In-Person Safety

This In-Person Safety document governs every in-person transaction on the Tools Marketplace: in-person sales, in-person rentals, in-person returns, and in-person pickups by the Seller. It is an addendum to the Tools Marketplace Terms, the Seller Agreement, the Buyer Terms, and the Rental Terms. It does not create an insurance policy and does not transfer ChefSphere's intermediary role into presence at the meet-up.

1. ChefSphere's role

• ChefSphere is a platform that matches Buyers/Renters with Sellers/Owners. ChefSphere does not attend meet-ups, does not verify identity documents in real time, and does not supervise the physical handoff.
• ChefSphere provides tools inside the app that make a meet-up safer: messaging history, order/rental records, handoff confirmation, timestamped photo uploads, report buttons, and emergency-contact prompts. The parties must use those tools.
• Payment at an in-person meet-up is cash between the parties. ChefSphere does not process, hold, or guarantee the cash payment, and does not run an escrow for an in-person sale or for a rental price/deposit.

2. When a meet-up is required

• Sale, in-person method. The Seller has chosen "in-person" or "both" at listing creation.
• Rental, pickup method MEET (default for rentals). Other pickup methods are available where the Owner explicitly enables them.
• In-person return. The Buyer/Renter returns the item at an agreed location, after the Seller has chosen SELLER_PICKUP or approved an in-person return.

3. Eligibility

• Every party to the meet-up must be at least 18 years old. This is a safety and liability rule that is independent of the lower online age thresholds (13 for a free account, 16 for online marketplace transactions) — see the Children & Age Policy for the full age matrix. Parties aged 13–18 minus one may attend only with a parent or legal guardian physically present at the meet-up and holding the ChefSphere account on which the order / rental was concluded.
• Neither party may attend a meet-up while impaired (alcohol, drugs, sleep deprivation that would make operating machinery unsafe). Meet-ups involving heavy tools, sharp tools, or powered tools require full alertness on both sides.

4. Choosing a location

Prefer public, well-lit, CCTV-covered locations during daylight hours:

• supermarket car parks, shopping-centre public areas;
• train-station / bus-station public spaces with staff nearby;
• dedicated "safe exchange zones" where local police offer them;
• a bank branch is an excellent choice for high-value meet-ups because cash can be counted and authenticated at the counter immediately after the exchange.

Avoid:

• private homes — unless both parties have strong mutual reasons and explicit written agreement in the in-app chat;
• remote or poorly-lit locations;
• venues that ban commercial exchanges.

If the counterparty insists on an unsafe location and you feel uncomfortable, cancel the meet-up and propose a safer alternative.

5. Before the meet-up

• Agree on exact location, time, parking, and contact number through the in-app chat (not by outside messengers).
• Exchange a photo of the item matching the listing and confirm the final price (and, for rentals, the deposit amount) in the chat.
• Confirm the payment method: cash, in the currency agreed in the listing. Never agree to wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards, foreign cash, or a bank-side "reverse" transaction that only the counterparty controls.
• For high-value orders (≥ €500), the app may prompt for an identity-document check — both parties should be prepared to show a government ID at the meet-up.
• Share the meet-up details with a friend or family member and agree on a "check-in" timestamp.
• If you are carrying a large sum of cash, plan your route carefully, avoid showing the money in public, and prefer paying at a counter or inside a venue rather than on the street.

6. At the meet-up

• Verify the identity of the counterparty against the ChefSphere profile photo. For high-value orders, also verify against a government ID.
• Inspect the item together: power it on, check accessories and consumables, compare the serial number, check for damage, test any safety feature.
• For rentals, agree on the baseline condition and take timestamped photos of every side of the item, including serial number and accessories. Upload the photos in the app through the meet-up thread before cash changes hands.
• Do not pay or hand over the item until the inspection and photos are complete.

6.1 Cash handling — counterfeit-note checks

Cash is the normal and accepted method of payment for in-person sales and for rentals. To protect both parties:

• Count every note in front of the counterparty. Counting together, not separately.
• Authenticate high-denomination notes (€50, €100, €200, €500 where legal): look for the watermark, the hologram, the security thread, the raised-print relief, and, if possible, use a UV pen or a counterfeit-detector pen. Specimens and training materials are on the European Central Bank's website (euro.ecb.europa.eu).
• Refuse notes that feel wrong, are damaged, or do not pass the checks. Counterfeit currency is a criminal matter; do not accept it under any circumstance.
• Large-sum tip: split the counting into smaller bundles and have both parties recount. Agree the total in words before it changes hands.
• For very high-value meet-ups, consider meeting at a bank branch and depositing the cash at the counter before both parties leave.
• The Seller must issue a simple paper or digital receipt if the Buyer asks. ChefSphere provides the order record with timestamp, item description, and price as a default receipt; the Seller may additionally provide a formal invoice if required for tax or warranty.

6.2 Rental deposit

For a rental, the Renter hands the Owner the rental price + refundable cash deposit at pickup. The deposit is held by the Owner (not by ChefSphere) for the duration of the rental and returned in cash at return, minus only documented damage deductions agreed between the parties — see Rental Terms section 7.

6.3 Confirming in the app

Both parties confirm the handover in the app. For a sale this closes the order. For a rental this moves the rental to ACTIVE.

7. Prohibited payment methods at a meet-up

Do not agree to any of the following at the meet-up:

• Wire transfer / bank transfer — too easy for the sender to reverse or for fraudsters to fake;
• Cryptocurrency — irreversible, unregulated, a known fraud vector for this type of transaction;
• Gift cards — a classic fraud indicator;
• Foreign cash that was not agreed in the listing;
• Post-dated cheques or cheques where the funds cannot be verified before you hand over the tool;
• "I'll pay you later" / instalments — unless the Seller explicitly offers a written plan and is prepared to go unpaid;
• Payment through an unofficial app link or QR code — phishing is common.

