SideAway Terms of Service

“Client” means a user who books assistance through the Platform (whether an executive, traveler, family, or business). “Assistant” means a user who offers and provides assistance services through the Platform. “Booking” means a confirmed engagement between a Client and an Assistant arranged through the Platform.

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into binding contracts to use SideAway. By registering, you represent that all information you provide is accurate and that you will keep it current.

SideAway is a marketplace that connects Clients with independent Assistants. We are not a party to the service engagement between a Client and an Assistant, and we are not the employer, agent, or representative of any Assistant.

Independent contractor status. Assistants are independent contractors — not employees, agents, partners, or joint venturers of SideAway. Assistants set their own rates and availability, use their own methods and equipment, and are solely responsible for their own taxes, insurance, licenses, and benefits. Clients engage Assistants directly; SideAway facilitates the introduction, booking, and payment.

Assistants may complete identity verification and background screening to earn a “verified” badge displayed on their profile. Background checks are performed by a third-party consumer reporting agency.

FCRA notice. If a background check is run on you, you will receive a separate disclosure and authorization request as required by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and applicable state laws. You have the right to request a copy of your report and to dispute inaccurate information with the reporting agency.

Verification reduces risk but is not a guarantee. Clients remain responsible for exercising reasonable judgment when engaging any Assistant.

A Booking is an agreement between the Client and the Assistant. SideAway facilitates payment collection and disbursement through our third-party payment processor and charges a service and processing fee on completed Bookings. The applicable fee is displayed on our Pricing page and at checkout before you confirm a Booking; there are no listing fees or hidden costs.

Escrow-style protection. Client payment is authorized and captured when a Booking is confirmed. Funds are held and released to the Assistant only after the Booking is completed and the applicable hold period has passed.

Taxes. Assistants are responsible for reporting their own income. US-based Assistants earning above IRS thresholds will receive a Form 1099-K or 1099-NEC as required by law.

Chargebacks. Please contact SideAway support before initiating a chargeback with your bank — nearly all issues are resolved faster and more fairly through the dispute process in Section 6. Chargebacks initiated without first contacting support, or fraudulent chargebacks, may result in account suspension.

All communications before a Booking, and all payments at any time, must occur through the Platform. This is what makes escrow protection, verification, disputes, and reviews possible.

Before a Booking is confirmed, users may not share or solicit direct contact details, including full name, email address, phone number, social media handles, messaging IDs, personal websites, or links to third-party profiles that enable off-platform contact. Profiles may not contain this information. After a Booking is confirmed, Clients and Assistants may exchange the contact details reasonably needed to perform the engagement.

Circumvention. Finding an Assistant on SideAway but engaging or paying for that work off-platform is a material violation of these Terms. Violations may result in account closure and loss of all Platform protections, and SideAway reserves the right to recover fees owed on the circumvented transaction, plus costs of collection, to the extent permitted by law. Activity patterns that suggest off-platform dealing (for example, high messaging or hiring activity with no completed Bookings) may trigger a warning or account review.

This section is the single, authoritative cancellation and refund policy for all Bookings. It replaces the former Refunds & Disputes page and the cancellation grid in the former Additional Policies.

6.1 Cancellation by the Client

6.2 Cancellation by the Assistant

If an Assistant cancels, the Client receives a full refund and SideAway will make reasonable efforts to re-match a comparable Assistant. Assistants or Clients who cancel confirmed Bookings more than three times in any 12-month period may be reviewed by our Trust & Safety team, and their account may be restricted, frozen, or closed.

6.3 Emergencies and extenuating circumstances

SideAway may waive cancellation charges or issue a refund where a cancellation results from a documented emergency or unavoidable circumstance arising before the Booking start time. Cancel the Booking first, then submit a claim with supporting documentation within 14 days of the cancellation.

6.4 Refunds for completed work

Because an Assistant's time cannot be returned, completed Bookings are generally non-refundable. A Client may request a refund within 7 days of the Booking end time where the service was not delivered as agreed, including where:

• the Assistant did not arrive, or left significantly early;
• the work delivered clearly did not match what was booked; or
• safety, conduct, or trust concerns covered by Section 7 arose during the engagement.

Requests are reviewed case by case. Where a partial refund is fair (for example, half the agreed hours were completed), SideAway may issue a proportional refund. Refunds may also be issued at SideAway's reasonable discretion where a Booking was materially misrepresented or where required by law.

6.5 How to request a refund or open a dispute

Email hello@sideaway.com within 7 days of the Booking end time with your account email, the Booking reference, a short description of what happened, and any supporting evidence (messages, photos, receipts). We aim to acknowledge every request within 2 business days and reach a decision within 10 business days.

Clients and Assistants should first try to resolve issues directly through in-app messages. If that fails, either party may open a dispute at the address above. While a dispute is open, the disputed amount may be held from the Assistant's next payout. SideAway acts as a neutral mediator; our decision on the release of held funds is final for Platform purposes, and does not limit either party's rights under Section 12.

6.6 Refund timing

Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method and typically appear within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank or card issuer.

