Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of DocBridge, a secure document-request and handover platform operated by BVL Group of Companies ("DocBridge", "we", "us"). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to these Terms. If you use the Service on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to bind that organisation to these Terms.

Who you are contracting with. DocBridge is a product and trading name of BVL Group of Companies. DocBridge is not a separate legal or juristic person: it is an independently branded digital service owned and operated by BVL Group of Companies, and all rights and obligations under these Terms are those of BVL Group of Companies, which contracts with you. References to "DocBridge", "we" or "us" mean BVL Group of Companies acting through that product. Company registration and domicilium details are available on request from legal@thebvl.com.

1. The Service

DocBridge lets business users request, collect, verify, review and package documents from their clients and other third parties. Features, plans and limits may change as the Service develops. We may update, suspend or discontinue features with reasonable notice where practicable.

2. Accounts and security

• You must provide accurate account information and keep it up to date.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account.
• You must notify us promptly of any unauthorised use or suspected security incident.
• We recommend enabling multi-factor authentication where available.

3. Acceptable use

DocBridge is intended for legitimate business document handover, including finance, insurance, legal, property, logistics, human-resources and general administrative workflows. You agree not to:

• use the Service for any unlawful, fraudulent or misleading purpose;
• request, collect or store information you are not lawfully entitled to process;
• upload malware or content that infringes the rights of others;
• attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Service, other accounts, or underlying systems;
• use the Service to send unsolicited communications or to harass recipients.

4. Your responsibilities as a business user

You are the party responsible for the documents and personal information you collect through the Service. You are responsible for having a lawful basis to request documents, for providing any required privacy notices to your recipients, for the accuracy of the request details you enter, and for how you use documents after they are collected. Our Data Processing terms describe how we handle that information on your behalf.

5. Recipients

Recipients access requests through a secure link and email verification and are never charged to upload documents. Recipients should only upload documents that were requested and that they are authorised to share.

6. Fees

Paid plans and usage-based charges (for example additional messaging, storage or processing) will be described at sign-up or in your plan. Fees are payable in accordance with the plan you select. We may change pricing with reasonable prior notice.

7. Intellectual property

DocBridge, its software, branding and content are owned by BVL Group of Companies and its licensors. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the Service in accordance with these Terms. You retain all rights to the documents and data you and your recipients upload.

8. Availability and support

We work to keep the Service available and secure but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation. Scheduled maintenance and factors outside our reasonable control may affect availability.

9. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties not expressly stated in these Terms, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. DocBridge does not provide legal, financial, tax or compliance advice.

10. Limitation of liability

10.1 Excluded loss. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive or consequential loss, or for loss of profits, revenue, business, anticipated savings, data or goodwill, arising out of or relating to the Service, even if we were advised of the possibility of such loss.

10.2 Cap on liability. Our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with these Terms and the Service, whether in contract, delict (tort), breach of statutory duty or otherwise, in any twelve (12) month period, is limited to the greater of (a) the total fees you paid us for the Service in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) ZAR 5,000. Where the Service is provided free of charge, paragraph (b) applies.

10.3 What we do not exclude. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for wilful misconduct or gross negligence, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. Where loss is caused by our intentional act or gross negligence, the cap in clause 10.2 does not apply.

10.4 Your documents and decisions. DocBridge is a tool for collecting and organising documents. We do not verify the truth, authenticity, legality or completeness of any document uploaded through the Service, and we do not make regulatory, credit, underwriting or compliance decisions on your behalf. Those decisions, and the consequences of them, remain yours.

11. Indemnity

You indemnify and hold us harmless against claims, losses, penalties and reasonable legal costs arising from: (a) your use of the Service in breach of these Terms or applicable law; (b) your lack of a lawful basis to request, collect or process the documents and personal information you gather through the Service; (c) content uploaded by you or your recipients; or (d) your failure to give any privacy notice or obtain any consent required from your recipients. This indemnity does not apply to the extent the claim arises from our own wilful misconduct or gross negligence.

12. Suspension and termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate access if you breach these Terms, if required by law, or to protect the Service or its users. On termination, your right to use the Service ends; certain provisions that by their nature should survive will continue to apply.

13. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and the courts of South Africa have jurisdiction, without prejudice to any mandatory consumer or data-protection rights available to you in your own jurisdiction.

14. Changes and contact

We may update these Terms from time to time; material changes will be indicated by updating the "Last updated" date above. For questions about these Terms, contact legal@thebvl.com.