Terms of use

Askobo is run by ASKOBO TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED, Sf.No.456/1, Site.No.147, Breeze Garden, Athipalayam, Coimbatore-641110, Tamil Nadu, India. In these terms, “we”, “us” and “Askobo” mean that company, and “you” means the person using Askobo.

You accept these terms when you tick the box at sign-up, and each time you book or pay (see the section on bookings and purchases). If you do not agree, do not use Askobo. These terms are separate from our Privacy policy, which governs personal data.

Order of precedence

If two documents say different things about the same matter, the first one in this list wins:

1. For a purchase: the listing terms shown at checkout, within the refund options Askobo offers and subject to your rights under law.
2. The Cancellation and refund policy.
3. For experts: the Expert terms.
4. These Terms of use.

We keep earlier versions of these terms. Email [email protected] to ask for one.

• Seeker: a person who books, buys or joins a service on Askobo.
• Expert: a person who offers services on Askobo, including, without limitation, chartered accountants, tutors and consultants.
• Organisation: a business or institute, such as a coaching institute, that runs batches, a panel of experts and credits for its learners on Askobo.
• Service or offering: anything an expert offers, including, without limitation, 1:1 sessions, group sessions, recurring session series, programs and cohorts, live and recorded webinars, courses, digital products and custom requests.
• Listing terms: the price, content, schedule, what is included and the refund option an expert sets for an offering, as shown on its page and at checkout.
• Your content: anything you upload or create on Askobo, including, without limitation, profile text, photos, videos, service descriptions, files, chat messages, notes, whiteboards, reviews and recordings of sessions you host.
• Host: the expert who runs a meeting.

Askobo works like an online marketplace. Experts list what they offer, and seekers book or buy it. Each expert sets the listing terms of their own offering: the price, content, schedule, what is included, and the refund option (chosen from Askobo’s fixed menu of refund options).

What this means

• The contract for a service is between the seeker and the expert. Askobo is not a party to it.
• The expert gives the advice and delivers the content. Askobo does not give that advice and is not responsible for its quality, accuracy or result, or for any decision you make based on it.
• Experts are independent. They are not employees or agents of Askobo. Experts are responsible for following the rules of their own profession, such as the ICAI code for chartered accountants.
• We show expert details on profile and listing pages. The main factors that decide search ranking are set out in the Expert terms.

What Askobo is responsible for

Askobo is responsible for its own services and for its own mistakes. This includes:

• the platform, accounts and booking tools;
• collecting payments and processing refunds;
• video meetings and hosting of recordings;
• transcripts and AI summaries that Askobo produces, including their accuracy and labelling;
• handling your complaints (see the grievance section).

Your rights stay

Nothing in this section limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 or the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020. If a service is not delivered, is deficient or is not as described, you are entitled to a refund, whatever refund option the expert chose. Askobo does not claim that its own services or its own AI output are covered by any legal protection that applies only to hosting other people’s content.

• Experts must be at least 18 years old.
• Seekers under 18 use Askobo with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. At sign-up you confirm that you are 18 or older, or that your parent or guardian has agreed to you using Askobo and to these terms. Your parent or guardian is responsible for your payments and your use of Askobo.
• Organisation learners under 18 join through the organisation, which is responsible for getting the parent’s or guardian’s consent.
• We do not show targeted advertising to minors.

• Give accurate information when you sign up and keep it up to date.
• Keep one account per person. Do not share your login or let someone else use your account.
• You are responsible for what happens under your account until you tell us it was accessed without your permission.
• If you think someone else has access, change your password and email [email protected] straight away.
• Experts must be truthful about their qualifications, experience and certificates, and must not impersonate anyone.

Cookies in the Askobo app. By creating an account or using the Askobo app at app.askobo.com, you agree to our Cookie policy, including the analytics and advertising measurement tools it lists (PostHog and the Meta Pixel). The app does not show a separate cookie banner. The cookie banner on askobo.com is for visitors to our public website.

Creating an account is free. You can close your account from Settings, under Privacy. What happens to your data is explained in the Privacy policy.

