Payments & risk policy

1. What PlanGrounds is (and is not)

PlanGrounds is a marketplace and workflow platform. We help clients and design professionals find each other, communicate, and—where the product supports it—pay for work through integrated payments (e.g. Stripe).

We are not a bank, trust company, or licensed escrow agent. References to “escrow-like” behavior mean payment mechanics our licensed partners support (authorization, capture, payout timing)—not a dedicated escrow account in your name.

We are not a party to your design contract. We do not guarantee permits, code compliance, construction cost, schedule, or the quality of professional services. Those obligations sit between the client and the professional.

2. How money moves

Plan purchases: the client is charged at checkout; PlanGrounds may keep a platform fee from that payment; the rest goes to the selling professional per Stripe Connect and the amounts shown when you pay.

Contract milestones: where the product supports it, a client may fund a milestone so that capture/release to the professional follows the steps defined in the product (for example, funding then approval or release). Until released per those rules, funds are not final paid out as the professional’s money.

Payouts to professionals go through Stripe Connect (or similar) after platform fees, payment-network holds, and any risk steps below.

3. No fee avoidance or off-platform circumvention

Engagements that start or are materially negotiated through PlanGrounds must complete eligible payments for those engagements through the platform when the product offers a payment path for them—so fees, records, and protections stay consistent.

You may not use PlanGrounds to discover a counterparty and then shift work or payment off-platform primarily to avoid platform fees. We may suspend accounts, withhold payouts, or pursue remedies described in the Terms for patterns that suggest systematic circumvention.

4. Chargebacks, reversals, and negative balances

Card and wallet payments can be disputed or reversed under network rules independent of PlanGrounds. If a payment is charged back, reversed, or invalidated after a payout, we may recover amounts from future payouts, offset balances, or invoice the responsible party as allowed by the Terms and our payment partners.

Professionals accept that chargeback risk on released funds may be allocated to them for their sales and services, subject to the Terms and any investigation outcome.

Clients should not file chargebacks for disputes that are purely about design quality or scope without first attempting good-faith resolution with the professional; abusive or fraudulent chargeback behavior may result in account closure and cooperation with processors.

5. Payout delays, reserves, and reviews

We may delay or hold payouts, apply a rolling reserve, or require additional verification when, for example:

• There is an open dispute, chargeback, or fraud investigation;
• Refund rates, dispute rates, or transaction patterns suggest elevated risk;
• Payout or identity details change or fail verification;
• A connected account is new or reactivated after suspension;
• Our payment partner requires it under their risk policies.

These measures are risk-management tools, not a guarantee that any party will “win” a disagreement. Duration and amount depend on the case and partner rules.

6. Disputes between users

The contractual relationship for design or plan work is between the client and the professional. PlanGrounds may provide messaging, milestone tooling, or administrative facilitation but does not adjudicate design merit, code compliance, or professional negligence.

Both sides agree to cooperate in good faith, respond to reasonable information requests during an investigation, and not use the platform to harass, threaten, or misrepresent material facts.

Payment network rules may still apply; nothing here limits a card issuer’s or processor’s rights under their agreements.

7. Fraud, abuse, and prohibited conduct

We may limit, suspend, or terminate accounts that engage in or facilitate, for example:

• Stolen payment methods, identity misrepresentation, or synthetic businesses;
• Self-dealing, fake reviews, or sham transactions;
• Spam proposals, scraping, or automated abuse of discovery;
• Misleading plan listings, bait-and-switch pricing, or concealing required licenses;
• Circumvention of security, fees, or identity checks.

We may use automated tools (e.g. Stripe Radar) and manual review.

8. Account security and payout integrity

Users must protect credentials and notify us of suspected compromise. We may pause payouts or require re-verification when login or payout details change in suspicious ways.

9. Accurate information and taxes

Professionals must maintain accurate business, tax, and payout information and deliver work consistent with listings and accepted agreements.

Clients must provide truthful project information and honor payment obligations they authorize.

Each party is responsible for its own taxes and filings. PlanGrounds may report transactions as required by law or processors.

10. Limitation of platform liability (payments context)

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, PlanGrounds is not liable for losses arising from (among other things): professional performance; permitting outcomes; third-party payment processor outages; chargebacks; or disputes between users. Your remedies for service issues are primarily against the counterparty and, where applicable, under the Terms.

11. Changes

We may update this policy as the product, partners, or law change. We will adjust the “Last updated” date; material changes may also be announced in-product or by email where appropriate.

12. Contact

Questions: Contact. Legal relationship: Terms of Service, Privacy Policy.