Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of terms

By accessing or using destinali.com ("the Site"), creating an account, listing a business, or submitting a review, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms") and our Privacy Policy.

If you are using Destinali on behalf of a business or organisation, you represent that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. The platform

Destinali is a local business directory that helps people find verified businesses across Nigeria and Africa. The platform allows:

• Visitors to search, browse, and contact businesses
• Business owners to create, claim, and manage business listings
• Users to write reviews of businesses they have used
• Administrators to moderate listings, reviews, and platform content

Destinali is not a party to any transactions or agreements between visitors and businesses. We provide the platform for discovery and connection; we do not endorse, guarantee, or take responsibility for any business listed on the platform.

3. User accounts

3.1 Registration

To list a business, claim a listing, or write a review, you must create an account with a valid email address and password. You must be at least 18 years old to create an account.

3.2 Account security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately at security@destinali.com if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.

3.3 Accurate information

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering and to keep your account information updated. Providing false information is grounds for immediate account termination.

3.4 One account per person

Each person may maintain only one account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions or to manipulate reviews or listings is prohibited.

4. Business listings

4.1 Listing accuracy

You are solely responsible for the accuracy of your business listing. All information (name, address, phone, hours, description, photos) must be accurate and kept up to date. Misleading listings will be removed.

4.2 What you may list

Only genuine, operating businesses may be listed on Destinali. The listing must represent a real business providing real goods or services to real customers.

4.3 What you may not list

• Businesses that do not exist or are no longer operating
• Fraudulent, scam, or deceptive businesses
• Businesses offering illegal goods or services under Nigerian law
• Sexually explicit content or adult services
• Hate groups, extremist organisations, or businesses promoting discrimination
• Businesses that are a front for money laundering or financial crime
• Duplicate listings of the same business

4.4 Photos and media

You may only upload photos that you own or have permission to use. By uploading photos, you grant Destinali a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display them on the platform, including in search results, social sharing, and marketing materials, for the duration of your listing.

Do not upload photos of other businesses, stock images passed off as your own, or images containing people who have not consented to appear.

4.5 Listing moderation

Destinali reserves the right to review, edit, reject, or remove any listing at any time, for any reason, at our sole discretion. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you before removing an active paid listing, except where immediate removal is required due to a violation of these Terms.

4.6 Unclaimed listings

We may create listings for businesses from publicly available information. These listings are marked as unclaimed. We make reasonable efforts to ensure their accuracy but cannot guarantee it. If you are the owner of an unclaimed listing, please claim it to take control of the information.

5. Claiming a listing

If your business is already listed on Destinali (created by us or a previous user), you may claim ownership through our verification process.

Claiming a listing requires you to verify that you are an authorised representative of the business. Verification methods include:

• Email verification to a business domain email address
• Phone verification via SMS or WhatsApp
• Document verification: upload of a valid CAC certificate or other official business registration document

Submitting false documentation during the claim process is fraud and may be reported to the relevant Nigerian authorities. We reserve the right to reject any claim and to reverse an approved claim if fraud is discovered.

Once a claim is approved, you take full responsibility for the accuracy of the listing content.

6. Plans and payment

6.1 Available plans

6.2 Free trial

All paid plans include a 7-day free trial. Your payment method will not be charged until the trial period ends. You may cancel during the trial period without being charged.

6.3 Billing

Paid plans are billed monthly in advance. Payment is processed by Paystack in Nigerian Naira (NGN). By subscribing, you authorise Paystack to charge your payment method on a recurring monthly basis until you cancel.

6.4 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time from your dashboard. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You will retain access to paid features until the period ends. We do not provide pro-rata refunds for partial months.

6.5 Refunds

Payments are generally non-refundable. We may issue a refund at our discretion in cases of:

• Billing errors caused by our systems
• Platform unavailability for an extended period (more than 72 consecutive hours) directly caused by us
• Situations where required by Nigerian consumer protection law

Refund requests must be submitted within 14 days of the charge to billing@destinali.com.

6.6 Price changes

We reserve the right to change plan pricing with at least 30 days' notice to existing subscribers by email. Continued use of the plan after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the new price.

6.7 Plan downgrades

If your plan is downgraded (due to cancellation, non-payment, or request), features associated with the higher plan (including verified badge, search boost, and excess photos) will be removed at the start of the next billing period. Photos beyond the lower plan's limit may be hidden but not deleted for 30 days, giving you time to manage your media.

