Welcome to Backchannels ("Company," "we," "our," or "us"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website, products, and services (collectively, the "Services"). By accessing or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms.
If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use our Services.
1. Use of the Services
1.1 Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old and capable of forming a binding contract under applicable law to use our Services. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements.
1.2 Account Registration
Some features of our Services may require creating an account. When you create an account, you agree to:
- Provide accurate, complete, and up-to-date information
- Maintain the security and confidentiality of your account credentials
- Promptly update your information if it changes
- Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
- Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account
- Register with your work email address; personal email providers (such as Gmail or Outlook.com) are not accepted
1.3 Prohibited Activities
You agree not to engage in any of the following prohibited activities:
- Use the Services for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any system, network, or data
- Interfere with, disrupt, or place an undue burden on the Services
- Reverse engineer, decompile, or otherwise extract source code from our software unless expressly permitted by law
- Use bots, scrapers, crawlers, or other automated means to access or copy the Services or their data, other than through the APIs and integrations described in Section 1.4
- Create multiple accounts, or register with another company's email domain, to obtain additional free credits
- Transmit viruses, malware, or other harmful code
- Harvest or collect user information without consent
- Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation
- Use the Services to send unsolicited communications (spam)
- Circumvent any security measures or access controls
1.4 API and Integration Access
You may access the Services programmatically through the application programming interfaces (APIs), API keys, and integrations that we make available or authorize, including our HubSpot and Salesforce integrations. When you do, you agree to:
- Keep API keys and integration credentials confidential; you are responsible for all activity under them
- Stay within the usage limits, rate limits, and documentation we publish
- Use API and integration access only for your own internal business purposes, subject to these Terms
Integration features depend on your plan (for example, HubSpot and Salesforce sync is available on paid plans). We may change, limit, or suspend API or integration access to protect the Services or other users.
2. Intellectual Property
All content, trademarks, logos, service marks, software, and materials available through the Services are owned by Backchannels or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws.
You may not:
- Reproduce, distribute, or publicly display any content without our prior written consent
- Create derivative works based on our content or materials
- Use our trademarks or branding without authorization
- Remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices
We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the Services for your internal business purposes, subject to these Terms.
3. Plans, Credits, and Billing
Backchannels offers a Free plan and paid plans (currently Starter, Growth, and Scale). Each plan includes a monthly allowance of credits. Current prices, allowances, and features are listed on our pricing page. Plans are priced per account, not per seat: everyone invited to your account shares its plan and credits.
3.1 Free Plan
The Free plan includes 50 credits each monthly cycle, counted from the date your account was created. Free credits can be used only during the cycle in which they are granted and expire at the end of that cycle; they do not roll over. The Free plan does not include HubSpot or Salesforce sync.
One free account per company. The Free plan's monthly credits are available to one account per company email domain. If an account already exists for your company's domain, a new account registered with that domain is created without free monthly credits; ask a teammate to invite you to the existing account, or choose a paid plan. We may withhold or remove free credits from accounts created to get around this rule.
3.2 Paid Plans and Billing
- Paid plans are billed in advance, monthly or annually, through our payment processor (Stripe)
- All fees are stated in U.S. dollars unless otherwise specified
- Annual plans are billed once a year at the annual price shown when you subscribe. Their credits are granted month by month: each monthly cycle receives that cycle's allowance, the same as on a monthly plan
- Each monthly cycle's credits are added at the start of that cycle; for a new subscription, once the first payment succeeds
- You authorize us to charge your payment method for each billing period and for the prorated amounts described in Section 3.4
3.3 Automatic Renewal
Paid plans renew automatically at the end of each billing period for another period of the same length (a month or a year), and we charge your payment method the then-current price of your plan, unless you cancel before the renewal date. Your renewal date is shown in the billing section of your account.
3.4 Upgrades and Downgrades
Upgrades to a higher plan take effect immediately. We charge the prorated difference between the two plans for the rest of the current billing period, your billing date does not change, and the difference in monthly credits between the plans is added to your account right away. From the next renewal, you pay the full price of the new plan.
Switching from monthly to annual billing also takes effect immediately and starts a new annual billing period; the unused part of your current month is credited toward the annual charge. Downgrades, and switches from annual to monthly billing, take effect at the end of the current billing period. Until then, your current plan stays in place.
3.5 Cancellation and Failed Payments
You can cancel a paid plan at any time from the billing section of your account. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period: until then you keep your plan's features and its monthly credit grants. After that, your account moves to the Free plan. Credits already granted remain usable until they expire under Section 3.7. We do not provide refunds or credits for partially used billing periods, except where required by law.
