This policy sets out how fees, billing, payment methods and affiliate payouts work on Communi. It applies in addition to the Communi Terms & Conditions, the Refunds & Cancellations Policy and the Affiliate Program Terms.

Communi is operated by Daom Limited (New Zealand company no. 9403442), 25 Broderick Road, Johnsonville, Wellington 6037, New Zealand.

1. Scope

This policy applies to purchases of licences, subscriptions, upgrades and add-ons made through Communi; membership and group subscription payments processed through Communi; and affiliate commission payouts, adjustments and deductions administered by Communi.

It does not apply to payments handled entirely by group owners outside Communi's systems, or to independent refund terms set by group owners, except where those are incorporated into Communi's checkout.

2. Payment methods and authorisation

We accept the payment methods listed at checkout, which may include credit and debit cards, Stripe and PayPal. By providing payment details you authorise Communi and its payment processors to:

• charge the fees, taxes and charges that apply;
• store and re-use your payment credentials for recurring or future transactions you have agreed to; and
• debit or credit your account for adjustments, refunds and chargeback reversals.

You are responsible for keeping your payment details accurate and current. We are not responsible for transactions that fail because your details are out of date or incorrect, or for delays caused by your bank or card issuer.

We may require additional verification, pre-authorisation or a reserve for transactions we reasonably consider unusual or high risk. We may decline a transaction, reverse a charge or apply limits where we reasonably suspect fraud, abuse or breach of the Terms. Where we do, we will tell you and explain why, unless telling you would prejudice an investigation or we are legally prevented from doing so.

3. GST and other taxes

Communi is operated by a New Zealand company.

• New Zealand customers. Prices shown to you include GST at 15% where GST applies. Your invoice will show the GST component and our GST number: 147-988-639.
• Customers outside New Zealand. Prices are shown exclusive of any sales tax, VAT or GST that applies in your country, unless the checkout says otherwise. Where we are required to collect and remit tax in your country, it will be shown at checkout and added to the price.
• Your own taxes. You are responsible for any tax you owe on your purchases or on commission you receive. We do not give tax advice — talk to your own adviser.

We may be required to withhold tax from a payment. If we are, we will tell you the amount and the reason, and provide any documentation we are required to give you.

4. Billing and charges

• Fees are payable in the currency shown at checkout.
• You remain liable for charges incurred before cancellation takes effect, including charges posted after you request cancellation but before it is processed.
• We invoice electronically. You agree to receive invoices, statements and receipts in digital form.
• If you do not pay an amount when it is due, we may suspend your access after giving you notice and a reasonable opportunity to pay.

Changing prices. We may change our prices, billing cycles or fee structure. We will give you at least 30 days' notice by email and in the platform before a change affects you. If you do not accept the change you may cancel before it takes effect, and we will refund any fees you have paid for a period after cancellation. Continuing after the change takes effect means you accept it.

5. Subscriptions and renewal

• Subscription fees are billed in advance on a recurring basis unless stated otherwise.
• You authorise us to charge the renewal fee to your payment method on file unless you cancel at least one (1) business day before the next billing date.
• We will email you a renewal reminder at least 7 days before each renewal, showing the amount and the date it will be charged, and how to cancel.
• You can cancel at any time from your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.
• We will not change your billing date in a way that shortens a period you have already paid for without telling you first.

6. Non-payment

If a payment is declined, reversed or fails, we may:

• suspend or terminate your access to the platform or a group subscription, after notice;
• withhold or offset affiliate payouts or credits against the amount outstanding;
• apply amounts we receive from you against the debts you owe;
• refer the account to collections; and
• take legal action to recover the amount, together with interest and enforcement costs.

Interest. Overdue amounts accrue interest at 1.5% per month (or part month), calculated from the due date until payment is received in full.

Costs. You are responsible for the reasonable costs we actually incur in recovering an unpaid amount, including collection agency fees and solicitors' costs on a solicitor–client basis.

7. Affiliate payments

Affiliate commissions are governed by the Affiliate Program Terms. In summary:

• Commissions are calculated on Net Transaction Value.
• Commissions are reversed where a transaction is refunded, cancelled, charged back or reversed.
• We may withhold a payout for a reserve, a fraud review, or a compliance or verification check.
• We may offset amounts you owe us against pending or future payouts.
• Commissions must be withdrawn within the Withdrawal Window set out in the Affiliate Program Terms. In short: six months from when a commission first becomes genuinely withdrawable, the clock pauses whenever we are the reason you cannot withdraw, any activity on your account resets it, we email you twice before anything expires, and balances that have never reached the Minimum Payout Threshold never expire.

Verification. Our payment providers require us to verify the identity of people we pay. We may ask you for identity documents and tax details, and hold a payout until you provide them. We will tell you exactly what we need and why.

