Terms & Conditions

1. Agreement to these terms

These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and Fondue Collective Private Limited (“Fondue,” “we,” “us”) governing your use of the Fondue app and website (the “Service”). By applying to Fondue, or using the Service in any way, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the Service.

2. Who can use Fondue

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You must be single — Fondue is not for people in a committed relationship. Divorced members are welcome.
• You must provide honest, accurate information in your application. Every application is read and decided on by a person, not an automated system alone, and we can decline or re-request an application at our discretion.
• One account per person. Impersonating someone else, or creating an account on someone else’s behalf without their knowledge, is not allowed.
• We may decline, suspend, or terminate any account, at any stage, if we reasonably believe these Terms have been violated or that doing so is necessary to keep the community safe.

3. What Fondue is (and isn’t)

Fondue is an invitation-led platform that helps you meet relevant people in person, through Hyperlocal (proximity-based) and Interest-based discovery, under either a Dating or a Discover intent. It is not a swipe app, not a messaging app, and not a guarantee of a match, a date, or a relationship. Fondue surfaces relevance — it doesn’t promise outcomes.

The core mechanic — application, discovery, a structured handshake, meeting at a public venue you both agree on, and feedback afterward — is described in full on our landing page and inside the app.

4. Our safety model — what we promise, and what we need from you

We built Fondue around a specific set of safety guarantees, and we take them seriously as commitments, not just marketing copy:

• We never share your exact location with another member — only a public venue and time you chose, once you decide to open up to someone.
• Visibility in Hyperlocal mode is asymmetric: women see and choose; men are shown nothing about a specific woman until she reaches out. This is enforced on our servers, not just in the app’s interface.
• There is no free-form messaging on Fondue — only the structured handshake (an optional short note, a yes/no, then a mutually agreed public venue and time).
• Photos are asymmetric: your photo is only shown to someone once you choose to reach out to them.
• We are strictly anti-caste-matching. Using Fondue to filter, request, or discriminate by caste, community, or religion is a violation of these Terms and grounds for permanent removal.

In return, we need you to:

• Meet people only at the public venues and times agreed through the handshake — never ask for or share your live location outside of what the app itself provides.
• Never try to route around the handshake (for example, pushing for phone numbers, social media, or off-platform contact before you’ve agreed to meet) — this is itself treated as a safety signal, and we may act on it.
• Report anything that felt off, honestly and promptly, using the in-app reporting tool.
• Treat other members with basic respect — harassment, hate speech, threats, sexual content sent without consent, or any attempt to intimidate another member will get you permanently removed.

5. Meeting in person — please read this carefully

Fondue helps you find and arrange to meet someone. What happens when you actually meet is between you and them. We vet applications, verify identity through a live liveness and face-match check, and require meetings to happen at real, vetted public venues — but we cannot guarantee the conduct, intentions, or safety of any member, and we are not responsible for what happens during or after an in-person meeting.

Use the same judgment you would meeting anyone new: meet in public, tell a friend where you’re going, trust your instincts, and use Fondue’s report/block tools immediately if something feels wrong. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services first, then report it to us.

6. Payments

Once you and another member have agreed on a venue and time, a small token fee is required from both of you to confirm the plan, processed securely through Razorpay. We never see or store your card, UPI, or bank details.

PLACEHOLDER — refund and cancellation policy not yet finalized. This is a real business decision Kavya still needs to make (for example: is the fee refundable if the other person doesn’t confirm or doesn’t show, and within what window can a confirmed plan be cancelled). Until this section is filled in with an actual policy, treat the token fee as non-refundable once both sides have confirmed.

7. Content you provide

You’re responsible for what you submit to Fondue — your application answers, photos, and any report you file. You confirm you have the right to share any photo you upload, and that it’s actually you. Don’t upload anything that infringes someone else’s rights, is illegal, or misrepresents who you are.

8. Intellectual property

The Fondue name, logo, and the Service itself (excluding content you submit) belong to Fondue Collective Private Limited. You may not copy, modify, or use them without our written permission.

9. Termination

You can delete your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms, if we’re legally required to, or if we reasonably believe it’s necessary to protect the safety of our members. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (like Section 5 and Section 10) continue to apply after your account is closed.

10. Disclaimers & limitation of liability

The Service is provided “as is.” To the fullest extent permitted by Indian law, Fondue disclaims all warranties, express or implied, about the Service’s reliability, availability, or fitness for any particular purpose, and about the conduct of any member.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Fondue’s total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the Service is limited to the amount you paid us (if any) in the 12 months before the claim arose. Fondue is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, or for anything that happens between you and another member, including at an in-person meeting.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Fondue harmless from any claim arising from your violation of these Terms, your misuse of the Service, or your conduct toward another member.

12. Governing law & disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Any dispute will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of PLACEHOLDER: Bengaluru, Karnataka (assumed from where Fondue operates based on the app’s own content — please confirm this is actually where the company is incorporated/registered before this goes live).

13. Grievance Officer

Per the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules, 2021, our Grievance Officer is Kavya Narukurti, reachable at kavyanarukurti@thefondue.in. We’ll acknowledge complaints within 24 hours and resolve them within 15 days.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as Fondue evolves. We’ll post the updated version here with a new effective date, and where a change is material, we’ll let you know directly. Continuing to use the Service after a change means you accept the updated Terms.