Terms of Service

Last updated: 15 October 2026

1. About these terms

These terms are an agreement between you (the business using Circulo) and Circulo, Cape Town, South Africa ("we", "us"). By starting a pilot, paying for a plan or using the service, you accept these terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Refund & Cancellation Policy. If you use Circulo on behalf of a business, you confirm that you may bind that business.

2. The service

• Circulo provides an AI receptionist that answers calls to your business when nobody picks up, usually because you set up call forwarding on no-answer or busy to a number we give you.
• It talks to callers using the business information you give us (services, area, hours, prices and so on), collects their details and what they need, and sends you a summary by WhatsApp and/or email. Depending on your plan it can also transfer urgent calls and capture booking requests.
• Features included in each plan are listed on our pricing page.
• Circulo is a business tool. It is not an emergency service and must not be relied on for emergencies; callers in danger should contact emergency services directly.

3. Free pilot, plans and payment

• New businesses can start with a free 30-day pilot. No card is needed. If you don't choose a paid plan by the end of the pilot, the service stops and nothing is charged.
• Paid plans are billed monthly or yearly in advance, at the prices on our pricing page. Prices are in South African rand and exclude VAT. Minutes above your plan's allowance are billed at the published per-minute rate (currently R3.50 per minute).
• Payments are processed by Paystack. We never see or store your full card details.
• If a payment fails, we'll let you know and may pause the service until it is paid.
• We may change our prices with at least 30 days' notice. The change applies from your next billing period, and you may cancel before then.
• Cancellations and refunds work as set out in our Refund & Cancellation Policy.

4. Your responsibilities

• Give us accurate business information and tell us when it changes, so the receptionist gives callers correct answers.
• Set up, and when the service ends switch off, call forwarding on your own phone line. Your network provider's normal call charges apply to forwarded calls.
• Use Circulo lawfully: not for unsolicited marketing calls, fraud, harassment or anything that breaks South African law, and not to answer calls for a business you don't run.
• Follow up with the callers we pass on to you. Circulo takes the details; your business does the work.
• Keep the numbers and email addresses that receive your call summaries up to date.

5. Callers, recordings and personal information

• Calls answered by Circulo may be recorded and transcribed so we can summarise them for you and improve the service. The receptionist says it is an AI assistant if asked.
• For your callers' personal information, you are the responsible party and we act as your operator under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We only process it to provide the service to you, keep it secure and don't sell it. Details are in our Privacy Policy.
• You are responsible for using the caller details we send you lawfully, for example only contacting callers about what they called for.

6. AI answers and availability

• The receptionist works from the information you give us and won't make up prices or availability on purpose, but AI can misunderstand callers or make mistakes. Check important details with the caller before you rely on them.
• We work hard to keep Circulo running all the time, but phone networks and third-party services can fail, and we can't promise the service will be uninterrupted. If Circulo is unavailable for more than 48 hours in a row because of a fault on our side, you can claim a pro rata credit or refund as set out in our Refund & Cancellation Policy.
• We may update or improve the service from time to time. We won't remove a core feature of your paid plan during a billing period you have paid for.

7. Demo receptionists

We sometimes build a free demo receptionist for a business from its public information (for example its Google listing and website), so the owner can hear how Circulo would answer their calls. Demos are free, can only be reached on our demo line from the owner's own number (or by a call-back the owner asked for), and stop working after 7 days unless the business starts a pilot.

8. Ownership

Your business information, call summaries and customer details belong to you. Circulo's software, voices, website and brand belong to us or our licensors. You may not copy, resell or reverse-engineer the service.

9. Ending the service

• You can cancel at any time, as set out in our Refund & Cancellation Policy.
• We may suspend or end the service if you seriously or repeatedly break these terms, use Circulo unlawfully or don't pay, after telling you and, where reasonable, giving you a chance to fix it. We may also end the service for everyone with at least 30 days' notice, in which case we refund any unused period you have paid for.

10. Liability

• As far as the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, such as lost business or lost profit, including from a call that was missed, misunderstood or not followed up.
• As far as the law allows, our total liability to you for any claim is limited to the fees you paid us in the 3 months before the claim arose.
• Nothing in these terms limits rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act or other law that can't be excluded.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. If a change materially affects you, we'll tell you by email or WhatsApp at least 30 days before it takes effect. If you keep using Circulo after that, the new terms apply; if you don't agree, you can cancel before they take effect.

12. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. If something goes wrong, please contact us first and we'll try to sort it out quickly and fairly. Disputes that can't be resolved this way may be referred to the courts of South Africa.

13. Contact

Circulo, Cape Town, South Africa. Email [email protected], WhatsApp or call 021 879 6472.