If a payment fails, our payment processor will retry it. While a payment is overdue, your plan stays active but new monthly credits are not added. If the payment still cannot be collected after the retries, we may cancel the subscription, and your account moves to the Free plan.
3.6 Credits
Credits are used to unlock contact records: one credit unlocks one contact. Credits:
- Have no cash value and cannot be exchanged for money
- Are non-transferable between accounts
- Are non-refundable, except as described in Section 3.9 or where required by law
When you unlock contacts, we use the credits that expire soonest first.
3.7 Credit Expiration and Rollover
On paid plans, unused credits roll over one month: credits granted for a monthly cycle remain available until the end of the following monthly cycle, and then expire. Free plan credits expire at the end of the cycle in which they are granted. Expired credits are removed from your balance and cannot be restored.
3.8 Legacy Credits
Credits purchased as one-time credit packs before October 1, 2026 ("Legacy Credits") never expire. They remain in your balance whether or not you have a paid plan, including after you cancel or downgrade, and are used after your expiring credits. Credits granted through a promotion or partner offer follow the terms of that offer.
3.9 Refunds
Fees are generally non-refundable unless required by applicable law. If you believe you are entitled to a refund, please contact our support team at info@backchannels.co. If a payment is refunded in full, the unused credits granted for that payment are removed from your account.
3.10 Price Changes
We may change our prices. For existing subscribers, we will give at least 30 days' notice before a price change takes effect, and the new price applies from your first renewal after the notice period.
4. Third-Party Services
Our Services may integrate with or contain links to third-party products, services, or websites, including but not limited to:
- CRM platforms (HubSpot, Salesforce)
- Payment processors
- Analytics services
- Social media platforms
We are not responsible for third-party content, privacy practices, or actions. Your use of such services is governed by their respective terms and policies. We encourage you to review their terms before using any third-party services.
5. Privacy
Your use of the Services is subject to our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your information. By using the Services, you consent to our collection and use of data as described in the Privacy Policy.
Please review our Privacy Policy for more information.
6. User Content and Data
6.1 Your Data
You retain ownership of any data you upload, import, or create using the Services ("Your Data"). By using the Services, you grant us a limited license to use Your Data solely to provide and improve the Services.
6.2 Acceptable Use
You are responsible for ensuring that Your Data and your use of the Services complies with all applicable laws, including data protection and privacy laws. You agree not to upload or share any content that is illegal, harmful, or violates the rights of others.
6.3 Data Accuracy
While we strive to provide accurate contact information, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any data provided through the Services. You are responsible for verifying information before use.
7. Termination
7.1 Termination by You
You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us or using the account deletion feature in your settings. If you have a paid plan, it continues until the end of your current billing period (see Section 3.5).
7.2 Termination by Us
We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services at any time, with or without cause or notice, if we believe:
- You have violated these Terms
- Your use poses a security risk or may harm other users
- Your account has been inactive for an extended period
- We are required to do so by law
7.3 Effect of Termination
Upon termination, your right to use the Services ceases immediately. We may delete your account data, although some information may be retained as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.
8. Disclaimers
THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
- WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
- FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
- NON-INFRINGEMENT
- ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR COMPLETENESS OF CONTENT
- UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE OPERATION
We do not warrant that the Services will meet your requirements or that any errors will be corrected. Your use of the Services is at your sole risk.
9. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, BACKCHANNELS AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
- Loss of profits, revenue, or business opportunities
- Loss of data or goodwill
- Service interruption or system failure
- Cost of substitute services
- Any damages arising from your use of the Services
IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Backchannels and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:
- Your use of the Services
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your violation of any rights of another party
- Your violation of any applicable laws
- Any content you submit or transmit through the Services
11. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles. Any legal action or proceeding relating to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Delaware.
12. Dispute Resolution
12.1 Informal Resolution
Before initiating any formal dispute resolution, you agree to first contact us at info@backchannels.co to attempt to resolve the dispute informally. We will attempt to resolve disputes within 30 days.
12.2 Binding Arbitration
If we cannot resolve a dispute informally, any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms shall be settled by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall take place in Wilmington, Delaware, except where prohibited by law.
12.3 Class Action Waiver
YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEEDINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION.
13. General Provisions
13.1 Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Backchannels regarding your use of the Services.
13.2 Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
13.3 Waiver
Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
13.4 Assignment
You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.
14. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. When we make changes, we will:
- Revise the "Effective Date" at the top of this page
- Notify you via email or through the Services for material changes
- Post the updated Terms on our website
Your continued use of the Services after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you must stop using the Services.
15. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or feedback regarding these Terms of Service, please contact us: