Acceptable use policy

This is the Acceptable Use Policy as it currently stands, reproduced word for word from the version recorded against your acceptance. It forms part of the Business Owner Terms and Conditions (Clause 5.5) and the Worker Terms.

Version: 2.0
Effective Date: 1 July 2026
Last Updated: 21 June 2026
Governing Law: England and Wales
Contact: legal@optitechautomation.co.uk

1. Introduction

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") sets out the rules that govern how you may use the OptiTech Automation platform ("Platform"), operated by Cristian Moise-Putanu trading as OptiTech Automation, Torquay, Devon, England ("we", "us", "our").

By accessing or using the Platform you agree to comply with this AUP in full. Failure to do so may result in immediate suspension or termination of your access.

This AUP supplements, and should be read alongside, our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and any other policies published on the Platform.

2. Who This Policy Applies To

This AUP applies to all persons who access or use the Platform, including:

• Business Owners -- trade businesses (plumbers, electricians, gas engineers, and other trades) that subscribe to a plan and use the Platform to manage jobs, workers, and customers.
• Workers -- field operatives, employees, and subcontractors who are assigned to or accept jobs through the Platform.
• CMS Users -- individuals granted access to the content management system to publish or edit content on behalf of a Business Owner or OptiTech Automation.
• Customers -- end-users who interact with the Platform to book or receive trade services.

Each category is subject to all general provisions below, and to the role-specific sections that apply to them.

3. General Prohibited Activities

The following activities are prohibited for all users of the Platform:

3.1 Fraud and Misrepresentation

• Creating or using a false identity, impersonating another person or business, or misrepresenting your qualifications, certifications, or accreditations.
• Submitting false or fabricated job records, completion reports, invoices, timesheets, or any other data that forms part of a commercial or contractual record.
• Using the Platform to facilitate, conceal, or assist any form of financial fraud, including misrepresenting charges to customers or withholding due payments from workers.
• Providing false information during the account registration process or at any subsequent point.

3.2 Harassment and Harmful Conduct

• Sending abusive, threatening, discriminatory, or harassing communications to any other user of the Platform, including via job notes, messaging features, or any other channel the Platform provides.
• Posting, uploading, or transmitting content that is defamatory, obscene, hateful, or otherwise unlawful under the laws of England and Wales.
• Conducting any form of bullying, intimidation, or coercive behaviour toward workers, customers, or other business owners.

3.3 Illegal Work Scheduling and Labour Practices

• Scheduling or assigning work that requires a statutory certification (including Gas Safe registration and NICEIC or equivalent electrical certification) to a worker who does not hold that certification.
• Using the Platform to coordinate work that breaches the Working Time Regulations 1998, the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, or any other applicable employment legislation.
• Engaging workers on terms that unlawfully misclassify their employment status, or using the Platform to disguise an employment relationship in order to deprive workers of their statutory rights.

3.4 Credential Sharing and Unauthorised Access

• Sharing your Platform login credentials (username, password, API keys, or session tokens) with any person who is not authorised to hold them.
• Accessing, or attempting to access, another user's account without their express permission.
• Circumventing or attempting to circumvent any authentication, access-control, or security measure implemented by the Platform.

3.5 Data Scraping and Automated Extraction

• Using any automated tool, script, bot, crawler, or similar mechanism to scrape, harvest, or bulk-extract data from the Platform without our prior written consent.
• Reproducing, distributing, or commercially exploiting any data obtained from the Platform (including customer contact details, job records, or worker profiles) beyond the purpose for which you were granted access.
• Reverse engineering, decompiling, or disassembling any part of the Platform's software or APIs except to the extent permitted by law.

3.6 Interference with the Platform

• Uploading or transmitting malware, viruses, ransomware, spyware, or any other malicious code.
• Attempting to overload, flood, or otherwise disrupt the Platform's infrastructure (including denial-of-service attacks or brute-force attempts).
• Introducing any content or code that could corrupt, damage, or impair the Platform or the data of other users.

4. Gas Safe and Electrical Certification Compliance Obligations

OptiTech Automation is a scheduling and management platform. We do not carry out regulated gas or electrical work, but we are committed to ensuring that the Platform is not used to arrange work that contravenes statutory safety regimes.

