Terms of Service

1. Who operates Doting Darlings?

Doting Darlings is a division of Avaiden Group (Pty) Ltd, a private company duly registered in South Africa, registration number 2025/296316/07, place of registration South Africa.

Office bearers: Motsholane Sebola and Sewela Sebola.

References to “Doting Darlings”, “we” or “us” mean Avaiden Group (Pty) Ltd acting through this division. “Darling” means a provider introduced through the service; “household”, “family” or “you” means the person requesting help, as the context requires. These terms do not claim membership of an accreditation body or a professional registration.

2. Our introduction-only role

We introduce independent providers and help households and providers communicate about possible bookings and longer-term arrangements. The household and Darling agree the actual work directly. We provide the introduction and platform services with reasonable care; we do not promise that an application, match or service request guarantees availability, employment, a placement or any particular result.

The description “independent provider” reflects our introduction model. It does not override the true legal relationship, create a waiver of labour rights or decide employment status. For a full-time or other arrangement that is employment in substance, the actual employer and worker must comply with applicable South African labour law. The parties must identify the employer, remuneration, hours, duties, leave and relevant statutory responsibilities in a separate written arrangement before work starts. No clause here removes a legal obligation that actually applies to Doting Darlings, a household or a provider.

We do not provide emergency response or clinical medical services through a household-help request. Only agree work appropriate to the provider's actual skills and lawful qualifications. Manual document review is not verification of identity, document authenticity or a criminal-background check. Police-clearance collection and criminal-record review are paused pending the appropriate lawful process.

3. Accounts and fair use

You must be at least 18 and authorised to arrange the requested service or share the information you provide. Use accurate, relevant details, keep your credentials secure and tell us promptly about suspected misuse. A family representative must have authority to act for the household. A provider must accurately describe their experience, availability and any permission or qualification needed for the work.

Do not impersonate another person, upload unlawful or unauthorised material, misuse someone else's information, harass or discriminate unlawfully, interfere with platform security or use the service for unlawful activity. We may proportionately restrict access to protect people or the service, investigate misuse or comply with law. Where appropriate we will give reasons and a way to raise a concern. Restriction does not erase existing statutory rights or lawfully due refunds.

4. Requests, confirmation and prices

The website currently accepts service requests, provider applications and private matching enquiries. Sending a request or application does not itself confirm a paid booking or full-time placement, reserve a particular worker, or create an employment agreement. Account statuses show request and provider-response progress; an accepted visit does not create an undisclosed charge or determine employment status.

Before you commit to a paid service or introduction fee, the relevant agreement must identify the contracting parties, work scope, dates and duration, location, total price including applicable taxes and charges, payment method and timing, cancellation/refund terms and any expressly offered guarantee. A proposed salary budget is not an agreed wage or agency fee. An agency introduction or placement fee must be identified separately from the provider's remuneration and accepted in advance.

You can review and correct request details before sending and contact us to correct an error afterwards. You may withdraw before agreeing the final arrangement. Availability and any proposed substitute must be confirmed; a provider cannot be silently substituted on terms you have not accepted.

The current request journey does not collect payment online or request card or banking details. Pay only through a verified method identified in the agreed quotation or invoice. We do not promise escrow, insurance, a replacement guarantee or a refund scheme unless a specific written offer states its scope; any such offer must preserve your statutory rights. The team may prepare a manual invoice for fees that have been disclosed and agreed for the relevant introduction or service. Creating or issuing an invoice does not itself establish that you accepted a new fee, authorise an automatic charge or debit, or replace the agreed terms and your statutory rights. An internal record of a received payment reflects a manual entry by the team; it is not independent bank verification or an online payment-processing service. This platform does not currently calculate VAT or represent its invoices as VAT tax invoices. Any applicable tax treatment and legally required invoice details must be confirmed for the individual arrangement. Keep a copy of the quote, invoice, these terms and the individual agreement. Saved requests and conversations are available in your account while retained; the team can help with access to the relevant record.

5. Scheduling and recurring requests

A recurring request is for the finite number of visits and dates you select and review. It is not an open-ended subscription, automatic renewal or authorisation for recurring debits. Each visit remains subject to the agreed scope, price and provider availability. Check changes and confirmations in your account; operational notices are not promotional consent.

