Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of The Chennai Business Club ("CBC") during the closed beta. By signing up, you agree to these terms. CBC is in pre-incorporation; the operating entity will be designated post-incorporation and these terms will be reissued accordingly.

What CBC is

CBC is a referral-driven directory and recognition layer for verified Chennai businesses. Vendors set their own prices, deliver their own services, and contract directly with their customers. CBC does not participate in the underlying transaction, set prices, take a commission on jobs, or guarantee any vendor's work product.

Eligibility

You must be authorized to register the listed business — as a proprietor, partner, director, or an authorized representative (e.g. a Purchase Manager or General Manager). When signing up you choose your own designation; CBC does not assume you are the owner.

What you submit at signup

Mandatory: business name, your name, your designation, company address, contact email, contact mobile / WhatsApp number, primary pincode, and a service category + subcategory from our predefined taxonomy.

What you submit for the verified badge

To earn the "verified" badge and appear in the members directory, you upload:

• GST certificate
• MSME / Udyam certificate
• Income tax return statements for the last three years

If you operate as a freelancer without GST / MSME, you may instead upload: ID proof, address proof, experience certificate, and education certificate. CBC may, at its discretion, accept or reject any combination of these depending on the nature of your work and the advisor's review.

You also upload either a personal photo or a company logo — one of the two is required so listings have a recognizable face. Managers uncomfortable uploading a personal photo can satisfy this with a company logo.

Verification workflow

Accounts are created in a pending KYC state and are not visible in the public members directory until an admin (or our designated external verification agency) reviews the submitted documents and changes the status to verified. We may ask you to resubmit, hold the review, or reject the application — the outcome of each decision is logged.

Accuracy

You must provide accurate information and documents. False or misleading submissions — including misrepresenting your designation, fabricating documents, or claiming a business you don't represent — are grounds for immediate removal and forfeiture of any earned credits.

Referral credits

Credits are an internal currency redeemable on the platform (premium ad placements, future membership renewals). Credits are not cash, are notconvertible to bank transfers, and are not transferable between vendors. Credits forfeit on account closure or terms violation.

Off-platform activity

Closing a deal off-platform is permitted (we don't operate the transaction). However, attribution credits flow only when a referee signs up via your code on-platform. Encourage your contacts to sign up before transacting if you want the credit.

Acceptable use

Don't: spam your referral link to non-Chennai-business audiences; bulk-create referee accounts to farm credits; misrepresent another business; post abusive thank-you notes or reviews; upload someone else's documents. Violations forfeit credits and may end your account.

Fees

The closed beta is free. A one-time registration fee (currently ₹299) and premium ad placements will go live in Phase 2 once payments infrastructure is wired. Pricing will be shown at point-of-sale.

Liability

CBC provides the platform "as is". We are not liable for the quality, fitness, or outcome of services rendered by listed vendors. Our aggregate liability is limited to the fees you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Termination

You may close your account at any time. We may close accounts that violate these terms or fail KYC. Closing your account anonymizes your record and removes your uploaded documents from storage. Earned but unredeemed credits are forfeited.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of India. Disputes will be resolved in the courts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.