Enforcement and Appeals Policy

Effective date: 24 October 2026 Last updated: 24 October 2026

1. Grounds for action

We may restrict an affected feature, listing, payout or account where reasonably necessary to address unlawful or infringing content, serious safety concerns, fraud, account compromise, material misrepresentation, payment default, material policy breach, a binding legal requirement or demonstrated repeated breaches. We do not treat lawful competing distribution or a genuine complaint as grounds for retaliation.

2. Proportionate measures

Measures may include clarification, a warning, an opportunity to correct, an urgent sales pause, removal of a specific asset, visibility limits, a proportionate payout reserve, suspension or termination. We consider the seriousness, evidence, duration, repetition and scope of the risk, and whether a narrower measure can address it.

An urgent protective pause does not determine final liability. A single allegation does not automatically justify a permanent ban. A payout hold requires a specific lawful, contractual or payment-risk basis and an itemised scope; it is not a penalty for requesting early withdrawal.

3. Reasons and notice

We provide reasons and appropriate notice in a durable form, such as email. Where applicable, the explanation identifies the relevant content or conduct, factual circumstances, legal or contractual grounds, action, duration, use of automation and review options. We may withhold information only to the extent justified by law or a legitimate safety, security or confidentiality restriction.

For a business Publisher, restriction or suspension reasons are provided before or when the measure takes effect where the law requires. Ending the whole intermediation service normally requires at least 30 days' advance reasons and notice. A shorter period is used only where a lawful exception applies, such as a binding legal requirement, an imperative legal reason or demonstrated repeated breaches. Ordinary contractual convenience is not automatically an urgent exception.

Those duties on Guides are distinct from a creator's ability to withdraw a Tour without advance notice after its initial 12 months. We will not use an enforcement policy to reinstate a creator withdrawal-notice period.

4. Complaints and appeals

Email hello@guides.app with your account/Tour reference, decision reference if available, why you dispute the action and relevant evidence. Publishers may also complain about payments, technical failures or Guides' compliance with its obligations, not only content removal.

The internal process is free. We aim to acknowledge a routine complaint within three working days and give a substantive response within 15 working days. These are service targets, not an extension of a legal deadline. Urgent safety or legal matters are prioritised. If the case needs longer, we will explain and provide an update.

A contested automated decision can be reconsidered by a person. Where practicable, a reviewer not responsible for the original decision will assess an appeal. We will give a reasoned outcome, correct errors and reinstate content/account/data access without undue delay where a restriction is overturned, subject to any independent lawful restriction.

We accept internal appeals made within six months of a notified moderation decision and may consider later evidence where appropriate. Statutory complaints, legal claims, safety reports and data-protection rights are not cut off by this administrative period.

5. Customers and account closure

Measures should preserve lawful customer entitlements wherever possible. If unsafe or unlawful content cannot be supplied, customer remedies must be assessed rather than ignored. Creator account closure, contract termination, deletion of personal data, deletion of Tour media and use of permitted marketing assets are separate decisions. A valid Continuing Promotional Licence does not override a rights, privacy, misleading-association or safety restriction. Complaints about Guides' own continuing marketing are eligible for human review, not only complaints about a Publisher.

We do not refuse a valid personal-data request solely because a Tour has a remaining publication period. We assess what can be erased, what must be retained for a lawful purpose and how to minimise any surviving personal information.

6. External remedies

Publishers may use the mediation arrangements in the Creator and Publishing Terms where applicable. Consumers retain applicable ADR information and court rights. Where EU Digital Services Act procedures apply, available certified dispute-settlement and regulatory remedies are preserved. No internal policy prevents a lawful complaint to a regulator or urgent court application.

We do not publish a claim that Guides is enrolled in a dispute-resolution scheme unless that is factually correct. Any legally required transparency reports and complaint statistics are maintained and published according to the applicable scope and exemptions.