Terms of Service — Haulers

1. Agreement to Terms

By registering as a Hauler on the 5Junk platform ("Platform"), operated by 5Junk.com ("Company," "we," "us"), you ("Hauler," "you") agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, do not register or use the Platform.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and the Company. We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Platform Overview

5Junk operates as a service marketplace that connects independent junk haulers with customers seeking junk removal and dumpster rental services. Customers submit job requests through the Platform, and Haulers pay a per-job connection fee to claim a job request and communicate with the customer to arrange the work. 5Junk does not resell customer information to outside parties; job requests are made available only to participating Haulers on the Platform for the sole purpose of servicing the customer.

5Junk is a connection service, not an employer. You are an independent contractor. Nothing in these Terms creates an employment, agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between you and 5Junk.

3. Hauler Eligibility & Account

To register as a Hauler, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Be legally authorized to provide junk removal services in your service area.
• Maintain all required local, state, and federal licenses, permits, and insurance.
• Provide accurate company information, contact details, and service area.
• Maintain a valid email address for communications and job request notifications.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials. All activity under your account is your responsibility.

4. Credits & Job Pricing

Credits: Haulers use credits to claim job requests on the Platform. One credit equals one U.S. dollar ($1.00). Credits are purchased via our secure payment processor (Stripe) and are non-refundable except as described in Section 8 (Dispute Resolution).

Purchasing Credits: You may purchase credits at any time through the Platform. All payments are processed securely via Stripe. By purchasing credits, you authorize us to charge your selected payment method. 5Junk does not store your full credit card or payment details — all payment data is handled by Stripe in accordance with PCI-DSS standards.

Job Pricing: Each job request is priced dynamically based on factors including but not limited to:

• Junk type, access conditions, and optional video walkthrough.
• Customer location and local market demand.
• Urgency of the request and time of submission.
• Job quality score (based on detail completeness, photo quality, and video availability).

Credit Deduction Priority: When you claim a job request, credits are deducted in the following order: admin-granted credits, promotional credits, referral credits, then purchased credits.

5. Standard & Exclusive Claims

Standard Claims: When you submit a standard claim on a job request, you send the customer a quote (your proposed price) and an introductory message through our platform. The customer reviews quotes from up to 3 haulers and selects their preferred hauler. Once selected, you receive the customer's full contact information.

Exclusive Claims: You may claim a job request exclusively at 2.5× the standard price. When purchased exclusively, you immediately receive the customer's full contact information, and no other hauler will have access to that job request. Exclusive claims are only available if no other hauler has already claimed the job request.

All job claims are final. Once a job request is claimed and the customer's contact information is revealed (whether through selection or exclusive claim), the transaction is complete, subject only to the dispute process in Section 8.

6. Tier System

Haulers are assigned to one of three tiers based on performance metrics:

• Premium: Rating ≥ 4.5 and ≥ 10 claims — immediate job access.
• Standard: Rating ≥ 3.5 and ≥ 3 claims — job requests released after a 2-hour delay.
• Basic: All new haulers — job requests released after a 6-hour delay.

Tier assignment is recalculated automatically based on your customer ratings and claim activity. 5Junk reserves the right to modify tier thresholds and benefits at any time.

7. Auto-Buy

The Auto-Buy feature allows you to configure automatic job claims based on criteria you define (junk type, ZIP codes, maximum price, daily limit). When enabled:

• Job requests matching your criteria will be claimed automatically using your credit balance.
• You are responsible for maintaining sufficient credits (or enabling Auto-Refill).
• Auto-Buy claims are subject to the same refund and dispute policies as manual claims.
• You may disable Auto-Buy at any time from your settings.

