Terms and Conditions of Use

1. Definitions and interpretation

In these Terms, unless the context indicates otherwise, the following expressions bear the meanings assigned to them:

• "Platform" means the Deal Match website, any subdomain, application, portal, form, API or communication channel operated by us.
• "User", "you" or "your" means any person who accesses the Platform, whether or not they submit a requirement.
• "Requirement" or "Brief" means the information you submit describing the vehicle, finance, trade-in, insurance or related outcome you are seeking.
• "Partner" means a dealership, dealer group, finance provider, insurer, broker, warranty provider or other third party that participates in the Deal Match network.
• "Match" means an introduction, referral or transmission of your Requirement to one or more Partners.
• "Offer" means any quotation, price indication, trade-in valuation, finance approval or insurance quote issued by a Partner.
• "Personal Information" bears the meaning assigned in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").
• "CPA" means the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, "NCA" means the National Credit Act 34 of 2005, and "ECTA" means the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002.

2. Nature of the service: we are an introducer, not a seller

Deal Match operates a matching and introduction service. We are not a motor dealer, we do not own, hold, store, display or sell vehicles, and we are not a party to any sale, finance agreement, insurance policy, trade-in or service contract that you conclude with a Partner.

Every contract for the purchase, financing, insuring or servicing of a vehicle is concluded directly between you and the relevant Partner. That Partner is the supplier for the purposes of the CPA and is solely responsible for the goods or services it supplies, including delivery, condition, roadworthiness, warranties, defects, repairs, refunds and after-sales service.

Nothing on the Platform constitutes an offer capable of acceptance. All prices, availability indications, instalment estimates, valuations and specifications are indicative only and subject to confirmation by the relevant Partner.

3. Eligibility and capacity

To submit a Requirement or enter into any transaction arising from a Match, you must be at least 18 years of age, be resident in the Republic of South Africa (or lawfully entitled to transact here), and have full legal capacity to contract.

You may not use the Platform if you are subject to an administration order, are under debt review in circumstances where further credit is prohibited, are an unrehabilitated insolvent, or are otherwise legally restricted from entering into the transaction you are pursuing, unless you disclose that status to the relevant Partner.

If you submit a Requirement on behalf of a juristic person, you warrant that you are duly authorised to do so and that the juristic person is bound by these Terms.

4. Accounts, tracking tokens and security

Certain features require an account or a tracking token. You are responsible for keeping your credentials and tracking links confidential and for all activity conducted through them.

You must notify us immediately at paul@dealmatch.africa if you suspect unauthorised access. We may suspend or terminate any account or token where we reasonably suspect fraud, misuse, abuse, or a breach of these Terms.

We are not liable for loss arising from your failure to safeguard your credentials, your use of shared devices, or your disclosure of a tracking link to third parties.

5. Your information must be accurate

You warrant that all information you submit is true, accurate, complete and not misleading, and that you will update it if it changes materially before a transaction concludes.

Inaccurate information — particularly regarding income, existing credit commitments, employment, vehicle condition, accident history, mileage or outstanding finance — may result in withdrawn offers, declined applications, cancelled agreements, or claims against you by a Partner.

Submitting deliberately false information may constitute fraud. We reserve the right to report suspected fraud to the South African Fraud Prevention Service, credit bureaux, law enforcement and affected Partners.

6. How matching works and what it does not promise

When you submit a Requirement, we may transmit it to one or more Partners that we consider capable of responding. Partner selection is based on stock, geography, credit appetite, brand, response history and commercial arrangements.

We do not guarantee that you will receive any Offer, that any Offer will be competitive, that finance or insurance will be approved, that a specific vehicle will be available, or that any particular number of Partners will respond.

We may decline to transmit any Requirement, at our discretion, including where it appears fraudulent, incomplete, abusive, duplicated or outside the scope of our network.

Any ranking, ordering or highlighting of Partners or Offers does not constitute a recommendation, endorsement or advice that a particular Offer is best for you.

7. Commercial relationships and how we are paid

The Deal Match service is free to consumers. We are remunerated by Partners through introduction fees, subscription fees, commissions or success fees, which may vary between Partners and product types.

This means we have a commercial interest in you transacting with a Partner. We disclose this openly so you can weigh it when comparing Offers. Our remuneration does not change the price a Partner quotes you, but you should always compare Offers independently.

