Terms of Use

1. Who we are

Bowie Local (“we”, “us”) runs this website, a directory of businesses in Bowie, Maryland (ZIP codes 20715, 20716, 20720 and 20721). Bowie Local is run by [legal name: add it in Site Settings]. By using the site you agree to these terms. If you don’t agree, please don’t use it.

2. Your account

You need an account to write a review, ask a question, or manage a business. You can sign in with Google or with a link we email you.

• You must be at least 18 to create an account.
• Use your own email address, and keep access to it secure. You’re responsible for what’s posted from your account.
• One person per account. Don’t create accounts to get around limits or bans.

3. Business listings

Some listings were created by us from open map data published by the Overture Maps Foundation, so residents can find them. These are marked “Unclaimed” until the owner claims them.

• Only the owner or an authorized manager may claim or add a business. We confirm this with a code sent to the business phone, or by checking documents you send us.
• A business must be lawful and have a mailing address in 20715, 20716, 20720 or 20721.
• Keep your listing accurate. Changes to a business name or address are checked by us before they show.
• We may edit a listing to fix obvious errors or formatting, and we may remove listings that break these terms or that we can’t verify.
• By adding details and photos, you confirm you have the right to use them and give us permission to show them on Bowie Local and in links to it.

4. Verified plans and payment

Verified is an optional paid plan for business owners.

• Price. $29 a month or $290 a year. The first 25 businesses to join pay a founding price of $19 a month, which stays the same for as long as the subscription stays active.
• Billing. Plans renew automatically until you cancel. Payments are handled by our payment provider; we never see or store your full card number.
• Cancelling. Cancel any time from your dashboard. Your paid features stay on until the end of the period you’ve paid for, then your listing goes back to the free plan. We don’t give partial refunds.
• Founding price. If a founding subscription ends, the founding price ends with it.
• Price changes. We’ll email you at least 30 days before any price change to a plan you’re on.

5. Reviews, questions and other content

You own what you post. By posting it, you give Bowie Local a non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to show, store, and share it on the site and in links to the site, for as long as it’s up.

Reviews and questions must follow our Review Guidelines. Businesses can reply publicly. We may remove content that breaks these terms or the guidelines, and we’re not required to keep any content up.

6. What’s not allowed

• Fake reviews, reviews of your own business or a competitor’s, or reviews you were paid or rewarded for.
• False or misleading business information.
• Harassment, threats, hate speech, or sharing someone’s private information.
• Spam, scraping the site in bulk, or trying to break or overload it.
• Anything illegal, or content you don’t have the right to post.

7. What the Verified badge means

The Verified badge means we checked that the business is registered with the State of Maryland and that we could reach it on its listed phone number. It doesn’t mean we recommend the business, checked its licenses or insurance, or guarantee its work. Verified businesses are listed ahead of free listings in their category, and that’s shown on the page.

8. Disclaimers and limits

Bowie Local is a directory. We don’t provide the services listed, and any deal you make with a business is between you and that business. Reviews are the opinions of the people who wrote them, not ours.

The site is provided “as is”. To the extent the law allows, we aren’t liable for indirect or consequential losses, and our total liability to you is limited to the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or $100 if you haven’t paid us anything.

9. Ending your account

You can close your account any time by emailing us. We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms. If we close a paid account for breaking these terms, we don’t refund the current period.

10. Changes and contact

We may update these terms. If a change matters, we’ll say so on the site or by email before it takes effect. These terms are governed by the laws of Maryland.

Questions: info@localbowie.com