Terms, refunds & privacy

01Terms and conditions

What 4flieks is

4flieks is an online platform where African filmmakers release their films directly to viewers. You can watch a trailer free, rent a film for a limited period, or buy permanent access to it. You can also buy a film as a gift for someone else.

Films are streamed only. We do not provide downloadable copies, and no part of the service gives you the right to keep, copy or store a film outside the platform.

Your account

• You need an account to buy or watch anything beyond free trailers.
• You must give accurate details and keep your password to yourself.
• Your account is for you alone. Sharing your login lets other people watch films you paid for, and we may suspend an account that is clearly being shared.
• You must be 18 or older to buy, or have permission from a parent or guardian.

What you are buying

When you pay, you are buying a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to watch a film on this platform. You are not buying the film itself or any rights in it.

What you may not do

• Record, capture, copy, download or re-transmit any film.
• Show a film publicly, or to an audience outside your household, without written permission from the rights holder.
• Share your account, or sell, resell or transfer access you have bought.
• Try to get around any technical restriction, or access films you have not paid for.

These are not small print. Filmmakers put years into this work, and the platform only exists because their films are protected.

Prices and payment

• All prices are in South African Rand.
• All prices shown include VAT at 15%. DiscovrTV (Pty) Ltd is a registered VAT vendor, VAT number 4620301954, and a tax invoice is available on request.
• Payments are processed by Yoco. We do not see or store your card details.
• Prices can change, but never for something you have already bought.

How long films stay available

Films are here because filmmakers choose to release them here. A filmmaker may withdraw a film, or a licence may end. If a film you own permanent access to is withdrawn, we will give you at least 30 days' notice by email where we can, and you may ask for a refund under the policy below.

For filmmakers

• You keep the copyright in your film. You give us permission to stream it, and to use its title, poster, trailer and cast details to promote it.
• You confirm you have all the rights needed — including music, footage and cast clearances — and that the film does not infringe anyone else's rights.
• You receive 70% of net revenue from rentals, purchases and gifts of your film. We keep 30% for hosting, payment processing and running the platform.
• Payouts are made monthly, in arrears, once your balance passes [R500].
• Either of us may end the arrangement with 30 days' notice. Access already bought by viewers continues to be honoured.

Things we cannot promise

We work to keep the service running and the films playing, but we cannot guarantee it will always be available or uninterrupted. Playback also depends on your device and your internet connection, which are outside our control.

Nothing in these terms limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 or other South African law that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Ending your account

You can close your account at any time by emailing us. We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms — for instance by sharing logins or copying films. If we close your account for a reason that is not your fault, we will refund access you have paid for and not yet used.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa, and the South African courts have jurisdiction.

02Refund and cancellation policy

Digital content is difficult to return once it has been watched, so this policy is built around one simple test: have you started watching? Our system records the first time a film is played, so this is a matter of record rather than argument.

When we will refund you in full

• You have not started watching. Ask within 7 days of buying and we will refund you in full, no reason needed. For rentals this means you have not pressed play; for purchases it means the film has never been opened.
• The film will not play. If there is a technical fault on our side and we cannot fix it within 48 hours of you telling us, we will refund you in full — whether or not you started watching.
• You were charged twice for the same thing.
• You bought the wrong film and have not watched it.
• A film you bought permanent access to is withdrawn from the platform within 12 months of your purchase.

When we cannot refund you

• You have watched the film. Once a rental clock has started or a purchased film has been played, the content has been supplied and we cannot take it back. This is the digital equivalent of having seen the film.
• You did not enjoy it. Taste is not a fault. Every film has a free trailer so you can judge before paying.
• Your rental ran out. The 48 hours begin when you press play, and we tell you this before you buy.
• A gift code has already been redeemed. Once someone has used it, the film has been supplied to them.
• Your device or connection could not play it, where the fault is not on our side. Tell us anyway — we would rather help you get it working.

Cancelling

4flieks has no subscription and no recurring charges. Every payment is a one-off, so there is nothing to cancel. You can stop using the service or close your account at any time, and you keep access to anything you have already bought until it expires.

How to ask for a refund

Email support@4flieks.com with:

• The email address on your account
• The film's name
• Roughly when you bought it
• What went wrong

We aim to reply within 2 business days. Approved refunds are paid back to the card or account you paid with, usually within 5 to 10 business days depending on your bank. We do not charge a fee for refunding you.

If you disagree with our decision

Tell us and we will look again. You can also raise it with the National Consumer Commission. We would much rather sort it out directly, and in practice we usually do.

03Privacy notice

This explains what personal information we collect and what we do with it, as required by the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

What we collect

• Your account details — name and email address.
• What you have bought — which films, when, and how much you paid.
• How you found us — if you arrived through a cast member's link, we record which one, so they can be paid for the sale.
• Basic usage — which films are viewed and when, so filmmakers can see how their work is doing.

We do not receive or store your card details. Those go directly to Yoco, who are PCI-DSS compliant.

Why we have it

• To give you access to what you paid for
• To pay filmmakers and cast members what they are owed
• To answer your questions and handle refunds
• To tell you about films, if you asked us to
• To meet our tax and accounting obligations

Who else sees it

• Yoco — to take payment.
• Google Firebase — where our accounts and records are stored.
• Filmmakers — see totals and trends about their own films, not your name or email.
• Cast members — see how many people bought through their link, not who those people are.

We do not sell your information to anyone.

Your rights

You can ask us what we hold about you, correct it, or ask us to delete it. Email privacy@4flieks.com. We may need to keep transaction records for the period tax law requires, even after you close your account.

Cookies and storage

We store a small amount of data in your browser to keep you signed in and to remember which cast member's link brought you to a film, for 30 days. We do not use advertising trackers.

04How to reach us