If the counterparty insists on any of the above, cancel the meet-up and report to [email protected].

8. After the meet-up

• Upload confirmation photos of the exchanged item.
• For a sale, both parties confirm in the app — this closes the transaction.
• For a rental, both parties confirm the baseline condition. At return, repeat the photo-capture ritual before the deposit is handed back.

9. Prohibited behaviour

• Threats, pressure, or intimidation of either party. Walk away and report to [email protected] or to local law enforcement.
• Harassment, stalking, sexually inappropriate conduct, or any form of discrimination.
• Weapons of any kind carried, brandished, or displayed at the meet-up — including tools offered for sale that are weapons under local law. If a weapon is drawn to enforce a transaction, leave the location immediately and call local emergency services (112 in the EU).
• Surveillance or unauthorised recording beyond the item-documentation photos agreed between the parties.
• Use of ChefSphere messaging to arrange anything unrelated to the legitimate transaction — this is a breach of the Acceptable Use Policy.
• Meet-ups at a party, bar, or event where either party is intoxicated — reschedule to a clear-headed moment.
• Bringing minors to a meet-up involving a dangerous tool (sharp blades, heat, pressure) without adult supervision that matches local law.

High-value meet-ups — strongly recommended practices

For meet-ups involving €500 or more in cash, or any rental with a high-value replacement cost, we strongly recommend:

• Bringing a second trusted adult (friend or family member) who can witness the transaction;
• Meeting at a bank branch so the cash can be counted and authenticated at the counter and deposited immediately;
• Sharing the meet-up details (time, place, counterparty name, counterparty profile link) with a trusted contact and agreeing on a check-in window;
• Taking a photo of the counterparty's government ID (with their consent) where both parties agree, and storing it outside the chat.

10. Accidents, injuries, and damage during a meet-up

• ChefSphere is not a party to the physical meet-up. Its liability as intermediary is limited as set out in the Platform Terms and the Platform Disclaimer.
• Any injury caused at a meet-up is a matter between the parties and, where relevant, their insurance and local law.
• Damage to the item in transit from the meet-up back to the Buyer's home is the Buyer's responsibility unless damage is caused by an undisclosed defect that existed at handover.

10.1 Product-safety incidents and the GPSR reporting path

If a tool bought or rented through the Marketplace causes an accident at or after the meet-up — injury, fire, electric shock, mechanical failure, release of a hazardous substance, or any other serious incident — the General Product Safety Regulation (Reg. (EU) 2023/988) creates an information-flow that both parties and ChefSphere must respect:

1. Attend to the injured person first. Call 112 (EU) or your country's emergency number. No report replaces medical or emergency attention.
2. Preserve evidence. Keep the product, the packaging, any instructions, and — where safe — photograph the scene. Do not dispose of the item; it may be needed for the authority's investigation.
3. Notify ChefSphere. Use the in-app "Report an accident" action or email [email protected]. Include: order or rental ID, date and place, a description of what happened, photographs, and the medical or police reference if one exists.
4. Seller / Owner duty (Art. 20(2) GPSR). The professional Seller or Owner of the product must notify the competent authority through the Safety Business Gateway and inform ChefSphere within the deadlines in the Seller Agreement where the incident has caused death or a serious adverse effect on health and safety.
5. Recall and remedy. If the incident triggers a recall under Art. 33 GPSR, ChefSphere will notify every affected Buyer directly, publish the recall on the listing and on /legal/safety-recalls, and ensure Buyers receive the Art. 37 GPSR remedies (repair, replacement, or adequate reimbursement).
6. Cooperation with authorities. ChefSphere retains order metadata, chat, photos, and handover evidence for the statutory period and releases them to a competent authority on lawful request.

11. If something goes wrong

• Immediate physical danger — call local emergency services (112 in the EU).
• Counterfeit cash received — retain the note, note the time and place, file a police report immediately (accepting known counterfeit is a criminal offence in most jurisdictions), report to [email protected].
• Theft, robbery, non-appearance at the meet-up — file a police report locally and raise the incident in-app.
• Fraud (different item than advertised, counterfeit item, Seller refuses to hand over after payment) — report to [email protected] and, where criminal, to the police. There is no platform-run refund path for in-person cash transactions; mandatory consumer-law rights against a professional Seller still apply.
• Harassment — report to [email protected] with screenshots of the chat and photos.

12. Record-keeping

• All chat messages, photos, and confirmations performed in-app are stored as part of the order record and used in Trust & Safety action.
• Sensitive notes added during a meet-up (ID numbers, signatures) are encrypted at rest where the app asks for them. Do not paste sensitive government-issued numbers in the chat — use the dedicated verification fields.

13. Insurance

• ChefSphere does not provide blanket accident, theft, damage, or personal-liability insurance for meet-ups unless explicitly announced as a feature with its own terms.
• For a rental, the cash deposit is the primary remedy for damage. No platform insurance steps in if the deposit is insufficient.
• Sellers, Buyers, Owners, and Renters should confirm with their personal/home insurer whether meet-up-related incidents are covered.

14. Changes

We will post a new version when the meet-up flow, the ID-check prompt, or applicable safety rules change. Material changes take effect 30 days after in-app and email notice.

15. Contact

• Trust & safety / incident reports: [email protected]
• General support: [email protected]
• Legal notices: [email protected]