Terms & Conditions & Shmooze Support Policy
1. Introduction
Welcome to The Southern Shmooze. By using our website, directory, referral services, forms, community resources, and related services, you agree to the following Terms & Conditions.
2. Referral Service Only
The Southern Shmooze is a referral and community platform that connects consumers with independent third-party businesses and service providers.
The Southern Shmooze does not perform contracting, construction, repair, landscaping, plumbing, electrical, roofing, legal, financial, medical, or other professional services.
The Southern Shmooze is a referral resource and is not a party to any contract, agreement, estimate, invoice, warranty, or service arrangement between a customer and a business.
3. Independent Businesses
All businesses listed, featured, promoted, recommended, or participating in The Southern Shmooze operate independently.
Any contract, estimate, invoice, payment, warranty, project agreement, or service arrangement is solely between the customer and the business hired.
Customers are solely responsible for selecting the businesses they choose to work with and for reviewing all agreements before entering into a contractual relationship.
4. No Guarantee
While The Southern Shmooze makes efforts to recommend reputable businesses and may feature Shmooze Certified members, we do not guarantee:
Workmanship
Project outcomes
Timelines
Pricing
Availability
Customer satisfaction
Licensing status
Insurance coverage
Business performance
Compliance with applicable laws or regulations
Past performance, community recommendations, Shmooze Certified status, or prior customer experiences do not guarantee future results.
Customers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence before hiring any business.
5. Shmooze Certified Membership
Shmooze Certified is a paid membership program that provides participating businesses with visibility, promotional opportunities, and access to The Southern Shmooze community.
Membership does not constitute an endorsement, warranty, certification of quality, guarantee of future performance, or representation that a business is the best provider for a particular project.
Shmooze Certified businesses remain independent third-party businesses that are solely responsible for their own work, employees, subcontractors, services, contracts, warranties, licensing, insurance, and customer relationships.
6. Shmooze Support
As a courtesy to our community, The Southern Shmooze may provide Shmooze Support by helping facilitate communication between customers and businesses when concerns arise.
Shmooze Support may include providing recommendations, facilitating discussions, sharing information, offering feedback, assisting with communication, or otherwise attempting to help parties reach a mutually agreeable resolution.
While we are happy to assist whenever possible, Shmooze Support is provided solely as a courtesy and does not create any contractual obligation, warranty, guarantee, agency relationship, partnership, joint venture, legal duty, or financial responsibility on the part of The Southern Shmooze.
The Southern Shmooze does not supervise, manage, inspect, direct, control, correct, or guarantee the work of any business or service provider.
Any assistance provided through Shmooze Support is voluntary and does not constitute acceptance of liability for any project, service, dispute, claim, damage, defect, delay, injury, or loss.
7. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, The Southern Shmooze, its owners, employees, contractors, affiliates, volunteers, representatives, and partners shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages arising out of or relating to:
Services performed by third-party businesses
Project delays or scheduling issues
Defective workmanship
Property damage
Personal injury
Financial loss
Cost overruns
Warranty disputes
Contract disputes
Licensing or insurance issues
Business closures
Misrepresentations by third-party businesses
Failure of a business to perform services as expected
Acts or omissions of any business or service provider
Under no circumstances shall The Southern Shmooze be responsible for refunding payments, paying damages, correcting work, completing unfinished projects, reimbursing expenses, covering legal fees, or otherwise assuming financial responsibility for services performed by independent businesses.
Users acknowledge that all hiring decisions are made at their own discretion and that all agreements are entered into directly between the user and the business selected.
8. User Responsibility
Users are responsible for evaluating businesses, reviewing estimates, verifying licenses and insurance when applicable, obtaining references, reviewing contracts, and determining whether a business is appropriate for their specific needs.
Users agree to exercise reasonable judgment and due diligence before hiring any business recommended through The Southern Shmooze.
9. Changes To These Terms
The Southern Shmooze reserves the right to modify these Terms & Conditions at any time. Continued use of the website or services constitutes acceptance of any updated terms.
10. Contact
Questions regarding these Terms & Conditions may be directed to:
Last Updated: June 2026