Policies

1. Agreement to these terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are an agreement between you and What's Poppin GR ("What's Poppin GR," "we," "us," or "our"). They cover your use of our website, emails, and related services (together, the "Platform").

By creating an account, subscribing to our newsletter, or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. You also agree to our community policies for events, businesses, and profiles, which form part of these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the Platform.

If you use the Platform for a business, organization, or other group, you agree to these Terms on its behalf. You confirm that you have authority to do so. In that case, "you" includes that business or organization.

2. Who can use the platform

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or use account features. These include RSVPing, hosting events, listing a business, connecting with other members, and buying a plan. By creating an account, you confirm that you are 18 or older and able to enter into a binding contract.

You may not use the Platform if we have previously suspended or removed your account, or if you are barred from using it under applicable law. Visitors who aren't signed in can browse public pages. These Terms still apply to that browsing.

The Platform is built for the Grand Rapids and West Michigan community and is operated from the United States. If you use it from somewhere else, you are responsible for following your local laws.

3. Your account

• Accurate information. Give us accurate information when you sign up, and keep it up to date. This includes your name, email address, and phone number.
• One person, one account. Your account is for you. Don't share it, sell it, or transfer it. Don't create an account for someone else or pretend to be someone you're not. To give others access to an event or business, add them as team members instead (see section 11).
• Security. Keep your password confidential. You're responsible for everything that happens under your account. If you think someone else has accessed it, change your password and contact us right away at info@whatspoppingr.com.
• Deleting your account. You can delete your account at any time from Account Settings. If you own businesses or events with team members, you may need to transfer ownership first. Deleting your account is permanent. Our Privacy Policy explains what we keep afterward and why.

4. Our role

What's Poppin GR is a discovery and promotion platform. We help people find local events and businesses, and we give organizers and business owners tools to reach them.

We don't organize, host, sell, or run the events listed on the Platform. We don't own or operate the businesses either. Organizers and business owners alone are responsible for their events, venues, products, services, and the information they publish. We are not a party to any agreement between you and an organizer, business, sponsor, venue, or ticket seller. We don't act as anyone's agent.

We review some content before it's published (see section 13). However, we don't verify every detail, and a review isn't an endorsement or guarantee. Information about times, locations, prices, capacity, hours, and availability can change or be wrong. Check important details with the organizer or business before you go or buy.

If an event links to an outside site to buy tickets or register, that purchase is between you and the seller. It's governed by their terms, refund policy, and privacy policy, not ours. We don't process ticket payments, issue refunds for tickets, or handle ticketing disputes.

5. Your content

What counts as your content

"Your content" means anything you submit to the Platform. It includes your profile, photos, avatar and banner, and event and business listings with their descriptions, images, hours, and links. It also includes RSVPs, feedback, reports, messages to us, and anything else you upload or enter.

You keep ownership

You own your content. These Terms don't transfer that ownership to us.

The permission you give us

Your content gives us a license. It is worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, and transferable, and we can sublicense it. It lets us host, store, copy, display, adapt (for example, resize or crop images), publish, and distribute your content. We use this license to operate, improve, and promote the Platform. Promotion includes featuring public events and businesses in our newsletter, on our homepage, in search results, in our sitemap, and on our social media accounts. This license ends when you delete the content or your account, with these exceptions:

• content that others have already shared or that is part of someone else's records (for example, your RSVP history on another organizer's event);
• copies that remain in backups for a limited time; and
• content we need to keep for legal, safety, or enforcement reasons.

Your promises about your content

You confirm that you own your content or have every right needed to post it and to grant the license above. This includes permission from anyone shown in your photos. You also confirm that your content is accurate and doesn't break the law, these Terms, or anyone else's rights.

Public content

Some content is public by design. Examples are published public events, published business listings, and parts of your profile. Search engines and other visitors can see, link to, and share public content. Our Privacy Policy explains what others can see.

6. Community rules

You agree not to use the Platform to, or attempt to:

• post anything false, misleading, or deceptive. Examples are fake events, bait-and-switch pricing, or a business you don't represent;
• impersonate any person, business, or organization, or misrepresent your connection to one;
• harass, bully, threaten, stalk, or intimidate anyone, or encourage others to do so;
• post hate speech, or content that promotes violence or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic;
• post sexually explicit content, or any content that sexualizes minors;
• share someone else's private information without permission. This includes home addresses, phone numbers, and private photos;
• promote illegal activity, or events or goods that are illegal or need a license or permit you don't have;
• send spam, run scams, phish, or use invites, connections, or event pages for unsolicited advertising;
• post content that infringes someone's copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights;
• collect other users' information without their consent. This includes scraping, crawling, or harvesting the Platform by automated means, except for search engines following our robots.txt;
• create accounts in bulk or by automated means, or get around limits we set, such as plan limits, invite limits, rate limits, bot protection, or a suspension;
• interfere with the Platform's security or operation. This includes uploading malware, probing for vulnerabilities, or overloading our systems;
• copy, sell, or build a competing product from the Platform or its data; or
• help anyone else do any of these things.

