The assistant is designed to help customers obtain information, navigate TerraCelest services, understand booking processes, obtain general support and communicate with TerraCelest.
The AI customer-care service operates as an assistance layer and does not replace TerraCelest's authorised human personnel, formal agreements, confirmed bookings, quotations or statutory consumer rights.
Purpose
The purpose of the TerraCelest AI Customer Care Policy is to establish clear rules for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in customer support.
TerraCelest aims to use AI to improve accessibility, responsiveness, information delivery and customer navigation while maintaining appropriate human oversight.
What the AI Customer Care Assistant Can Do
Depending on the functions made available by TerraCelest, the AI assistant may help customers with:
- General information about TerraCelest services.
- Service descriptions and general booking information.
- Guidance through the digital booking process.
- General information about cleaning services.
- Frequently asked customer questions.
- Navigation of TerraCelest digital services.
- General information about policies and procedures.
- Customer-support triage.
- Routing certain matters to human support.
- General assistance with understanding customer-facing information.
AI Does Not Replace Human Support
The AI assistant does not replace an authorised TerraCelest representative.
A customer may request human assistance where a matter requires human review, involves a dispute, concerns a sensitive issue or cannot reasonably be resolved through the AI customer-care service.
TerraCelest may also refer matters to human support where the AI system determines that human involvement is appropriate.
No Authority to Create Certain Commitments
Unless a particular digital function has expressly been authorised and connected to TerraCelest's operational systems, the AI assistant does not have authority to:
- Enter into agreements on behalf of TerraCelest.
- Guarantee service availability.
- Guarantee a particular cleaner or partner.
- Issue a binding quotation outside an authorised quotation process.
- Approve refunds outside the approved refund process.
- Change contractual terms.
- Waive statutory rights or obligations.
- Make employment, tax or legal determinations.
Booking Information
Information provided by the AI assistant about bookings, availability, pricing or service arrangements should be treated as informational unless the information is generated from an authorised TerraCelest operational system that expressly confirms the relevant information.
A booking is only confirmed according to the applicable TerraCelest booking process and confirmation requirements.
Pricing and Quotations
AI-generated pricing information may be general, indicative or based on information available to the assistant at the time of the conversation.
Where a formal quotation is required, customers should rely on the authorised TerraCelest quotation or booking process.
The AI assistant must not intentionally represent an estimated price as a final confirmed quotation.
Accuracy of AI Responses
TerraCelest aims to configure and maintain its AI customer care systems so that information provided to customers is useful and accurate.
However, AI-generated responses may occasionally contain outdated, incomplete, misunderstood or incorrect information.
Customers should request human confirmation where a matter has significant financial, contractual, legal, safety or personal consequences.
Human Escalation
The AI assistant may refer a conversation to human support where appropriate.
Escalation may be appropriate where the customer:
- Disputes a payment.
- Reports property damage.
- Raises a formal complaint.
- Requests a refund requiring review.
- Reports a safety incident.
- Reports suspected fraud or unauthorised activity.
- Raises a privacy or personal-information concern.
- Requests a contractual decision.
- Provides information that requires human assessment.
Customer Information
Customers should provide only information reasonably necessary for the assistance they are requesting.
Customers should never provide passwords, banking PINs, one-time passwords, card security codes or other confidential authentication credentials to the AI assistant.
Personal Information and POPIA
Where the AI customer-care service processes personal information, TerraCelest will process that information in accordance with applicable privacy requirements, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), where applicable.
The collection, use, storage, disclosure and retention of personal information must be consistent with TerraCelest's Privacy Policy and applicable law.
AI Conversations and Records
Depending on the TerraCelest technology configuration, customer interactions with the AI assistant may be processed or retained for purposes such as providing the requested service, customer support, security, quality control, system improvement, dispute handling and legal compliance.
Applicable information-handling practices are governed by the TerraCelest Privacy Policy and relevant data-protection requirements.
Third-Party AI and Technology Providers
TerraCelest may use third-party technology providers to operate AI, hosting, communications, analytics, storage or related digital services.
Where third parties process customer information, TerraCelest will apply appropriate contractual, technical and organisational measures as required by applicable law.
AI and Payments
The AI assistant should not request customers to disclose confidential banking credentials, card PINs, one-time passwords or similar security information.
Payments should be completed through the official TerraCelest payment process or an authorised payment provider.
AI and Refunds
The AI assistant may explain the general refund process, but it does not automatically create a customer's right to a refund.
Refund decisions must be made according to the applicable TerraCelest Refund Policy, booking terms, agreement and South African law.
Complaints and Disputes
Customers may use the AI assistant to initiate or explain a complaint.
A formal complaint or dispute may be escalated to TerraCelest human support for assessment.
Nothing in the AI customer-care service limits any consumer right available under South African law.
Legal, Tax and Financial Information
The AI assistant may provide general information about TerraCelest processes and publicly available information.
It does not provide professional legal, tax, accounting, financial or other regulated professional advice.
Customers should obtain appropriate professional advice where their circumstances require it.
Safety Matters
The AI assistant is not an emergency service.
Where a customer faces an immediate threat to life, health, safety or property, the customer should contact the appropriate emergency service or competent authority.
TerraCelest personnel may become involved in a safety matter only within the scope of their authorised role.
Security and Abuse
Customers must not intentionally misuse the AI customer care system.
Prohibited conduct may include attempts to gain unauthorised access, interfere with system operation, manipulate records, conduct fraudulent activity, distribute malicious code or abuse the service.
Service Availability
TerraCelest does not guarantee that the AI customer-care service will always be available, uninterrupted or free from technical errors.
TerraCelest may temporarily restrict, modify, suspend or replace the AI service where reasonably necessary for maintenance, security, technology changes or operational requirements.
AI System Improvement
TerraCelest may evaluate customer-care interactions, system performance and customer feedback to improve the quality, safety and usefulness of its customer-care systems, subject to applicable privacy requirements.
Important Customer Principle
Customers should distinguish between general information supplied by the AI assistant and a formal booking, quotation, payment confirmation, refund decision, contractual decision or other action expressly confirmed by TerraCelest.
Human Review and Accountability
TerraCelest remains responsible for the authorised customer-service processes it operates, including the appropriate handling of customer complaints, bookings, payments and other matters requiring human intervention.
The use of AI does not remove TerraCelest's responsibility to comply with applicable South African law.
Consumer Rights
Nothing in this policy is intended to remove, restrict, waive or unlawfully limit any consumer right or remedy provided by South African law.
Where a mandatory statutory right conflicts with an AI-generated response, the applicable law and authorised TerraCelest process take precedence.
Policy and Operational Alignment
TerraCelest will seek to ensure that the information presented by its AI customer-care systems remains aligned with its current customer-facing policies, booking procedures and authorised operational processes.
Where a policy, booking confirmation or authorised communication conflicts with general AI-generated information, the applicable confirmed operational record will take precedence.
Policy Review
TerraCelest may review and update this policy when there are material changes to its AI systems, customer-care processes, privacy requirements, technology providers, legislation or business operations.
The latest version published through an official TerraCelest channel will identify the applicable update date.
Core AI Customer Care Rule
TerraCelest's AI customer-care assistant exists to assist customers, not to replace appropriate human judgement, formal TerraCelest decisions or legally protected customer rights.