4. Vendor-Specific Obligations

In addition to the general obligations in Section 3, Vendors who register on the platform represent, warrant, and agree that:

• Your business is a legitimate, operating hair and beauty service provider in South Africa.
• You hold any licences, registrations, or permits required to operate your business under South African law.
• All services listed on your profile are services you are qualified and authorised to perform.
• Your business address and city information are accurate and reflect where services are delivered.
• You will maintain current and accurate availability, service descriptions, pricing, and working hours on your profile at all times.
• You will honour all confirmed bookings unless cancellation is required by legitimate and unavoidable circumstances.
• You will notify affected customers as early as possible in the event of cancellation.
• You will treat all customers with respect, professionalism, and in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act, Act 68 of 2008.
• You will not engage in conduct that is discriminatory, abusive, or in violation of any applicable law.
• You understand that your public profile, including your business name, services, pricing, city, and description, is visible to all visitors to the platform.

Vendors acknowledge that the Cosbeau platform is a booking and discovery tool only. The legal and contractual relationship for the provision of services exists between the Vendor and the Customer directly. Cosbeau is not a party to that relationship.

5. Cosbeau Suite and Free Trial

Cosbeau offers a single vendor plan, Cosbeau Suite, with two payment methods. Both methods carry an identical feature set; the payment method affects only how the Vendor pays.

• Method A — Monthly Subscription: R99.99 per rolling 30-day billing cycle, paid manually by the Vendor through a once-off PayFast checkout at the start of each cycle. Cosbeau does not store card details or payment tokens and does not raise automatic renewals. Access to Vendor features for a cycle is granted only once that payment is confirmed; where payment is not made, Vendor features are restricted until it is, and the account is suspended from new bookings after 7 days unpaid. Cosbeau will post a renewal reminder to the Vendor's in-platform inbox 3 days before each cycle ends.
• Method B — Pay Per Booking: a R9.99 Booking Fee paid by the Customer at checkout for each confirmed booking, deducted from the Service Fee, capped at 15 bookings (R149.85) per billing cycle. Once the cap is reached, no further Booking Fees are charged for the remainder of that cycle and the Customer pays the full Service Fee to the Vendor in person. The Vendor is never charged.
• The billing cycle is a rolling 30-day period anchored on the Vendor's signup date, for both payment methods.
• All Vendors receive a 14-day free trial. No payment method is required to start and no charges are raised during the trial.
• Vendors may switch payment methods at any time. A switch takes effect at the start of the next billing cycle so that no cycle is double-charged or under-charged.
• Cosbeau reserves the right to modify pricing with 30 days prior written notice to affected Vendors.
• All prices are inclusive of VAT where applicable under the Value Added Tax Act, Act 89 of 1991.

6. Payments, Fees, and Refunds

• Subscription fees are non-refundable once a billing cycle has commenced, except in the case of a verified processing error such as a duplicate charge, in which case the erroneous amount will be refunded within 7 business days.
• Per-booking charges of R9.99 are raised at the point a booking is confirmed and are non-refundable. Where a confirmed booking is subsequently cancelled by either party, the charge is not refunded and the cap slot is not returned.
• Where a Vendor on Method A does not complete the manual payment for a cycle, the account is marked payment due and Vendor features are restricted until payment is confirmed. If it remains unpaid for 7 days the Vendor's profile is suspended from new bookings until settled. No charge is ever raised automatically on the Vendor's behalf.
• Vendors may cancel at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle.
• All payments are processed by PayFast (Pty) Ltd and are subject to PayFast's terms of service and privacy policy.
• Cosbeau does not store payment card details or payment tokens of any kind. Card data is entered on PayFast only, for the single transaction concerned, in accordance with PCI DSS standards. No payment instrument persists on the platform after a transaction completes.

7. Know Your Customer (KYC) Verification

KYC verification is required for all Cosbeau Suite vendors before their profile is made visible to customers.

• Vendors must submit valid identity and business verification documents as required under the KYC process before their profile is made visible to customers.
• Required documentation includes a valid South African ID or passport, proof of business address, and proof of bank account in the Vendor's name or registered business name.
• Cosbeau reserves the right to request additional documentation at any time and to suspend or remove a profile where documentation is incomplete, expired, or suspected to be fraudulent.
• KYC verification does not constitute an endorsement of the Vendor's services or a guarantee of service quality.
• Vendors must notify Cosbeau within 7 days of any change to their registered business details, banking information, or identity documentation.

8. Bookings, Cancellations, and Disputes

8.1 Booking confirmation

When a Customer completes the booking flow and all availability conditions are met, the booking is automatically confirmed by the system. A confirmation is issued to both the Customer and the Vendor.

8.2 Slot guarantee

A confirmed booking slot is reserved exclusively for the booked Customer. The Vendor may not offer or assign that slot to any other customer after confirmation.

