Terms & Conditions

Our Next Step is run by me, Christopher, a sole trader trading as Our Next Step. In these Terms, “Our Next Step”, “we”, “us” and “our” mean me, trading as Our Next Step.

Postal address: OurNextStep
Unit 171729
PO Box 6945
London
W1A 6US
United Kingdom

Email: [email protected]

Registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration number [ICO NUMBER – TO FOLLOW].

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of the Our Next Step website and service.

Our Next Step is a personal introductions service for adults in and around Hertfordshire who are looking for companionship, dating or a relationship.

Rather than browsing profiles or swiping, you tell me about yourself and what you’re looking for. I review the information members provide and, where I think two people will genuinely get on, I make an introduction. Then it’s over to you: get talking, take it at your own pace, and meet in person when you’re both ready.

By registering with, accessing or using Our Next Step, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree to them, please do not use the service.

You must be 18 or over to register for or use Our Next Step.

By registering, you confirm that:

• you are at least 18 years old;
• you are single, separated or otherwise free to start a new relationship;
• the information you provide is accurate and not deliberately misleading;
• you are legally entitled to use the service; and
• you will comply with these Terms and all applicable laws.

We may remove accounts where we reasonably believe a member is under 18, or has given false information about their age or circumstances.

While Our Next Step is launching, registering may place you on a waiting list.

Joining the waiting list does not guarantee access to the full service, a particular launch date, membership or an introduction to another member.

We may change how the waiting list works, its size or its availability at any time.

We may contact waiting-list members about the launch of the service, changes to the service and opportunities to take part. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time using the link in each email.

You are responsible for keeping the information on your account accurate and up to date.

You must not:

• create an account using another person’s identity;
• create an account for another person without their permission;
• deliberately provide false or misleading information;
• create multiple accounts for deceptive or abusive purposes; or
• allow another person to use your account.

Please keep your login details secure, and tell us straight away if you think someone has accessed your account without your permission.

To help keep members safe, we may ask you to verify your identity before you can be introduced to anyone, and I check every photo myself.

If you don’t complete a check we ask for, we may decline or pause your membership.

Your profile is private. It is not published on the website and other members cannot browse it. When I make an introduction, I share relevant information from your profile with the person I’m introducing you to.

You remain responsible for the information and photos you provide.

You must not upload:

• photos or material belonging to another person without permission;
• deliberately misleading photos or information;
• offensive, abusive, illegal or inappropriate material;
• material that infringes another person’s rights; or
• content intended to scam, deceive or manipulate other members.

Please only use photos that are recent and accurately show you.

We may remove photos, profile information or other content where we consider that it breaches these Terms or could affect the safety or experience of members.

I use the information you give me, and my own judgement, to decide who to introduce you to. Introductions are made one at a time.

An introduction is my honest view that two people may get on. It is not a guarantee of compatibility.

Our Next Step does not guarantee:

• that you will receive an introduction, or how soon;
• that someone you are introduced to will respond;
• that an introduction will lead to a relationship;
• that information supplied by another member is accurate;
• that a member will behave as described in their profile; or
• any particular outcome from using the service.

After an introduction, you decide whether, how and when to talk to the other person, and whether to meet. You will never be expected to meet anyone before you’re ready.

We take safety seriously, but we cannot control what happens when members talk or meet. You are responsible for your own decisions about contact and meetings.

Please take sensible care when talking to or meeting someone you have been introduced to. We strongly recommend that you:

• take time to get to know someone before meeting;
• avoid sharing sensitive personal or financial information;
• tell someone you trust when you’re meeting another member for the first time;
• meet in a public place the first time;
• make your own arrangements for travelling to and from a meeting; and
• leave a meeting if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

Although we check identities and photos, we cannot verify every statement or intention of every member.

Never send money or give financial help to someone you have met through the service because they have asked for it.

If you believe another member is behaving dangerously, fraudulently or abusively, please tell us and, where appropriate, contact the police or other relevant authorities.