If a separate fixed-term consumer agreement is later offered, its duration, renewal and cancellation conditions must be disclosed before acceptance. Applicable Consumer Protection Act rights, including cancellation on 20 business days' recorded notice subject to a reasonable charge and the required expiry notices, remain available where section 14 applies. A reminder or in-app status does not replace the separate agreement.

6. Changes, cancellation and refunds

You may withdraw an unconfirmed request without a platform cancellation charge. For an agreed future booking, notify the relevant parties and our team as soon as possible. The account can cancel eligible visits or remaining visits in a series before they start. If a control is unavailable or work has begun, contact the team and provider; a technical control does not remove a cancellation or other right given by law.

No undisclosed cancellation fee is created by these terms. Any charge for cancelling an advance booking must have been disclosed, agreed and lawful, and must be reasonable in the circumstances. Relevant factors include the nature of the service, notice given and reasonable prospects of filling the slot. Where the Consumer Protection Act applies, no cancellation fee may be charged when death or hospitalisation of the intended service recipient prevents you keeping the booking.

Where the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act cooling-off right applies to a services agreement concluded electronically, you may cancel without reason or penalty within seven days after conclusion, and payments must be refunded within 30 days of cancellation. Statutory exceptions can apply, including where the service began with your consent before that period ended. We do not treat every household service as automatically excluded or infer that consent merely from creating an account.

If a paid service cannot be supplied, or a valid refund is due, the responsible contracting party must address it under the agreed arrangement and applicable law. Contact the team for help coordinating the record and complaint. We do not apply a blanket “no refunds” rule. If an individual quote conflicts with a non-excludable consumer right, that right prevails.

7. Responsibilities during an arrangement

Households must give accurate practical instructions, provide a reasonably safe and lawful work environment and disclose relevant hazards through an appropriate process. Providers must act honestly, use appropriate care and skill, respect agreed scope and confidentiality, and report an inability to attend or perform safely promptly. Both parties should agree necessary materials, equipment, access and travel arrangements before the visit. Changes to hours, duties or costs require agreement.

Share only information necessary for the arrangement, with a lawful basis and any required authority. Do not disclose passwords, payment details, unnecessary identity information or detailed medical records through a general instruction field. Keep other users' private information confidential and use it only for the agreed purpose. Report a safety concern or dispute promptly; immediate danger requires the appropriate emergency service, not an in-app message.

8. Service standards, responsibility and your rights

We remain responsible for our own introduction and platform services and obligations imposed on us by law. Independent providers remain responsible for their own agreed work, subject to the actual relationship and applicable law. We will take reasonable steps to address problems with our service and explain known delays or interruptions.

Where the Consumer Protection Act applies, its rights to timely, quality services and appropriate remedies remain intact, including requiring defective service to be corrected or a reasonable refund of the price paid where applicable. Nothing here excludes or limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct or any liability or consumer, employment or privacy right that the law does not allow to be excluded or limited. These terms do not impose a general indemnity or require you to accept unknown risks.

9. Personal information and electronic records

Our Privacy Policy explains the necessary information used for accounts, requests, private matches, support, relevant applications, necessary enquiry follow-ups and invoice/received-payment records, limited sharing, safeguards and your rights. We do not sell, rent or trade personal information. Optional document collection/review and WhatsApp choices are separate from these terms; general use is not consent to unrelated sensitive processing or marketing.

We may communicate relevant account or booking information electronically using the contact method you select. Automated WhatsApp delivery and online payments are not connected yet. Save or print these terms and the individual arrangement for your records. Third-party sign-in or messaging services have their own terms for the services they provide.

10. Questions, complaints and applicable law

Contact info@dotingdarlings.co.za or 064 520 9188 with the request reference, a description of the issue and the outcome you seek. We will consider the concern fairly and coordinate with the relevant party where appropriate. Privacy concerns can go directly to Motsholane Sebola at theteam@dotingdarlings.co.za.

You retain access to the National Consumer Commission, applicable consumer authorities or ombuds, the Information Regulator, labour forums and courts with jurisdiction. Contacting us first is not a waiver or a mandatory bar to another lawful remedy. These terms are governed by South African law and do not require private arbitration or waive access to a competent court.

11. Changes and individual agreements

We may update these terms prospectively and publish the effective date and version. Material changes will be brought to your attention where appropriate. A later website update does not retrospectively change an agreed booking or employment arrangement, or remove accrued rights. Any material change to an individual agreement requires the agreement or process the law requires. If a clause is unenforceable, the remaining lawful provisions continue to apply to the extent permitted by law.