MinuteDock Terms of Service

Last Updated: 13 July 2025

Quick Summary (Key Points at a Glance)

What this is all about

These terms explain how our relationship works when you use MinuteDock for your business. Here's what matters most:

  • Who can use MinuteDock: Businesses and professionals using it for commercial purposes (consumer protection laws don't apply to business use)
  • What you're getting: Access to our time-tracking platform, APIs, and support during your subscription
  • How billing works: You pay monthly or annually in advance; subscriptions auto-renew; no refunds except in specific circumstances
  • Our uptime promise: We aim for 99.5% uptime and will make it right if we have significant issues
  • Protection limits: Our liability is capped at 12 months of fees or NZD 5,000 (whichever is higher), with higher caps for serious issues. Both parties protect each other from certain third-party claims
  • Your data stays yours: Export it anytime during your subscription, plus at least 30 days after (we'll notify before any deletion)
  • Changes to these terms: We'll give you 30 days' notice before any big changes; you can cancel if you don't like them
  • Resolving disputes: We use New Zealand law and arbitration in Wellington (but urgent court relief is available when needed)

0. Getting Started

What this covers

How these terms become binding and who they apply to.

Why it matters

We need to be clear that this is a legal agreement for business use.

MinuteDock is for businesses. These terms cover MinuteDock's service for businesses, firms, and professionals using it in the course of their trade or profession. By using MinuteDock, you confirm you're acquiring it "in trade" for business purposes. Since you're using MinuteDock for business, consumer protection laws don't apply to our relationship.

You're agreeing to these terms. By subscribing, accessing, or using MinuteDock, you accept these terms.

Legal detail: These Terms govern business-to-business transactions. The parties acknowledge this is a commercial "in trade" transaction. Nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts any rights that cannot be excluded or restricted by law.

1. Key Terms We'll Use

What this covers

Definitions of important words to avoid confusion later.

Why it matters

When we say "Service" or "Authorized Users," you'll know exactly what we mean.

  • We/Us: MinuteDock Ltd, the New Zealand company that runs the service
  • Service: Our time-tracking software (web, mobile, APIs), plus documentation and support
  • You: The business or organization subscribing to MinuteDock
  • Your Users: Employees, contractors, or agents you let use MinuteDock
  • Subscription Period: The time covered by your prepaid fees (monthly or annual)
  • Confidential Information: Non-public info we share with each other (except what's already public or independently known)
  • Data Processing Agreement (DPA) and Privacy Policy:
    Our separate agreements about handling personal data, which are part of these terms

2. What MinuteDock Does

What this covers

What our service is designed for and important disclaimers.

Why it matters

We want you to understand what MinuteDock can and can't do for your business.

Built for small-to-medium businesses. MinuteDock helps you track time, create reports, and generate invoices.

We're not your accountant or lawyer. While MinuteDock helps with time tracking and invoicing, we don't provide accounting, legal, tax, or business advice. Please consult qualified professionals for those services.

Your license to use MinuteDock. During your paid subscription, you have a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and use our service. This means you can use it for your business, but you can't resell it or transfer your account to someone else.

We'll keep the service running. We work hard to maintain reliable uptime (see Section 5 for details).

We're a small, focused team. We built MinuteDock specifically for businesses like yours, keeping things simple and personal. That's why we offer email support and straightforward pricing rather than call centers and complex packages.

Standard terms keep prices fair. These terms work for most small businesses and help us keep MinuteDock affordable. Need custom terms? We can discuss bespoke arrangements at team@minutedock.com.

Legal detail: License is subject to payment of fees and compliance with these Terms.

3. Billing & Payments

What this covers

How we charge you, when payments happen, and our refund policy.

Why it matters

You need to know when you'll be charged and what happens if you want to cancel.

You pay in advance. All subscriptions are prepaid – monthly or annually. Your service continues through the period you've paid for.

No refunds (with rare exceptions). We generally don't offer refunds. If there's an error or unforeseen issue, we'll consider it case-by-case. For discounted annual plans, any refund would be calculated at standard monthly rates.

