Stop Searching
for Auto Shops.
We Find Them.

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AUTOMATE PLATFORM — SHOP PARTNER AGREEMENT
Effective Date: June 2026 | Version 1.0
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PLEASE READ THIS AGREEMENT CAREFULLY.
By creating a Shop Partner account on AutoMate,
you confirm that you have read, understood, and
agree to be legally bound by all terms below.

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SECTION 1 — WHO YOU ARE
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1.1 You represent that you are the owner,
operator, or an authorized representative
of a licensed automotive repair business.

1.2 You confirm that your shop holds all
required business licenses, certifications,
and insurance required by the Commonwealth
of Virginia and your local jurisdiction.

1.3 You agree to keep your shop information
(address, hours, services, license number)
accurate and up to date at all times.

1.4 You agree that AutoMate may verify your
business credentials at any time. Providing
false information is grounds for immediate
removal and potential legal action.

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SECTION 2 — QUOTING & PRICING
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2.1 HONEST QUOTES ONLY
All quotes submitted through AutoMate must
represent your genuine, good-faith estimate
for the repair or service described and shown
in the customer's uploaded photos.

2.2 QUOTE ACCURACY
You agree to honor any accepted quote within
a reasonable price variance of ±10% upon
in-person inspection, provided the actual
damage is consistent with the submitted photos.

If additional hidden damage is discovered
during repair, you must:
  (a) Photograph the additional damage
  (b) Contact the customer through AutoMate
      BEFORE beginning additional work
  (c) Obtain written approval for any
      price increase via the platform

2.3 NO BAIT-AND-SWITCH
You agree NEVER to submit an artificially
low quote to win a job and then significantly
inflate the price upon customer arrival.
This practice is considered fraud and is
grounds for immediate permanent removal
from AutoMate and may result in legal action.

2.4 OEM VS AFTERMARKET TRANSPARENCY
Every quote must accurately label parts as:
  • OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
  • OEM Equivalent
  • Aftermarket
Misrepresenting parts type to a customer
is a violation of this agreement.

2.5 PARTS SUBSTITUTION
If a quoted part becomes unavailable, you
must notify the customer through AutoMate
and obtain approval before substituting
a different part, brand, or quality tier.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 3 — CUSTOMER PROTECTION
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3.1 NO CUSTOMER POACHING
You agree that all customers you meet
through AutoMate were brought to you by
the AutoMate platform. You agree NOT to:
  (a) Solicit these customers to use your
      shop directly, bypassing AutoMate,
      for any future services
  (b) Offer discounts or incentives to
      customers in exchange for avoiding
      AutoMate on future bookings
  (c) Speak negatively about AutoMate to
      any customer you met through the platform
  (d) Recommend competing platforms to
      AutoMate customers

Violation of Section 3.1 will result in
immediate permanent removal from AutoMate
and may result in a civil lawsuit for
breach of contract and damages.

3.2 NO DATA MISUSE
You agree NOT to:
  (a) Save or store customer personal
      information (phone, email, address)
      outside of the AutoMate platform
  (b) Share customer information with any
      third party, including insurance
      companies, without customer consent
  (c) Use customer photos for any purpose
      other than preparing the quote

3.3 PRIVACY COMPLIANCE
You acknowledge that customer photos and
information shared with you through AutoMate
are confidential. All data must be handled
in compliance with applicable privacy laws.

3.4 PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
You agree to treat all AutoMate customers
with respect and professionalism at all
times — both through the platform and in
person at your shop.

You agree not to discriminate against any
customer based on race, color, gender,
age, religion, national origin, disability,
or any other protected characteristic.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 4 — APPOINTMENT POLICY
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4.1 CONFIRMING APPOINTMENTS
When a customer accepts your quote and books
an appointment, you are committing to honor
that appointment. You must confirm the
appointment within 2 hours of booking.

