Terms of service

Who we are

Gateman is a software platform. It is not a bank, a payment processor, a wallet or a marketplace. It connects a Creator's Telegram group to a payment page and manages who is inside the group. Card, bank transfer and USSD payments are processed by Paystack Payments Limited under Paystack's own terms.

The two kinds of people who use Gateman

A Creator runs a Telegram group, connects it to Gateman as a Gate, sets a price and a Period, and receives the money Members pay. A Member pays through a Gate Link to be inside a Gate for one Period at a time. Both agree to these terms by using Gateman.

For Creators

• You must be entitled to run and charge for the group you connect, and the group must be lawful.
• You set the price, the Period and the Grace for each Gate. Members pay exactly the price shown on the Gate Link. You may change the price for future payments; existing Subscriptions run to their end at the price paid.
• You give Gateman's bot admin rights in the group so it can invite and remove Members. The bot does nothing else in the group.
• Your share of each payment settles to the bank account you verify with us, through Paystack, on Paystack's settlement schedule. You are responsible for the taxes on what you earn.
• You are responsible for what happens inside your group, including what you promise Members and whether you deliver it. Gateman does not moderate group content.

For Members

• A payment buys access to one Gate for one Period, starting when the payment is confirmed. Access is tied to the Telegram account that claims it and cannot be transferred.
• When a Period ends, you are reminded and given a Grace window set by the Creator. When Grace ends without a renewal, the bot removes you from the group. Paying again lets you back in.
• The Creator, not Gateman, is responsible for the content and conduct of the group. If a Creator removes you or closes a Gate before your Period ends, your remedy is with the Creator.

Money and fees

Every payment is split at the moment it is made. Gateman retains 5% of the price as its platform fee. Paystack's transaction fee is borne by the Creator and deducted from the Creator's share. The rest settles to the Creator's bank account. Gateman never holds Member or Creator funds and cannot move money on its own.

Refunds and disputes

Because money goes from the Member to the Creator, refunds are between the Member and the Creator. Gateman does not hold funds it could return. Card chargebacks and transfer disputes are handled by Paystack under its rules; a successful chargeback is deducted from the Creator's settlement.

Telegram and Paystack

Gateman depends on Telegram and Paystack. If either changes, fails or withdraws service, a Gate may stop working, and we may be unable to admit, remind or remove Members for a time. We will tell affected Creators through the dashboard and the bot.

Acceptable use

You may not use Gateman for anything unlawful, for groups that sell or promote illegal goods, fraud, pyramid or investment schemes without the licences they require, harassment, or content that infringes someone else's rights. We may close a Gate or an account that breaks this rule, and we may report it to Paystack or the authorities where the law requires.

Ending things

A Creator may close a Gate at any time; existing Subscriptions run to their end and no new payments are taken. We may suspend or end an account for breaking these terms, or if Paystack requires it. Ending an account does not cancel money already owed to a Creator by Paystack.

What we do not promise

Gateman is provided as it is. We work to keep it reliable, but we do not promise it will be uninterrupted or error-free, and we are not liable for a Creator's content, for a Member's conduct, or for losses that come from Telegram or Paystack being unavailable. To the extent the law allows, our total liability to you is limited to the platform fees Gateman retained from your payments in the three months before the claim.

Changes to these terms

We may change these terms. The date at the top tells you which version you are reading. Material changes are announced on the dashboard before they take effect. Continuing to use Gateman after that means you accept them.

Contact

A contact address for questions about these terms is published here before launch. Questions about how we handle personal information are answered in the privacy policy.