Terms of Service
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Ourel platform ("Ourel", "we", "us", or "our"), including the school administration portal, parent payment portal, and all related services. By registering or using Ourel, you agree to these Terms.
1. What Ourel Is and Does
Ourel is a school fee payment management platform designed for South African independent schools. It enables school administrators to manage grades, students, and fee collection, and enables parents to pay school fees securely online using PayFast.
Ourel is a technology platform — it is not a bank, financial institution, or payment processor. Payment processing is handled by PayFast, a licensed South African payment gateway.
2. School Responsibilities
Schools that register on Ourel agree to:
- Provide accurate and truthful registration information, including a valid verification document.
- Keep student records accurate and up to date.
- Use the platform only for lawful fee collection purposes.
- Configure their PayFast credentials correctly and maintain their own PayFast account in good standing.
- Notify parents of any changes to fee structures through the platform or other appropriate means.
- Not use Ourel to collect fees for purposes not disclosed to parents.
Schools acknowledge that Ourel reserves the right to deactivate or suspend school accounts that violate these Terms, fail to meet verification requirements, or engage in conduct that harms parents or students.
3. Parent Responsibilities
Parents who register on Ourel agree to:
- Provide accurate registration information, including their full name and a valid email address.
- Only register children who are genuinely enrolled at the school.
- Keep their account credentials confidential and not share their password.
- Contact Ourel support or their school if they believe a payment error has occurred.
4. Payment Processing
All payments made through Ourel are processed by PayFast, a third-party payment gateway. By initiating a payment, you agree to PayFast's terms of service and privacy policy, available at payfast.io.
- Ourel displays fees set by the school. A processing fee — currently 2.5% of the school fee plus R2.00 — is charged per transaction to cover payment gateway costs.
- Payments are non-refundable once processed. If you believe a payment was made in error, contact your school directly.
- Ourel does not store card numbers or banking details. All sensitive payment data is handled exclusively by PayFast.
- In the event of a school deactivation, payments already processed and collected are still valid. Any disputes must be directed to your school.
5. Data Retention Policy
Ourel retains your data for as long as your account is active or as required to fulfil the purposes outlined in our Privacy Policy. Specifically:
- Payment records are retained for a minimum of 5 years for audit and legal compliance purposes.
- Student records are retained for the duration of the school's active account.
- Parent accounts may be deleted upon request, subject to the retention requirements above.
Schools may request deletion of their data upon closing their account, except where retention is required by law.
6. Cancellation Policy
Parents: You may stop using Ourel at any time. Your account and payment history will remain accessible until you request deletion. Contact your school to request removal of your account.
Schools: To cancel your Ourel account, contact us at hello@ourel.co.za. Upon cancellation, your school's data will be retained for the statutory minimum period before deletion.
Ourel reserves the right to terminate accounts that violate these Terms, with or without prior notice.
7. Disclaimer of Warranties
Ourel is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted service, and we are not liable for losses arising from platform downtime, payment gateway failures, or data loss beyond our control.
8. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes shall be subject to the jurisdiction of South African courts.
9. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify registered schools and parents of material changes via email. Continued use of Ourel after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
10. Contact
For questions about these Terms, contact us at: hello@ourel.co.za