4.2 CANCELLATIONS BY SHOP
If you must cancel a confirmed appointment:
  (a) You must notify the customer through
      AutoMate at least 24 hours in advance
  (b) Cancellations with less than 4 hours
      notice without an emergency reason
      will be recorded and may affect your
      shop's standing on the platform
  (c) Three or more cancellations within
      30 days may result in account review

4.3 CUSTOMER NO-SHOW POLICY
If a customer fails to show up for a
confirmed appointment:
  (a) You must report the no-show through
      the AutoMate portal within 2 hours
      of the scheduled appointment time
  (b) AutoMate will contact the customer
      within 2 hours of your report
  (c) First no-show: formal warning issued
      to the customer
  (d) Second no-show with same shop:
      customer account suspended pending
      AutoMate review
  (e) You may NOT charge a no-show fee
      without prior written agreement with
      the customer established through
      the AutoMate platform before booking

4.4 REPEATED NO-SHOWS
If you experience three or more no-shows
within a 30-day period, AutoMate will
conduct a review and may implement
additional customer verification steps
for your shop's job requests.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 5 — RESPONSE TIME COMMITMENT
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5.1 You commit to responding to new job
requests within 24 hours of receiving them.

5.2 Requests left without a response for
more than 48 hours may be automatically
reassigned to other available shops.

5.3 Your average response time is displayed
publicly on your shop profile. Customers
use this to decide which shop to work with.

5.4 If you will be unavailable (vacation,
closed for holidays), you must update your
availability in the portal Settings → Hours
section in advance.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 6 — QUALITY & REVIEWS
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6.1 You commit to performing all repairs
and services to industry-standard quality
using the parts and methods quoted.

6.2 Customer reviews posted on AutoMate
are based on verified completed jobs only.
AutoMate does not manipulate or remove
negative reviews except in cases of clear
fraud or violation of community guidelines.

6.3 If your shop rating falls below 3.5
stars on a sustained basis (30+ day average),
AutoMate reserves the right to temporarily
suspend new job requests to your shop until
quality issues are resolved.

6.4 You have the right to reply to any
customer review through the AutoMate portal.
Replies must be professional and factual.
Threatening, harassing, or defamatory
replies will result in immediate suspension.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 7 — PLATFORM FEES
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7.1 PILOT PERIOD — CURRENTLY FREE
AutoMate is completely free for all shop
partners during the Northern Virginia
pilot period. You keep 100% of every job.

7.2 FUTURE FEES
AutoMate reserves the right to introduce
a service fee or commission structure after
the pilot period concludes. You will receive
a minimum of 60 days advance written notice
before any fees take effect.

7.3 You will always have the option to
opt out of the platform before any fee
structure takes effect, with no penalty.

7.4 Payment processing is handled by
Stripe Connect. By using AutoMate payments,
you agree to Stripe's Terms of Service
available at stripe.com/legal.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 8 — SUSPENSION & REMOVAL
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AutoMate reserves the right to immediately
suspend or permanently remove any shop
partner for:

  • Submitting fraudulent or bad-faith quotes
  • Bait-and-switch pricing (Section 2.3)
  • Customer poaching (Section 3.1)
  • Misrepresenting parts type (Section 2.4)
  • Sharing customer data without consent
  • Discriminatory conduct toward customers
  • Sustained poor reviews (below 3.5 stars)
  • Three or more shop-initiated cancellations
    within a 30-day period
  • Providing false business information
  • Any conduct that harms customers or
    the integrity of the AutoMate platform

Removed shop partners may appeal the decision
by emailing support@getautomate.app within
14 days of removal notice.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 9 — DISPUTE RESOLUTION
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9.1 For any dispute between a shop partner
and a customer, both parties agree to first
use AutoMate's built-in dispute resolution
process before seeking outside remedies.

9.2 AutoMate's trust team will review all
disputes within 48 business hours and issue
a written decision to both parties.

9.3 AutoMate's platform decision is final
for matters within the platform (account
standing, review removal, job reassignment).

9.4 Either party retains the right to seek
legal remedy in a court of law for matters
involving financial damages, fraud, or
breach of this agreement.

9.5 This agreement is governed by the laws
of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Any legal
disputes shall be brought exclusively in
the courts of Fairfax County, Virginia.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 10 — CHANGES TO THIS AGREEMENT
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10.1 AutoMate may update this agreement
at any time with 30 days advance notice
sent to your registered email address.

10.2 Continued use of the AutoMate platform
after the notice period constitutes your
acceptance of the updated terms.

10.3 If you do not agree to updated terms,
you may close your account before the
effective date with no penalty.

───────────────────────────────────────
SECTION 11 — CONTACT & SUPPORT
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For questions about this agreement:
  Email: legal@getautomate.app
  Support: support@getautomate.app

  AutoMate Inc.
  Northern Virginia, USA

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END OF AGREEMENT
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