Terms of Service

Effective Date: March 1, 2026 | Last Updated: March 1, 2026

Please read these Terms of Service carefully before using VendingScout. By creating an account or using any part of the VendingScout platform, you agree to be bound by these terms. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

Parties and Agreement
Description of Service
Accounts and Registration
Subscriptions, Billing, and Cancellation
Acceptable Use
Data Accuracy and Limitations
Intellectual Property
Privacy and Data
Disclaimer of Warranties
Limitation of Liability
Indemnification
Termination
Dispute Resolution and Governing Law
Changes to These Terms
Contact Information

1. Parties and Agreement

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) constitute a legally binding agreement between you (“User,” “you,” or “your”) and Darkspire LLC, a Washington limited liability company doing business as VendingScout (“VendingScout,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), governing your access to and use of the VendingScout website, platform, tools, and related services (collectively, the “Service”).

By clicking “I Agree,” creating an account, or otherwise accessing the Service, you represent that (a) you are at least 18 years of age, (b) you have the legal authority to enter into this agreement on behalf of yourself or any organization you represent, and (c) you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.

2. Description of Service

VendingScout is a location intelligence platform designed to help vending machine operators evaluate, score, and compare potential placement locations. The Service aggregates and analyzes data from third-party sources including Google Places API, U.S. Census Bureau data, and commercial foot traffic and demographic providers to generate location scores, reports, and analytics.

Service Tiers

The Service is offered under the following subscription tiers, each with distinct feature sets as described on our Pricing page:

Free Explorer – Limited access at no charge, subject to monthly search quotas.
Professional – Full platform access for individual operators, billed monthly or annually.
Enterprise – Custom access for large-scale operators and vending management companies, billed monthly or annually.

Feature availability, search limits, and data history depth vary by tier. We reserve the right to modify tier features with reasonable advance notice to affected subscribers.

3. Accounts and Registration

To access most features of the Service, you must register for an account. When registering, you agree to:

Provide accurate, current, and complete information;
Maintain and promptly update your account information;
Keep your password confidential and not share account credentials with unauthorized parties;
Notify us immediately at support@vendingscout.com if you suspect unauthorized access to your account;
Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account.

We reserve the right to refuse registration, suspend, or terminate accounts at our discretion, particularly where we believe the account is being used in violation of these Terms or applicable law.

Professional and Enterprise plan accounts include one (1) named user seat. Additional user seats may be purchased as described on the Pricing page.

4. Subscriptions, Billing, and Cancellation

4.1 Billing

Paid subscriptions are billed in advance on a recurring monthly or annual basis. By providing a payment method, you authorize us (or our payment processor) to charge the applicable fees on each billing date. All fees are in U.S. dollars and are exclusive of applicable taxes, which will be added where required by law.

4.2 Free Trial

We may offer a 7-day free trial for the Professional and Enterprise plan. A valid payment method is required to start a trial. You will not be charged during the trial period. If you do not cancel before the trial ends, your subscription will automatically convert to a paid plan and your payment method will be charged.

4.3 Refunds and Money-Back Guarantee

We offer a 7-day money-back guarantee for new Professional and Enterprise subscribers. If you are not satisfied with the Service within 7 days of your first use of the service including the trial period, contact us at support@vendingscout.com for a full refund. Refund requests submitted after 7 days of the first use date will not be honored except as required by applicable law. Annual plan refunds beyond the 7-day window are not provided.

4.4 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account dashboard or by contacting support. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You will retain access to paid features through the end of the period for which you have paid. Cancellation does not entitle you to a prorated refund for the unused portion of a billing period, except where the 7-day money-back guarantee applies.

4.5 Price Changes

We reserve the right to change subscription pricing. If we increase the price of your current plan, we will provide at least 30 days’ advance written notice via email to your registered address. Your continued use of the Service after the new pricing takes effect constitutes acceptance of the new price. If you do not accept the new price, you may cancel before the effective date.

4.6 Failed Payments

If a payment fails, we may retry the charge and will notify you by email. If a failed payment is not resolved within 7 days, your account may be downgraded to Free Explorer or suspended until the outstanding balance is paid.

4.7 Free Explorer Plan

The Free Explorer plan is provided as-is with no guarantee of continued availability. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue the Free Explorer plan at any time with reasonable notice.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful business purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to:

Scrape, crawl, spider, or systematically extract data from the Service using automated means not authorized by us;
Resell, sublicense, white-label (except accounts with white-label rights), or redistribute the Service or any data obtained through it without our written consent;
Use the Service or its data to build a competing product or service;
Circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features, access controls, or rate limits;
Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service, other accounts, or our infrastructure;
Introduce viruses, malware, or malicious code;
Use the Service in any manner that could damage, overburden, or impair our servers or networks;
Violate any applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or third-party right;
Use data from the Service to engage in discriminatory practices prohibited by fair housing, lending, or other applicable laws.

Violation of these restrictions may result in immediate account termination and, where applicable, legal action.

