Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using GroundScore ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy, and our Refund Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not use the Service. The Service is operated by GroundScore and is available to users worldwide.

2. Description of Service

GroundScore provides AI-powered AI search optimization analysis tools, including website scanning, competitor tracking, content optimization recommendations, lead generation widgets, agency management tools, and related analytics. The Service uses automated crawling and artificial intelligence to generate GroundScores and recommendations.

3. Account Registration

To use the Service, you must create an account through our authentication provider. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You must provide accurate and complete information during registration. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent usage limits or abuse free tier benefits is strictly prohibited and may result in immediate termination of all associated accounts.

4. Credits and Payments

The Service operates on a credit-based system. Credits can be purchased through our payment processor (Stripe) and are used to activate power-ups and premium features.

• Non-Refundable: All credit purchases are final and non-refundable once credits have been used. Unused credits may be eligible for refund within 7 days of purchase — see our Refund Policy for details.
• Non-Transferable: Credits are tied to your account and cannot be transferred, gifted, or sold to other users or accounts.
• No Expiration: Purchased credits do not expire as long as your account remains active and in good standing.
• Subscription Credits: Monthly credits included with subscription plans are allocated at the start of each billing cycle and do not roll over to the next month.
• Agency Coin Pools: Agency plan coin pools are shared across the agency's client accounts. Unused pool credits do not roll over between billing cycles.

5. Subscription Plans

GroundScore offers subscription plans (Agency Starter, Agency, Agency Elite) with monthly billing.

• Billing: Subscriptions are billed monthly through Stripe. By subscribing, you authorize recurring charges to your payment method.
• Cancellation: You may cancel your subscription at any time through the Settings page or Stripe customer portal. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period — you retain access to plan features until then.
• Downgrades: If you downgrade or cancel, features exclusive to your previous plan (e.g., additional client slots, white-labeling) will become unavailable at the end of the billing period.
• No Prorated Refunds: We do not provide prorated refunds for partial billing periods. See our Refund Policy for details.

6. Chargebacks and Disputes

By using the Service and making purchases, you agree to the following regarding payment disputes:

• Contact Us First: If you believe a charge is incorrect or unauthorized, you must contact us at [email protected] before initiating a chargeback with your bank or credit card company. We will work to resolve the issue within 48 hours.
• Chargeback Consequences: Filing a chargeback without first contacting us may result in immediate suspension of your account, forfeiture of all credits and data, and a permanent ban from the Service.
• Fraudulent Chargebacks: We maintain detailed records of all transactions, including IP addresses, device fingerprints, usage logs, and consent records. We will contest any chargeback we believe to be fraudulent and may pursue legal remedies.
• Dispute Fee: If a chargeback is filed and subsequently reversed in our favor, a $15 dispute processing fee may be applied to your account.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service to scan websites you do not own or have authorization to analyze
• Attempt to circumvent rate limits, usage caps, or abuse the scanning infrastructure
• Create multiple accounts to exploit free tier benefits, signup bonuses, or promotional offers
• Use automated tools, bots, or scripts to access the Service beyond the provided API and widget
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service
• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable regulations
• Resell, redistribute, or sublicense access to the Service without written permission
• Abuse the lead generation widget by submitting fake leads or using it for spam
• Attempt to manipulate GroundScores through artificial means
• Share account credentials or allow unauthorized access to your account

8. Free Tier Limitations

Free accounts are subject to usage limits including scan frequency caps, single-site restrictions, and rate limiting on API calls. These limits exist to ensure fair access for all users and to prevent abuse. Attempting to circumvent these limits through any means (including multiple accounts, automated requests, or VPN rotation) constitutes a violation of these Terms and may result in account termination.

9. Agency and Lead Widget Terms

If you use the Agency features or Lead Generation Widget:

• Client Data: You are responsible for obtaining appropriate consent from your clients before scanning their websites or sharing their data through the Service.
• Lead Widget: The embeddable audit widget must be used in good faith. You must not misrepresent the widget's functionality or use it to collect data for purposes other than GroundScore analysis and lead generation.
• White-Labeling: Elite plan white-labeling features must not be used to misrepresent the origin of the Service or to create a competing product.

10. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, features, and content, is owned by GroundScore and protected by intellectual property laws. You retain ownership of your website content and data. By using the Service, you grant us a limited license to crawl and analyze your website content solely for the purpose of providing the Service.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. GroundScores and recommendations are generated by AI and should be considered advisory. We do not guarantee specific results, search engine rankings, or AI visibility improvements. Scores may fluctuate between scans due to the nature of AI analysis.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, GroundScore shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, or business opportunities, arising from your use of the Service. Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid for the Service in the twelve months preceding the claim.

13. Fraud Prevention

We employ automated fraud detection systems to protect the integrity of the Service and our users. These systems monitor for suspicious activity including but not limited to: unusual purchase patterns, rapid account creation, automated access attempts, and credential sharing. We reserve the right to delay, hold, or reverse transactions flagged by our fraud detection systems, and to suspend or terminate accounts engaged in fraudulent activity without prior notice.

14. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these terms or for any other reason at our discretion. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Any unused credits will be forfeited upon account termination for cause. If we terminate your account without cause, unused purchased credits may be refunded at our discretion.

15. Modifications

We may modify these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified terms. We will make reasonable efforts to notify users of material changes through the Service or via email.

16. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association.

17. Contact

For questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us at [email protected].