Policies

This Privacy Policy explains how SOLA (“SOLA”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, stores, shares, and otherwise processes personal data when you visit our website, create a salon account, apply for verification, book a review visit, pay fees, subscribe, appear on the SOLA Beauty app (the public directory of Verified salons, sometimes called the SOLA Guide), appear in a salon article on the SOLA journal, or use the Marketing Directory as a Salon or as a Provider. SOLA is operated by its parent company, EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L, CR 197621-1. It is written for salon owners, authorised salon contacts, and Marketing Directory Providers in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and is intended to meet the transparency duties in Law No. 30 of 2018 with respect to the Protection of Personal Data (the “PDPL”).

Please read this Policy together with our Terms and Conditions and Refund Policy. Creating an account requires you to tick a checkbox confirming that you have read and agree to all three. That checkbox is our record of your written, specific consent under the PDPL, in addition to other lawful grounds described below. Providers who accept the Marketing Directory terms, and Salons who request a package, also rely on the Marketing Directory sections of this Policy.

No privacy notice can prevent every disagreement. What this Policy does is describe our real practices in plain language, set the limits of what we collect and why, and explain which records we must keep if a payment, visit, grade, listing, or Directory introduction is later disputed. If anything here does not match how you understood the service, do not create an account until you have asked us.

1. Who we are

SOLA is a salon verification service operating in the Kingdom of Bahrain. We run the SOLA website, salon dashboard, application and booking pipelines, expert review process, and the SOLA Beauty app listing of SOLA Verified salons.

SOLA is operated by its parent company, EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L, CR 197621-1. That company is the data controller of personal data processed to operate these services. The visiting expert reviewer and authorised SOLA staff process salon information on our instructions in order to shortlist, visit, grade, and list salons.

• Legal name: EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L
• Commercial Registration (CR): 197621-1
• Privacy and data requests: hello@emberinnovations.dev
• Website and salon platform: the SOLA site you are using (including /policies, /signup, /login, and /dashboard)
• Service territory: Kingdom of Bahrain

2. Who and what this Policy covers

This Policy covers personal data about identifiable individuals — typically the salon owner, authorised contact, and anyone whose details or image you submit. Business facts (salon name, CR number, status in our pipeline) are processed together with that personal data because they sit on the same account.

• Salon owners and staff who create or use a SOLA account
• People whose names, phone numbers, emails, or photographs appear in documents or images you upload
• Visitors to the public website (limited technical data only)
• SOLA Verified salons whose listing details are prepared for the SOLA Guide
• Marketing Directory Providers (agencies and freelancers) and Salons who request packages through the Directory

This Policy does not make SOLA the employer or data controller of your staff or clients. If you upload a staff list, a price list with employee names, or photographs in which staff or clients can be recognised, you must already have a lawful right to share that material with us. You remain responsible for that content.

3. Why we need this data — the SOLA process

SOLA is not an open directory. A salon moves through a defined pipeline. We process data only as needed for the stage you are in, and we keep a verification archive so later stages (and later years) are not a blank slate.

• Account creation (Registered). You give owner/contact name, salon name, city or area, email, your contact number, the salon contact number, CR document, price list, logo, and a password. We use these to create the account, confirm the business exists, and hold Guide listing assets for later.
• Application window (Applied). When an intake is open you add a Google Maps link, Instagram handle, and salon photographs. We use these to assess the application.
• Shortlisting. SOLA staff decide whether you are shortlisted. That decision is human, capacity-limited, and discretionary — not an automated credit or reliability score. If you are not shortlisted you return to Registered, keep your account, and we email you when a later window opens.
• Pay for the visit. Shortlisted salons pay for their Expert Evaluation during an admin-set payment window, agree the Refund Policy, and pay. You do not choose a date or time. After payment the expert visits unannounced within that window’s day-count. A paid visit is not cancellable or refundable, and there is no reschedule.
• Visit and report. Admin marks the visit completed after the expert’s on-site form is received. Your dashboard then shows that the report is being prepared. The expert’s written report and star grade are uploaded. Every reviewed salon receives the report. Four or five stars is Accepted; one to three stars is Not Accepted. Not Accepted is not a dead end: you may re-apply in a later window, and if you are shortlisted again you can see past grading history.
• Subscribe and SOLA Verified. Accepted salons may subscribe. SOLA Verified requires both Accepted standing and an active membership, and lasts one year. We then use your phone, price list, and logo to prepare the Guide listing and related membership materials (including plaque fulfilment).
• Annual cycle. Verification is never permanent. During the year, cancelling or a failed payment pauses the badge and listing immediately. Resubscribing before the one-year mark restores the same year clock with no new review. If the one-year mark arrives while lapsed — or if you stay subscribed to term — you are auto-shortlisted for re-review (unless you opt out in Settings). Re-review follows the same Pay → Mystery visit → Report → Accept / Not Accept → Subscribe path. Renewals reuse the same SOLA Beauty guide profile (hidden until you subscribe again); no new password is issued.