6. Data Accuracy and Limitations

Important: VendingScout provides location intelligence to support your decision-making. It does not guarantee business outcomes or the profitability of any vending machine placement.

6.1 Third-Party Data Sources

The Service aggregates data from Google Places API, U.S. Census Bureau, commercial foot traffic providers, and other third-party sources. The accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of this data is subject to the limitations of those underlying sources. We make reasonable efforts to refresh data on the schedules described in our documentation, but we do not warrant that all data is current, accurate, or error-free at any given time.

6.2 No Guarantee of Results

VendingScout Score ratings, foot traffic estimates, demographic projections, and revenue potential indicators are analytical estimates based on available data and proprietary algorithms. They are provided for informational purposes only. Actual vending machine revenue, foot traffic, and location performance may differ materially from any estimates provided by the Service. You are solely responsible for independently verifying location suitability and for all business decisions you make using information from the Service.

6.3 No Legal, Financial, or Real Estate Advice

Nothing in the Service constitutes legal, financial, investment, or real estate advice. You should consult qualified professionals before making significant business, financial, or real estate commitments.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Our Property

All content, features, functionality, software, algorithms, scoring methodologies, trademarks, trade names, logos, and other intellectual property comprising or incorporated in the Service are owned by or licensed to Darkspire LLC and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. These Terms do not grant you any ownership interest in the Service or its underlying technology.

7.2 Limited License to Users

Subject to your compliance with these Terms and payment of applicable fees, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for your internal business purposes during your subscription period.

7.3 Exported Reports

PDF reports and data exports generated by the Service may be used internally and shared within your organization. Professional and Enterprise subscribers may share reports with prospective landlords or location partners in the normal course of business. Systematic redistribution, publication, or commercial resale of exported data is not permitted without prior written consent. Account subscribers with white-label rights may use reports as specified in their specific contract.

7.4 Feedback

If you submit feedback, suggestions, or ideas about the Service, you grant us a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide license to use such feedback without restriction or compensation to you.

8. Privacy and Data

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Service, you consent to the collection, use, and sharing of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

8.1 Your Location Search Data

We do not sell your individual location search history or share it with third parties for advertising purposes. Aggregated, anonymized usage data may be used to improve the Service and for internal analytics.

8.2 Data Security

We use industry-standard security measures, including 256-bit SSL/TLS encryption for data in transit and encryption at rest for sensitive account data. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. You acknowledge that you transmit data to the Service at your own risk.

8.3 Account Data Upon Termination

Upon account cancellation or termination, we may delete your account data after a reasonable retention period in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable law. We recommend exporting any reports or data you wish to retain before canceling.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, DARKSPIRE LLC EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY OF DATA, UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE OPERATION, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, THAT ANY DATA WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE, OR THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED. YOU USE THE SERVICE AND RELY ON ITS DATA AT YOUR OWN RISK.

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL DARKSPIRE LLC, ITS OWNERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL FEES PAID BY YOU TO US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100.00).

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so the above limitations may not apply to you to the extent prohibited by law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Darkspire LLC and its owners, officers, employees, agents, and contractors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Service in violation of these Terms; (b) your violation of any applicable law or third-party right; or (c) any business decision you make based on information provided by the Service.

12. Termination

Either party may terminate these Terms and your access to the Service at any time.

By you: Cancel your account through the account dashboard or by contacting support. See Section 4.4 for refund eligibility.
By us: We may suspend or terminate your account immediately and without prior notice if we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent or harmful conduct, or if we are required to do so by law.

Upon termination, your license to use the Service ceases immediately. Sections 7.1, 9, 10, 11, 13, and any other provisions that by their nature should survive will survive termination of these Terms.

13. Dispute Resolution and Governing Law

13.1 Governing Law

These Terms and any dispute arising from them are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

13.2 Informal Resolution

Before initiating formal legal proceedings, you agree to contact us at legal@vendingscout.com to attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will attempt to resolve disputes within 30 days of receiving written notice.

13.3 Binding Arbitration

If informal resolution fails, any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. Arbitration shall be conducted in Spokane, Washington, or remotely by mutual agreement. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court with competent jurisdiction.

13.4 Class Action Waiver

YOU AND DARKSPIRE LLC AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.

13.5 Exception for Injunctive Relief

Notwithstanding the arbitration provision, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction in Spokane County, Washington, to prevent irreparable harm pending arbitration.

14. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email to your registered address at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Non-material changes (such as clarifications or corrections) may be made at any time and will be effective upon posting.

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Service and cancel your account before the effective date.

The most current version of these Terms will always be available at vendingscout.com/terms. We recommend checking this page periodically.

15. Contact Information

For questions, concerns, or notices regarding these Terms, please contact us:

Darkspire LLC d/b/a VendingScout

Spokane, Washington

General inquiries: hello@vendingscout.com

Support: support@vendingscout.com

Legal / Privacy: legal@vendingscout.com