Terms and conditions

1. Acceptance

By creating an account or using Timbre you accept these terms and our privacy policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

To use Timbre you must be over 18 and provide truthful information.

2. What Timbre is

Timbre is a technology platform that connects customers with local businesses and independent riders to order food and send parcels. It works with a customer app, a rider app and a web panel for businesses.

• Products are sold and prepared by each business, which is responsible for their quality, price and hygiene and for holding its permits.
• Deliveries are made by independent riders who use the platform to receive orders.
• Timbre manages the platform, payments, user verification and support.

3. Accounts

• Your account is personal. You are responsible for what is done with it and for keeping your password safe.
• Businesses and riders must pass an identity verification before operating.
• Those who join Timbre from the start receive the Founder badge on their profile, under the conditions shown in the app.
• We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms, as described in section 13.

4. Customers

Sign-up and service fee

Sign-up is free. For each order you pay for your items, the delivery and a service fee.

The delivery fee and the service fee are shown in the app before you confirm each order, together with the total. You are never charged an amount you did not see before confirming.

Delivery price

• Food: the app suggests a price based on distance. You can accept it or offer more. Riders can accept or make a counteroffer within a limited range, and you choose the one you prefer. If nobody negotiates in time, the order is assigned at the suggested price.
• Parcels: you propose the price and riders accept or send you a counteroffer.

Payments

• You can pay in cash on delivery, by transfer or QR and, when available, by card.
• For cash payments, the rider collects first and then hands over the order. After collection you will receive a notification to confirm it.

Delivery

• When you place your order you get a 4-digit delivery code. Share it only with whoever is receiving. The order is only handed to whoever says the code.
• The rider takes a photo at delivery as proof of delivery.
• When available, you will be able to share a link so another person can follow the order on the map.

Parcels

• You must describe the package honestly and state its approximate size.
• Before sending you accept the list of prohibited items.
• The rider may check the package at pickup and reject it if it breaks the rules.
• A photo is taken at pickup and another at delivery.

5. Cancellations and refunds

• You can cancel a food order at no cost as long as the business has not accepted it.
• Once the business has started preparing it, the cancellation may not include a refund for the items, because the business's ingredients and time have already been used.
• You can cancel a parcel at no cost before a rider accepts it. If the rider has already reached the pickup point, the agreed delivery fee is charged.
• If the business rejects your order, cannot fulfill it or the order does not arrive for reasons beyond your control, we refund what you paid.
• If you receive an incomplete, wrong or damaged order, report it from the app. We review each case with the order's evidence, such as photos, delivery code and messages.
• Refunds are made through the same payment method. How long they take to show depends on your bank or the payment gateway.

6. Businesses

Sign-up and verification

• Sign-up is done from the web panel. You must provide the business details, a photo of the tax ID (RUC), both sides of your ID card and a selfie holding the ID card.
• We check that the RUC is active and matches the owner's ID card.
• Your application goes to review once the membership payment is approved, unless you have a current benefit that covers it. If we reject it or ask for corrections, you can fix it and resubmit without paying again.
• Your business is visible to customers only when the verification is approved and the membership is active. Approved businesses carry the verified badge.

Financial terms

• The commission, membership, plans, fees and benefits are shown and accepted in the web panel at sign-up. Before accepting you see every amount in writing.
• These terms may be updated. If they change, we let you know in advance in the panel or by email, before they take effect.
• The membership is paid by card from the web panel.
• Founding partners: businesses that join from the start may have special benefits, shown in the panel from sign-up. They must still pass the full verification.

Expiration

• We notify you in advance before your membership expires.
• From the expiration date you have a few grace days to pay, shown in the panel.
• If the grace days end without payment, your business is hidden and stops receiving orders. It is not deleted: it keeps its menu, photos, reviews and history.
• When you pay, your business is reactivated instantly, without uploading documents again.

Commission

• Timbre charges a commission on the value of the items of each sale, under the terms you accepted at sign-up.
• For card payments, the gateway fee is also deducted, only on the value of your items, plus transfer costs.
• For cash orders you receive the full payment. The commission stays as a pending balance in your wallet and is deducted from your card sales or paid separately.

Your profile and your changes

• Photos, description, hours, social media, menu and attributes are published instantly. You are responsible for them being real and up to date.
• Changes to the business name, RUC, owner or address are pending our approval. Meanwhile the previous data is kept.
• We may hide inappropriate photos or text.
• We will never apply a promotion discount to your business without your acceptance.

7. Wallet

• In the business wallet you see your balance, what you owe Timbre for cash orders, your payments and the details of each order.
• At launch, customers pay in cash or by transfer directly to the business or the rider. Card payments and balance withdrawals will come later; before enabling them we will publish their terms and let you know.
• The bank account to receive transfers must be in the name of the owner or the verified RUC.
• Any balance adjustment is recorded as a visible transaction in your wallet, with its reason and reference.

