1 Acceptance of Terms
These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a binding agreement between you ("User," "you") and Metbaber ("Metbaber," "we," "us," "our"), governing your access to and use of the Metbaber platform, including the Tasks marketplace, Web Development services, Business Directory, and Freelance marketplace (collectively, the "Services"), accessible via metbaber.com.et and any related applications.
By creating an account, accessing, or using any part of the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not access or use the Services.
2 Eligibility & Accounts
To use the Services, you must be at least 18 years old, or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction, and capable of entering into a binding contract. By registering, you represent that you meet these requirements.
Account Registration
- You must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration, including a valid phone number for verification and payment purposes.
- You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
- You must notify us promptly of any unauthorized use of your account or any other breach of security.
- One person or business may not maintain more than one active account per role, except where explicitly permitted (for example, separate Client and Worker roles).
Metbaber reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that contain false, misleading, or unverifiable information.
3 Tasks Marketplace
The Tasks marketplace connects Clients who wish to delegate micro-tasks with Workers who complete them in exchange for payment.
For Clients
- Clients must fund a task's budget before it becomes visible to Workers; funds are held in escrow until a submission is approved.
- Clients are solely responsible for the accuracy, legality, and completeness of task descriptions, requirements, and deadlines.
- Clients agree to review submitted proof in good faith and within a reasonable time, and may not withhold approval for reasons unrelated to the task's stated requirements.
For Workers
- Workers must complete tasks honestly and submit genuine, verifiable proof of completion.
- Fraudulent submissions, including fabricated screenshots, fake engagement, or bot-driven actions, are strictly prohibited and may result in forfeiture of earnings and account termination.
- Payment is released from escrow to the Worker's wallet only after Client approval or automatic approval following an unreviewed deadline, as applicable.
Escrow protection: Funds for a task are held by Metbaber and are not accessible to either party until the task is approved, helping protect both Clients and Workers from non-performance or non-payment.
4 Web Development Services
Metbaber's Web Development service designs and builds websites and related digital products for businesses on a project basis.
- Project scope, deliverables, pricing, and timelines are defined in a written proposal accepted by the client before work begins.
- Clients are responsible for providing necessary content, brand assets, and timely feedback; delays in providing these may extend agreed delivery timelines.
- Revision rounds included in a package are as stated in the applicable proposal; additional revisions beyond the included scope may incur extra charges.
- Ownership of the final delivered website transfers to the client upon full payment, except for third-party licensed assets (such as stock photography, fonts, or plugins), which remain subject to their original licenses.
- Post-launch support periods, where included, cover bug fixes and minor adjustments only, not new feature development.
5 Business Directory
The Business Directory allows businesses to create public listings that are discoverable by other users.
- Listing owners are solely responsible for the accuracy of business information submitted, including name, address, contact details, and hours of operation.
- Metbaber may review, verify, edit for formatting, or decline to publish any listing at its discretion, including listings that appear fraudulent, duplicate, or in violation of these Terms.
- Featured or paid placements do not guarantee any specific number of views, calls, or customer outcomes.
- Reviews submitted by users reflect the opinions of those individual users and do not represent the views of Metbaber.
6 Freelance Marketplace
The Freelance marketplace, where available, connects Clients posting larger-scope projects with Freelancers who submit proposals and deliver work, typically across multiple milestones.
- Each project's scope, milestones, and payment schedule must be documented within the platform before work begins.
- Clients must fund each milestone into escrow prior to the corresponding work commencing; Freelancers are not obligated to begin milestone work until funding is confirmed.
- Final payment for a milestone is released upon Client approval of the submitted deliverable, or as otherwise specified in the project's agreed terms.
- Both parties agree to communicate and resolve scope changes through the platform's messaging and contract tools, rather than informal off-platform agreements, to preserve dispute-resolution protections.
- Reviews and ratings exchanged after project completion contribute to each party's public reputation on the platform.
