These Live Consultation Terms apply when you book a live video consultation on Saathum, or when
you offer one. They are part of our Terms of Service and work alongside
our Marketplace Terms and Acceptable Use Policy. Your agreement is with the Saathum founding
team through Ava Global International, Inc., a Delaware corporation. See who we are.
Consultations are in testing. Bookings are open to invited users only and
payment flows are in test while our payment gateway application is under review. If a session
you paid for does not happen, email [email protected] and we will refund it in full.
1. Consultants are independent
Consultants on Saathum are independent providers. They are not employees,
agents, partners, or representatives of Saathum, and we do not supervise, direct, or control
what they say or do in a session. They set their own availability, rates within the platform,
and the content of their advice.
The consultation contract is between the client and the consultant. Saathum provides the
booking, video, and payment infrastructure. We are not a party to that contract.
2. We do not verify qualifications
Saathum does not verify a consultant's professional qualifications, credentials,
licences, registrations, or experience unless a listing expressly states that we have. A profile, a title, a certificate image, or a claimed specialism is information supplied by
the consultant. Treat it as a claim, not as something we have checked.
We may verify a consultant's identity or payout details for our own purposes. That is not a
qualification check and should not be read as one. If a credential matters to you, ask for
proof and verify it yourself with the issuing body before you rely on it.
3. Consultations are not professional advice
Information shared in a consultation is general information and personal opinion.
It is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional who knows your full situation,
and it does not create a professional relationship with Saathum.
In particular, nothing on Saathum — from Ava, from any AI feature, or from any consultant — is
to be treated as:
- Medical advice. No consultation is a diagnosis, a treatment plan, a
prescription, or a doctor-patient relationship. Do not delay seeing a clinician because of
something said on Saathum.
- Legal advice. No consultation creates a lawyer-client relationship,
attorney-client privilege, or any duty of confidentiality beyond what the law otherwise
imposes on the consultant.
- Financial, tax, or investment advice. No consultation is a recommendation
to buy, sell, or hold anything, and nothing said is a guarantee of a financial outcome.
Consultants who offer regulated advice are responsible for their own licensing and
compliance. If you provide services that are regulated where you are, or where your
client is, you must hold the required licences, follow the applicable professional and
advertising rules, make the disclosures those rules require, and carry any insurance you need.
You must not hold yourself out as a regulated professional if you are not one. Saathum does not
provide, supervise, or take responsibility for regulated services, and we may remove listings
that appear to offer them without the necessary authorisation.
You use consultations at your own risk, and you are responsible for what you decide to do with
what you hear.
4. Booking, scheduling, and session length
- Consultations are booked for a set duration at a set time. The listing tells you the
length, the price, and what the session covers before you book.
- Times are shown in your local time zone. Check the time zone before you confirm.
- A session may end automatically when the booked time runs out. Extensions, where offered,
are booked and paid for separately.
- Both sides should join on time. If a session starts late through one party's fault, the
remaining time may be shorter.
- Both sides need a working device, camera, microphone, and a stable connection. Connection
problems on your own side are not a reason for a refund unless the session could not
meaningfully take place.
- Reschedule requests are made through the app and are subject to the other party
accepting.
5. Cancellations and no-shows
Cancellation windows, no-show handling, and when money is returned are set out on our Refunds & Cancellations page. In outline:
- Cancelling within the published window generally means a refund; cancelling late may
not.
- If a client does not appear, the consultant may be entitled to the fee.
- If a consultant does not appear, the client should be refunded.
- If a session fails for a technical reason on our side, contact us and we will review
it.
Repeated no-shows on either side may lead to feature limits or account action.
6. Recording
A consultation may only be recorded where recording is available in the app and the other party
has been told and consents. Recording laws differ by country and many require every participant
to agree. Read our Recording & Consent policy before you record
anything, and never record a session covertly. Sharing or publishing a recording of a
consultation without the other party's consent is prohibited.
7. Conduct during sessions
Our Acceptable Use Policy applies in full during a live session —
including harassment, sexual content, threats, and anything involving a minor. Either party can
end a session at any time if they feel unsafe or the other party is behaving badly, and can
report it afterwards. Do not ask a consultant to do anything outside the scope of the booking,
and do not pressure a client into additional purchases during a session.
Do not take a consultation off-platform to avoid fees. Doing so removes the payment protections
for both sides and may lead to enforcement.
8. Payment and payout
Clients pay at the time of booking through our payment providers. Consultant earnings, minus
the applicable commission, are held and released according to our Payouts policy. The commission and any processing fees are shown on our Pricing & Fees page.
Consultants are responsible for their own taxes on consultation income, including any applicable
where applicable. Nothing here creates an employment, agency, or partnership relationship
between a consultant and Saathum.
9. Emergencies
Saathum is not an emergency service. If you or someone else is in immediate
danger, is having a medical emergency, or is at risk of harm, contact your local emergency services right away — do not wait for a
consultation, do not rely on a booking, and do not rely on an AI feature or the AI
receptionist to get help for you. Calls and messages on Saathum depend on the internet and may
not connect, and consultants are not on call. Saathum cannot dispatch emergency help and does
not monitor sessions for emergencies.
If you are in crisis, contact a local emergency number or a crisis helpline in your country.
10. Disputes
If a consultation goes wrong, raise it with the other party first. If that does not resolve it,
contact [email protected]. As with the marketplace, our
role is limited to deciding how funds we hold are released; we are not an arbitrator and we do
not adjudicate the substance of the advice given. Complaints about a consultant's professional
conduct may need to go to the body that regulates them.
11. Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Saathum is not liable for any advice, opinion, act, or
omission of a consultant, or for any decision you make based on a consultation. The limitations
and exclusions in our Terms of Service apply here.
12. Changes
We may update these terms. We will post the updated version here and revise the date above.
Questions? Email [email protected]. You can
also use our Grievance Redressal process. See also our Privacy Policy.
