Terms of Service | Homeplate

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using https://homeplate.in, our seller portal, or our interactive WhatsApp business channels, you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms of Service. Homeplate is owned and operated by Klaer Studio Private Limited (“we”, “us”, or “our”).

2. Platform Role & Zero Upfront Guarantee

Homeplate provides software infrastructure connecting independent chefs, home bakers, and culinary creators with local customers for batch drops and scheduled pre-orders. We charge zero upfront subscription fees to publish a storefront. Chefs maintain full independence over their menus, ingredients, batch sizes, pricing, and fulfillment schedules.

3. WhatsApp Communications & Acceptable Use

Our integration with the Meta WhatsApp Business Cloud API (operating through official number +91 81257 26926) is strictly intended for transactional order updates, one-time authentication challenges, and buyer-seller customer service. Users agree not to:

Transmit spam, unsolicited promotional broadcasts, or automated bot messages.
Attempt to circumvent verification security using spoofed numbers or unauthorized webhooks.
Violate Meta Platform Terms or the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.

4. Food Safety, Hygiene & FSSAI Compliance

Culinary makers using Homeplate represent and warrant that they adhere to all applicable local food hygiene and safety standards, including maintaining active Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) registrations where legally required. Makers assume sole responsibility for the freshness, allergen disclosures, and sanitary handling of their food items.

5. Payments, Escrow, Taxes & Merchant Payouts

Payments for drops and orders are processed via licensed RBI payment aggregators (Razorpay) with Same-Day Settlement. A nominal 0.15% settlement charge is transparently disclosed to customers at checkout. Funds are securely held in escrow until pickup completion or fulfillment confirmation, safeguarding both customers against unfulfilled orders and chefs against uncollected preorders. Automated payouts are routed directly to the verified bank account or UPI VPA designated by the chef.

In compliance with Indian Goods and Services Tax (GST) regulations:

Food Sales GST (5%): For independent culinary makers and home kitchens not registered under GST (annual turnover under ₹20 Lakhs), Homeplate acts as the deemed Electronic Commerce Operator (ECO) under Section 9(5) of the CGST Act. Homeplate collects 5% GST on the food bill from the customer and remits it directly to the government. For GST-registered sellers, the seller is responsible for remitting the 5% food GST under their active GSTIN.
Platform Services GST (18%): Homeplate charges an 18% GST on its platform service fees, remitted directly to tax authorities.

6. Termination & Violations

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access to any account that engages in abusive conduct, fraud, unauthorized data scraping, or violations of these terms or our community standards.

7. Contact & Support

For legal inquiries or questions regarding these Terms, contact us at:

Klaer Studio Private Limited
Email: support@homeplate.in
Website: https://homeplate.in