• Listing terms. Before you pay, the checkout shows the expert’s listing terms, including the refund option. By booking or paying, you accept those terms and these terms. The refund option shown when you paid is the one that applies to that purchase, even if the expert changes it later.
• Unpaid bookings are never confirmed. A booking waits for payment. If it is not paid in time, it expires and the slot is released. The time limit is shown at checkout.
• Price. The checkout shows the total in one figure with its breakdown before you pay: the item price set by the expert, GST (currently 18%, charged on the item price) and a payment processing fee (currently 2.5%, charged on the item price plus GST) for sessions, webinars, products and courses. These rates are settings that can change, and the checkout always shows the exact amounts. Free items cost nothing.
• Coupons and referrals. A coupon or referral reward applies only on the terms shown with it.
• Meeting access. Participants can join a meeting from a set time before the start (shown in the booking) and for a short grace period after it. Hosts are not limited by this.
• Digital products and courses. Access is delivered on payment, as the listing says. See the Shipping and delivery policy.

• Askobo collects payments through Razorpay. You pay on Razorpay’s hosted checkout, so your card, UPI or bank details go to Razorpay and not to Askobo. Razorpay’s own terms apply to its service.
• Prices are in the currency shown at checkout.
• Refunds go back to the original payment method.
• If a payment fails or is reversed (for example by a charge-back), the related booking or access may be cancelled. We will tell you before we do this.

Experts: what Askobo charges experts, how earnings are released and how payouts and tax work are set out in the Expert terms.

The full rules, with a table of every refund option, are in the Cancellation and refund policy. The main points are:

• Each listing shows one refund option, such as Guarantee, Flexible, Standard, Strict or Non-refundable for live items. You see it before you pay.
• If the expert or Askobo cancels, or the expert does not show up, you get 100% back, including GST and the processing fee.
• If a service is not delivered, is deficient or is not as described, you can ask for a refund whatever refund option applies. Your statutory rights are not reduced.
• Approved refunds are started within 1-2 business days. Banks usually take about 5-7 business days after that.

This section is a summary. If it differs from the refund policy, the refund policy applies (see the order of precedence above).

The details, including who can see what, how long things are kept and our providers, are on the Recording, AI and providers page. The main points are:

• Calls can be recorded. Sessions, group sessions, webinars and organisation calls can be recorded and transcribed when the meeting needs it, for example so learners can watch it again, to keep a record of advice given, for quality and training of the expert’s own service, or to look into a complaint or dispute. By booking or joining a meeting on Askobo, you agree that it can be recorded and transcribed for these reasons.
• Only the meeting host (or an Askobo admin, for support or safety) can start a recording. A red “REC” indicator and timer show to everyone while it runs.
• Only an expert who hosts a meeting can turn on live transcription.
• Host’s duty. The host records only for the reasons above and tells the people in the meeting when a recording starts. Anyone who does not want to be recorded can ask the host to stop, turn off their camera or microphone, or leave. Participants must not record or transcribe a meeting themselves without the host’s permission.
• AI output can be wrong. AI summaries and other AI writing help are labelled as AI-generated. Check them before you rely on them. They are not legal, tax, financial, medical or other professional advice.
• Askobo does not use recordings, transcripts or summaries to train its own AI models.

Askobo is responsible for the hosting of recordings and for the transcripts and AI summaries it produces (see the section on Askobo’s role). If Zoom is used for a meeting, Zoom’s own recording settings and terms also apply.

• An organisation can add members, run batches with a panel of experts, buy service credits for its learners and see its members’ activity in the organisation workspace.
• Credits. The expiry date of each lot of credits is shown at purchase. Expired credits cannot be used.
• Learners under 18. The organisation confirms that it has guardian consent before it adds them (see eligibility).
• Lawful basis. The organisation confirms that it has the right to share its learners’ details with Askobo.
• A learner’s study-planner progress is shared with the organisation only if the learner turns sharing on.
• The organisation’s own rules for its learners apply inside its workspace, within these terms.

