Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms & Parties

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you (whether individually or on behalf of an entity, such as a restaurant, barbershop, studio, salon, clinic, or other business, referred to as "Customer", "Business", "you", or "your") and Star Pilot ("Star Pilot", "we", "us", or "our"), regarding your access to and use of https://starpilot.it, our front-desk booking ledger, web applications, and automated messaging infrastructure (collectively, the "Service").

By creating an account, participating in our pilot program, accessing the counter interface, or utilizing our review dispatch system, you agree that you have read, understood, and accept to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with all of these terms, you are expressly prohibited from using the Service.

2. Service Description & Scope

Star Pilot provides specialized software-as-a-service designed for local businesses to streamline customer follow-up and collect verified reviews:

• Front-Desk Booking Ledger: A rapid-entry web tool allowing staff to register customer bookings, phone numbers, and appointment times in seconds.
• Automated WhatsApp Review Pipeline: Intelligent scheduling and automated transmission of single review requests to customers through official Meta WhatsApp Cloud API infrastructure.
• Passwordless Rating Interface: Single-use, tokenized rating pages where customers can submit a 1-to-5 star rating and voluntary feedback without passwords or application downloads.
• Google Review Redirection: Automatic routing allowing customers to post their review directly onto the business's public Google Business Profile.
• Operational Intelligence: A private owner dashboard providing analytics on delivery rates, response rates, and customer comments.

3. Strict Google Review Non-Gating Compliance

Star Pilot is committed to strict adherence with Google’s Maps User Contributed Content Policy and Prohibited and Restricted Content Guidelines:

• No Selective Gating: Google strictly prohibits "review gating" (filtering customers so that only positive ratings are guided to Google while negative ratings are blocked or suppressed). Star Pilot displays the direct Google review link to every customer regardless of the star rating chosen.
• No Manipulation or Incentives: You agree not to offer monetary incentives, gifts, discounts, or complimentary items to customers in exchange for leaving Google reviews through our platform.
• Protection of Your Business Profile: Circumnavigating or attempting to bypass non-gating safeguards is a material breach of these Terms and may result in immediate account termination to prevent suspension of your Google Business Profile.

4. WhatsApp Cloud API & Messaging Policies

Outbound messages from Star Pilot are dispatched exclusively through verified Meta WhatsApp Cloud API infrastructure:

• Pre-Approved Templates: All review request messages utilize official Meta-approved template structures. Messages cannot be customized to contain spam, misleading advertisements, or abusive content.
• Single Transactional Follow-Up: Star Pilot dispatches exactly one review request per reservation session. Automated re-texting, aggressive follow-ups, and marketing drip campaigns are prohibited.
• Cancellations & Safety Windows: If a reservation is marked cancelled or no-show prior to scheduled dispatch, the request is immediately dropped to prevent unwanted notifications.

5. End-Customer Data & Data Protection Roles (GDPR)

Data protection compliance is foundational to our architecture. With respect to end-customer personal data (names, mobile phone numbers, appointment times):

• Roles: Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Business acts as the Data Controller, and Star Pilot acts as the Data Processor.
• Customer Notice & Consent: The Business warrants and represents that it collects end-customer telephone numbers lawfully, with appropriate notice or consent informing the end-customer that they may receive a follow-up feedback message regarding their visit.
• Purpose Limitation: Star Pilot processes end-customer phone numbers solely for dispatching the requested feedback link. We never monetize, sell, distribute, or retarget end-customer data for advertising.
• Right to Erasure: Star Pilot provides an automated Account & Data Deletion workflow allowing customers or businesses to request instant erasure of their phone numbers and feedback history.

6. Account Registration & Staff Access

When setting up Star Pilot for your business:

• Authority: The person registering represents that they have the legal authority to bind the business or enterprise.
• Employee Codes: Counter staff may be issued isolated PIN codes to record reservations without administrative access. You are responsible for ensuring staff keep their credentials confidential.
• Security Notification: You agree to notify Star Pilot immediately at hello@starpilot.it if you suspect any unauthorized access or compromise of your account credentials.

7. Subscriptions, Pilot Program & Billing

Access to Star Pilot may be offered under promotional pilot periods or paid subscription tiers:

• Pilot Program: Star Pilot may provide qualified businesses with pilot access. Pilot terms, complimentary message volumes, and duration are established upon acceptance. We reserve the right to modify or conclude pilot access upon reasonable notice.
• Commercial Subscriptions: Paid plans are billed on a recurring monthly or annual basis. Fees are non-refundable except where mandated by applicable EU consumer law.
• Taxes: All listed fees are exclusive of value-added tax (VAT) and other statutory taxes, which will be calculated and applied based on the Business's registered jurisdiction.
• Cancellation: You may cancel your subscription at any time through your dashboard or by notifying support. Service will remain active through the end of the current paid billing cycle.

8. Intellectual Property & Brand Rights

All rights, title, and interest in and to Star Pilot (including the web application, visual layout, software code, algorithms, design tokens, and trademarks) are and remain the exclusive property of Star Pilot and its licensors.

You retain full ownership of your business's proprietary trademarks, brand marks, and customer feedback. Third-party brand names (such as Google, Google Maps, WhatsApp, and Meta) are referenced solely for descriptive compatibility purposes and remain the intellectual property of their respective trademark holders.

9. Service Availability & Third-Party Dependencies

We strive to maintain continuous availability and industry-standard uptime for our application and counter tools. However, you acknowledge that:

• Outbound message delivery relies on telecommunications networks and Meta's WhatsApp Cloud API availability. We cannot guarantee 100% delivery if a recipient's phone is unreachable, lacks cellular service, or has uninstalled WhatsApp.
• Public review pages, Places IDs, and rating indexes are operated exclusively by Google LLC. Star Pilot has no control over Google's proprietary ranking algorithms, algorithmic review filters, or policy enforcement actions.

10. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

Notice Regarding Liability Under Applicable Law

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including fitness for a particular commercial purpose.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Star Pilot and its officers, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, business interruption, loss of reputation, or loss of data resulting from your use of or inability to use the Service.

In no event shall our total aggregate liability arising out of or related to these Terms exceed the total amount paid by you to Star Pilot for the Service in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or €100.00 if you participated under a complimentary pilot.

11. Suspension & Termination

Either party may terminate these Terms at any time upon notice. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access immediately, without prior notice or liability, if:

• You breach any material provision of these Terms or our Privacy Policy.
• Your account is suspected of sending fraudulent reservations, spam, or non-consensual messages.
• Required by law or requested by telecommunication authorities or platform partners (Meta, Google).

12. Governing Law, Jurisdiction & Inquiries

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Italy and applicable regulations of the European Union, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Milan, Italy.