3A. Consultation — a separate service

Consultation is a side service. It is not an application for verification, it does not shortlist or grade the salon, and it does not make the salon SOLA Verified. Sending the enquiry is your agreement to this Privacy Policy, the Terms, and the Refund Policy, including that a consultation fee is not refundable.

From the enquiry we store the contact name, role (owner, manager, or other), salon name, email, phone, area in Bahrain, Instagram handle if you give one, what you want help with, the time you agreed, and the status of the consultation. If you do not already have an account, we create one and keep login closed until you open the invite we send. If the email already belongs to a salon account, we attach the consultation to that account.

If you proceed after the introduction, we email you a payment link. We do not take that fee in the verification checkout. Deliverables are sent to the email on the enquiry. They are not uploaded to the public website, the journal, the SOLA Beauty app, or the verification report. We may keep a private copy. That copy, the enquiry, and our working notes can be opened only by the consultant assigned to you and by authorised SOLA administrators. We may use the phone number on the enquiry to call or message you about the consultation and for further details.

4. What we collect

We collect the following categories. Fields marked as required at signup or application are mandatory. If you do not provide them we cannot create the account, accept the application, or complete the relevant stage.

Identity and contact. Owner or contact name; email address; salon phone / listing phone; login credentials (your password is stored hashed by our authentication provider — we do not keep it in plain text); one-time login codes (stored hashed, short-lived); trusted-device tokens (stored hashed).

Salon and business. Salon name; city or area; Commercial Registration number; CR document (PDF or image); Google Maps URL; Instagram handle; pipeline status (for example Registered, Applied, Shortlisted, Not shortlisted, Visit pending, Under review, Accepted, SOLA Verified, Not accepted); notes added by SOLA staff on an application.

Files you upload. CR document; price list; salon logo; salon photographs (at least three at application). Files are stored in private storage, not on a public website folder.

Visit, grading, and membership. Review type (Expert Evaluation); whether the review fee is paid; payment-window snapshot and visit-within day-count; visit-completed timestamp (set by admin, not a public visit date); visit history; written expert reports (PDF) and star grades; verification start and expiry dates; whether listing is paused; whether you declined re-verification; Guide listing preparation status; encrypted one-time SOLA Beauty temporary password for first-time 4★+ salons until it is emailed and purged on subscribe.

Payments. We do not store card numbers, CVV, or full payment-account credentials. We store operational references needed to match a payment to your salon: Telr agreement, order, and transaction references, transaction fulfilment state, membership status (none, active, past due, canceled, or complimentary/legacy), scheduled cancellation date, the period already paid through, and an order reference we generate for emails. Telr, as our payment gateway, collects payment details on its hosted payment page under its own privacy notice.

Communications. Emails we send you (welcome, window open, application received, shortlisted or not shortlisted, payment confirmed, visit completed, report ready, membership confirmed, SOLA Beauty temporary password, badge paused, membership restored, renewal reminder, auto-shortlisted, removed from shortlist, payment window open, inactivity reminders while you still need to apply, pay, or subscribe, 48-hour window-closing notices, listing-paused restore reminders, login codes, password reset). We also send a WhatsApp Utility message for selected dashboard updates (application window open for Registered salons, first-time shortlist, not shortlisted, report ready, guide profile live, verification year ended, and payment/visit window open for auto-shortlisted re-review). Marketing Directory Providers receive operational emails when a salon requests a package, and reminder emails if a request is not marked contacted. We also send operational notices to SOLA administrators (for example a new application, a paid review, or unpaid shortlisted salons when a payment window is about to close) so the team can run the pipeline. We keep a send log so inactivity reminders are capped and closing notices are not repeated.

