Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of Hot Pepper Hub ("the Service", "the Platform"), operated by [Company Name], a company registered in the Republic of South Africa.

By accessing or using any part of hotpepperhub.com, creating an account, submitting a listing, or making a payment, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use Hot Pepper Hub. We recommend you review these Terms periodically. We will notify registered users of material changes before they take effect.

2. Service Description

Hot Pepper Hub is a directory platform for South Africa's chilli scene. We aggregate and present information about chilli events, vendors, and markets to help enthusiasts, businesses, and organisers connect with one another.

Free to browse

All directory content — events, vendors, and markets — is free to browse for all visitors, registered or not.

Free to list

Submitting an event, vendor profile, or market listing is free. Submissions are reviewed before publication.

Paid features

Enhanced visibility, featured placement, and additional tools are available on paid plans. See our pricing page for details.

Not a ticketing platform

Hot Pepper Hub is a directory, not a ticket booking platform. Unless on-site registration is explicitly offered, tickets must be purchased directly from the event organiser.

Event organisers remain solely responsible for the delivery of their events, including ticketing, cancellations, and refunds. Hot Pepper Hub is not an agent or co-organiser unless explicitly agreed in writing.

3. User Accounts

To submit listings, write reviews, or access premium features, you must create an account.

1

Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old, or at least 13 years old with verifiable parental or guardian consent. By creating an account, you represent that you meet this requirement.

2

Accurate information

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete registration information and to keep it up to date. Accounts created with false identities or false contact information may be suspended without notice.

3

Account security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at legal@hotpepperhub.com if you suspect unauthorised access.

4

One account per person

Each natural person may hold one individual account. Businesses may hold a business account in addition to the founder's personal account. Operating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions is a breach of these Terms.

4. Content & Listings

When you submit a listing, review, photo, or any other content to Hot Pepper Hub ("User Content"), the following applies:

Licence to Hot Pepper Hub

By submitting User Content, you grant Hot Pepper Hub a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and distribute your content within the platform and in promotional materials (e.g. social media posts promoting the listing). This licence ends when you request removal of the content.

You retain ownership

User Content remains your intellectual property. We do not claim ownership of anything you submit.

You represent you have the right

You confirm that you own or have all necessary rights, licences, and permissions to submit the content, and that it does not infringe any third party's intellectual property, privacy, or other rights.

Moderation

All submissions are reviewed before publication. We reserve the right to decline, edit for formatting, or remove any content that is false, misleading, defamatory, illegal, or in breach of these Terms. We will notify you if a submission is declined.

5. Prohibited Uses

The following activities are strictly prohibited on Hot Pepper Hub. Violations may result in immediate account suspension and, where applicable, legal action.

Spam and unsolicited communications

Using the platform to send unsolicited commercial messages, bulk emails, or any form of spam to other users.

Scraping and automated harvesting

Using bots, scrapers, crawlers, or automated scripts to extract data from the platform without our prior written consent.

Fake or misleading listings

Submitting events, vendors, or markets that do not exist, are not affiliated with you, or that contain materially false information.

Impersonation

Pretending to be another person, business, or organisation, or misrepresenting your affiliation with any entity.

Hacking and unauthorised access

Attempting to gain unauthorised access to our systems, other user accounts, or any part of the platform not intended for your access level.

Illegal goods and services

Using Hot Pepper Hub to promote, sell, or facilitate access to any goods or services that are illegal under South African law.

Interference with the platform

Uploading malicious code, exploiting vulnerabilities, or taking any action that disrupts the normal operation of the platform.

Review manipulation

Writing fake reviews, soliciting fake reviews, or attempting to suppress or remove legitimate negative reviews through payment or other means.

6. Subscriptions & Payments

Enhanced features on Hot Pepper Hub are available via paid subscription plans. The following terms govern all paid plans.

Billing cycles

Plans are available on a monthly or annual basis. Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing period unless you cancel before the renewal date.

Pricing and currency

All prices are displayed and charged in South African Rand (ZAR) unless otherwise stated. Prices are inclusive of VAT where applicable. We reserve the right to change pricing with 30 days' notice to existing subscribers.

Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time via your account dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You will retain access to paid features until that date.

30-day money-back guarantee

First-time subscribers who are unsatisfied may request a full refund within 30 days of their first payment. Contact legal@hotpepperhub.com with your account email and transaction reference. Refunds do not apply to renewals or plans that have been used to gain a material competitive benefit.

Refunds (general)

We do not offer partial refunds for the unused portion of a billing period. If you cancel mid-month, your access continues until the end of that month, after which you will not be charged again.

Payment processing

Payments are processed securely by PayFast or an equivalent SA-regulated payment gateway. We do not store card details on our servers. All payment pages are hosted on PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure.

7. Event Registrations

Where an event listing on Hot Pepper Hub includes an on-site registration or sign-up feature, the following applies:

Facilitation only: Hot Pepper Hub acts as a registration facilitator. We collect your registration information on behalf of the event organiser and pass it to them. We are not a party to the event contract.
Organiser responsibility: The event organiser is solely responsible for the event, including its delivery, safety, communications with attendees, refunds for cancellations, and compliance with any applicable regulations.
Cancelled or changed events: Hot Pepper Hub is not liable for any costs, losses, or inconvenience arising from an event being cancelled, postponed, relocated, or changed by the organiser.
Always verify: We recommend confirming event details — date, location, and entry requirements — directly with the organiser before travelling or making related bookings.

8. Intellectual Property

Owned by Hot Pepper Hub

The Hot Pepper Hub name and brand
Our logo and ghost-pepper character
All original written content (articles, descriptions, editorial copy)
The platform's code, design, and user interface
Our data structures, search algorithms, and curation logic

Owned by you

Your business name, logo, and brand assets
Photos you upload (ensure you own rights before uploading)
Your listing descriptions and editorial content
Reviews and comments you author

Reproducing, distributing, or creating derivative works from Hot Pepper Hub's owned content without prior written consent is prohibited. Requests for content licensing should be directed to legal@hotpepperhub.com.

9. Disclaimers

Platform provided "as is"

Hot Pepper Hub is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

Listing accuracy: We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of listings submitted by third parties. Event dates, venues, and vendor details may change without notice.
Always verify: We strongly recommend confirming event details directly with the organiser before purchasing tickets or making travel plans.
Uptime: We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability. Scheduled maintenance, hosting outages, or force majeure events may cause temporary downtime.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by the Consumer Protection Act, 68 of 2008, and other applicable South African law:

Hot Pepper Hub, its directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the platform.
This includes, but is not limited to, loss of revenue, loss of profits, loss of data, or losses arising from cancelled or falsely represented events listed on the platform.
Where liability cannot be excluded by law, our total liability to you for any claim shall not exceed the amount you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Note: Nothing in these Terms limits liability for death, personal injury caused by negligence, or fraudulent misrepresentation.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 25 of 2002 (ECT Act), the Consumer Protection Act, 68 of 2008, and POPIA.

Any dispute arising from or related to these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Cape Town, Western Cape, unless a mandatory consumer protection provision requires otherwise.

Before initiating any legal proceedings, we encourage you to contact us at legal@hotpepperhub.com to attempt an informal resolution.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes — changes that significantly affect your rights or obligations — we will:

Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
Notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
Display a notice on the site for the same period.

Your continued use of Hot Pepper Hub after the effective date of updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms. If you do not accept the changes, you should stop using the platform and may cancel any paid subscription for a pro-rata refund.