Terms of Service

Address Guardian

Last updated: [Date]

1. Agreement

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the Address Guardian application (“App”) provided by [COMPANY_NAME] (“[COMPANY_SHORT]”, “we”, “us”, “our”).

By installing the App on your Shopify store, you (“Merchant”, “you”) agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

2. Description of Service

Address Guardian is a Shopify application that validates shipping addresses on customer orders using third-party postal verification services. The App:

Validates shipping addresses against postal databases.
Displays address correction suggestions to customers.
Tags orders with validation status in your Shopify admin.
Optionally sends correction emails to customers.
Optionally validates email addresses and phone numbers.
Provides a merchant dashboard with validation analytics.

3. Eligibility

To use Address Guardian, you must:

Operate an active Shopify store.
Have authority to install applications on your Shopify account.
Comply with Shopify's Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy.

4. Account and Access

4.1 Shopify Authentication

Address Guardian uses Shopify OAuth for authentication. We do not create separate user accounts. Your access is tied to your Shopify admin session.

4.2 API Permissions

The App requests specific Shopify API scopes (permissions) during installation. These are required for the App to function and are disclosed during the OAuth consent flow. You may revoke access at any time by uninstalling the App.

5. Pricing and Billing

5.1 Pricing Model

Address Guardian uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model:

First 500 address validations: Free (lifetime, per store).
Additional validations: $0.06 USD per address validation.

5.2 Billing

All charges are billed through your Shopify invoice via the Shopify Billing API. You will not receive separate invoices from us. Usage charges appear on your regular Shopify bill.

5.3 Pricing Changes

We may change pricing with at least 30 days' written notice via email or in-app notification. Price changes apply to new billing cycles only and do not affect retroactive charges.

5.4 No Refunds

Validation charges are non-refundable, as address validation API calls are consumed in real-time and cannot be reversed. If you believe you were charged in error, contact support@addressguardian.app.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

Use the App for any unlawful purpose or in violation of applicable laws.
Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or extract source code from the App.
Use the App to validate addresses in bulk for purposes unrelated to your Shopify store orders.
Resell, sublicense, or redistribute the App or its validation services.
Interfere with or disrupt the App's infrastructure or other merchants' use of the service.
Submit fraudulent, fabricated, or intentionally malformed data to the validation service.

7. Service Availability

7.1 Uptime

We strive to maintain high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted service. The App depends on third-party services (Shopify, Loqate, Google Cloud) whose availability is outside our control.

7.2 Graceful Degradation

The App is designed to fail silently. If address validation is unavailable due to a service outage, API error, or plan limit:

Customer checkout and order placement are never blocked.
Orders proceed normally without validation.
No error messages are shown to your customers.

7.3 Maintenance

We may perform scheduled maintenance with advance notice when possible. Emergency maintenance may occur without notice to address security or stability issues.

8. Intellectual Property

8.1 Our Property

The App, its design, code, documentation, and branding are the intellectual property of [COMPANY_SHORT]. These Terms do not grant you any rights to our intellectual property beyond the limited right to use the App on your Shopify store.

8.2 Your Data

You retain all rights to your store data, customer data, and order data. We claim no ownership over any data processed through the App.

9. Data and Privacy

Our collection, use, and protection of personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

Key points:

Customer address data is retained for 90 days, then automatically redacted.
API response data is retained for 30 days, then automatically deleted.
All data is deleted upon app uninstall (after Shopify's 48-hour grace period).
We comply with GDPR, CCPA, and Shopify's mandatory data protection requirements.

10. Limitation of Liability

10.1 Validation Accuracy

Address validation results are provided by third-party postal databases and may not be 100% accurate. We do not guarantee that every address correction is correct or that every invalid address will be detected.

You acknowledge that:

Validation results are advisory, not definitive.
The decision to ship to an original or corrected address remains yours.
Newly constructed addresses may not yet appear in postal databases.
Some international addresses may have limited validation coverage.

10.2 Limitation

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

[COMPANY_SHORT]'s total liability for any claims arising from your use of the App shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to [COMPANY_SHORT] in the 12 months preceding the claim.
[COMPANY_SHORT] shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, or business interruption.
[COMPANY_SHORT] shall not be liable for any losses resulting from incorrect address validation results, failed deliveries, or decisions made based on validation data.

10.3 Force Majeure

[COMPANY_SHORT] is not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, internet outages, third-party service failures, government actions, or pandemics.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless [COMPANY_SHORT] and its officers, directors, and employees from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

Your use of the App.
Your violation of these Terms.
Your violation of any third-party rights.
Customer disputes related to address corrections made through the App.

12. Termination

12.1 By You

You may terminate these Terms at any time by uninstalling the App from your Shopify store. Upon uninstall:

Your access to the App ceases immediately.
Active sessions are deleted immediately.
Your data is retained for 30 days (to support re-installation), then permanently deleted when Shopify sends the shop/redact webhook.

12.2 By Us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the App if:

You violate these Terms.
Your Shopify store is suspended or terminated.
Required by law or legal process.

We will provide reasonable notice before termination unless immediate action is required for security or legal reasons.

12.3 Survival

Sections 8 (Intellectual Property), 10 (Limitation of Liability), 11 (Indemnification), and 13 (Governing Law) survive termination.

13. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of [GOVERNING_LAW_JURISDICTION].

Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved in the courts of [COURT_JURISDICTION], unless mandatory consumer protection laws of your jurisdiction require otherwise.

For EU merchants, you may also use the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

14. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via email or in-app notification at least 30 days before changes take effect. Continued use of the App after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.

16. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and [COMPANY_SHORT] regarding the App. They supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

17. Contact

For questions about these Terms:

[COMPANY_NAME]
[COMPANY_ADDRESS]
[COUNTRY]

Email: support@addressguardian.app
Website: https://addressguardian.app