Security and technical data. Authentication session cookies; OTP-gate and trusted-device cookies; hashed device/session tokens; timestamps; and server or hosting logs that may include IP address, browser type, requested URL, and time of request. These are used to keep accounts secure, prevent abuse, and debug faults. We do not currently run advertising pixels, social-media tracking plugins, or third-party analytics products on the SOLA site.

Account timeline. A history of operational events on your salon (for example application submitted, payment fulfilled, report uploaded) so you and SOLA staff can see what happened and when.

We do not ask for sensitive personal data as defined in the PDPL (for example race, religion, health, or criminal record). Do not upload such data. A CR document or salon photograph should not include national ID copies, passports, or health information. If you upload them anyway, we may delete those files and still keep the rest of the verification record.

5. How we collect it

• Directly from you: signup, onboarding if signup files did not finish, application form, booking and payment, Settings (password, membership, re-verification opt-out), and emails or messages you send us.
• From our systems as you use them: status changes, visit records, login and security events, email-send records.
• From SOLA staff and the expert reviewer: shortlisting outcome, visit attendance, written report, star grade, Guide listing preparation, admin notes.
• From Telr: payment success, agreement and order references, and transaction references needed to keep membership in sync.
• Automatically: cookies and hosting logs as described in the cookies section.

6. Why we process it (purposes and lawful grounds)

Under the PDPL, we process personal data with your consent and/or because processing is necessary to perform the verification contract you ask us to enter, to take steps at your request before that contract, to comply with law, or to pursue legitimate interests that do not override your rights. In practice:

• Create and secure your account; send login codes and password-reset mail; remember a trusted browser — consent, contract, and legitimate interests (security).
• Verify that the salon is a real Bahrain business (CR number and CR document) — contract and legitimate interests (integrity of the SOLA Standard).
• Run application windows, shortlisting, booking, visits, reports, and grading — contract and consent.
• Take review fees and memberships, match payments to salons, pause or restore membership — contract, and our payment processor’s handling of payment data under its terms.
• Prepare and publish a Guide listing after you are SOLA Verified; pause or remove it when membership lapses — contract and legitimate interests (clients must see current standing only).
• Email you about windows, bookings, reports, renewals, and account security — contract. These are service messages, not advertising. Selected dashboard updates are also sent by WhatsApp Utility template. You cannot opt out of security and booking emails while you have an account, because the pipeline cannot run without them.
• Keep a verification archive (applications, visits, reports, grades, payment references, status history) so re-applications, re-verification, refund disputes, and claims about “what SOLA said” can be answered with records — legitimate interests and legal claims.
• Improve operations (for example seeing that a slot was held and then paid) — legitimate interests. We do not sell personal data and we do not use it for third-party advertising.
• Comply with accounting, tax, law-enforcement, or PDPA requests — legal obligation.

You may withdraw consent by emailing us or closing the account. Withdrawal does not undo processing that already happened, and it does not require us to delete records we still need for the contract, security, accounting, or to defend a dispute (see retention and your rights below).

7. Who we share data with

We do not sell your personal data. We do not rent our salon list. We share data only with people and providers who need it to run SOLA, or where the law requires it.

• SOLA staff and authorised administrators — to review applications (including exported PDFs with salon details and photograph links), book visits, upload reports, and manage membership.
• The expert reviewer and authorised review team — to prepare and carry out the unannounced on-site visit and write the report. They see the salon profile, application materials, and address/map link. They do not receive a visit date chosen by the salon.
• Google — used for notes taken during the on-site review. Google handles that information under its own privacy notice.
• Hosting and application platform (currently Vercel) — to serve the website and dashboard.
• Database, authentication, and file storage (currently Supabase) — accounts, salon records, private files (CR, photos, reports, Guide assets), and security tokens.
• Email delivery (currently Resend) — transactional and security emails to you and operational emails to SOLA administrators.
• WhatsApp Cloud API (currently Meta) — operational Utility templates to salons for selected dashboard updates. Meta receives the salon WhatsApp number required to deliver the message.
• Payments (currently Telr) — hosted checkout, memberships, and payment fraud checks. Telr receives the email you use at checkout and any billing details you enter on Telr’s payment page. Card data is handled by Telr, not stored in SOLA’s database.
• Guide / plaque fulfilment — once you are SOLA Verified, listing assets (name, area, phone, logo, price list, verification standing) are used to prepare the public Guide profile and membership materials. Only current SOLA Verified standing is presented as live; a pause or lapse removes or pauses public listing.
• Professional advisers (lawyers, accountants) and insurers — if needed to handle a claim or audit, under confidentiality.
• Authorities — if required by Bahrain law, a court, public prosecution, or the Personal Data Protection Authority.