Example: If you cancel on May 10, your service stays active until May 31 (or your annual renewal date).

Auto-renewal is on. Your subscription automatically renews unless you cancel before the renewal date.

Late payments may pause your service. If your payment fails, we'll notify you and try to process it again. If it's still unpaid after 14 days, we may suspend your access until you're caught up. We'll always try to reach you before suspending service.

Legal detail: Subject to applicable law. We'll provide at least 14 days' written notice before suspension for non-payment.

4. Using MinuteDock Responsibly

What this covers

Rules for proper use and keeping the platform secure.

Why it matters

These rules help us maintain a fast, secure service for everyone.

Don't overload our systems. This only applies to truly unusual activity – like running bots that hammer our API with dozens of requests per second, or trying to import years of data in one massive upload. Normal use is totally fine! If we see extreme loads, we might need to slow those requests down, spread them out, or chat about a plan that better fits your needs.

One person per login. Each MinuteDock user account is for one real person only. We're a small business too, so we get it – but sharing logins or tracking multiple people's time under one account isn't fair to us. If we notice this happening, we'll reach out to work with you on getting the right number of seats. We trust you to be honest with us, and we'll always be reasonable with you.

Keep your account secure. Use strong passwords and don't share login credentials. Don't try to hack our systems or introduce malicious code. If you suspect someone's accessed your account without permission, let us know immediately.

You're responsible for your users. All activity under your account is your responsibility. Make sure everyone you've authorized to use MinuteDock follows these terms.

Follow the law. You're responsible for complying with data protection laws (like GDPR, CCPA, or New Zealand's Privacy Act) and any other regulations that apply to your business.

Prohibited uses include:

  • Anything illegal or fraudulent
  • Safety-critical applications (we're not designed for that)
  • Harassment or abuse of any kind

Legal detail: Violations may result in immediate suspension or termination. Account holders are liable for all actions taken by their authorized users. You must notify us promptly of any suspected unauthorized access or security breach.

5. Our Uptime Promise

What this covers

Our commitment to keeping MinuteDock available and what happens if we fall short.

Why it matters

You rely on MinuteDock to run your business, so we commit to specific availability targets.

99.5% uptime target. We aim to keep MinuteDock available 99.5% of the time each month.

If we fall short. If we drop below 99% availability in any calendar month, just let us know within 30 days. We'll give you a choice: either 7 extra days added to your subscription or a 25% credit for that month. This extension or credit is your sole remedy for downtime.

Scheduled maintenance. We'll try to notify you in advance when we need to perform maintenance. Scheduled maintenance doesn't count against uptime.

Support when you need it. We provide email support and online documentation during standard business hours (New Zealand time). Yes, we're on the other side of the world from many of you, but we always do our best to respond quickly and work around time zones when something's urgent.

Legal detail: Availability is calculated as (total minutes - excluded downtime) ÷ total minutes × 100. Excluded downtime includes scheduled maintenance and force majeure events. The uptime remedy is exclusive and replaces all other remedies for service availability issues.

6. Your Data & Security

What this covers

Who owns your data, how to export it, and our security commitments.

Why it matters

Your business data is critical – you need to know it's protected and accessible.

Your data belongs to you. You retain all rights to your time entries, client information, and other data. We may use anonymized, aggregated data to improve our service.

When our team might access your data. We respect your privacy and only access your account data in limited circumstances:

  • When you ask for help: If you contact support about a specific issue
  • To fix problems: When our monitoring systems detect an error affecting your account
  • For security: If we detect suspicious activity or need to investigate a security incident
  • Legal requirements: If we're legally required to (we'll notify you unless prohibited by law)

Our team members with access are trained in data privacy and work under strict confidentiality obligations.

Export anytime:

  • While subscribed: Unlimited exports via CSV, JSON, or our API
  • After cancellation: You have at least 30 days to request exports by emailing team@minutedock.com. We'll always notify you before any data deletion.

Back up your own data. While we maintain backups for our operations, you should keep your own backups for your records. MinuteDock is a time-tracking tool, not a backup service – don't rely on us as your only data storage.

