Terms of Use

1. About These Terms

These terms govern your use of The Black Directory mobile app (iOS and Android) and theblackdirectory.app (together, the "Service"). The Service is operated by Darren N Anderson trading as The Black Directory, a sole trader based at Flat 14 Betchworth House, London N7 0QL ("we", "us"). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy (https://theblackdirectory.app/privacy).

The Service is free to download and browse. Optional paid plans are available as in-app purchases (section 5).

2. Who Can Use The Service

Anyone can browse the app without an account. You must be 18 or over to create an account, save items, post reviews, submit events, or list or claim a business.

3. Accounts

You can create a member account or a business-owner account using email and password, Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google. Keep your login details safe; you are responsible for activity under your account. Give accurate information and keep it up to date.

Deleting your account. You can delete your account at any time from within the app (Account › Delete Account) or by visiting https://theblackdirectory.app/delete-account or emailing privacy@theblackdirectory.app. Deleting your account deletes your profile and associated personal data as described in our Privacy Policy.

4. Business Listings And Claiming A Business

Businesses must provide accurate information and have the right to represent the business. To claim a listing you must be the owner or an authorised representative; we may ask for proof (for example a business email, website or social media verification). We may verify, edit, reject or remove listings that are inaccurate, misleading or break these terms.

Listings may show public business information such as name, address, opening hours, photos, contact details, website and social media links (e.g. Instagram), and events. Business owners can see stats about their listing such as views, clicks and saves.

"Verified" means we have checked that the person who claimed the listing owns or is authorised to represent the business (for example through a business email, website or social media account). It is not an endorsement or guarantee of any business, product or service.

5. Paid Plans And In-App Purchases

The app is free to download and browse. Business owners can choose an optional paid plan for their listing, and members can buy Premium. [DNA: prices taken from the Oct 2026 pricing guide and the IAP setup notes; check before publishing]

• Verified: £9.99 a month or £99.90 a year. Verified badge, up to 10 photos, social links, an offers slot, and review and rating stats compared with last month.
• Featured: £24.99 a month or £249.90 a year. Everything in Verified, plus top placement in your category and area, a Home screen carousel spot, unlimited photos and the full stats page.
• Member Premium: £4.99, one-off. Unlimited saves.

Founding Member offer. The first 100 businesses to subscribe get Featured free for 3 months, then 50% off (£12.49 a month) for as long as they stay subscribed without a break. [DNA: confirm the final offer and how it is set up as an App Store and Google Play offer.]

Prices include VAT where it applies and may vary by country. The price shown in the app at checkout is the price you pay.

Payment and renewal. Purchases are made through your Apple ID or Google Play account and charged by Apple or Google. Subscriptions renew automatically at the end of each period at the then-current price unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends. Your account is charged for the renewal within the 24 hours before the current period ends.

Free trials and offers. If a plan comes with a free trial or an introductory price, it becomes the paid plan when the trial or offer ends unless you cancel at least 24 hours before then.

Cancelling. Manage or cancel your subscription in your device settings (iPhone: Settings › your name › Subscriptions; Android: Google Play › Payments & subscriptions › Subscriptions). Cancelling stops future renewals, and your plan stays active until the end of the period you've paid for. Deleting the app or your account doesn't cancel a subscription.

Refunds. Refunds are handled by Apple or Google under their refund policies. We can't issue refunds for purchases made through the App Store or Google Play. This doesn't affect your statutory rights.

Price changes. We'll tell you about price increases in advance, as Apple's and Google's rules require, and you can cancel before the new price applies.

What a plan does and doesn't do. Paid plans change how your listing is shown and which stats you see. They don't buy reviews, ratings or Verified status: verification still depends on our checks. Featured placements are labelled as Featured in the app. If a listing breaks these terms we may remove it or its plan features, and you can ask Apple or Google about a refund.

Restoring purchases. If you reinstall the app or change device, use Restore Purchases in the app.