We do not provide financial advice, credit advice, intermediary services or insurance advice as contemplated in the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act 37 of 2002. Any advice must come from the licensed Partner concerned.

8. Credit, affordability and the National Credit Act

All credit decisions are made solely by registered credit providers in terms of the NCA. Deal Match is not a credit provider, credit bureau, debt counsellor, payment distribution agent or credit repair service.

Any instalment calculator, affordability indicator or rate estimate on the Platform is an illustration only. It uses assumptions about interest rate, term, deposit, balloon payment, initiation fees, monthly service fees and credit life insurance that may differ materially from a lender's actual quotation.

A credit provider must conduct an affordability assessment before granting credit. Providing incomplete or false information frustrates that assessment and may be an offence under section 81 of the NCA.

We do not guarantee approval, a particular interest rate, a particular term, or the removal, correction or suppression of any credit bureau listing.

9. Insurance introductions

Where you request insurance assistance, we introduce you to licensed insurers or FSP-registered brokers. Deal Match does not underwrite risk, does not bind cover, does not render intermediary services and does not give advice on the suitability of any policy.

Cover only exists once the insurer or broker confirms it in writing. Never assume cover is in place because a quote was issued or because a vehicle was delivered.

You are responsible for reading the policy schedule, exclusions, excess structure and waiting periods before accepting cover.

10. Trade-ins and valuations

Trade-in indications are estimates based on information you supply. They are always subject to physical inspection, verification of mileage, service history, licence status, outstanding finance and the absence of undisclosed damage or structural repair.

A Partner may revise or withdraw a trade-in Offer following inspection. You are under no obligation to accept a revised Offer, and no Partner is obliged to honour an estimate where the vehicle differs from your description.

You warrant that you are the lawful owner or titleholder of any vehicle you offer, or that you are authorised to dispose of it, and that it is not stolen, cloned, subject to an undisclosed lien, or the subject of an insurance write-off you have not declared.

11. Vehicle condition, roadworthiness and inspection

We do not inspect vehicles. Descriptions, photographs, mileage figures, specifications and condition reports originate from Partners or third parties and are not independently verified by us.

You are strongly advised to obtain an independent inspection, verify the vehicle identification number, check the mileage against service records, and confirm the roadworthy status before concluding any purchase.

Any rights you may have in respect of defective goods under section 55 and section 56 of the CPA are exercisable against the supplier of the vehicle, not against Deal Match.

12. Acceptable use

You may not, and may not permit any other person to:

• use the Platform for any unlawful, fraudulent, defamatory, harassing or misleading purpose;
• submit another person's information without their lawful, informed and specific consent;
• scrape, crawl, harvest, index, mirror or systematically extract content, listings or Partner data;
• reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or attempt to derive source code from the Platform;
• interfere with, overload, probe or circumvent the security, rate limits or access controls of the Platform;
• upload malware, viruses, worms, trojans, logic bombs or any harmful code;
• impersonate any person or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity;
• use automated systems to submit Requirements, generate leads, manipulate rankings or distort analytics;
• resell, sublicense, syndicate or commercially exploit any part of the Platform without our prior written consent; or
• use the Platform in a manner that infringes the rights of any third party.

13. Intellectual property

All content on the Platform — including the Deal Match name, logo, wordmark, trade dress, copy, photography, code, layout, database structure and compilation of listings — is owned by or licensed to us and is protected by South African and international intellectual property law.

You are granted a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use the Platform for your own personal, non-commercial purposes. No other rights are granted.

Third-party marks, including vehicle manufacturer marks, remain the property of their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. Their use does not imply affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement.

14. Third-party links and content

The Platform may link to third-party sites, tools and content. We do not control, endorse, monitor or accept responsibility for them, their availability, accuracy, security, pricing or privacy practices.

Following a third-party link is at your own risk and is governed by that third party's terms and privacy policy.

15. Availability, changes and maintenance

We aim to keep the Platform available but do not warrant uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free operation. Access may be suspended for maintenance, upgrades, security incidents or events beyond our control.

We may add, modify, suspend or discontinue any feature, service, Partner relationship or content at any time without liability, provided we do not do so in a way that unfairly prejudices a transaction already under way.

16. Disclaimers and limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, and subject always to your rights under the CPA which cannot be excluded, the Platform and all content are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied.

You use the Platform at your own risk. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive or consequential loss, including loss of profit, loss of opportunity, loss of data, loss of goodwill, or wasted expenditure, however arising.