Security incident response. If there's a data breach affecting you, we'll notify you within 72 hours and help with any regulatory requirements.

We both keep secrets. We'll protect each other's confidential information with reasonable care and only use it to fulfill our obligations under these terms.

Legal detail: Data processing subject to our Data Processing Agreement. Staff access is logged, limited to authorized personnel, and subject to confidentiality obligations. We'll ensure you have at least 30 days after cancellation to export your data via team@minutedock.com, with notification before any deletion.

7. Who Owns What

What this covers

Intellectual property rights in MinuteDock and your data.

Why it matters

Clear ownership prevents disputes and protects both parties.

We own MinuteDock. All rights to our software, APIs, and documentation remain with us.

You own your data. Your time entries, client info, and uploaded content remain yours. You grant us a limited license to use your data only to provide the service to you.

Your content must be clean. You promise that your data and how you use MinuteDock won't infringe anyone else's rights. This includes copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property.

We can use your feedback. If you suggest features or improvements, we can use those ideas without paying royalties.

Legal detail: Feedback license is worldwide, perpetual, and royalty-free. You warrant and represent that your data and use of the Service do not and will not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights or violate any applicable laws.

8. Third-Party Integrations

What this covers

Our integrations with services like Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB, and Wave.

Why it matters

You need to understand what we're responsible for when other services are involved.

External services aren't our responsibility. If Xero goes down or QuickBooks changes their API, that's beyond our control. We'll do our best to maintain integrations but can't guarantee third-party availability.

Unauthorized apps are at your risk. If you connect MinuteDock to third-party apps we haven't approved, we're not responsible for any issues.

Legal detail: We disclaim all liability for third-party service failures or changes.

9. No Warranties

What this covers

Legal disclaimer about service guarantees.

Why it matters

We need to be honest about what we can and can't promise.

MinuteDock is provided "as is." Except for our specific commitments in these terms (like our uptime target), we don't make warranties about the service. This includes implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Legal detail: All warranties are disclaimed to the maximum extent permitted by law.

10. Liability Limits & Protection

What this covers

How we limit financial exposure and protect each other from claims.

Why it matters

This section caps potential damages while maintaining fairness for serious issues.

No indirect damages. Neither of us is liable for lost profits, lost business, or other indirect damages.

Our standard liability cap. Except for the special situations below, our maximum liability is the greater of:

  • Total fees you paid in the last 12 months, or
  • NZD 5,000

This is our total liability cap for all claims combined, not per incident.

Higher caps for serious issues. For claims involving our gross negligence, regulatory breaches by us, or where we've breached confidentiality or IP rights, our liability is capped at three (3) times the fees you paid in the last 12 months. We take these situations seriously, which is why the cap is higher.

What we can't cap. The law doesn't let us limit liability for:

  • Personal injury or death caused by negligence
  • Fraud or willful misconduct

Mutual protection:

If someone sues us because of Your Data or how you use MinuteDock:This is rare, but if it happens you’ll take over and fund the defence with lawyers we reasonably approve. If you don’t step up, we’ll defend ourselves and you’ll reimburse all reasonable legal costs we incur. Any damages or settlements we pay are capped at three (3) times the fees you paid us in the 12 months before the claim. We’ll notify you promptly and co-operate fully.

If someone sues you claiming MinuteDock violates their IP rights or we breached confidentiality: We’ll reimburse your reasonable legal costs and any settlement or judgment, capped at the same three (3) × 12-month-fees figure. You must tell us promptly and let us have input on the defense strategy if we choose.

Legal detail: These indemnities cover only third-party claims (not disputes between you and us). All damages, settlements, and any defence costs we reimburse you count toward the same three (3) times the fees you paid us in the last 12 months cap that applies to our indemnity. You are obliged to reimburse us for all reasonable defence costs we incur when we have to defend a claim arising from Your Data. Nothing here limits liability the law says cannot be limited—personal injury, death, fraud, or wilful misconduct always remain uncapped, and every cap or exclusion applies only as far as the law allows.

11. Cancellation & Termination

What this covers

How long our agreement lasts and ways it can end.