7A. Auto-Refill & Pre-Approved Charges

The Auto-Refill feature allows you to save a payment method (credit or debit card) via Stripe and authorize the Platform to charge that payment method automatically when your credit balance falls to or below a threshold you configure. By enabling Auto-Refill, you understand and agree to the following:

• Pre-Approved Recurring Charges: You authorize 5Junk to automatically charge your saved payment method for the refill amount you specify each time your credit balance reaches or falls below your configured threshold. These charges occur without additional confirmation at the time of each charge.
• Threshold & Amount: The refill threshold must be set to at least the cost of one residential job request (as set by the Platform). The refill amount must be at least two job requests' worth of credits. Both must be set in increments equal to the cost of one residential job request.
• Charge Timing: Charges are triggered immediately after a job request claim causes your balance to drop to or below your threshold. The credits are added to your account instantly upon successful payment.
• Payment Failures: If a charge fails (e.g., due to insufficient funds, expired card, or card decline), Auto-Refill will be automatically disabled for your account. You will need to update your payment method and re-enable Auto-Refill manually.
• Card Security: Your payment details are securely stored and processed by Stripe (PCI-DSS Level 1 certified). 5Junk never stores your full card number, CVV, or other sensitive card details on our servers.
• Disabling Auto-Refill: You may disable Auto-Refill or remove your saved payment method at any time from your Credits page. Disabling Auto-Refill does not affect credits already purchased or charges already processed.
• Refund Policy: Credits purchased via Auto-Refill are subject to the same refund and dispute policies as manually purchased credits (see Section 8).
• No Guarantee of Job Requests: Maintaining a credit balance (whether through manual purchase or Auto-Refill) does not guarantee the availability of job requests in your service area.

8. Dispute Resolution & Refunds

If you believe a claimed job request is invalid, you may file a dispute through the Platform. Valid dispute reasons include:

• Wrong Number / Disconnected: Contact information is invalid or unreachable.
• Duplicate Job Request: You were charged for the same job request twice.
• Fake / Spam: The job request contains fabricated or intentionally misleading information.
• Outside Service Area: The job request's location is outside the ZIP codes listed in your profile.

Disputes are evaluated using an automated resolution system. Certain disputes (e.g., "wrong number") may be auto-approved with an immediate credit refund. Others (e.g., "customer changed mind") may be auto-rejected. Remaining disputes are reviewed manually by our team. Approved refunds may be issued as credits or, where applicable, as a refund to your original payment method.

Dispute Window: Disputes must be filed within 72 hours of the job request claim. Disputes filed after this window are not eligible for review. 5Junk's decision on all disputes is final.

Cross-Verification of Job Request Quality: Because most job requests are shared with up to three (3) haulers, 5Junk cross-references dispute reports for the same job request to assess validity. When two (2) or more recipients of the same job request independently report it as invalid, and 5Junk is unable to verify the job request by contacting the customer directly (e.g., by phone), 5Junk may reasonably conclude the job request is invalid and issue refunds to affected haulers. Conversely, where a single hauler disputes job requests that other recipients of the same job request successfully work, this pattern indicates the dispute is likely unfounded.

False or Excessive Refund Requests: Filing false, fraudulent, or an excessive number of unfounded refund or dispute requests is a violation of these Terms. 5Junk reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to deny such requests, withhold refunds, suspend a hauler's account, and/or permanently remove a hauler from the Platform.

9. Referral Program

5Junk offers a referral program that rewards you for introducing new haulers to the Platform. When you refer another hauler and they complete their first credit purchase, both you and the referred hauler may receive bonus credits as determined by the Platform's current referral reward settings.

• Referral codes are unique to your account and may be shared via link, email, or social media.
• You may not refer yourself or create multiple accounts to exploit the referral program.
• Referral rewards are credited to your account automatically when the conditions are met.
• 5Junk reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the referral program at any time, with or without notice.
• Fraudulent or abusive referral activity may result in forfeiture of referral credits and account suspension.

10. Bonus & Promotional Credits

From time to time, 5Junk may offer bonus or promotional credits to new or existing haulers. These credits:

• Are applied automatically and have no cash value.
• Cannot be withdrawn, transferred, or refunded.
• Are used before purchased credits when claiming job requests (promotional credits are consumed first after admin credits and referral credits).
• May be subject to expiration or other conditions as determined by 5Junk.