6.7 Subscriptions

Subscription fees, where offered, are billed in advance for the selected period and are non-refundable for the current period. Consistent with the federal Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) and state automatic-renewal laws: before you subscribe, we will clearly disclose the recurring charge, billing frequency, and how to cancel, and obtain your express consent; we will send a reminder before any renewal where required by your state's law; and you can cancel online at any time, as easily as you signed up, from Settings → Subscriptions. Your plan stays active until the end of the paid period.

SideAway is a curated, boutique marketplace. Everyone must treat others with respect and professional courtesy. Harassment, discrimination, illegal activity, and misuse of the Platform are prohibited.

7.1 Standards for all users

• Be yourself. Provide accurate, verifiable information and a clear photo of yourself. Do not share your account, use another person's account, or log into another user's account on their behalf. Respond promptly to identity-verification requests.
• Keep it on-platform. Follow Section 5 for contact information and payments. If someone proposes paying or communicating off-platform before a Booking, decline and report it.
• No spam or harassment. Tailor applications to each engagement; do not send repetitive messages or excessively contact anyone.
• Honest feedback only. Reviews come from completed Bookings. Do not pressure anyone for positive feedback or withhold work until feedback is left. Fake or retaliatory reviews are removed.

7.2 Additional standards for Assistants

• Accurately describe yourself, your skills, qualifications, and the services you offer.
• When you accept a Booking, complete it and deliver high-quality work. Repeated failure to perform, or sustained low client satisfaction, is a violation of these Terms and may lead to account review or closure.

7.3 Reporting and enforcement

Use the “Report” or “Flag as inappropriate” control on any profile or post, or email safety@sideaway.com (monitored 24/7 for urgent safety concerns). Our moderation team reviews every report within 24 hours.

Depending on severity, enforcement may include a warning, temporary account hold, loss of featured or top-rated placement for up to 60 days, suspension, or termination. Where we believe an account may be closed, we will generally give 30 days' notice and an opportunity to correct the issue, except where immediate action is needed to protect the community or comply with law.

Your content. You retain ownership of content you upload (profiles, photos, videos, messages). You grant SideAway a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, and use that content to operate and promote the Platform.

Marketing use of profile videos. By uploading a personality or profile video, you authorize SideAway to use that video on the Platform and in SideAway marketing on third-party sites. You may withdraw this authorization prospectively at any time by removing the video or emailing hello@sideaway.com.

DMCA / copyright complaints. If you believe content on SideAway infringes your copyright, send a notice under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c) to: SideAway, Inc., Attn: DMCA Agent, 7111 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste B460, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA, or dmca@sideaway.com. Your notice must include the statutory elements (identification of the work, the infringing material, your contact information, a good-faith statement, and a statement under penalty of perjury). We terminate the accounts of repeat infringers.

We comply with civil and criminal subpoenas, court orders, warrants, and other lawful governmental requests validly served on SideAway. Serve legal process at: SideAway, Inc., Attn: Legal Dept, 7111 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste B460, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA. Please include an email contact address, especially for international requests.

For us to produce data, a request must generally be in writing, signed by an authorized official of the requesting agency, and issued under an appropriate law. We review every request, seek to narrow requests we believe are overly broad, and reserve the right to object to valid subpoenas and withhold responsive documents for any reason permitted by law. Users can access information about their own accounts through Settings or by contacting support.

You may close your account at any time from Settings. We may suspend or terminate your access without notice if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or applicable law, or to protect the safety of the community. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 8 and 11–13 — survive.

Disclaimer. The Platform is provided “as is” and “as available.” To the maximum extent permitted by law, SideAway disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement, and does not warrant the conduct or performance of any Client or Assistant.

Limitation of liability. To the maximum extent permitted by law, SideAway's aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the Platform will not exceed the greater of the fees you paid to SideAway in the 12 months preceding the claim or US$100, and SideAway will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

Indemnification. You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless SideAway, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against third-party claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to (a) your use of the Platform, (b) your content, (c) your engagement with any other user, or (d) your violation of these Terms or applicable law.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles, and applicable federal law of the United States. This choice of law governs the interpretation of these Terms only — it does not deprive you of any non-waivable consumer protections granted by the laws of the state (or country) where you live.

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules. This arbitration agreement is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.). The arbitration will be seated in Los Angeles County, California, but if you reside elsewhere in the United States, you may elect to participate by videoconference or in a JAMS location near you. The arbitrator (not any court) has exclusive authority to resolve threshold questions of arbitrability.

Class-action waiver. You and SideAway agree that each may bring claims against the other only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative proceeding.

30-day opt-out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing legal@sideaway.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms, stating your name and intent to opt out. Opting out does not affect any other part of these Terms.

Claims for injunctive relief for intellectual-property misuse, and matters within the jurisdiction of small-claims court, are excluded from arbitration.

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remainder remains in effect (severability). These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between you and SideAway. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. Our failure to enforce a right is not a waiver. Notices to you may be sent to the email on file. Neither party is liable for delays caused by events beyond reasonable control (force majeure).

We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will give notice by email or in-product notice before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date means you accept the updated Terms.

SideAway, Inc. · 7111 Santa Monica Blvd, Ste B460, Los Angeles, CA 90046, USA