Our event, business, and profile policies give more detail on what is and isn't allowed.

7. Event organizers

If you create, host, or manage an event on the Platform, you're an "organizer." Each organizer agrees to the following.

• Accurate listings. You'll describe your event accurately, including date, time, location, price, age limits, accessibility, and anything attendees should know. If details change, you'll update the listing promptly.
• Legal and safe events. You're solely responsible for your event. That means following all applicable laws and getting any permits, licenses, and insurance needed, including for alcohol, food, amplified sound, and capacity. You're also responsible for the safety of everyone who attends.
• Cancellations and changes. If you cancel or reschedule, do it on the Platform so attendees are notified. You're responsible for any refunds or obligations to attendees, ticket buyers, vendors, venues, and sponsors.
• Tickets and payments. If you sell tickets or take payment through another service, you're responsible for that sale. This includes pricing, taxes, fees, refunds, and following that service's terms.
• Attendee information. You may see information about people who RSVP, join a waitlist, check in, or leave feedback. Use it only to run and communicate about that event. Don't sell it, add people to marketing lists without their consent, or use it to harass anyone. You must protect it and follow the law when you handle it.
• Invites. Event invites are for people who would reasonably want to hear about your event. Invite limits depend on your plan. Don't use invites to send bulk unsolicited messages.
• Capacity, waitlists and check-in. These tools are there to help. You're still responsible for managing entry at your event, and they don't guarantee a particular outcome.
• Members Only events. Marking an event Members Only limits who can see its details and RSVP. It doesn't make the event private or confidential. Don't put sensitive information in an event listing.

We may review events before or after they're published. We may also ask for changes, deny, unpublish, or archive events that don't follow these Terms or our event policy.

8. Attending events

• An RSVP isn't a ticket. RSVPing on the Platform shows your interest or plans and lets the organizer reach you. It doesn't guarantee entry unless the organizer says so. Some events need a separate ticket or registration, through the organizer or a third-party seller.
• Waitlists. Joining a waitlist doesn't guarantee a spot. When a spot opens, we'll let you know, and you may need to act quickly.
• Your safety. Events are run by independent organizers, and we don't screen attendees or venues. Use common sense, follow the organizer's rules, and take reasonable precautions. To the extent the law allows, you take on the risks of going to any event or business you find through the Platform.
• Feedback. If you leave feedback after an event, keep it honest and respectful. Feedback is shared with the event's organizers to help them improve.

9. Business listings

Anyone who lists or manages a business on the Platform agrees to the following.

• Authority. You may only list a business that you own or are authorized to represent. If someone else has already listed a business you own or represent, use the request-ownership option on the listing rather than creating a duplicate.
• Accuracy. Keep your listing accurate and current. This includes the name, category, locations or service area, hours, contact details, amenities, photos, and links. Don't stuff names with keywords, pick misleading categories, or list a business that isn't real.
• Review. Free listings are reviewed before they're published. Listings on paid plans may publish right away but can still be reviewed afterward. We may ask for changes, deny a listing, or hide a published one that doesn't meet these Terms or our business policy. If we ask for changes, you can update and resubmit the listing.
• Corrections. We may correct obvious errors, mark a business as closed, or hide a listing in response to credible reports. We may also act on other information we receive.
• Ownership disputes. If more than one person claims a business, we may ask for proof of authority. We'll decide who manages the listing based on the information available. We aren't responsible for disputes between business owners, partners, or employees.
• Regulated businesses. If your business needs a license (for example, alcohol, cannabis, healthcare, or professional services), you're responsible for holding it and for following any advertising rules that apply to you.

A listing on the Platform, a verified badge, or a feature in our newsletter doesn't mean we endorse a business or vouch for its quality.

10. Sponsorships

A business can offer to sponsor an event, and an organizer can invite a business to sponsor one. Once both sides accept, the business's name and logo may appear on the event page, and the event may appear on the business's listing.