We are not liable for the acts, omissions, delays, misrepresentations, insolvency or default of any Partner, nor for the condition, quality, safety, legality or title of any vehicle, nor for the terms of any credit or insurance agreement you conclude.

Where liability cannot lawfully be excluded, our aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or in connection with the Platform is limited to R 5 000 (five thousand rand).

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for gross negligence, wilful misconduct, fraud, or any liability that may not lawfully be limited.

17. Indemnity

You indemnify and hold harmless Deal Match, its directors, employees, contractors and Partners against all claims, demands, losses, damages, penalties, costs and legal fees on an attorney-and-own-client scale arising from your breach of these Terms, your submission of inaccurate or unlawful information, your infringement of any third-party right, or your unlawful use of the Platform.

18. Electronic communications and ECTA

You consent to receiving communications from us electronically, including by email, SMS, WhatsApp and in-platform notification. Electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that a communication be in writing.

Data messages are deemed received when capable of being retrieved and processed by you. Our information for the purposes of section 43 of ECTA is set out at the end of this document.

You may opt out of direct marketing at any time using the unsubscribe mechanism in any message, or by writing to paul@dealmatch.africa. Opting out of marketing does not stop transactional messages relating to a Requirement you submitted.

19. Cooling-off and cancellation

Submitting a Requirement is free and creates no obligation to transact. You may withdraw a Requirement at any time before concluding an agreement with a Partner.

Cooling-off rights in respect of a vehicle purchase or credit agreement are governed by the CPA and the NCA and are exercisable against the Partner concerned, not against Deal Match. Where a transaction was concluded entirely electronically, section 44 of ECTA may also apply.

20. Privacy and data protection

Our processing of Personal Information is governed by our Privacy Policy and POPIA Notice, which form part of these Terms. By submitting a Requirement you consent to the sharing described there, to the extent that consent is the applicable lawful basis.

21. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access immediately, without notice, where we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, engaged in fraud or abuse, or exposed us or a Partner to legal or reputational risk.

Termination does not affect accrued rights, nor does it terminate any agreement you have concluded with a Partner.

22. Dispute resolution

If you have a complaint, contact us first at paul@dealmatch.africa. We aim to acknowledge complaints within five business days and to resolve them within twenty business days.

Complaints about a vehicle, a dealer, a credit agreement or an insurance policy should be directed to the relevant Partner, and thereafter to the appropriate body: the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa, the National Consumer Commission, the National Credit Regulator, the FAIS Ombud or the National Financial Ombud Scheme, as applicable.

Any dispute between you and Deal Match that is not resolved informally may be referred to arbitration under the rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa, or to a court of competent jurisdiction, at the election of the party instituting proceedings.

23. General

These Terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa and you consent to the jurisdiction of the Magistrate's Court having jurisdiction over you, notwithstanding that the claim may exceed that court's monetary limits.

If any provision is found unenforceable, it is severed and the remaining provisions continue in force. Our failure to enforce a right is not a waiver of it.

We may amend these Terms at any time by publishing an updated version on the Platform. Continued use after publication constitutes acceptance. Material changes will be flagged on the Platform for at least thirty days.

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, POPIA Notice and Disclaimer, constitute the entire agreement between you and Deal Match regarding the Platform.

24. Company and contact details

• Operator: Deal Match (Pty) Ltd
• Registration number: 2026/592501/07
• Registered address: 2 Finch, Landing Rockcliff Estate
• Nature of business: online vehicle matching and introduction services
• Place of business: Republic of South Africa
• Email: paul@dealmatch.africa
• Telephone: 071 862 0256
• Information Officer: the Managing Director, contactable at the email address above

25. Accounts, credentials and portal access

Where the Platform provides a buyer, dealership or administrator portal, access is personal to the individual to whom the credentials were issued. You must keep your username, password and any one-time codes confidential, must not share them with colleagues or third parties, and must notify us immediately at the email address below if you suspect unauthorised access.

You are responsible for all activity conducted under your credentials, whether or not you authorised it, save where the unauthorised activity results from our own failure to secure the Platform. We may suspend or terminate credentials without notice where we reasonably suspect compromise, fraudulent activity, abusive conduct toward buyers or other partners, or a material breach of these Terms.