• Billing plans are monthly or yearly and are charged through Razorpay. They renew automatically until you cancel.
• The price, renewal period and how to cancel are shown before you pay. We send a notice at least 24 hours before each recurring charge.
• You can cancel in the same place you signed up. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle.

The commission Askobo takes depends on the expert’s billing plan and is shown in the expert dashboard. See the Expert terms for the full rules.

• Ownership. You keep ownership of your content. Experts keep ownership of the courses, materials and recordings they create.
• Your licence to Askobo. You give Askobo a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, store, copy, stream, record, transcribe, summarise, display and distribute your content. We use this licence only to run and show the service, to improve it, and to promote the expert’s listing (including showing expert listing content in Askobo marketing). The licence lasts as long as your content is on Askobo, plus a reasonable period for backups.
• What you buy. When you buy a course, product or recording, you get a personal, non-transferable licence to use it for your own learning, unless the listing says more. Do not copy, resell, share or publish it without the expert’s written permission.
• Askobo’s property. The Askobo name, logo, software and design belong to Askobo or its licensors. These terms do not give you rights in them.
• Your promise. You confirm that you have the rights to your content and that it does not break the law or anyone’s rights.
• Copyright complaints. If you think content on Askobo infringes your copyright, send the details to [email protected]. We will review it and act as the law requires.

• Reviews come from users who booked through Askobo.
• Write about your own genuine experience only.
• No paid, incentivised or fake reviews, and no reviews written by an expert for themselves or their rivals.
• We may remove a review that breaks the Community guidelines or these rules, or is not about the service. We do not remove a review only because it is negative.

The Community guidelines have the full list and what happens after a report. In summary, you must not, including, without limitation:

• harass, threaten or discriminate against anyone, or share illegal, harmful or misleading content;
• spam, scam or impersonate anyone, or use false credentials;
• share other people’s private information without their consent;
• copy, resell or share content you are not allowed to;
• record or transcribe a meeting without the host’s permission;
• try to break, overload or bypass the security of Askobo, or use bots to scrape it;
• write fake reviews or misuse the refund process.

Experts must also not take seekers they met through Askobo off the platform to avoid fees, for 12 months after the last booking with that seeker. This does not stop an expert from working with anyone they knew before Askobo, and it is not a general ban on working elsewhere.

• Razorpay processes payments and recurring plans.
• Google provides sign-in with Google, Google Calendar sync that experts turn on, and the Gemini AI service.
• Zoom is used for meetings only if an expert connects their own Zoom account. Zoom’s terms and settings then apply to that meeting.
• Other providers, such as video, storage, speech-to-text and email services, are listed on the Recording, AI and providers page.

When you use a third-party service, its terms and privacy policy also apply. Askobo is responsible for choosing its providers carefully and for its own use of them. We are not responsible for a third party’s own acts or for outages outside our control (see force majeure below).

• Askobo is provided “as is” and “as available”, to the extent the law allows. We work to keep it running and secure, but we cannot promise that it will always be available or free of errors.
• We do not promise any result from an expert’s advice or content, such as an exam score, a job, a tax outcome or a business result. The expert is responsible for their advice and content.
• Information on Askobo, including AI-generated text, is general information and is not professional advice for your situation.
• We do not verify every statement an expert makes. We take action under the Community guidelines when content is reported or found to break them.

These disclaimers do not apply to anything the law does not allow us to disclaim, including your statutory consumer rights.

To the extent the law allows, Askobo’s total liability to you for all claims connected with Askobo is limited to the greater of: (a) the fees you paid to Askobo in the 6 months before the claim, or (b) INR 10,000.

We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as lost profit or lost opportunity, or for loss caused by an expert’s advice, content or conduct, or by events outside our control.

None of this limits liability that the law does not allow us to limit, including liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury, or your statutory rights as a consumer (including your right to a refund for a service that is not delivered, is deficient or is not as described).

You will cover reasonable losses and costs (including reasonable legal fees) that Askobo suffers from a third-party claim caused by:

• your breach of these terms;
• your content infringing someone’s rights or breaking the law;
• your unlawful use of Askobo.

