Terms of Service

1. Eligibility and service boundaries

AlongNow is for adults 18 and older. Provide accurate information and contact details you are authorized to use. AlongNow connects Clients with Companions for non-clinical conversation, listening, public walks, and check-ins. It is not dating, caregiving, childcare, transportation, therapy, medical treatment, or emergency support. Companions must not diagnose, treat, prescribe, provide personal care, or discourage professional help. Educational content is general information, not individualized clinical, legal, or financial advice.

In an immediate emergency, call local emergency services (911 in the United States). For a mental-health crisis in the United States, call or text 988. AlongNow does not monitor requests as an emergency channel.

2. Applications and activation

Companion profiles become active only after AlongNow reviews and approves an application. Review is not a background check, identity verification, certification, insurance, standardized training, or guarantee of safety. The first 100 eligible real applicants approved as Companions have the first-year $20 registration fee waived. After those places are filled, an approved applicant can make a one-time $20 payment to activate for one year. An applicant who is not approved is not charged. Renewal is not automatic; any future renewal fee must be presented before it is charged.

Companions choose their offered rates and whether to accept invitations. Application, approval, or activation does not guarantee bookings or income. For an activation-fee refund request, contact info@alongnow.com; the request will be reviewed individually, subject to applicable law.

3. Requests and bookings

Clients describe their needs, format, time, general area, duration, and maximum rate. AlongNow may analyze the request and send a limited private brief to suitable active Companions. A Companion may accept or decline. The Client may review available responses, select a Companion, and pay. A match is confirmed only after payment succeeds. Availability, response times, and recommendations vary; no particular match is promised.

In-person meetings must remain in an approved, staffed public place for the entire session, between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM. Do not move a meeting to a home, hotel, vehicle, or isolated location. A minimum duration of one hour applies.

4. Prices, cancellation, and refunds

The Companion service amount is the selected hourly rate multiplied by the booked duration. AlongNow adds a platform fee of $2 plus 15% of the Companion service amount. The full total appears before payment. Available payment methods are those displayed at checkout.

Client cancellation after payment: no refund, except where applicable law requires one. Companion cancellation, failure to appear, or ending the service early: the Client may request a refund of 85% of the Companion service amount; the platform fee is not included in that 85% calculation. If the service amount is $100, the platform fee is $17 and the total paid is $117, the stated refund is $85. A greater refund or remedy required by applicable law still applies.

Send the booking reference and what happened to info@alongnow.com. AlongNow reviews the service and payment record and issues an approved refund through the original payment channel when available. Processing time depends on the payment provider. Nothing here removes a non-waivable legal or payment dispute right.

5. AN Credits

The current system may award one AN Credit to each Client and Companion after a paid service is recorded as completed. AN Credits are internal rewards, not cash, cryptocurrency, a stored-value account, or a guaranteed monetary value. The planned thresholds are 20 credits for a 20-minute Yanhuang TCM consultation and 40 credits for one eligible Yanhuang TCM treatment. Redemption is not yet active. Reaching a threshold does not reserve an appointment. AlongNow will identify eligible services and publish the redemption process before accepting credits for a service. Cash-out is unavailable; transfer and gift rules have not been enabled.

6. Respect and safety

Harassment, discrimination, coercion, threats, sexual services or solicitation, unwanted contact, misrepresentation, unlawful activity, and requests outside the agreed service are prohibited. Keep professional boundaries and protect others’ private information. You may end an interaction that feels unsafe and report it to info@alongnow.com. Reports receive owner follow-up; AlongNow does not promise an emergency response time. See Safety and Community Standards.

7. Career Guidance

Career Seekers can submit goals and budget; Career Advisors can apply with experience and proposed rates. Application submission is free. An approved Advisor may separately be offered a $40 one-year activation payment. Advisor matching and session booking are not yet available. Activation does not guarantee a client, session, job, or career outcome. New booking terms will be shown before that service launches.

8. Records, content, and availability

AlongNow may record booking details, payment status, actual start and end times, and service location to operate the service and address concerns. Do not falsify these records or reveal another person’s private information in feedback. AlongNow and its licensors retain rights in the site, branding, software, and educational content. You retain your submitted content and allow AlongNow to process and share it as needed to operate the service and as described in the Privacy Policy.

AlongNow does not guarantee continuous availability, any particular match, service quality, outcome, or risk-free interaction. Nothing in these Terms excludes a right or remedy that cannot lawfully be waived.

9. Accounts and changes

AlongNow may decline, suspend, or close participation for safety, fraud, legal, or policy reasons, subject to applicable law. You may stop using the service and request account closure by emailing us. Closing an account does not automatically cancel a paid booking or delete records that must be retained. Material changes to these Terms will be posted with a new effective date and additional notice or acceptance where required; they do not retroactively change a completed transaction.

10. Contact

AlongNow · 1445 Brookmill Road, Los Altos, CA 94024 · info@alongnow.com.