Those providers act on our instructions or as independent controllers of the data they must process to provide their service (especially Telr for payments). We require them to protect the data. Their own privacy notices also apply when you use their checkout or infrastructure:

• Telr — https://telr.com/privacy-policy
• Supabase — https://supabase.com/privacy
• Vercel — https://vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy
• Resend — https://resend.com/legal/privacy
• Meta / WhatsApp — https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy and https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea
• Google — https://policies.google.com/privacy

8. Storage location and transfers outside Bahrain

SOLA is operated for Bahrain salons, but the website, database, files, email, WhatsApp delivery, and payment systems are cloud services. That means personal data is transferred to, stored in, or accessed from countries outside the Kingdom of Bahrain (commonly including the United States, the United Kingdom, and European Economic Area countries, depending on the provider’s region).

Bahrain Resolution No. 42 of 2022 lists countries treated as providing adequate protection. Several of the countries in which our providers operate appear on that list (including the United States, the United Kingdom, and EU member states). By creating an account, applying, uploading files, or paying, you expressly consent to this transfer and processing so we can provide the service. If you do not accept that transfer, do not use SOLA — the platform cannot run on Bahrain-only servers at this time.

We take contractual and technical steps with providers (access control, encryption in transit, private file buckets, hashed secrets). We do not transfer your data to random third countries for marketing.

9. What becomes public on the SOLA Beauty app

The dashboard is private. Your CR document, full application photos, expert report, and grade are not published on the public marketing website.

If you become SOLA Verified, we use the listing assets you submitted at signup — salon name, city or area, listing phone, logo, and price list — plus the fact that you are SOLA Verified for the current year, to prepare your profile on the SOLA Beauty app (sometimes called the SOLA Guide). That profile is meant to be seen by the public. A paid membership is what keeps it live. Do not submit a phone number, logo, or price list you are not willing to have used for that purpose after you are Verified.

If membership payment fails or you cancel, the badge and listing are paused immediately. If you resubscribe before the one-year mark, listing can be restored on the same clock. When the year ends without a completed re-verification, Verified standing ends and public listing is not kept live. Past private reports remain on your account as described below.

A salon review and an owner spotlight on the public journal (/blog) are part of an active SOLA Verified membership, in the same way as the SOLA Beauty app profile. They are published only after you subscribe. The review is written from your expert report. The spotlight is written from the interview answers you submit. While the membership is active, those articles can be read by anyone on the website, so your salon name, and whatever you wrote in the interview, become public. If the membership is paused or ends, every article tied to your salon is taken off the website. We do not delete the article or the interview. If you subscribe again, the same article can be shown again. You cannot ask us to edit it. Journal articles that are not tied to a salon are not affected.

9A. Marketing Directory

The Marketing Directory is a benefit for eligible SOLA Verified salons. It lets salons request packages from independent third-party marketing agencies and freelancers (“Providers”) who list their own services on SOLA. This section explains what we collect for that feature and what Salon contact details we disclose to a Provider, and when.

What we collect from Providers. Business or agency name, location (where based), logo, listed packages, pricing, and discount percentages; and account contact details for the Provider’s own dashboard access. Membership and payment references (payment partner customer and membership identifiers, membership status, and billing dates); request status history (Contacted, In Discussion, Completed); and a log of the notification emails we send you. Card details are collected by our payment partner and are not stored by SOLA.

What we disclose to a Provider, and when. When a Salon requests a Provider’s package through the Marketing Directory, we disclose to that Provider: the Salon’s name, phone number, email address, owner name, salon location, and Instagram handle, so the Provider can follow up. These details are shared with the Provider as soon as the Salon submits the request, provided the Provider has an active membership. Providers do not pay per request to see them.