Any money, goods, services, or other terms of a sponsorship are agreed directly between the business and the organizer. We aren't a party to that agreement and don't guarantee it will be kept. We also don't guarantee any level of exposure or attendance. Either side can end a sponsorship on the Platform. We may remove a sponsorship that breaks these Terms.

11. Teams and ownership

Events and businesses can have team members with different roles. The owner can invite people, change roles, and remove them. Some actions are limited to the owner, such as transferring ownership or canceling an event.

• You're responsible for who you add to your team and for what they do within the access you give them.
• Team members must follow these Terms. Remove access promptly when someone should no longer have it.
• Transferring ownership hands control of the event or business to another account, including the ability to remove you. Make sure you trust the person you transfer to.

12. Paid plans and billing

Plans

The Platform has a free plan and paid subscription plans. Paid plans offer higher limits and extra features, such as instant publishing. Current plans, prices, and features are on our pricing page. Plan limits are part of these Terms. We may change features and limits with notice.

Payments

Payments are processed by our payment processor, Stripe. By subscribing, you authorize us, through Stripe, to charge your payment method for the plan you choose, plus any applicable taxes. We don't store your full card number. Your payment information is also subject to Stripe's privacy policy.

Automatic renewal

Paid plans renew automatically at the end of each billing period until you cancel. We charge the plan price in effect at the time of renewal. You can cancel anytime from Account Settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period, and you keep paid features until then.

Free trials

We may offer a free trial on paid plans. Trials are usually only for first-time subscribers. We'll show you the length of the trial and the price before you start. If you don't cancel before the trial ends, your plan will turn into a paid subscription, and we'll charge your payment method.

Upgrades and downgrades

Upgrades take effect right away, and Stripe may charge a prorated amount. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing period. When a downgrade or cancellation takes effect, any content over the new plan's limits may be hidden or switched to free-plan behavior. Examples are extra business listings or photos. We won't delete it.

Refunds

Except where required by law, payments are non-refundable, and we don't give credits for partial billing periods or unused features. If you think you were charged in error, contact us within 60 days at info@whatspoppingr.com.

Failed payments

If a payment fails, we or Stripe may try again. If we can't collect payment, we may downgrade your account to the free plan.

Price changes

We may change plan prices. We'll give you at least 30 days' notice before a price change applies to your subscription, so you can cancel first if you choose.

13. Review, reports and removal

We want the Platform to be trustworthy, so we review some events and business listings before they go live. We also act on reports from the community. Anyone can report an event, business, or profile using the report options on the Platform.

We may, at our discretion and without notice, do any of the following to content or accounts that we believe break these Terms or the law, put anyone at risk, or harm the Platform or the community:

• review, ask for changes to, or deny content;
• edit obvious errors;
• hide, unpublish, archive, or remove content; or
• limit features, or suspend or end accounts.

We aren't obligated to monitor the Platform, and we can't review everything. We aren't responsible for content posted by others. If you think we made a mistake, contact us at info@whatspoppingr.com, and we'll take another look.

14. Emails and notifications

By creating an account, you agree to receive service emails from us about your account and activity. Examples are confirmations, security alerts, billing receipts, approval decisions, and changes to events you've RSVPed to. You can turn off most notification emails in your notification preferences or with the unsubscribe link in each email. Some messages, like password resets, billing notices, and important changes to these Terms, are needed to run your account and can't be turned off.

Our newsletter is separate. We only send it to people who sign up and confirm their email address, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

15. Beta features

The Platform is in beta. That means features may change, be added, or be removed, and some things may not work perfectly. We may label certain features as "beta," "preview," or "coming soon." These are provided as-is and may be changed or discontinued at any time.

If you send us ideas, suggestions, or feedback about the Platform, you agree we can use them without restriction or payment to you.

16. Our intellectual property

Content you post belongs to you. Everything else on the Platform belongs to us or our licensors and is protected by law. That includes our name, logos, design, text, graphics, software, and how they're put together. While you follow these Terms, we give you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable permission to use the Platform as intended. You may not use our name or logos in a way that suggests we endorse or partner with you without our written permission.

17. Copyright complaints

We respect the intellectual property rights of others and respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you believe content on the Platform infringes your copyright, send a notice to info@whatspoppingr.com. Your notice must include:

1. your physical or electronic signature;
2. a description of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed;
3. the URL or other specific location of the content on the Platform;
4. your name, address, phone number, and email address;
5. a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
6. a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the owner's behalf.

If your content was removed and you believe that was a mistake or misidentification, you may send us a counter-notice as described in the DMCA. We may end the accounts of repeat infringers.