26. Acceptable use of the Platform

You agree to use the Platform only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of the Platform by, any other person. Without limiting the generality of that undertaking, you may not:

• submit a requirement in the name of another person without that person's mandate;
• submit false, misleading or deliberately incomplete information, including inflated income figures or misrepresented trade-in condition;
• use automated means to scrape, index, harvest or replicate Platform content, listings or partner details;
• attempt to circumvent authentication, rate limiting, access controls or any security measure;
• introduce malicious code, conduct penetration testing without written authorisation, or interfere with Platform availability;
• use Platform data for unsolicited direct marketing in contravention of section 69 of POPIA or section 11 of the Consumer Protection Act;
• reverse engineer, decompile or create derivative works from any part of the Platform.

27. Electronic communications and consent under ECTA

By using the Platform you consent to receiving communications from us electronically, including by email, SMS, WhatsApp where you have provided a number for that purpose, and in-Platform notifications. Electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that a communication be in writing, in accordance with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECTA").

A data message is deemed received when it enters an information system designated or used by you and is capable of being retrieved and processed. Where an electronic signature is applied to a document generated through the Platform, that signature is valid between the parties unless the law requires an advanced electronic signature for the transaction in question.

You may withdraw consent to non-transactional electronic marketing at any time, without affecting our ability to send you transactional messages relating to a requirement you have submitted.

28. Cooling-off, cancellation and the Consumer Protection Act

Deal Match's own service is provided free of charge to buyers and may be discontinued by you at any time by asking us to withdraw your requirement. Because no consideration is payable by you to us, there is no refund mechanism as between you and Deal Match.

Any cooling-off, cancellation, return or repair right in respect of a vehicle, a credit agreement or an insurance policy arises against the Partner concerned, under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, the National Credit Act 34 of 2005, the Short-term Insurance Act or the Policyholder Protection Rules, as applicable. Section 121 of the National Credit Act, for example, confers a five-business-day cooling-off right on certain credit agreements concluded away from the credit provider's premises, and section 20 of the Consumer Protection Act confers limited return rights on goods.

We will, on request, assist you in directing a cancellation or complaint to the correct Partner, but we cannot exercise those rights on your behalf and we are not the counterparty to the agreement you wish to cancel.

29. Complaints, disputes and escalation

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, email us with the words "Complaint" in the subject line, a description of the issue, the requirement reference where available, and the outcome you seek. We will acknowledge your complaint and revert with a substantive response as soon as reasonably practicable.

Where your complaint concerns a Partner rather than Deal Match, you should also escalate it to that Partner's internal complaints function and, where relevant, to the applicable industry ombud: the Motor Industry Ombudsman of South Africa for vehicle sales and repairs, the National Financial Ombud Scheme for banking, credit and short-term insurance matters, or the National Credit Regulator for reckless-lending and credit-conduct complaints.

Nothing in these Terms limits your right to approach the National Consumer Commission, the Information Regulator or a court of competent jurisdiction.

30. Dispute resolution and applicable law

The parties will attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms by negotiation between senior representatives within fifteen business days of written notice of the dispute. Failing resolution, either party may refer the dispute to mediation, and failing that to the Magistrates' Court having jurisdiction, notwithstanding that the amount in dispute may exceed that court's ordinary jurisdiction, unless a party elects to proceed in the High Court.

These Terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa. This clause does not prevent either party from seeking urgent interim relief from any competent court.

31. Force majeure

Neither party is liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations where that failure or delay results from an event beyond its reasonable control, including load-shedding and prolonged grid failure, natural disaster, fire, flood, epidemic, war, civil unrest, national protest action, undersea cable failure, telecommunications or hosting provider outage, or a change in law. The affected party must notify the other as soon as practicable and use reasonable efforts to mitigate the effect.

32. Assignment, severability and waiver

You may not cede, assign or delegate your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may cede or assign our rights and delegate our obligations to any successor in title, acquirer of the business, or affiliate, on written notice to you.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, that provision is severed to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions continue in full force. No indulgence, extension of time or failure to enforce any provision constitutes a waiver of that provision or of any other right, and no waiver is effective unless recorded in writing and signed by an authorised representative.

33. Records, retention and evidence

We retain records of requirements, consents, communications and matches for the periods set out in our Privacy Policy, and in any event for at least five years where retention is required by the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001, the Companies Act 71 of 2008 or the Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011.

In any dispute, a printout or electronic extract of Platform records, certified as correct by an authorised representative, constitutes prima facie proof of its contents in accordance with section 15 of ECTA.