6. Reviews And User Content

You can post reviews, ratings and other content ("User Content"). Reviews must be honest, based on your own genuine experience, and not paid for, incentivised without disclosure, or posted by or for the business owner or competitors. No hate speech, racism, harassment, threats, sexual content, personal data of others, spam or fake reviews.

You keep ownership of your User Content and grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce and distribute it within and to promote the Service. You confirm you have the rights to anything you post.

Our zero-tolerance policy. There is no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users. New reviews are held for checks (spam, links, duplicates and posting limits) before they appear, we moderate content after it is posted, and we may remove content or suspend accounts without notice.

Reporting and blocking. You can report any review, listing, event, photo or user using the "Report" option in the app or by emailing contact@theblackdirectory.app. You can block a user so that you no longer see their content. We review reports within 24 hours, remove content that breaks these terms, and suspend or remove the users who posted it. Business owners may reply to reviews and report reviews they believe break these terms, but may not have genuine reviews removed simply because they are negative.

Complaints and appeals. If you think content on the Service is illegal or harmful, report it in the app or email contact@theblackdirectory.app. You can use the same address to complain if we removed your content or suspended your account, or if you think we haven't handled a report properly. We'll acknowledge your complaint, review it, tell you the outcome, and restore content or accounts if we got it wrong. This does not affect your right to go to court.

7. Events And Blogs

Event information is provided by organisers or gathered from public sources. Check details with the organiser before attending; we are not the organiser and are not responsible for events, tickets or cancellations. Blog content is for general information only.

8. Location, Maps And Directions

If you allow location access, the app uses your location to show nearby businesses. Maps and directions are provided by third parties (e.g. Apple Maps, Google Maps) and may be inaccurate. You can turn location off in your device settings.

9. Acceptable Use

Don't misuse the Service, attempt unauthorised access, interfere with it, impersonate others, or use it for unlawful purposes.

10. No Scraping Or Automated Access

You must not scrape, crawl, harvest, copy or extract data from the Service, by automated means (bots, spiders, scripts, APIs not provided by us) or manually in bulk, including business listings, contact details, reviews or images, or use any such data to build a competing directory, database or dataset, or to train machine-learning models, without our prior written permission. We may block access and take legal action for breach.

11. Intellectual Property

The Black Directory name, logo and design belong to us. Businesses keep ownership of their own content. By submitting a listing, logo, photos, video or event details, you confirm that you own them or have permission to use them, and you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, display, reproduce, resize and crop them to show your listing in the Service and to promote the Service. The licence ends when the content is removed, except for copies in backups (deleted within 30 days) and promotional material already published. Where we add a listing ourselves, we use our own photos or images we have permission to use, and we will remove any image on request from the business or rights holder.

12. Third-Party Services And Links

The Service links to third-party websites, social media (e.g. Instagram), maps and businesses. We aren't responsible for them or for the goods and services listed businesses provide; any transaction is between you and the business.

13. Apple And Google

These terms are between you and us, not Apple or Google. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms for iOS users and may enforce them. Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the app, and is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to the app, including product liability, legal or regulatory compliance or intellectual-property claims. If the app fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple and Apple may refund the purchase price (if any); to the maximum extent permitted by law Apple has no other warranty obligation. Your use of the app must also comply with the Apple Media Services Terms or Google Play Terms of Service, as applicable.

14. Disclaimers And Liability

The Service is provided "as is". Nothing limits liability that cannot be limited under UK law, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or fraud. If you are a consumer, you have legal rights that these terms do not affect.

15. Suspension And Termination

We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms. You can stop using the Service and delete your account at any time (section 3).

16. Changes To These Terms

We'll notify you of material changes in the app or by email, and post the updated terms with a new date.

17. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction, but if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland you can also bring claims there.

18. Contact

Darren N Anderson trading as The Black Directory, Flat 14 Betchworth House, London N7 0QL. Email: contact@theblackdirectory.app (general, support and reports) · privacy@theblackdirectory.app (privacy and account deletion). Website: theblackdirectory.app