Terms of use

01Who we are

The Chili Carlo platform ("Chili Carlo", "we") is operated by Chili Carlo, Québec City, Canada. It connects business owners ("sellers") with people looking to take over a business ("buyers"), and provides tools to support their exchanges.

For any question about your account: support@chilicarlo.com. For billing: billing@chilicarlo.com.

02Spotted businesses

Chili Carlo may show facts about businesses advertised for sale on other sites, written in our own words, with a "For sale on [source]" badge and a link to the original listing. Chili Carlo is not affiliated with those sites.

When a buyer wants to reach one of these businesses, Chili Carlo writes to the seller, at the address published in their listing, without revealing the buyer's identity. The seller can read the request by creating an account and choosing a plan, or unsubscribe in one click.

To have a listing corrected or removed, write to support@chilicarlo.com. We act within 5 business days.

03What we are not

Chili Carlo is not a broker, not a legal, tax or financial advisor, and not a party to transactions between users. We do not independently verify published information and we do not guarantee that a transaction will close or its outcome.

We strongly recommend that every user consult an accountant, lawyer or notary before entering into any agreement.

04Eligibility and account

You must be 18 or older and able to enter into a contract. You choose your role (buyer or seller) at sign-up.

You are responsible for the accuracy of your account information, the confidentiality of your password and all activity under your account.

05Seller's declaration and buyer's commitment

Before publishing a listing, the seller signs a declaration confirming, among other things, that they are authorized to sell the business, that the published information is accurate to the best of their knowledge and that they are open to a mentored transition.

Before contacting a seller, the buyer signs a commitment covering, among other things, the seriousness of their approach, confidentiality and respect for sellers. These texts, in their signed version, form part of these terms.

06Confidentiality between users

Identifying information about a business and its owner is masked until the mutual reveal. Everything you learn about another user or a business through the platform is confidential.

You may not attempt to identify a seller or a business before the reveal, contact a seller or their staff outside the platform before the reveal, or disclose to any third party information obtained through the platform, except to your professional advisors bound by confidentiality.

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) signed in the app bind the users who sign them.

07No-circumvention rule

Before the mutual reveal, you may not share or request contact details (email, phone, address, website, social media) in messages, listings, contact requests or documents. Messages containing them are blocked automatically and every attempt is logged.

You may also not try to reach the other party outside Chili Carlo for a match that started on the platform, including a business Chili Carlo contacted on a buyer's behalf.

After three attempts, the account is flagged and may be suspended. Proven circumvention may lead to account closure without refund.

08Plans, payment and cancellation

Some plans are paid (Jalapeño, Serrano, Habanero). They are billed monthly in advance, in Canadian dollars, taxes extra, and renew automatically until cancelled.

You may cancel at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the period already paid and no prorated refund is given, unless required by law.

If a payment fails, a 7-day grace period applies. When it ends, the plan reverts to the free level and, for sellers, the listing is paused.

We may change our prices with at least 30 days' notice. The notice states the former price, the new price and the effective date. If you refuse the change, you may cancel your plan at no cost before that date. The new price applies at the next renewal.

A plan may be offered free of charge for a set period. It ends on the stated date, without any charge, and may be withdrawn at any time.

Payment may be processed by Stripe as reseller. In that case, Stripe appears on your statement and collects applicable taxes.

09Refunds

Monthly plans are non-refundable, in whole or in part, except for a billing error on our part, a duplicate charge, or where required by law. Write to billing@chilicarlo.com within 30 days of the charge.

10User content

You remain the owner of what you publish (listing, messages, documents). You grant us a limited licence to host it, display it to authorized users and translate or format it as needed to provide the service.

You agree not to publish any false, misleading or illegal content, or content that infringes the rights of others.

11Prohibited uses

You may not, among other things, circumvent masking or security measures, scrape data automatically, create fake accounts, use the platform for solicitation unrelated to a business takeover, or interfere with the service.

12Suspension and closure

We may suspend or close an account that breaches these terms or puts other users at risk. You may close your account at any time by writing to support@chilicarlo.com. Closure takes effect within 10 business days; any paid plan stays active until the end of the period.

13Intellectual property

The Chili Carlo name, character, logos, design and platform code belong to us. No rights are transferred to you other than the right to use the service in accordance with these terms.

14Liability

The service is provided as is. To the extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for decisions made by users, the information they publish, or transactions concluded or not between them.

To the extent permitted by law, our total liability is limited to the amounts you paid us in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. This limit does not apply to intentional or gross fault. Nothing in these terms limits rights guaranteed to you by Québec's Consumer Protection Act or any other applicable law.

15Changes

We may change these terms. For any significant change, we will notify you by email or in the app at least 30 days in advance. The notice states the new clause, the former clause and the effective date. If you refuse the change, you may close your account or cancel your plan at no cost before that date.

16Electronic signature

Declarations, commitments and non-disclosure agreements are signed in the app by typing your name. You acknowledge that this typed name is your signature and binds you as a handwritten signature would. We keep the date and time, IP address, browser used and version of the text signed as proof.

17Governing law and language

These terms are governed by the laws of Québec and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. They are available in French and English. In case of discrepancy, the French version prevails.

Any dispute falls under the courts of the judicial district of Québec, unless you are a consumer, in which case you keep the right to sue in the court of your domicile.