Why it matters

You need to know how to cancel and what happens to your data.

Fixing problems before termination:

  • Material breaches: 10 days to fix after written notice
  • Minor breaches: 5 days to fix after written notice

You can cancel anytime. Just know that prepaid fees aren't refundable – your service continues through the period you've paid for.

We can end service too. Just as you can leave anytime, we may occasionally need to end a subscription with 30 days' notice. This rarely happens - only when a relationship isn't working out or if circumstances beyond our control prevent us from providing the service. If we do this (and it's not because of a breach), we'll refund any prepaid fees for the unused time.

Businesses evolve. If your business structure changes (merger, acquisition, new ownership), these terms continue to apply. Same goes for us - if MinuteDock is acquired or restructured, these terms remain in place. Just let us know about major changes so we can keep your account details current.

What survives termination. Even after cancellation, sections on liability, data rights, intellectual property, confidentiality, indemnity, and dispute resolution remain in effect.

Legal detail: Survival provisions necessary to give business efficacy to the agreement. Includes confidentiality obligations, intellectual property rights, liability and indemnity provisions, and dispute resolution mechanisms. MinuteDock may terminate immediately without refund for material breach or violations of acceptable use policies.

12. When Things Beyond Our Control Happen

What this covers

Events that excuse performance obligations.

Why it matters

Sometimes extraordinary events prevent normal operations.

Force majeure events. Neither of us is liable for delays or failures caused by:

  • Natural disasters
  • Cyber attacks or pandemics
  • Death or serious illness of key team members that prevents service delivery despite reasonable efforts to continue
  • Terrorism or government actions

What we'll do:

  • Notify you promptly
  • Work to minimize the impact
  • If it lasts over 90 days, either of us can terminate

Legal detail: Affected party must use reasonable efforts to mitigate and minimize impact.

13. Resolving Disputes

What this covers

How we handle disagreements and which laws apply.

Why it matters

Clear dispute resolution saves time and money for both of us.

New Zealand law applies. These terms are governed by New Zealand law.

Arbitration in Wellington. Any disputes will be resolved through binding arbitration in Wellington under NZIAC rules. We can conduct proceedings remotely if needed.

Individual disputes only. We both agree to resolve disputes individually – no class actions or representative proceedings.

Urgent court relief allowed. Nothing stops either party from going to court for urgent injunctive relief (like stopping a data breach or IP violation) while arbitration is pending.

Legal detail: This arbitration agreement is subject to applicable law. Arbitration may be conducted remotely. The arbitration will be conducted in English, with each party bearing its own legal costs unless the arbitrator orders otherwise. The arbitrator may award costs against a party pursuing claims or defenses in bad faith.

14. Other Important Details

What this covers

Various legal provisions that don't fit elsewhere.

Why it matters

These tie up loose ends and clarify how our agreement works.

We can update these terms. We’ll post any update on our website and, for material changes, we’ll also email the account owner 30 days before they take effect. Updates that are purely administrative, correct typos, or are required by law take effect when posted. If you don't agree with the material changes, you can cancel before they kick in. We'll either honour the old terms until the end of your current billing period or provide a pro-rated refund – our choice. Continuing to use MinuteDock after changes take effect means you've accepted them.

This is our complete agreement. These terms, plus our DPA and Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between us.

If one part is invalid. If a court strikes down one section, the rest remains valid.

Not enforcing doesn't mean waiving. If we don't enforce a right immediately, we haven't given it up.

Export restrictions. You confirm you're not in a restricted country or on any prohibited lists. We may limit access to comply with export laws.

How we communicate officially. Legal notices go to your registered email. They're considered received 2 days after sending.

Legal detail: We can only modify these terms through the process described above - no one can claim we agreed to different terms in an email or phone call. If any part of these terms is invalid, the rest remains in force. Nothing here excludes rights that cannot be excluded by law.

Questions?

If anything in these terms isn't clear, please email us at team@minutedock.com. We're happy to explain how these terms work in practice for your business.

By using MinuteDock, you confirm you're using it for business purposes in the course of your trade or profession.