8.3 Cancellations

• Customers may cancel appointments through the platform up to 2 hours before the scheduled appointment start time.
• Cancellations made more than 2 hours before the appointment are processed immediately and the slot is released for other customers.
• Cancellations made within 2 hours of the appointment start time cannot be processed through the platform. Customers must contact the Vendor directly.
• Vendors may cancel or reschedule a confirmed appointment at any time through the vendor dashboard. A mandatory reason must be provided. The customer will be notified immediately.
• Repeated cancellations by customers — defined as 3 or more cancellations within any 30-day period — may result in a temporary restriction on the customer's ability to make new bookings.
• Repeated cancellations by Vendors — defined as 5 or more vendor-initiated cancellations within any 30-day period without reasonable cause — may result in a review of the Vendor's account.

8.4 Disputes

• Disputes regarding service quality, service delivery, or conduct during an appointment are matters between the Customer and the Vendor directly. Cosbeau is not a party to the service transaction and accepts no liability for disputes arising from services rendered.
• Platform-level disputes — including billing errors, booking system failures, or technical issues — must be submitted to cosbeauadmin@gmail.com within 14 days of the incident.
• Cosbeau will acknowledge all platform-level dispute submissions within 2 business days and will endeavour to resolve them within 10 business days of acknowledgement.

9. Intellectual Property and Content

• You retain ownership of all Content you submit to the platform, including your business information, service descriptions, and profile images.
• By submitting Content to the platform, you grant Cosbeau a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and use that Content solely for the purpose of operating and promoting the platform.
• You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary rights to all Content you submit and that such Content does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.
• Cosbeau reserves the right to remove any Content that violates these Terms or applicable law without notice.
• All platform technology, design, trademarks, logos, and proprietary content are owned exclusively by Cosbeau (Pty) Ltd. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any platform content without prior written consent.

10. Liability and Disclaimers

• Cosbeau provides the platform on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied.
• Cosbeau does not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components.
• Cosbeau is not liable for any loss, damage, or injury arising from: (a) the use or inability to use the platform; (b) any service provided or not provided by a Vendor; (c) unauthorised access to or alteration of your account; (d) any third-party content or conduct on the platform.
• Cosbeau's total aggregate liability to any User for any claim arising from use of the platform shall not exceed the total subscription fees paid by that User in the 3 months preceding the claim, or R500, whichever is greater.
• Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded under South African law.
• Vendors acknowledge that they are independent operators and not employees, agents, or representatives of Cosbeau. Cosbeau is not responsible for the conduct, quality, safety, or legality of any Vendor's services.

11. Privacy and Personal Information

• Your personal information is collected and processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy, available at www.cosbeau.co.za/privacy, and in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013.
• By creating an account, you consent to the collection, processing, and use of your personal information as described in our Privacy Policy.
• Cosbeau will not sell your personal information to third parties.
• Vendor profile information — including business name, city, category, services, and pricing — is publicly visible on the platform.
• Customer contact details are shared with Vendors only for the purpose of facilitating confirmed bookings.
• You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information by contacting privacy@cosbeau.co.za.

12. Account Suspension and Termination

• Cosbeau reserves the right to suspend or permanently terminate any account that violates these Terms, engages in fraudulent activity, or poses a risk to other Users or the platform.
• Cosbeau will provide reasonable notice of account suspension except where immediate action is required to protect the platform or other Users.
• Upon termination of an account: (a) the User's access to the platform is revoked immediately; (b) confirmed bookings already in place are not automatically cancelled — affected parties will be notified; (c) the User's public profile is deactivated and removed from search results.
• Users may close their own account at any time by contacting support@cosbeau.co.za. Account closure does not entitle the User to a refund of any subscription fees already paid.
• User data is retained for 5 years following account closure for legal and record-keeping purposes, after which it is securely deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

• These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
• The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECT Act), Act 25 of 2002, applies to all transactions conducted through the platform.
• The Consumer Protection Act (CPA), Act 68 of 2008, applies to all transactions between Vendors and Customers where applicable.
• The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013, governs the processing of all personal information on the platform.
• Any dispute arising from or in connection with these Terms shall first be referred to good-faith negotiation between the parties. If unresolved within 21 days, the dispute shall be referred to mediation under the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA) rules. If mediation fails, the dispute shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the AFSA rules.
• Nothing in this clause prevents either party from seeking urgent interim relief from a competent court.

14. Changes to these Terms

• Cosbeau may update these Terms at any time. Updated Terms will be published at www.cosbeau.co.za/terms with the effective date clearly stated.
• Where changes to these Terms are material, Cosbeau will notify registered Users by email or in-app notification at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
• Continued use of the platform after the effective date of updated Terms constitutes acceptance of those updated Terms.
• If you do not agree to updated Terms, you must stop using the platform and may close your account as described in Section 12.

15. Contact Information

For any queries, notices, or complaints relating to these Terms, contact Cosbeau at:

• Company name: Cosbeau (Pty) Ltd
• General enquiries: cosbeauadmin@gmail.com
• Legal notices: cosbeauadmin@gmail.com
• Privacy queries: cosbeauadmin@gmail.com
• Billing support: cosbeauadmin@gmail.com
• Platform support: cosbeauadmin@gmail.com
• Website: cosbeau.co.za
• Country: Republic of South Africa

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Last reviewed and approved by Cosbeau (Pty) Ltd on 24 July 2026.