18. Third-party services

The Platform links to and works with services we don't control. These include ticketing sites, business and event websites, social media, maps, and our service providers, such as Stripe for payments and Cloudflare for bot protection. Their own terms and privacy policies apply when you use them. We aren't responsible for their content, products, services, or practices.

19. Ending your use

You can stop using the Platform and delete your account at any time.

We may suspend or end your access to all or part of the Platform at any time. This applies if you break these Terms, create risk or legal exposure for us or others, haven't used your account for a long time, or if we stop offering the Platform. Where it's reasonable and allowed, we'll tell you why. If we end a paid plan for reasons other than your breach of these Terms, we'll refund the unused part of your current billing period.

Sections that by their nature should continue after these Terms end will survive. This includes sections 5 (to the extent described), 13, and 16 through 26.

20. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Platform and all content on it are provided "as is" and "as available." We give no warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory. These include warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, and any warranties arising from course of dealing or usage of trade.

We don't warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any content is accurate, complete, or current. That includes event details, business information, and analytics. We make no representations about any event, organizer, attendee, business, sponsor, venue, or third-party service. We aren't responsible for their conduct, online or offline.

Some jurisdictions don't allow certain warranties to be disclaimed. In those places, some of the above may not apply to you.

21. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, What's Poppin GR and its owners, officers, employees, and agents will not be liable for any of the following: indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or opportunity. They will also not be liable for any personal injury or property damage arising from any event, business, or interaction with another user. This applies whatever the legal theory, even if we've been told such damages are possible.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability for all claims relating to the Platform or these Terms will not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts you paid us in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

These limits apply even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose. They don't limit liability that can't be limited by law, such as liability for fraud, gross negligence, or willful misconduct.

22. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless What's Poppin GR and its owners, officers, employees, and agents. This covers any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, that arise from:

• your content;
• any event you organize, or any business you list or represent;
• any sponsorship you enter into;
• your breach of these Terms; or
• your violation of any law or the rights of others.

23. Disputes and arbitration

Please read this section carefully. It affects how disputes are resolved and includes a waiver of class actions and jury trials.

Talk to us first

Most concerns can be resolved informally. Before filing a claim, you agree to email us at info@whatspoppingr.com with a description of the dispute and what you're asking for. We'll do the same before filing a claim against you. Each side will try in good faith to resolve the dispute within 60 days.

Binding individual arbitration

If we can't resolve a dispute informally, you and we agree to resolve it by binding individual arbitration, not in court. This covers any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform. The American Arbitration Association ("AAA") will administer the arbitration under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The Federal Arbitration Act governs this section. The arbitrator decides all questions about the scope and enforceability of this section. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the arbitration will take place in Kent County, Michigan, or by video or phone. Fees are paid as the AAA rules provide.

Exceptions

Either side may bring an individual claim in small claims court if it qualifies. Either side may also ask a court for an injunction to stop the infringement or misuse of intellectual property.

Class action and jury trial waiver

You and we each agree to bring claims only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, consolidated, or representative proceeding. You and we each waive the right to a jury trial. If this class action waiver is found unenforceable for a claim, that claim must be decided in court, not arbitration.

30-day right to opt out

You can opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing info@whatspoppingr.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Include your name, the email address on your account, and a clear statement that you want to opt out of arbitration. Opting out won't affect anything else in these Terms.

24. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Michigan and applicable U.S. federal law, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Some disputes won't go to arbitration: those covered by an exception, those where you opted out, and those where arbitration is found not to apply. You and we agree that those will be resolved only in the state or federal courts located in Kent County, Michigan, and we both consent to those courts' jurisdiction.

25. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If a change is material, we'll let you know before it takes effect, by email or a notice on the Platform. The "Effective" date at the top always shows the latest version. If you keep using the Platform after changes take effect, you accept the updated Terms. If you don't agree, stop using the Platform and delete your account. A change to section 23 won't apply to disputes we already knew about before the change.

26. General terms

• Entire agreement. These Terms, along with the policies they refer to, are the entire agreement between you and us about the Platform.
• Severability. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect.
• No waiver. If we don't enforce a provision, that doesn't mean we've given up the right to enforce it later.
• Assignment. You may not transfer your rights under these Terms without our consent. We may transfer ours, for example in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
• Events beyond our control. We aren't responsible for delays or failures caused by things outside our reasonable control.
• No relationship. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, or agency relationship.
• Notices. We may send you notices by email to the address on your account or by posting them on the Platform.

27. Contact us

Questions about these Terms? Email info@whatspoppingr.com or use our contact page.