Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Stoke platform at getstoke.net and the Stoke mobile app (together, the "Service"), operated by Stoke ("we", "us", or "our"). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. The Service

Stoke is a two-sided marketplace that connects students seeking 1:1 feedback with mentors who provide that feedback. Students submit videos or audio; mentors review the submission and respond with personalised feedback. Stoke facilitates the connection, the content exchange, and the payment — but the feedback itself is provided by independent mentors, not by Stoke.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age of digital consent in your jurisdiction) to use the Service. If you are under 18, you confirm you have permission from a parent or legal guardian. By using the Service you represent that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

3. Accounts

You are responsible for safeguarding your account credentials and for any activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately of any unauthorised use. You may not impersonate another person or create an account for anyone other than yourself.

4. Mentor Obligations

If you sign up as a mentor, you agree to:

• Provide accurate information about your skills and credentials
• Deliver feedback in a professional, respectful, and timely manner
• Honour the rates and turnaround times you publish
• Comply with all applicable tax obligations on the income you earn through Stoke

You are an independent contractor, not an employee, partner, or agent of Stoke.

5. Student Obligations

If you submit content for feedback, you agree to:

• Only submit content you own or have permission to share
• Not submit content that is illegal, harmful, harassing, defamatory, or infringing
• Treat mentors with respect
• Pay for the feedback you request

6. Payments

All payments are processed through Stripe. By making a payment you agree to Stripe's terms. Stoke charges a platform fee on each transaction; the remainder is paid to the mentor via Stripe Connect.

Mentors are responsible for any taxes payable on their earnings. Stoke does not withhold tax on your behalf unless required by law.

7. Refunds & Cancellations

A feedback request may be cancelled and refunded in full if the mentor has not yet started work on it. Once a mentor has started delivering feedback, refunds are at the discretion of Stoke. If a mentor fails to deliver feedback within the agreed turnaround time, contact us at [email protected] and we will mediate.

8. Content Ownership & Licence

You retain ownership of the content you upload. By uploading content you grant Stoke a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, transmit, display, and process that content for the purpose of providing the Service.

Feedback provided by a mentor is the intellectual property of the mentor; they grant you a perpetual licence to view and benefit from that feedback for your personal use.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or anything that could disrupt the Service
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to other accounts or our systems
• Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the Service without permission
• Circumvent the Service to transact with another user outside the platform
• Harass, threaten, or abuse any other user
• Misrepresent your identity, qualifications, or affiliation

We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms at our sole discretion.

10. Termination

You may delete your account at any time from your profile settings. We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms, if required by law, or for any other legitimate reason. On termination, your right to use the Service ends immediately. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive (e.g. ownership, indemnity, disclaimers, limitations of liability) will continue to apply.

11. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranty of any kind. Stoke does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free from viruses. Stoke does not endorse any mentor or guarantee the quality, accuracy, or usefulness of any feedback provided through the Service.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Stoke will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from your use of the Service.

Our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service is limited to the amount you paid to Stoke in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or AUD $100, whichever is greater.

13. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Stoke, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claim, demand, loss, or liability arising out of your content, your use of the Service, or your breach of these Terms.

14. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Any dispute arising from these Terms or the Service will be resolved in the courts of New South Wales, Australia, and you consent to that jurisdiction.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email or via an in-app notice. Continued use of the Service after the changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

16. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach us at [email protected].