Terms of Service

1. Agreement and operator

These Terms of Service form a binding agreement between you and Cove. Cove is currently an unincorporated business operated in Kentucky by its founder. Until a separate legal entity is formed, references to “Cove,” “we,” “us,” or “our” mean the individual operating the Cove service. Cove may assign this agreement, user records, and platform operations to a successor company or other legal entity.

By creating an account, selecting an acceptance checkbox, accessing Cove after notice of updated terms, publishing a listing, submitting a provider profile, or using a Cove marketplace feature, you agree to these Terms and the policies incorporated into them: the Privacy Policy, Provider Agreement when applicable, Marketplace Rules, Booking Policy, and Safety & Community Standards.

Cove is an independent private service. Cove is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or operated by the University of Kentucky or any other college or university. University names and email domains are used only to identify the campus community served by the beta.

2. Eligibility and accounts

• You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering a binding contract.
• You must use an approved campus email address and provide accurate, current account information.
• University-email access confirms control of an email inbox only. It is not identity verification, a background check, professional verification, or an endorsement by Cove or the university.
• You are responsible for your password, account activity, and promptly reporting suspected compromise.
• You may not create an account for another person, impersonate anyone, evade a suspension, scrape the service, or use automated access without written permission.

3. Cove’s marketplace role

Cove provides software that helps users discover providers, review listings, request or manage bookings, and maintain transaction records. Unless Cove expressly states otherwise in writing, Cove is not the provider, seller, buyer, employer, staffing agency, broker, insurer, guarantor, agent, partner, or joint venturer of any user.

Providers independently control their services, schedules, pricing, methods, materials, locations, qualifications, assistants, taxes, and legal compliance. Buyers independently decide whom to hire and whether a service is appropriate. A contract for a service or product is between the buyer and provider, not Cove.

Cove may review profiles, moderate listings, or require information for platform safety. Those actions do not guarantee identity, ability, licensing, quality, safety, legality, availability, or results. Users must perform their own reasonable diligence.

4. Listings, bookings, payments, and refunds

Listings must be accurate, lawful, complete, and consistent with the Marketplace Rules. Providers must disclose material limits, prices, required deposits, cancellation terms, location expectations, and qualifications before a buyer commits.

A booking request is not confirmed until the provider accepts it. Booking statuses and records are organizational tools and may not reflect every communication or payment made outside Cove.

Cove does not currently process, hold, escrow, guarantee, insure, or refund user payments. Buyers and providers arrange payment directly. Providers are solely responsible for issuing any refund they owe. Cove may facilitate communication or review records but is not required to decide private payment disputes.

The Booking, Cancellation, Refund & Dispute Policy is incorporated into these Terms. A provider’s disclosed cancellation policy applies only to the extent it is lawful, clear, and not inconsistent with Cove policy.

5. User content and intellectual property

You retain ownership of content you submit. You grant Cove a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, resize, display, distribute, and otherwise use that content only as reasonably necessary to operate, secure, improve, promote, and document the marketplace and your listings.

You represent that you have the rights and permissions needed to submit the content and that it does not infringe intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights. You must obtain permission before posting another person’s image, work, contact information, or private communications.

Cove owns the platform software, branding, design, compilations, and other Cove materials. These Terms do not grant you ownership of Cove intellectual property.

6. Conduct, safety, and prohibited activity

You must follow the Marketplace Rules and Safety & Community Standards. You may not use Cove for unlawful, deceptive, exploitative, discriminatory, harassing, dangerous, or abusive activity.

Do not place passwords, one-time codes, financial account details, government identification numbers, medical records, or unnecessary sensitive information in profiles, listings, booking notes, images, or support requests.

Cove may remove content, limit visibility, pause bookings, preserve records, warn users, suspend or terminate accounts, or refer conduct to a university, payment provider, law enforcement agency, emergency service, or other authority when reasonably necessary for safety, security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, or platform integrity.

7. Reviews and feedback

• Reviews must reflect genuine first-hand experiences and may not be purchased, traded, coerced, fabricated, or used for retaliation.
• Cove may remove reviews that are irrelevant, unlawful, abusive, fraudulent, contain sensitive information, or violate platform rules.
• Ideas or feedback voluntarily provided to Cove may be used without restriction or compensation, provided Cove does not publicly identify you without permission.

8. Suspension and termination

You may stop using Cove at any time. Cove may restrict, suspend, or terminate access; reject or remove listings; cancel pending platform actions; or retain records when Cove reasonably believes the action is necessary to enforce these Terms, protect users, investigate a report, manage legal risk, or discontinue a feature.

Sections that by their nature should survive termination—including ownership, licenses already granted, payment responsibilities, disclaimers, liability limits, indemnification, dispute terms, and record retention—will survive.

9. Disclaimers

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, COVE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” COVE DISCLAIMS ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, AVAILABILITY, SECURITY, AND ANY WARRANTY ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

COVE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT A USER IS WHO THEY CLAIM TO BE; THAT A PROVIDER IS QUALIFIED, LICENSED, INSURED, SAFE, OR RELIABLE; THAT A SERVICE OR PRODUCT WILL MEET EXPECTATIONS; THAT A BOOKING WILL OCCUR; THAT A PAYMENT OR REFUND WILL BE MADE; OR THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions. Those exclusions apply only to the extent permitted by applicable law.

10. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, COVE AND THE PERSON OPERATING COVE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES; LOST PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OPPORTUNITIES; OR DAMAGES ARISING FROM USER CONDUCT, SERVICES, PRODUCTS, MEETINGS, PAYMENTS, PROPERTY DAMAGE, PERSONAL INJURY, CONTENT, ACCOUNT COMPROMISE, OR THIRD-PARTY SERVICES.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, COVE’S TOTAL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE PLATFORM OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100) OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID DIRECTLY TO COVE DURING THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

These limitations do not exclude liability that cannot legally be limited, and they apply regardless of the theory of liability and even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose.

11. Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Cove and the individual operating Cove from claims, demands, losses, liabilities, damages, judgments, penalties, costs, and reasonable attorneys’ fees arising from your content, listings, services, products, transactions, conduct, violation of law, violation of these Terms, or infringement of another person’s rights. Cove may control the defense of a matter subject to indemnification, and you will reasonably cooperate.

12. Disputes and governing law

Before filing a claim, you agree to send a written description through Cove support and allow 30 days for an informal resolution, unless immediate relief is legally necessary. These Terms are governed by Kentucky law without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Unless applicable law requires otherwise, disputes must be brought in the state or federal courts located in Fayette County, Kentucky, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there. Either party may bring an eligible individual claim in small-claims court. Cove is not imposing mandatory arbitration or a class-action waiver in this interim version; those provisions should not be added without legal review.

13. Changes, assignment, and general terms

Cove may update these Terms as the beta changes. Material changes will be identified by a new effective date or version and may require renewed acceptance. Continued use after notice of a non-material change constitutes acceptance to the extent permitted by law.

You may not assign your rights under these Terms without Cove’s written consent. Cove may assign these Terms to a successor operator or legal entity. If any provision is unenforceable, it will be narrowed or removed only to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions remain effective. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.

Questions, legal notices, privacy requests, and safety reports may be submitted through Cove’s in-app Help & Support form. If you cannot access your account, contact Cove through the Help Center or direct message @joincoveapp. Do not send passwords, one-time codes, payment credentials, government identification numbers, or intimate images through social media.