Specific functionality for the Freelance marketplace will be detailed further upon public launch and may be supplemented by additional terms at that time.
7 Payments, Wallet & Withdrawals
- Metbaber maintains an internal wallet for each user to track balances earned or deposited within the platform.
- Deposits and withdrawals may be made via supported channels, including Telebirr and CBE Birr, subject to any minimum thresholds, verification requirements, and processing times disclosed within the platform.
- Metbaber is not a bank and does not pay interest on wallet balances. Wallet funds are not insured deposits.
- Users are responsible for ensuring the payment details (such as phone numbers or account numbers) they provide for withdrawals are accurate; Metbaber is not liable for funds misdirected due to incorrect details supplied by the user.
- Metbaber reserves the right to delay, hold, or request additional verification for transactions suspected of fraud, money laundering, or violation of these Terms.
8 Fees & Commissions
Metbaber charges service fees or commissions on certain transactions, which may include a percentage of completed task payments, freelance milestone payments, Web Development project fees, or Directory featured-listing upgrades. Current fee structures are displayed within the relevant section of the platform at the time of the transaction and may be updated from time to time with reasonable notice.
Fees, once deducted from a completed and approved transaction, are generally non-refundable except where required by law or expressly stated otherwise.
9 Acceptable Use & Prohibited Conduct
When using the Services, you agree not to:
- Post, request, or complete tasks, projects, or listings that are illegal, fraudulent, deceptive, or that violate the rights of any third party;
- Submit false proof of work, manipulate ratings or reviews, or otherwise misrepresent your identity, qualifications, or performance;
- Use automated tools, bots, or scripts to interact with the platform in ways not explicitly permitted;
- Attempt to circumvent escrow or fee systems by arranging off-platform payments for work initiated on Metbaber;
- Harass, threaten, or discriminate against other users on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or any other protected characteristic;
- Upload content that infringes intellectual property rights, contains malware, or violates applicable Ethiopian or international law;
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other accounts, non-public areas of the platform, or its underlying systems.
Violation of this section may result in content removal, suspension, forfeiture of pending balances associated with the violation, and/or permanent termination of your account.
10 User Content & Intellectual Property
You retain ownership of content you submit to the platform (such as task descriptions, portfolio items, listing photos, or messages), but you grant Metbaber a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, reproduce, and distribute that content as necessary to operate and promote the Services.
The Metbaber name, logo, platform design, and underlying software are the property of Metbaber and may not be copied, reproduced, or used without prior written permission.
11 Disputes Between Users
Metbaber provides tools to facilitate transactions between Clients, Workers, and Freelancers but is not a party to the underlying agreement between users. Where disputes arise regarding task approval, project deliverables, or listing accuracy, Metbaber may, at its discretion, review submitted evidence and make a determination to release, withhold, or refund escrowed funds, but is not obligated to act as a formal arbitrator and does not guarantee any particular outcome.
Users are encouraged to communicate clearly and resolve misunderstandings directly where possible before escalating a dispute through the platform's support channels.
12 Suspension & Termination
Metbaber may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, for violation of these Terms, suspected fraud, prolonged inactivity, or at our reasonable discretion to protect the integrity of the platform and its users.
You may close your account at any time by contacting support. Outstanding withdrawable wallet balances not connected to a pending dispute or investigation will be made available for withdrawal in accordance with standard processing times.
13 Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability
The Services are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or uninterrupted availability.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Metbaber shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses resulting from your use of, or inability to use, the Services, or from the conduct of any other user.
Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be excluded under applicable Ethiopian law.
14 Privacy
Our collection and use of personal information in connection with the Services is described in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms by reference.
15 Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our Services, legal requirements, or business practices. Material changes will be communicated through the platform or via the contact details associated with your account ahead of the effective date. Continued use of the Services after such changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
16 Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any disputes arising under these Terms that cannot be resolved informally shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, unless otherwise required by applicable law.