7. Reviews

7.1 Eligibility

To write a review, you must have a Destinali account and must have had genuine experience with the business you are reviewing. Reviews from employees, owners, competitors, or people who have never used the business are prohibited.

7.2 Review standards

Reviews must be honest, first-hand, and based on your actual experience. Reviews must not contain:

• Defamatory, threatening, or harassing content
• Hate speech, discrimination, or content targeting protected characteristics
• Personal identifying information about business owners or staff
• Promotional content or advertising for another business
• Content unrelated to the business being reviewed
• Multiple reviews of the same business from the same user or household

7.3 Business owner responses

Business owners on Standard, Featured, or Premium plans may respond to reviews. Responses must be professional and address the review content. Responses may not threaten reviewers, demand they change their review, or contain promotional content.

7.4 Review moderation

All reviews go through moderation before being published. We reserve the right to reject or remove any review that violates these standards. We do not remove negative reviews simply because a business objects; removal requires a genuine policy violation.

7.5 Flagging reviews

Business owners may flag a review they believe violates our policies. Flagged reviews are investigated within 5 business days. We will notify both parties of the outcome.

8. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to engage in any of the following:

• Scraping, crawling, or bulk downloading platform data without written permission
• Attempting to reverse engineer, decompile, or access our source code or database
• Submitting or transmitting malware, viruses, or other harmful code
• Attempting to gain unauthorised access to accounts, systems, or databases
• Using the platform to send spam, unsolicited messages, or phishing communications
• Manipulating search rankings, review counts, or engagement metrics artificially
• Creating fake listings, fake reviews, or fake user accounts
• Impersonating another person, business, or entity
• Using the platform in violation of any applicable Nigerian law or regulation
• Interfering with or disrupting the platform's operation or servers

Violations may result in immediate account termination and may be referred to Nigerian law enforcement where appropriate.

9. Intellectual property

9.1 Destinali's intellectual property

The Destinali name, logo, design, platform code, and all original content created by Destinali are our intellectual property and may not be copied, reproduced, or used without our written permission.

9.2 Your content

You retain ownership of the content you submit (business descriptions, photos, FAQs, and reviews). By submitting content, you grant Destinali a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to display, reproduce, and distribute that content on the platform and in marketing materials for as long as it remains on the platform.

You represent that you own or have the necessary rights to all content you submit and that your content does not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights.

9.3 Feedback

If you provide feedback, suggestions, or ideas about the platform, you agree that we may use this feedback without obligation to you.

10. Liability and disclaimers

10.1 Platform provided "as is"

Destinali is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or completely secure. We are not responsible for content submitted by users or for the accuracy of business listings.

10.2 Third-party businesses

Destinali is a directory platform. We do not endorse, vouch for, or guarantee any business listed on the platform, including verified businesses. A verified badge indicates document verification only; it is not a quality endorsement. Your interactions with listed businesses are at your own risk.

10.3 Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Nigerian law, Destinali's total liability to you for any claim arising out of or related to these Terms or the platform shall not exceed the amount you paid to Destinali in the 3 months preceding the claim, or ₦50,000, whichever is lower.

We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, or goodwill, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

10.4 Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Destinali, its officers, employees, and agents from any claims, losses, or damages arising from your use of the platform, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any law or third-party rights.

11. Termination

11.1 By you

You may delete your account at any time from your account settings. Deleting your account will remove your personal information subject to our retention policy. Business listings associated with your account may be retained as unclaimed listings unless you request their deletion.

11.2 By Destinali

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time if:

• You violate these Terms or our policies
• We receive valid legal process requiring suspension
• Your account is used for fraudulent or illegal activity
• You repeatedly receive substantiated complaints from other users

We will provide notice where reasonably practicable before termination, except where the violation requires immediate action. Paid plan fees will not be refunded on termination for violation.

11.3 Effect of termination

On termination, your right to use the platform ceases immediately. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including intellectual property, liability, and governing law) will remain in effect.

12. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms or the platform shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation between the parties.

If negotiation fails, disputes shall be submitted to the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria sitting in Lagos State, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of that court.

Nothing in these Terms prevents either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.

13. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or business practices. When we make material changes, we will notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the changes take effect.

The updated Terms will be posted on this page with a new "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Contact us

For questions about these Terms:

• Email: legal@destinali.com
• General contact: destinali.com/contact
• Address: Destinali, Lagos, Nigeria

For payment and billing queries: billing@destinali.com

For security concerns: security@destinali.com