Terms & Conditions

1. Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms:

• "Platform" — the Marca lá service, accessible at marcala.pt.
• "Business" — the company, independent professional or service provider that creates and uses an account on the Platform.
• "End Client" — the consumer who makes a booking through the Platform.
• "Completed Appointment" — a booking that was fulfilled and not cancelled before its scheduled time.
• "Balance" — prepaid credit associated with the Business account.

2. Service Description

Marca lá is a SaaS appointment booking platform for Portuguese businesses — barbershops, salons, studios, therapists, lawyers, and more. It enables the Business to offer a personalised public booking page, manage services, staff and availability, receive bookings from End Clients, and monitor activity and billing through a management dashboard.

3. Account Registration and Access

Registration on the Platform requires the provision of accurate, complete and up-to-date information. Each account is for personal use and may not be shared with or transferred to third parties. The Business is solely responsible for the confidentiality of its login credentials and must immediately notify Marca lá of any suspected unauthorised access. Marca lá reserves the right to refuse or close accounts that violate these Terms.

4. Payment Model and Billing

The service is charged at €0.10 per Completed Appointment. This rate is set by the platform administrator and may be changed with prior notice to the Business. Billing is processed automatically twice a month, on the 1st and 16th of each month, covering appointments completed in the preceding period. Cancelled appointments are not charged.

5. Prepaid Balance and Top-ups

The Platform operates on a prepaid balance model. The minimum top-up amount is €10, payable at any time through the management dashboard via MB Way or bank card. The balance does not expire while the account remains active. Marca lá is not responsible for payment failures or delays attributable to third parties (such as the payment processor).

6. Account Suspension and Reactivation

If the balance is insufficient at the time of billing, the Business account is automatically suspended. During suspension: the public booking page becomes unavailable to End Clients; no new bookings are accepted; existing bookings are preserved. The account is automatically reactivated once sufficient balance has been topped up to cover the outstanding amount.

7. Trial Period

Marca lá may grant new Businesses a free trial period during which Completed Appointments are not charged. The terms and duration of the trial period are set by the platform administrator and communicated to the Business at the time of registration.

8. Business Obligations

The Business agrees to:

• Provide and maintain accurate, complete and up-to-date information in its profile and services on the Platform.
• Actively manage availability to prevent bookings that cannot be honoured.
• Honour appointments made by End Clients.
• Obtain any legally required consents for the processing of End Clients' personal data in connection with its activities.
• Comply with applicable law, including the GDPR and Portuguese tax and commercial legislation.

9. Prohibited Uses

The Business is expressly prohibited from:

• Sharing login credentials with unauthorised third parties.
• Attempting unauthorised access to other businesses' accounts or the Platform's internal systems.
• Inserting false, misleading or third-party intellectual property-infringing content.
• Using the Platform to send unsolicited communications (spam).
• Reverse engineering or attempting to extract the Platform's source code.
• Intentionally overloading the Platform's servers or infrastructure.

10. Service Availability

Marca lá endeavours to maintain the Platform continuously available but does not guarantee uninterrupted service. Scheduled maintenance will be communicated in advance by email. Marca lá is not liable for interruptions caused by factors beyond its control, including infrastructure provider, telecommunications or power failures.

11. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Platform — including the brand, software, design, content and features — are the exclusive property of Marca lá. The Business receives a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable and revocable licence to use the Platform as set out in this document. This licence does not grant the Business the right to sublicense, copy, modify or distribute any component of the Platform.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Marca lá is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages. Marca lá's maximum aggregate liability to the Business is limited to the total amounts paid in the three months preceding the event that gave rise to the claim. Marca lá is not responsible for unfulfilled appointments, cancellations or disputes between the Business and its End Clients.

13. Amendments

Marca lá reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time. Material changes will be notified by email with at least 30 days' notice. Continued use of the Platform after that period constitutes acceptance of the new terms. If the Business does not agree to the changes, it may close its account before the changes take effect.

14. Termination

The Business may close its account at any time via the management dashboard. Marca lá may suspend or close accounts that violate these Terms, with prior notice where reasonable. Any remaining balance at the time of cancellation is non-refundable, unless otherwise required by law or expressly agreed between the parties.

15. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by Portuguese law. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent Portuguese courts.

16. Contact

For questions relating to these Terms, please contact us at: suporte@marcala.pt.