Terms of Service

Welcome to Nook Gems. By accessing or using our platform at nookgems.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. Please read them carefully.

1. About Nook Gems

Nook Gems is a community-powered local business discovery platform focused on Charlotte, NC. It is owned and operated by Stephanie Pretell ("we," "us," or "our"). The platform allows users to discover, review, vote for, and share local businesses, and allows business owners to create and manage their listings.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account or using Nook Gems, you confirm that you are at least 13 years of age and agree to these Terms. If you are using Nook Gems on behalf of a business, you represent that you have authority to bind that business to these Terms.

3. User Accounts

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account and password. You agree to provide accurate and complete information when creating your account. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or that we reasonably believe are being used fraudulently.

4. User Content

You retain ownership of content you submit to Nook Gems, including reviews, business listings, and photos ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you grant Nook Gems a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your content in connection with operating the platform.

You agree not to submit content that is false, defamatory, harassing, obscene, or that infringes on any third party's intellectual property rights. We reserve the right to remove any content that violates these Terms.

5. Business Listings

Business owners may submit listings for review. All listings are subject to approval by Nook Gems before they appear on the platform. We reserve the right to reject, remove, or edit any listing at our discretion. Listings must be for real, operating businesses located in the Charlotte, NC area.

6. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Post false, misleading, or fraudulent reviews or listings
• Use the platform to spam, harass, or harm other users
• Attempt to manipulate votes or ratings
• Scrape, crawl, or otherwise collect data from the platform without permission
• Use the platform for any unlawful purpose
• Impersonate any person or entity

7. Intellectual Property

The Nook Gems name, logo, design, and original content are the property of Stephanie Pretell and may not be used without prior written permission. The platform's code and design are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

8. Disclaimers

Nook Gems is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee the accuracy of business listings, reviews, or any other user-generated content. We are not responsible for any transactions between users and businesses discovered through our platform.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Nook Gems and Stephanie Pretell shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform. Our total liability shall not exceed $100.

10. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify users of significant changes via email or a notice on the platform. Continued use of Nook Gems after changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved in the courts of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

12. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at nookgemsclt@gmail.com.