8. History and sales reports

In the panel you see your order history for the last 3 months and your sales statistics. Later we will also email you a daily sales summary; we will let you know when it is available.

These reports are not SRI electronic invoices. They are only an informative summary. Issuing invoices and meeting your tax obligations are the responsibility of each business.

9. Riders

Sign-up and verification

• Sign-up is free. You must provide your ID card, a selfie, driver's license, vehicle registration and criminal record certificate.
• We confirm your identity with a selfie at sign-up, with your express consent. If we later enable verifications at the start of a shift or at random, we will let you know and ask for your consent.
• You provide your service independently: you decide when to go online and which orders to accept.

Fees and earnings

• The financial terms, such as fees and benefits, are shown and accepted in the app at sign-up. Before accepting you see every amount in writing.
• These terms may be updated. If they change, we let you know in advance in the app, before they take effect.
• For cash orders you collect the total and the platform's share stays as a pending balance. If that balance goes over the limit shown in the app, you stop receiving orders until you pay it.

Deliveries

• For cash payments, the order is always: collect, get the code, take the photo and hand over. Mark the collection in the app.
• Never hand over an order without the correct code.
• You can check a parcel at pickup and reject it, stating the reason, without penalty.
• In case of danger, use the emergency button in the app.

Code of conduct

• Treat customers, businesses and fellow riders with respect.
• Follow traffic laws and take care of the orders you carry.
• Do not use customers' data for anything other than the delivery, or offer them services outside the app.
• Do not knowingly accept prohibited items.
• Do not let another person use your account.

Goals and recognition

• There are monthly order goals. Coupon rewards will be enabled later and we will let you know beforehand. Only completed orders rated by different customers count. Your orders as a customer do not count.
• Riders of the month see new orders before everyone else.
• Goals and rewards are shown in the app and may change. We will let you know before each month starts.

10. Prohibited items and penalties

The following cannot be sent or carried through Timbre:

• Cash, checks or securities.
• Weapons, ammunition, explosives or their parts.
• Drugs and illegal or controlled substances.
• Live animals.
• Flammable, toxic or hazardous materials.
• Stolen, counterfeit or smuggled goods.
• Any item whose transport or sale is prohibited by law.

If a customer sends a prohibited item, or a rider knowingly accepts one, both may receive penalties ranging from a warning to permanent account suspension, without prejudice to any applicable legal action.

11. Ratings and reviews

• After each order, the customer rates the business and the rider separately, from 1 to 5 stars, with an optional comment.
• When a delivery ends, the rider may rate the delivery to the customer, from 1 to 5 stars, with tags such as clear address or had to wait and an optional comment. The customer sees their average on their profile once they have at least 5 ratings. No other customer, business or rider sees that rating.
• We review low ratings in both directions and may contact both parties. If a rating is unfair or unrelated to the order, we void it and it stops counting.
• Reviews must be honest and respectful. We may hide fake or offensive reviews, or reviews unrelated to the order.
• We assess the average over several orders. If the rating stays low, we first send a warning and, if it does not improve, the account may be suspended.

12. Coupons, goals and promotions

Coupons and seasonal promotions will arrive after launch. When they exist, these rules apply:

• Coupons can only be used in the app. They cannot be exchanged for money or transferred to another person.
• Each coupon shows its expiration date.
• The value of coupons is covered by Timbre or by the business sponsoring them. For coupons paid by Timbre, the discount is not subtracted from what the business receives.
• Seasonal promotions have their own conditions, such as dates, minimum order and usage limit, shown in each promotion.
• We may void coupons or rewards obtained through fraud or fake orders.

13. Suspensions and appeals

• When a rule is broken, we usually send a warning first. In serious cases we may suspend the account immediately.
• A suspended rider who wants to return must pass the verification again and pay the reactivation fee shown in the app.
• You can always appeal a warning or suspension by creating a ticket from the app or the panel. A team member will review your case.

14. Liability

• We work to keep the platform always available, but there may be interruptions for maintenance or causes beyond our control.
• Each business is responsible for the products it sells and each rider for taking care of the orders they carry.
• Timbre is responsible for the operation of the platform and for handling complaints under these terms and the law.
• Nothing here limits the rights granted to you by Ecuador's Organic Consumer Protection Law.

15. Changes to the terms

We may update these terms, for example when we add new features or fees change. If the change is important, we will let you know in the app or by email before it takes effect. You will always see the date of the last update at the top of this page.

16. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Ecuador. Before going to court, we invite you to write to us so we can find a solution together.

17. Contact

If you have questions about these terms, write to our email or on WhatsApp.