Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the TKC website, mobile application, customer and merchant accounts and related local-commerce services (collectively, the “Services”). The Services are operated by The Keycircle Private Limited under the brand The Key Circle (“TKC”, “we”, “us” or “our”). By using the Services, you agree to the version of these Terms presented to you, subject to applicable law.

2. About TKC

TKC is a technology and local-commerce platform connecting customers with participating local merchants through discovery, offers, Keys, rewards, personalisation and engagement features. Features may vary by location, account type, device, eligibility.

3. Eligibility

You may use the Services only if you satisfy the eligibility requirements communicated for the applicable Service and can lawfully agree to these Terms. Eligibility requirements concerning younger users and any necessary consent apply as communicated for the relevant Services.

4. Accounts

You must provide accurate and current information, protect your credentials and promptly notify TKC of suspected unauthorised access. You are responsible for activity through your account to the extent permitted by applicable law. You must not impersonate another person or business.

5. Platform role

Unless expressly stated for a particular transaction, TKC provides technology that helps customers discover and interact with participating merchants. TKC is not automatically the seller, manufacturer or provider of every merchant’s underlying goods or services. Merchants remain responsible for their goods and services, quality, pricing, availability, licences, taxes, representations and offer fulfilment.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts statutory consumer rights or liabilities that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.

6. Merchant information and offers

Offers may be subject to availability, stated validity periods, merchant conditions, eligibility and redemption limits. Merchant-supplied listings and information remain the relevant merchant’s responsibility where appropriate. Users should review terms shown with an offer. Applicable statutory rights remain unaffected.

7. Merchant applications

Submitting a merchant application does not guarantee approval. TKC may assess applications using reasonable verification, eligibility, quality, operational, safety and platform or business criteria. Separate merchant onboarding or commercial terms may apply. These Terms do not create merchant fees, commissions or other commercial obligations.

8. Keys and rewards

Keys are TKC’s platform engagement and reward mechanism. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Keys are not cryptocurrency, legal tender, cash, bank deposits, securities, investments, or equity or ownership in TKC. They do not carry guaranteed monetary value.

The validity period applicable to a Key may be displayed or communicated when the Key is issued, earned, made available or used. A Key will expire upon completion of its applicable validity period and cannot ordinarily be used after expiry, subject to applicable law and any specific terms communicated with that Key. Different Keys may have different validity conditions.

Credits, reversals or adjustments may occur for legitimate reasons including technical errors, duplicate credit, fraud, abuse, or invalid or reversed underlying activity, subject to applicable law. Additional earning, eligibility, use, redemption and transfer conditions may be displayed with a particular Key or programme.

9. Personalisation

TKC may use account information, preferences, interactions and other permitted signals to organise content and recommend merchants, offers or features. Personalisation does not guarantee availability, suitability, savings, merchant performance or any result.

10. Location-based services

Some Services may use location information, subject to device permissions and applicable law, to support nearby discovery and relevant experiences. Disabling location permissions may limit certain features.

11. Notifications and communications

TKC may send account, safety, support and other service communications. Optional promotional messages, offers or recommendations may be sent with consent or where otherwise permitted. Available unsubscribe, preference and device controls may be used, although essential service messages may continue.

12. Payments and transactions

Where payments or transactions are enabled, transaction-specific payment, refund and cancellation conditions may apply. Merchant responsibilities and payment-provider terms may also apply where relevant. Applicable conditions will be presented or identified through the transaction flow. See our Refund & Cancellation Policy and Service Delivery & Fulfilment Policy. Nothing in these Terms affects statutory refund, cancellation or consumer rights where applicable.

13. Acceptable use

You must use the Services lawfully and must not:

• provide false information, impersonate others or misrepresent authority;
• gain unauthorised access to accounts, systems or data;
• introduce malicious code, disrupt Services or circumvent safeguards;
• scrape protected areas or use automated access without permission;
• infringe intellectual-property, privacy or other rights; or
• use TKC for unlawful, fraudulent, harmful or abusive activity.

14. Merchant conduct

Merchants must provide accurate information, maintain appropriate licences and permissions, honour applicable offer terms, fulfil legal and tax responsibilities, and treat customers fairly. Separate merchant terms may impose additional verified obligations.

15. Intellectual property

TKC branding, software, interface designs, text and platform content are protected under applicable intellectual-property laws. Except where expressly permitted, you may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse engineer or commercially exploit them. Merchant and third-party marks and content belong to their owners.

16. User and merchant content

You remain responsible for content you submit and must have the rights needed to provide it. You must not submit unlawful, misleading, infringing or harmful content. Where content features are available, TKC may host, display and process submitted content as reasonably necessary to operate them, subject to applicable notices, terms and law.

17. Fraud and platform integrity

TKC may investigate suspected manipulation of offers, Keys, accounts, referrals, eligibility or other activity. We may withhold or adjust affected benefits, preserve evidence and take proportionate account action where reasonably necessary for security, fraud prevention or compliance, subject to applicable law.

18. Suspension and termination

TKC may restrict, suspend or terminate access where reasonably necessary due to material breach, fraud, abuse, security risk, legal requirements or harm to users, merchants or the platform. We will consider notice and an opportunity to address the issue where appropriate and lawful. You may stop using the Services and use available account-closure processes.

19. Third-party services

The Services may link to or interoperate with merchants, payment providers and other third parties. Their independent services are governed by their terms and policies. TKC is not responsible for independent third-party services to the extent permitted by applicable law.

20. Service availability

Features may be introduced, changed, interrupted or withdrawn as the Services develop. TKC does not promise uninterrupted, error-free or universally available operation, but this does not affect obligations or rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

21. Disclaimers

Listings, recommendations, availability and merchant-provided information may not always be complete, current or error-free. To the extent permitted by applicable law, users should verify material merchant or offer details before acting. No provision excludes warranties or rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

22. Liability

Each party remains responsible for liability imposed by applicable law. To the extent permitted by applicable law, TKC will not be responsible for losses caused solely by an independent merchant’s goods, services, representations or failure to fulfil an offer where TKC did not cause that loss. Nothing excludes or limits liability, remedies or consumer rights that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

23. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how TKC handles personal data in connection with the Services.

24. Changes to the Services or Terms

TKC may update the Services or these Terms for operational, product or legal changes. Material changes will be communicated through an appropriate channel where required. The effective date will be updated when these Terms are updated.

25. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Subject to applicable law and any non-waivable statutory rights, the courts at Thane, Maharashtra, India shall have jurisdiction over disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services.

26. Grievances and complaints

Send grievances to founder@thekeycircle.in, addressed to the Grievance Contact, Dinesh Mhaskar. Include sufficient information for us to review the matter. This process does not restrict remedies available under applicable law.

27. Severability

If a provision is found unlawful or unenforceable, it will be applied to the greatest extent legally possible, and the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

28. Entire agreement

These Terms, the Privacy Policy and any additional terms expressly presented for a feature or transaction constitute the applicable agreement concerning the Services. Separate merchant onboarding or commercial terms may also apply.

29. Contact