4.1 Gas Safe Requirements

• Business Owners must not schedule or instruct any worker to carry out gas work unless that worker is currently registered on the Gas Safe Register.
• Gas Safe registration must be verified before a worker is assigned to any job involving gas appliances, gas supply pipes, gas flues, or any other gas infrastructure.
• Workers must not accept, commence, or continue any gas work assignment if their Gas Safe registration has lapsed, been suspended, or been revoked.
• Both Business Owners and Workers must co-operate with any audit or verification request that we or a regulatory authority makes in relation to Gas Safe credentials.

4.2 Electrical Certification Requirements

• Business Owners must not schedule electrical work that requires a competent-person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, or equivalent) unless the assigned worker is a current registered member of an applicable scheme.
• Workers must not accept electrical work requiring scheme registration if they are not currently enrolled.
• Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs), Electrical Installation Certificates (EICs), and Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificates must be issued only by persons entitled to do so under Part P of the Building Regulations and the relevant competent-person scheme rules.

4.3 Platform Role

Listing a certification on the Platform does not constitute verification by OptiTech Automation. Responsibility for holding and maintaining all required certifications rests solely with the Business Owner and the relevant Worker. We reserve the right to remove any worker profile or suspend any job listing if we have reasonable grounds to believe that a certification has lapsed or was falsely stated.

5. Worker Conduct Rules

Workers accessing the Platform are additionally bound by the following rules:

• Accurate availability: Workers must keep their availability status current and must not accept job offers they do not intend to fulfil.
• Timely communication: Workers must acknowledge job assignments and communicate any inability to attend within the timeframe specified in the job offer.
• Professional conduct on-site: Workers must behave professionally and lawfully when attending any job arranged through the Platform. Any on-site conduct that would constitute a criminal offence, a breach of health and safety law, or a violation of this AUP must be reported to us immediately.
• Data handling: Workers must handle any customer personal data they access through the Platform strictly in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law. They must not retain, copy, or use customer data for purposes other than performing the assigned job.
• No side-dealing: Workers must not use contact details or job information obtained through the Platform to solicit work directly from customers in a manner that circumvents the Platform's legitimate commercial relationship, except where expressly permitted under their agreement with the Business Owner.
• Accurate job reporting: Workers must submit accurate completion records, time logs, and any required certificates. Falsifying records is a serious breach of this AUP and may constitute fraud.

6. Content Standards for CMS Users

CMS Users who are granted access to publish or edit content on the Platform or on associated websites are additionally bound by the following standards:

• Accuracy: All published content must be factually accurate. CMS Users must not publish claims that are false, misleading, or likely to deceive consumers in breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
• Intellectual property: CMS Users must not publish, upload, or reproduce any content that infringes the copyright, trademark, database rights, or other intellectual property rights of any third party. All content created in the course of CMS access is assigned to OptiTech Automation (see the CMS Editor Agreement).
• GDPR and privacy: Content that mentions, depicts, or refers to identifiable individuals must comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. CMS Users must obtain appropriate consent or have a valid legal basis before publishing personal data.
• Defamation: CMS Users must not publish content that could constitute defamation under the Defamation Act 2013. Any content about named individuals or competing businesses must be verifiably true, honest opinion, or privileged.
• Confidentiality: CMS Users must treat all non-public Platform metrics, commercial strategies, pricing structures, and user data as strictly confidential and must not disclose them to any third party.
• Platform policies: All published content must comply with this AUP, our Terms of Service, and any editorial guidelines we issue from time to time.

7. Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any activity on the Platform that you believe violates this AUP, you should report it to us at legal@optitechautomation.co.uk as soon as possible.

We take all reports seriously and will investigate them in accordance with our internal procedures. We may be required by law to report certain conduct (including safeguarding concerns, suspected fraud, or regulatory breaches) to the relevant authorities without notifying the reporting party.

8. Consequences of Breach

We operate a proportionate enforcement framework. The action we take will depend on the nature, severity, and frequency of the breach.

We reserve the right to bypass Stages 1 and 2 and proceed directly to Stage 3 or Stage 4 where the breach is sufficiently serious, including (but not limited to) cases involving fraud, data theft, credential falsification, or endangering health and safety.

Nothing in this enforcement framework affects our right to seek injunctive relief or other legal remedies from a court of competent jurisdiction.

9. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This AUP is governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this AUP shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this AUP from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email (where we hold your address) and by posting a notice on the Platform. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any revised AUP constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

OptiTech Automation -- Torquay, Devon, England -- hello@optitechautomation.co.uk