Terms of Service

Blocks Buddies ("Blocks Buddies", "we", "us") operates an online marketplace that connects people who need local tasks done ("Needers") with independent people and businesses who offer to do them ("Providers"). These Terms are a binding agreement between you and Blocks Buddies. By creating an account or using the platform you accept them.

These Terms incorporate the Marketplace Terms & Liability Acknowledgment — which every user accepts at signup and again when hiring — and, for Providers, the Provider Agreement. Where a topic is covered in more detail there, that document controls. Each acceptance is recorded with its version and date and is visible in your Settings.

Providers are independent contractors. They are not our employees, agents, partners, or subcontractors. We do not direct, supervise, schedule, or control how a Provider performs a job, and we do not guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or timeliness of any work.

Any agreement to perform a task is between the Needer and the Provider. Our role is to host the listing, facilitate offers and messaging, hold payment in escrow, and offer a dispute process.

You must be at least 18 years old and provide accurate information. One account per person. You are responsible for everything that happens under your account and for keeping your login credentials secure.

Providers must complete identity verification (government ID through our payments partner, Stripe) and link a payout account before their Provider role is activated. Needers must verify their email address and add a valid payment method before funding a job.

Needers must describe the job accurately, including location, scope, and budget. Providers must only bid on work they are qualified, licensed, and insured to perform where required by law.

An offer becomes a binding agreement when the Needer accepts it and funds escrow. A Needer may edit, set an expiration date on, or delete a job post while it is still open and has no active offers.

All payments run through the platform using Stripe. When a Needer accepts an offer, the full amount is charged and held in escrow. Funds are released to the Provider when both parties mark the job complete, or when we resolve a dispute in the Provider's favor.

Blocks Buddies charges a flat platform fee of $1.00 per completed job. This fee is disclosed before payment. Stripe may apply its own processing and payout fees. We may change our fee in the future with notice posted on this page.

Providers may request a cash-out of their available balance to their linked payout account once the balance reaches the stated minimum. Payout timing depends on Stripe and your bank.

To protect both sides, all communication about a job must stay in the platform messaging system. Sharing phone numbers or email addresses — in digits, words, or any disguised form — is automatically blocked, and repeated attempts are logged and reviewed.

Arranging payment outside the platform removes escrow protection, the dispute process, and review history, and is grounds for suspension or permanent removal.

You agree not to:

• Post illegal, unsafe, discriminatory, or fraudulent jobs or offers.
• Misrepresent your identity, licensing, insurance, or experience.
• Harass, threaten, or discriminate against another user.
• Manipulate ratings, reviews, or verification badges.
• Scrape, reverse engineer, overload, or interfere with the platform.
• Use the platform to solicit users away from it.

Ratings and reviews are written by users and reflect their own opinions. Verification badges indicate that a specific check was completed — for example, an ID verified by Stripe, or a license document reviewed by our staff. A badge is not a guarantee of quality or of any outcome.

Cancellation and refund handling is described in our Refund & Cancellation Policy, which forms part of these Terms. Either party may report an issue on an active or completed job, which pauses escrow release and opens a dispute for our review. Our resolution decision on escrow funds is final within the platform.

The platform is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind to the fullest extent permitted by law. We do not warrant that any job will be completed, that any user is suitable, or that the service will be uninterrupted or error-free.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for any claim relating to the platform is limited to the greater of (a) the total platform fees you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, or (b) $100. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, data, or goodwill.

You agree to indemnify and hold Blocks Buddies harmless from claims, damages, and expenses arising out of your use of the platform, your jobs or services, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or third-party right.

You may close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate an account that violates these Terms, creates risk for other users, or is used fraudulently. Funds held in escrow at termination are resolved through the dispute process before any account closure is finalized.

We may update these Terms. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notified by email. Continuing to use the platform after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Questions about these Terms: contact@blocksbuddies.com.