Tax documentation. We may ask you for tax documentation appropriate to where you live — for example a W-9 or W-8BEN if you are a US person. You are responsible for reporting and paying any tax you owe on commission in your country of residence, and for issuing any invoice your own tax rules require. We do not give tax advice.

8. Records

Our billing, transaction and payment records are our system of record and are correct absent manifest error.

If you believe a record is wrong, tell us through the Support Centre with the detail you have, and we will investigate and correct it if you are right. You can request a statement of your own transactions and payouts at any time, and you have a right of access to your personal information under the Privacy Act 2020 — see our Privacy Policy.

9. Refunds, chargebacks and adjustments

Refunds and cancellations are governed by the Refunds & Cancellations Policy, and by your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 where you are a consumer.

Please raise a refund request with us before starting a chargeback, so we have the chance to fix the problem. Chargebacks made without contacting us first cost us fees we cannot recover and slow your resolution down. Where a chargeback is dishonest or unfounded, we may suspend the account and recover the amount and the fees.

We may offset, delay or claw back funds from future payouts to account for refunds, cancellations, chargebacks or other adjustments.

10. Payment security

We use third-party payment processors and industry-standard safeguards. Communi does not store complete payment card details — those are held by the processor and governed by its own privacy and security policies. We are not responsible for a failure by a payment processor, but this does not limit any liability we have that cannot lawfully be limited (see clause 12).

11. Changes to this policy

How we change these terms. We may change these terms. If a change is material — for example a change to fees, to commission rates, to how or when money is paid, or a reduction in what we provide — we will give you at least thirty (30) days' notice by email to your registered address and by notice in the platform before it takes effect.

Your right to leave. If you do not accept a material change, you may cancel your account before it takes effect, and we will refund any fees you have paid for a period after cancellation. Continuing to use the platform after a material change takes effect means you accept it.

Changes that need a signature. For changes that reduce money owed to you, we may require you to confirm acceptance (for example by clicking "I agree") before your next payout is processed.

12. Your consumer rights, and our liability

Your rights under New Zealand consumer law. If you are a consumer as defined in the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993, you have guarantees under that Act — including that our services will be supplied with reasonable care and skill, be reasonably fit for purpose, and be supplied within a reasonable time — and rights under the Fair Trading Act 1986. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies those rights, and any part of these terms that purports to do so does not apply to you. Where a limitation or exclusion in these terms cannot lawfully apply to you, it is to be read as applying only to the maximum extent the law allows.

Business users. If you acquire our services in trade, and you and Communi are both in trade, then under s 43(2) of the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and s 5D of the Fair Trading Act 1986 you and Communi agree that the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and ss 9, 12A, 13 and 14(1) of the Fair Trading Act 1986 do not apply. You acknowledge this exclusion is fair and reasonable, that you had the opportunity to take legal advice, and that our pricing reflects it. This clause does not apply to the unfair contract terms provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1986, which cannot be contracted out of.

Other countries. Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy available to you under the Australian Consumer Law, UK or EU consumer legislation, or any other consumer protection law of your country of residence that cannot be excluded by agreement. To the extent of any inconsistency, that law prevails.

What we are not liable for. To the extent permitted by law, Communi is not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profits, loss of opportunity, loss of goodwill, or loss of data, however caused.

Cap. To the extent permitted by law, Communi's total liability to you under or in connection with these terms in any 12-month period is limited to the greater of (a) NZ$500 and (b) the total amount you paid to Communi, or that Communi paid to you in commission, in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the liability.

What the cap does not cover. Nothing in these terms limits Communi's liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, for any liability under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or Fair Trading Act 1986 that cannot lawfully be limited, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

13. Complaints, governing law and jurisdiction

Talk to us first. We ask you to raise the issue with us through the Support Centre so we can try to fix it. We will acknowledge within 2 business days and aim to respond substantively within 10 business days.

You do not have to wait for us. Using our internal process is not a precondition to any legal right you have. You may at any time:

• take a claim to the Disputes Tribunal (claims up to $60,000) or the District Court;
• complain to the Commerce Commission about conduct under the Fair Trading Act 1986 or Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 — comcom.govt.nz;
• complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner about how we have handled your personal information — privacy.org.nz;
• contact the Approved Agency under the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 about harmful content — currently Netsafe, netsafe.org.nz;
• contact Consumer Protection (MBIE) for free guidance — consumerprotection.govt.nz.

Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand.

Jurisdiction. The New Zealand courts have non-exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or in connection with these terms. Nothing in this clause prevents you from bringing a claim in the Disputes Tribunal, or in any court or tribunal of your country of residence where the law of that country gives you that right.