11. Customer Reviews & Ratings

After a customer selects a hauler for a job, they may be invited to leave a review. Reviews include ratings across four dimensions: Communication, Professionalism, Speed, and Pricing. An overall rating is calculated as the average of these four scores.

• Reviews are verified — only customers associated with a completed claim may submit a review.
• One review is permitted per claim.
• Your average rating is displayed on your profile and impacts your tier assignment.
• 5Junk does not edit or remove reviews unless they violate our content policies (e.g., hate speech, threats, or clearly fabricated content).
• You may not solicit, incentivize, or coerce customers to leave favorable reviews.

12. Job Request Quality & Expectations

While 5Junk employs fraud detection, quality scoring, and quality controls, we do not guarantee that:

• Every job request will result in a booked job or revenue.
• Every customer will answer the phone or respond to contact attempts.
• Customer-provided information is 100% accurate.
• The job scope will match the job request description exactly.

Job requests are opportunities, not guaranteed jobs. Conversion depends on your responsiveness, professionalism, and pricing.

13. Prohibited Conduct

As a Hauler, you agree not to:

• Resell, share, or redistribute customer or job request data to any third party.
• Contact customers for purposes other than providing junk removal services.
• Harass, threaten, or engage in abusive behavior toward Customers.
• Manipulate the tier, rating, review, or dispute system.
• Create multiple accounts to gain unfair access to job requests or exploit the referral program.
• Use bots, scrapers, or automated tools to interact with the Platform (other than the Auto-Buy feature provided by the Platform).
• Solicit, incentivize, or coerce customers into leaving reviews.
• Violate any local, state, or federal laws while using the Platform.

14. Data Usage & Customer Confidentiality

Customer and job request data (customer name, phone, email, address, job details) is provided solely for the purpose of contacting the customer about junk removal services. You agree to:

• Treat all customer and job request data as confidential.
• Not sell, rent, or share customer or job request data with third parties.
• Not use customer or job request data for marketing, solicitation, or any purpose beyond servicing the specific job request.
• Comply with all applicable data privacy and telemarketing regulations (including TCPA, CAN-SPAM, and CCPA/CPRA).

15. Payment Processing

All credit purchases are processed through Stripe, a PCI-DSS compliant third-party payment processor. By purchasing credits, you agree to Stripe's Terms of Service.

• 5Junk does not store your credit card number or banking details.
• All transactions are encrypted and secured by Stripe.
• Credit purchases are non-refundable except for approved disputes.
• If you enable Auto-Refill, your saved card may be charged automatically as described in Section 7A.
• Chargebacks filed without first using 5Junk's dispute process may result in account suspension.

16. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE PLATFORM AND ALL LEADS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." 5JUNK MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE ACCURACY, QUALITY, OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY LEAD, OR THE RELIABILITY, TIMELINESS, OR AVAILABILITY OF THE PLATFORM.

17. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, 5JUNK'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO ANY HAULER FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE PLATFORM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF CREDIT PURCHASES MADE BY THE HAULER IN THE 30 DAYS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

IN NO EVENT SHALL 5JUNK BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST REVENUE, LOSS OF BUSINESS, OR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES.

18. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless 5Junk, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your breach of these Terms; (c) your interaction with any Customer; (d) the services you provide to Customers; or (e) your violation of any applicable law or regulation.

19. Account Suspension & Termination

We may suspend or terminate your Hauler account at any time, with or without notice, for reasons including but not limited to:

• Violation of these Terms.
• Excessive or fraudulent dispute claims.
• Customer complaints about your conduct or consistently low ratings.
• Abuse of the referral or promotional credit programs.
• Filing chargebacks without using 5Junk's dispute process.
• Failure to maintain required licenses or insurance.
• Any behavior that harms the Platform or its reputation.

Upon termination, remaining credit balance may be refunded at 5Junk's discretion, minus any outstanding obligations. Promotional, referral, and bonus credits have no cash value and are not refundable.

20. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law provisions. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), conducted in California. You agree to waive any right to a jury trial or participation in a class action.

21. Privacy

Your use of the Platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

22. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at: