Agreement to Terms
These Terms apply to SHIFT_, operated by SHIFT Syndicate Inc. (registered in Québec as Le Syndicat SHIFT Inc.), at shiftsyndicate.ca. By accessing or using our platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. Please read them carefully. If you do not agree with these terms, you may not use our services.
Platform Overview
SHIFT Syndicate is an intelligent booking management and business operations platform connecting clients with verified independent service professionals. We provide the scheduling, AI assistance, analytics, and communication tools that empower professionals to run their practice. We do not provide the services themselves and are never the merchant of record for a service payment. Professionals may optionally enable integrated card payments processed by our payment partner (Stripe); in that case funds settle directly to the professional's own connected account and SHIFT is not a party to the transaction (see “Payments and Financial Tracking” below).
Eligibility
To use SHIFT Syndicate, you must:
- •Be at least 16 years of age
- •Have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts
- •Provide accurate and complete registration information
- •Comply with all applicable laws and regulations
User Accounts
Account Registration
You must create an account to access our services. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities under your account.
Account Security
You must immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account or security breach. We are not liable for losses caused by unauthorized use of your account.
Professional Verification
Professionals must complete our verification process, including providing valid credentials, certifications, and business information. We reserve the right to approve or reject professional applications.
Professional Membership & Probationary Period
Instant Access with Trial Period
Upon successful registration, professional accounts are activated immediately with full platform access. However, all new professionals enter a mandatory 1-month probationary period during which SHIFT Syndicate evaluates service quality, execution standards, and customer relations.
Probationary Requirements
During the probationary period, professionals must:
- •Maintain professional standards in all client interactions
- •Add portfolio pictures to their gallery to showcase work quality
- •Respond promptly to client inquiries and booking requests
- •Deliver services that meet or exceed platform excellence standards
- •Comply with all platform policies and professional code of conduct
Full Approval Process
After successfully completing the 1-month probationary period (or such other period as determined by SHIFT Syndicate), professionals will receive full platform approval and may continue offering services on the platform for as long as their account remains in good standing. SHIFT Syndicate reserves the right to extend the probationary period or deny full approval if excellence standards are not met.
Excellence Standards
We are committed to maintaining the highest quality of service on our platform. Professionals who fail to meet our excellence standards during or after the probationary period may have their platform access suspended or terminated in accordance with these Terms.
Professional Code of Conduct
All professionals on the SHIFT Syndicate platform must adhere to the following code of conduct:
Professional Standards
- •Quality Service: Deliver services that meet industry-standard professional quality and exceed client expectations
- •Punctuality: Arrive on time for all scheduled appointments and notify clients promptly of any delays
- •Professional Appearance: Maintain a clean, professional appearance appropriate to the luxury service environment
- •Equipment & Supplies: Bring all necessary, professional-grade tools and products required for services
Client Relations
- •Respect & Courtesy: Treat all clients with respect, courtesy, and professionalism at all times
- •Communication: Respond to inquiries and messages within 24 hours during business days
- •Confidentiality: Maintain strict confidentiality regarding client information, preferences, and personal details
- •Boundaries: Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and never engage in inappropriate behavior
Platform Integrity
- •Honest Representation: Provide accurate information about skills, experience, and qualifications
- •No Off-Platform Bookings: All appointments and scheduling must be booked and managed through the SHIFT Syndicate platform
- •Portfolio Accuracy: Only upload authentic images of your own work with proper client consent
- •Reviews & Feedback: Never solicit fake reviews or manipulate rating systems
Legal & Safety Compliance
- •Licensing: Maintain all required professional licenses, certifications, and insurance
- •Safety Standards: Follow all health, safety, and sanitation regulations applicable to your services
- •Tax Compliance: As independent contractors, professionals are responsible for their own tax obligations
- •Legal Conduct: Comply with all applicable local, provincial, and federal laws
Consequences of Violations
Violations of this Professional Code of Conduct may result in warnings, temporary suspension, permanent account termination, or legal action, depending on severity. SHIFT Syndicate reserves the right to investigate complaints and take appropriate action to maintain platform integrity and protect our community. Serious violations may result in immediate termination without refund.
Services and Bookings
Platform Role
SHIFT Syndicate is a business management and booking intelligence platform. We do not provide the services themselves and are never the merchant of record for a service payment. Where a professional enables optional integrated card payments, those payments are processed by our payment partner (Stripe) and settle to the professional's own connected account — SHIFT is not the payee. Services are delivered by independent professionals. SHIFT provides the scheduling, tracking, analytics, and AI tools that help professionals manage their practice efficiently.
Bookings
When you book a service through SHIFT, you enter into a direct agreement with the professional. SHIFT Syndicate facilitates the scheduling and communication process but is not a party to the service agreement and bears no responsibility for the service outcome. Payment for services occurs directly between clients and professionals, outside of the SHIFT platform.
Cancellations
Cancellation and rescheduling policies are set by individual professionals. Any deposit or payment refunds are handled directly between the client and professional in accordance with the professional's stated policy and applicable law. SHIFT Syndicate does not process or mediate financial refunds for professional services.
Payments and Financial Tracking
SHIFT Syndicate is a booking management and business intelligence platform. SHIFT is never the merchant of record for services. Professionals decide how they get paid, and may accept payments directly or, optionally, through our integrated card-payment rails (described below).
- •Professionals set their own pricing and may collect payment directly using their preferred method (Interac e-Transfer, PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, cash, etc.) — with no processing fee. SHIFT is not a party to these direct transactions.
- •Professionals may optionally activate integrated card payments, which connects their SHIFT account to Stripe (Stripe Connect). Clients can then pay by credit card, debit, or bank, and funds settle directly to the professional's own connected Stripe account — the professional remains the merchant of record, not SHIFT.
- •Activating card payments is entirely optional and is not required to use SHIFT. When a professional uses integrated card payments, card-processing fees apply†.
- •SHIFT provides tools for professionals to track, record, and analyze their transaction history.
- •SHIFT earns revenue from the platform fees described below, which may change over time.
Professional Platform Fee Billing
SHIFT_ is free for professionals to join and use — there is no subscription, no listing fee, and no monthly membership fee. A fixed platform fee applies to each booking* and is billed to the professional's payment method on file on a monthly basis. This platform fee unlocks the full platform (booking, billing & invoicing, client management, analytics, marketing tools, and the Agent Shift AI assistant) and is charged whether or not the professional activates integrated card payments. Platform fees are separate from any service transactions, and separate from any card-processing fees. Professionals must maintain a valid payment method on file to continue accepting bookings.
Cancellations and Refunds
Deposit and service payment policies for bookings are set by individual professionals and are entirely between the client and professional. SHIFT is not responsible for payment disputes arising from service transactions. For questions about platform booking fees, contact support@shiftsyndicate.ca.
* The platform fee is a fixed amount per booking, billed monthly to the professional's payment method on file. The fee in effect, and any change to it or to how it is calculated, is communicated to professionals before it applies.
† Integrated card payments are optional. When enabled, payments are processed by Stripe and are subject to the processing fees in effect at the time of the transaction. Direct payment methods (e.g. Interac e-Transfer, cash) carry no processing fee.
User Conduct and Prohibited Activities
You agree not to:
- •Provide false or misleading information
- •Impersonate another person or entity
- •Harass, abuse, or harm other users
- •Book or manage appointments outside the SHIFT platform to circumvent platform terms
- •Use the platform for illegal purposes
- •Scrape, copy, or use automated tools to access our platform
- •Post inappropriate, offensive, or illegal content
- •Interfere with platform security or functionality
Intellectual Property
All content on SHIFT Syndicate, including text, graphics, logos, icons, images, and software, is the property of SHIFT Syndicate or its licensors and is protected by copyright and trademark laws.
By uploading content (photos, reviews, etc.) to our platform, you grant SHIFT Syndicate a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your content in connection with our services.
Disclaimers and Limitations
No Warranties
Our platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free, or secure operation.
Professional Services
We verify professional credentials but do not guarantee the quality, safety, or legality of services provided. Clients and professionals interact at their own risk.
Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, SHIFT Syndicate shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the platform.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless SHIFT Syndicate, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from your use of the platform, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of another.
Termination
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time for:
- •Violation of these Terms of Service
- •Fraudulent or illegal activity
- •Repeated user complaints or disputes
- •Any reason at our sole discretion
Deleting your own account
You may delete your account at any time, yourself, from inside the app or on the website (Account → Danger Zone → Delete Account). You do not need to contact us and we will not ask you why. Deletion begins the moment you confirm it, your sign-in stops working immediately, and it cannot be undone. Because SHIFT is invitation‑only, returning would require a new invitation from a professional.
Deleting your account does not cancel what you already owe, and does not release anyone from what they owe you. Where a balance is outstanding, we keep your name and one contact channel so the other party can settle it with you; the Privacy Policy describes exactly what is kept and for how long. Deleting an account is not a way to avoid a payment, a rating, or a dispute already raised.
Bookings in the future are cancelled, and the other party is notified. Records shared with another person — bookings, invoices, reviews and message threads — are kept for them with your identifying details removed, because their history and their books are theirs.
If you are a professional: your clients keep their own SHIFT accounts, their booking history and any other professionals they work with. Your client list is yours — SHIFT does not take it over, market to it, or reassign your clients to anyone else when you leave. Please settle outstanding invoices and give your clients notice before deleting; we cannot contact them on your behalf afterwards.
Dispute Resolution
In the event of a dispute between users, we encourage direct communication and resolution. SHIFT Syndicate may assist in mediation but is not obligated to resolve disputes.
Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Québec and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Québec, Canada for any disputes arising hereunder.
Changes to Terms
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be notified via email or platform notification. Continued use of the platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.
AI Features & Agent Shift
SHIFT Syndicate provides AI-powered features including Agent Shift (a conversational AI assistant), voice AI interactions, and automated intelligence tools. By using these features, you acknowledge and agree to the following:
Agent Shift AI Assistant
- •Agent Shift is an AI assistant powered by Google Gemini. Responses are generated automatically and may not always be accurate, complete, or error-free. You should not rely solely on Agent Shift for decisions affecting your business, bookings, or finances.
- •Conversations with Agent Shift are logged and may be reviewed by platform administrators for quality assurance and safety purposes.
- •AI-assisted booking actions (such as scheduling appointments through Agent Shift) are subject to professional confirmation and standard booking terms. SHIFT Syndicate is not liable for errors arising from AI-generated scheduling suggestions or actions.
- •Prohibited AI misuse: You must not attempt to manipulate, jailbreak, prompt-inject, reverse-engineer, or circumvent the safety or access controls of any AI system on our platform. This includes instructing the AI to ignore its guidelines, pretend to be a different system, reveal its system prompt, or act outside its defined role. Violations may result in immediate account termination.
- •SHIFT Syndicate is not liable for any loss, damage, or harm arising from your reliance on AI-generated content, recommendations, or actions taken by Agent Shift on your behalf.
Voice AI
Voice sessions use Google Cloud Speech-to-Text for speech recognition, Google Gemini for natural language processing, and text-to-speech for audio responses. Voice audio is transmitted to Google's servers for processing. Voice interactions may be transcribed and stored for service delivery and quality assurance.
Do not share sensitive personal, financial, or confidential third-party information through voice sessions. SHIFT Syndicate is not responsible for any loss or exposure arising from information voluntarily shared during voice interactions.
AI Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, SHIFT Syndicate expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising from: (i) inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading AI-generated responses; (ii) AI-assisted actions taken on your account; (iii) unauthorized access to AI sessions caused by your failure to protect your credentials; or (iv) any AI system malfunction, unavailability, or unexpected behaviour. AI features are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without any warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.
For a detailed description of our AI security architecture, including prompt injection defences and role-scoped access controls, see our Security Overview.
Sentiment Analysis & Feedback
SHIFT Syndicate uses AI-powered sentiment analysis to assess the emotional tone of platform interactions and improve service quality. Additionally, we collect structured feedback through our Feedback Intelligence system.
How Sentiment Analysis Works
- •AI models (Google Gemini) automatically classify the sentiment of conversations as positive, neutral, or negative based on user message tone.
- •Sentiment data is aggregated and used to improve platform experience, identify support needs, and generate operational insights for platform administrators.
- •Individual sentiment scores are not shared with other users. Only administrators have access to sentiment analytics.
Feedback Sessions
When you participate in a feedback session via our AI-facilitated Feedback Intelligence feature, your responses — including NPS scores, qualitative feedback, and session transcripts — are stored and may be reviewed by platform administrators. Feedback is used solely to improve the platform and is never sold to third parties. You may request deletion of your feedback data by contacting us at privacy@shiftsyndicate.ca.
Data Processing & AI Models
To deliver AI-powered features, SHIFT Syndicate transmits certain data to third-party AI providers:
- •Google Gemini: Powers Agent Shift conversational AI, sentiment analysis, and content generation. Data is processed per Google Cloud's AI usage policies.
- •Google Cloud Speech/TTS: Processes voice audio for transcription and synthesis.
- •No personally identifiable information (PII) beyond what is necessary for context (e.g. first name for personalization) is transmitted to AI providers.
- •AI models are not trained on your personal data. Your conversations are not used to improve third-party AI models without your explicit consent.
For more information about how we handle your data, please review our Privacy Policy. For our full security architecture, see our Security Overview.
Contact Us
If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us:
Email: legal@shiftsyndicate.ca
General Inquiries: Contact Form