Terms of Service

Countermark is a closed, members-only ledger where verified home-service businesses record structured, factual accounts of completed jobs: payment outcomes, site access, communication, and scope changes. Its purpose is preparation — helping a business understand what to expect before a job, set terms accordingly (such as deposits, written scope agreements, or scheduling), and keep crews informed.

Countermark is not a blacklist. The Service exists so members know what they are getting into, not so customers are denied service. Records describe past jobs; they do not instruct any business how to act.

COUNTERMARK IS NOT A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY AS DEFINED BY THE FAIR CREDIT REPORTING ACT (“FCRA”), AND THE SERVICE DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER REPORTS. INFORMATION ON THE SERVICE IS CONTRIBUTED BY MEMBER BUSINESSES AND IS NOT VERIFIED BY COUNTERMARK. YOU MAY NOT USE THE SERVICE, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, AS A FACTOR IN ESTABLISHING A PERSON’S ELIGIBILITY FOR CREDIT, INSURANCE, EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, OR ANY OTHER PURPOSE THAT WOULD REQUIRE COMPLIANCE WITH THE FCRA OR ANALOGOUS STATE LAWS.

You are solely responsible for your own decisions about whether and on what terms to offer service, and for complying with all laws that apply to those decisions.

As a condition of membership, you agree that you will:

• use records to prepare for jobs and set appropriate terms — not as the sole basis for refusing to serve a customer;
• never use the Service to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, familial status, age, source of income, or any other characteristic protected by law;
• treat every record as one business’s account of one job, not as a verdict on a person; and
• exercise independent judgment on every job you quote or decline.

Countermark may suspend or terminate membership for use of the Service as a coordinated refusal-of-service tool or for any discriminatory purpose.

Membership is limited to licensed (where licensure applies) home-service businesses that pass Countermark’s verification process. Accounts belong to the member business; each user must be an authorized representative of that business. You are responsible for the actions taken under your organization’s accounts and for keeping credentials secure.

When you add a customer record, job, or review, you agree that:

• it describes a real, completed transaction of your business, first-hand, supported by the required job details and evidence;
• it is factual and professional — describing the job, not attacking the person;
• you have the right to share the information and it was obtained lawfully in the course of your business; and
• you grant Countermark a license to store, display, and process the contribution for operating the Service.

Countermark moderates contributions (including pre-publication review of low ratings) and may reject, hide, annotate, or remove entries. The ledger is durable by design: retracted or removed entries are status-flipped and hidden rather than erased, so the record of what was said and when is preserved.

Everything on the Service other than the public landing and legal pages is confidential. You may not scrape, bulk-export, publish, share outside your business, or disclose records or any customer information from the Service, including to the customer’s detriment or in marketing. Contact details are deliberately masked; you may not attempt to circumvent masking or access controls.

Any person who believes Countermark holds an inaccurate record about them may request correction or removal through the record review process, without needing an account. Disputed entries are annotated while under review, and every request is reviewed by a human moderator.

Access is currently limited to invited founding members. Countermark may introduce membership fees with reasonable advance notice; continued use after a fee change takes effect constitutes acceptance.

You may stop using the Service at any time. Countermark may suspend or terminate access for breach of these Terms, misuse of records, failed verification, or risk to the platform or the people described in it. Contributions made before termination remain part of the ledger, subject to the moderation and dispute processes.

THE SERVICE AND ALL RECORDS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. COUNTERMARK DOES NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF MEMBER-CONTRIBUTED INFORMATION. RELIANCE ON ANY RECORD IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, COUNTERMARK WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS OR BUSINESS, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE. COUNTERMARK’S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS PAID BY YOUR BUSINESS FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AROSE, OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS IF NO FEES WERE PAID.

You will indemnify and hold Countermark harmless from claims arising out of your contributions, your use of records (including any decision to decline or condition service), or your breach of these Terms.

When these Terms change materially, members will be asked to review and accept the new version at their next sign-in before continuing to use the Service. Each acceptance is recorded.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Questions about these Terms can be raised with platform staff through the app; individuals without accounts can reach us through the record review form.