Community Guidelines

These Community Guidelines explain the standards we expect from everyone who uses Know a Pro, including Clients, Independent Pros, Registered Businesses, reviewers and other users.

The aim is simple: keep Know a Pro useful, trustworthy, respectful and safe. These Guidelines should be read together with our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy and Review Policy.

1. Be genuine and accurate

Use your real identity and accurate business information where the platform requires it. Do not pretend to be another person or business, create misleading profiles or provide false information.

Professionals and businesses must keep profile details reasonably accurate, including names, service categories, service areas, contact information, qualifications, registrations, licences and other claims they choose to display.

2. Do not misuse verification or trust badges

Do not falsify identity information, CIPC documents, qualifications, licences, certificates or any other verification evidence.

Do not describe yourself as holding a verification or credential that has not actually been completed or approved.

A Know a Pro badge confirms only the specific check represented by that badge. Users must not present it as a guarantee of quality, safety, honesty, suitability or future conduct.

3. Treat other people respectfully

Users may disagree, complain or leave negative feedback, but must do so without harassment, threats, intimidation or abusive conduct.

Do not threaten, stalk, harass or intimidate another user.

Do not use hate speech or unlawfully discriminatory content.

Do not pressure a customer to leave a positive review or remove a genuine negative review.

Do not retaliate against someone for making a complaint, report or review in good faith.

Do not use Know a Pro contact details to send abusive, threatening or unwanted communications.

4. Protect privacy

Respect other people's personal information. Do not post or share private information unless you have an appropriate right or permission and it is genuinely necessary for the relevant platform purpose.

Do not publish identity numbers, identity documents, passwords, banking details or other sensitive information.

Do not publish a customer's home address, private phone number or confidential communications without an appropriate lawful reason.

Do not upload photos, portfolio material or documents containing another person's personal information unless you have permission or another lawful basis.

Do not ask users to send ID documents or selfies through ordinary email or WhatsApp where the approved verification flow should be used.

5. Use customer and professional contact information properly

Contact information found or received through Know a Pro must be used responsibly and for legitimate platform-related purposes.

Do not harvest, scrape, sell, publish or misuse contact details. Do not add someone to unrelated marketing lists merely because you obtained their details through an enquiry, profile or review.

6. Keep profiles and content lawful

Do not upload or publish content that is unlawful, fraudulent, misleading, malicious or that infringes another person's rights.

• No fraudulent or altered documents.
• No malicious software or attempts to compromise the website or another user's account.
• No copyright infringement or unauthorised use of another person's work.
• No unlawful services or offers.
• No spam, scams, phishing or deceptive promotions.
• No content that intentionally misleads customers about a person's identity, business, qualifications, experience or services.

7. Professionals are responsible for their services

Professionals and businesses are responsible for the services they advertise and perform, including their own pricing, quotations, availability, workmanship, customer communication and compliance with laws or professional requirements applicable to them.

Do not claim that Know a Pro guarantees your work, supervises your service or endorses you beyond the specific verification badges actually shown on your profile.

8. Clients should use the platform responsibly

Clients should provide genuine enquiries and reasonable information when contacting a professional. Do not use the platform to harass professionals, send spam enquiries, collect contact details for unrelated purposes or deliberately waste a professional's time.

Clients remain responsible for deciding whether a particular professional is appropriate for their needs and should obtain whatever quotes, references, licences, insurance details or other information they consider appropriate before appointing someone.

9. Reviews and ratings

Reviews must follow the separate Know a Pro Review Policy. In summary, reviews must come from genuine service experiences and must not be fabricated, purchased, manipulated, abusive or privacy-invasive.

A professional may report a review for investigation but cannot demand removal merely because the review is negative.

10. No manipulation of the platform

Do not create fake or duplicate accounts to manipulate profiles, ratings or activity.

Do not artificially inflate views, reviews, enquiries or engagement.

Do not scrape or systematically extract Know a Pro data without permission.

Do not attempt to bypass payment, verification, access-control, moderation or security measures.

Do not interfere with another user's account, listing, communications or platform access.

11. Reporting concerns

If you see content or behaviour that appears fraudulent, abusive, unsafe, unlawful or inconsistent with these Guidelines, contact support@knowapro.co.za or use any reporting feature made available on the platform.

For verification-related concerns, contact verify@knowapro.co.za. For privacy or formal information-rights matters, contact the Information Officer at reandra@knowapro.co.za.

Please provide enough detail for Know a Pro to identify and assess the concern. A report does not automatically mean that an account, profile or content will be removed.

12. How Know a Pro may respond

Depending on the issue and the information available, Know a Pro may:

• ask a user for clarification or supporting information;
• warn a user or request that content be corrected;
• restrict, hide or remove content;
• remove or suspend a verification badge;
• temporarily restrict or suspend an account or profile;
• permanently remove an account in serious or repeated cases;
• preserve relevant information for security, legal or dispute purposes; or
• refer a matter to a regulator, law-enforcement body or other competent authority where appropriate or required.

Where reasonably appropriate, Know a Pro may give the affected user an opportunity to correct the issue. Serious fraud, security risks, unlawful activity or urgent legal concerns may result in immediate action.

13. Fair enforcement

Know a Pro aims to apply these Guidelines reasonably and consistently. Decisions may depend on the nature, seriousness, frequency and context of the conduct, available evidence, risks to users or the platform and applicable law.

Know a Pro is not required to resolve every underlying commercial dispute between a Client and a professional. Our role is to operate the platform, apply our policies and respond to legitimate safety, integrity, privacy and legal concerns.

14. Changes to these Guidelines

Know a Pro may update these Community Guidelines as the platform, community or legal requirements develop. The current version and revision date will be published on the Know a Pro website.

15. Contact

General support: support@knowapro.co.za

Verification: verify@knowapro.co.za

Information Officer: reandra@knowapro.co.za

Website: https://knowapro.co.za