This does not apply to losses caused by Askobo’s own acts or mistakes, and it does not reduce a consumer’s statutory rights. We will tell you about the claim promptly and let you take part in how it is handled.

When we can suspend or close an account

• a payment on the account is charged back;
• we have reasonable grounds to suspect fraud or identity misuse;
• you break the Community guidelines or these terms, after a warning (or without one for serious breaches);
• an expert’s credentials are found to be false;
• a court, regulator or government order requires it.

Notice, response and appeal

• Except in urgent cases (fraud, safety or a legal order), we tell you the reason first and give you 7 days to respond. In urgent cases, we tell you the reason promptly after we act.
• You can appeal to the grievance officer (see the grievance section). We review the appeal and tell you the outcome in writing.
• While an account is suspended, bookings already paid for are handled under the refund policy, and open refunds and disputes continue.

Leaving

You can stop using Askobo and close your account at any time. Closing does not cancel amounts you owe or refunds in progress. Sections that are meant to continue (see the general section) stay in force.

We change these terms only to:

• follow a new law or an order of a regulator or court;
• add, change or remove features;
• improve security or prevent fraud;
• reflect a change in a payment, video or other provider we use.

• Notice. For a material change, we email you and show a notice in the app at least 15 days before it starts. Where a change is needed at once for legal or safety reasons, it starts at once and we tell you straight away.
• What does not change. A change does not affect a booking you have already paid for or a complaint you have already raised. Those continue on the terms that applied when you paid or complained.
• Your choice. If you do not agree with a change, you can close your account before it starts. If you keep using Askobo after it starts, the new terms apply to you.

Each version has a version number and an effective date at the top of this page. Earlier versions are available on request.

1. Talk first. Raise the issue with the grievance officer (see the grievance section). Both sides try to settle it within 30 days.
2. Consumers. If you are a consumer, nothing in these terms stops you from going to a Consumer Commission or a court as the Consumer Protection Act 2019 allows, at any time. The arbitration clause below does not apply to you for those claims.
3. Business disputes. A dispute between Askobo and an expert, an organisation or another business user that is not settled within 30 days goes to arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996. There is one sole arbitrator, the seat is Coimbatore, and the language is English.
4. Courts. Subject to the above, the courts at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu have jurisdiction.

These terms are governed by the laws of India. These terms do not shorten any period in which the law lets you bring a claim.

In line with the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020 and the IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2021, this is our grievance officer:

• Email: [email protected]
• Address: Sf.No.456/1, Site.No.147, Breeze Garden, Athipalayam, Coimbatore-641110, Tamil Nadu, India

How to file a complaint, how fast we reply and how to appeal are on the Grievance redressal page.

These terms are an electronic record under the Information Technology Act 2000 and the rules made under it. They are published under Rule 3(1) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021. They are generated by a computer system and do not need a physical or digital signature.

• Severability. If a part of these terms cannot be enforced, that part is removed or limited as little as needed, and the rest still applies.
• Survival. The sections on content and licence, payments and refunds already due, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity, disputes and governing law continue after your account closes.
• Assignment. You cannot transfer your account or your rights under these terms to anyone else without our written consent. We can transfer our rights and duties to a company that takes over our business, and we will tell you if we do.
• No waiver. If we do not enforce a right straight away, we have not given it up.
• Force majeure. Neither side is liable for a delay or failure caused by events outside its reasonable control, such as natural disaster, war, strikes, power or internet failure, a failure of a payment network or cloud provider, or a government order. This does not remove a duty to pay money already due or to refund a service that was not delivered.
• Entire agreement. These terms, with the documents listed above, are the whole agreement between you and Askobo about your use of Askobo.
• Language. These terms are in English. If we give a translation, the English version applies if they differ.
• Notices. We send notices to the email address on your account and in the app. Send legal notices to us at [email protected].

ASKOBO TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITED
Sf.No.456/1, Site.No.147, Breeze Garden, Athipalayam, Coimbatore-641110, Tamil Nadu, India
Phone: +91 98812 23337, Mon–Fri, 9:00–18:00 IST