You must not use Our Next Step to:

• harass, threaten, intimidate or abuse another person;
• discriminate against another member;
• impersonate another person;
• commit or facilitate fraud;
• ask members for money for deceptive purposes;
• send spam or unsolicited commercial messages;
• promote illegal activities;
• distribute malicious software;
• try to gain unauthorised access to the website or another member’s account;
• collect personal information about other members for improper purposes;
• publish another person’s private information without permission;
• offer or seek escorting, prostitution or other commercial sexual activity;
• upload illegal or seriously offensive material; or
• otherwise use the service in a way we reasonably consider harmful to members or to Our Next Step.

We may take action against accounts that break these rules.

Where Our Next Step provides a way for introduced members to message each other, you are responsible for what you send.

You must not send messages that are abusive, threatening, discriminatory, fraudulent, sexually inappropriate, deliberately misleading or otherwise unlawful.

We are not responsible for the content of communications between members.

Where necessary for safety, moderation, fraud prevention, legal compliance or running the service, messages sent through Our Next Step may be reviewed, in line with our Privacy Policy and the law.

We want Our Next Step to be respectful and safe. If you believe another member has broken these Terms, please report it to us.

We may look into reports and take action, including:

• giving a warning;
• removing content;
• restricting what an account can do;
• suspending an account; or
• permanently closing an account.

We may not share the details of an investigation with the person who reported it or the person involved where that would be inappropriate, unlawful, or could compromise safety or the investigation.

We may also act where we reasonably believe an account presents a risk to other members or to the running of Our Next Step.

While Our Next Step is launching, joining is free.

When paid membership opens, it will cost £9.99 a month. It’s one price for everyone.

We will not charge you anything until you have been shown the price and payment terms and have agreed to them.

You can stop using Our Next Step at any time, and you can ask us to close your account by emailing [email protected] [or: using the account deletion option in your member area, once available].

If you take out a paid membership, the cancellation and refund terms will be shown to you before you pay. This includes your legal right to cancel within 14 days.

Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights under consumer protection law.

The Our Next Step name, branding, website design, software, graphics, text and other material we provide are owned by or licensed to Our Next Step unless otherwise stated.

You must not reproduce, copy, modify, distribute, sell or commercially exploit our content without permission.

You keep ownership of content you create and upload. By uploading content, you give us the limited rights reasonably needed to store, process and use it to provide the service, including sharing it with members you are introduced to.

You confirm that you have the rights to upload the content you provide.

We aim to keep Our Next Step available and working properly, but we cannot guarantee that it will always be:

• available;
• uninterrupted;
• error-free;
• secure from every possible threat; or
• compatible with every device or software set-up.

We may temporarily suspend or restrict access for maintenance, security, development, technical problems or other operational reasons.

We may also change, replace or remove features as Our Next Step develops.

We use trusted third-party providers for things such as website hosting, email, text messages, analytics, security and, in future, payments. Our Privacy Policy names them.

Your use of a third party’s own service may also be subject to that provider’s terms and privacy policy.

We are not responsible for the availability, operation or policies of third-party services outside our control.

We provide Our Next Step as described in these Terms and to the extent permitted by law.

We do not guarantee that using Our Next Step will result in a friendship, relationship, date, introduction or any other particular outcome.

We are not responsible for the conduct, identity, statements or actions of other members.

To the extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for losses arising from interactions, communications or meetings between members.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, and any other liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.

We may suspend or close your account if we reasonably believe that:

• you have broken these Terms;
• you have provided false or misleading information;
• your account presents a safety or security risk;
• you have behaved fraudulently or abusively;
• your use of the service may expose us or other members to legal or regulatory risk; or
• your continued use of the service is otherwise inappropriate.

Where appropriate, we may do this without notice.

You can also stop using the service at any time.

Closing an account does not affect rights or obligations that arose before it was closed.

We take your privacy seriously. Your profile is never public, and your personal information is handled in line with our Privacy Policy and UK data protection law.

Please think carefully about what you share with another member directly. You should not assume that information you share with another member will be kept confidential.

If you’re unhappy with any part of the service, please email [email protected]. I will reply personally and try to put things right.

We may update these Terms as Our Next Step develops, or where changes are needed for legal, regulatory, security or operational reasons. The date at the top shows when they were last changed.

When we make important changes, we will take reasonable steps to tell members, for example by email.

If you continue to use Our Next Step after updated Terms take effect, you accept the updated Terms, where the law allows.

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of Our Next Step will be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales, subject to any mandatory consumer rights that apply to you.