Lawful basis. A Salon’s submission of a request through the Marketing Directory constitutes its consent to this specific disclosure, in addition to performance of the SOLA Partners Membership contract, of which the Marketing Directory is a benefit.

Once disclosed, the Provider is an independent controller. SOLA’s responsibility for a Salon’s contact information ends at the point of disclosure. What a Provider subsequently does with that information — how they store it, contact the Salon, or use it for their own purposes — is governed by the Provider’s own privacy practices, not SOLA’s. Salons should be aware of this before submitting a request.

Providers as data subjects. A Provider’s own business and account information is handled under the same principles as any other business user of the platform, as set out elsewhere in this Policy.

Retention. We keep Provider account, listing, membership, and request records while the account is active and for at least five (5) years afterwards. This allows us to handle billing questions, disputes between Salons and Providers, and suspension decisions.

10. Cookies and similar technology

We use cookies and similar storage that are required to run the service. We do not use them to advertise SOLA or anyone else across the web.

• Authentication cookies set by our auth provider (Supabase) — keep you signed in. These are essential. Duration follows the auth session.
• sola_otp_ok — after a successful email login code, this httpOnly cookie proves this browser passed the extra login step. It lasts 12 hours. Admins always use this step; salons use it unless the device is trusted.
• sola_trusted_device — optional, salon accounts only. If you trust the browser, a hashed token is stored for up to 30 days so you can skip the email code on that browser (up to a small number of devices). Logging out does not always delete this cookie, so that the next login on the same browser can skip the code. Do not tick trust on a shared or public computer.
• Browser local storage — a flag so we do not repeatedly show the “you are SOLA Verified” welcome message. This stays on your device and is not sent to us as a tracking ID.
• Telr checkout — when you pay, Telr may set its own cookies on its hosted payment page to process the payment and prevent fraud. Those cookies are governed by Telr.

You can delete cookies in your browser. If you delete essential cookies you will need to log in and complete the email code again. The site does not offer a non-account “cookie settings” panel because we are not running optional advertising cookies.

11. How long we keep data

We keep data only as long as needed for the purpose, then delete or irreversibly restrict it unless a longer legal or dispute period applies. In outline:

• Account profile and salon record — for as long as the account exists, and then as part of the verification archive below.
• Login codes — hashed, expire after about 10 minutes, and are removed after use or expiry.
• OTP sessions — until the 12-hour gate expires or you log out.
• Trusted devices — up to 30 days, or earlier if the token is revoked or expired.
• Hosting and security logs — typically a short operational period set by the host (often weeks, not years), unless an incident requires a longer hold.
• Telr payment event IDs — so the same payment is not applied twice; kept as an operational log.
• Verification archive — applications, photographs, CR documents, visit dates and tiers, payment and membership references, reports, grades, status history, re-verification opt-out, and related emails. We keep this for the life of the programme and for at least five (5) years after your last application, visit, payment, or status change, whichever is later. We do this because SOLA standing is a public claim, fees are non-refundable, Not Accepted salons may re-apply with past grades visible, and both sides may need evidence if there is a complaint about shortlisting, the visit, the report, the Guide listing, or a charge.

If you ask us to delete your account, we will close login access and stop using your data for new applications, bookings, emails (other than a confirmation), and Guide listing. We will not erase the verification archive where we still need it to prove what happened, to meet accounting or legal duties, or to prevent someone recreating an account to dispute a past grade or fee. Public listing is removed or paused when you are not SOLA Verified.

12. How we protect data

• Passwords, login codes, and trusted-device tokens are stored hashed, not in recoverable plain text.
• CR documents, photographs, reports, logos, and price lists sit in private storage. Access is limited to the salon owner (own files) and authorised SOLA administrators, using signed links rather than public URLs.
• Database access is restricted with role-based rules so a salon account cannot read another salon’s records.
• The site is served over HTTPS in production.
• Payment card data is collected by Telr on its hosted payment page, not typed into SOLA’s own forms.

No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to a verification platform that holds CR documents and reports. We do not warrant that unauthorised access is impossible. If we become aware of a breach that is likely to affect your personal data, we will notify you and, where required, the Personal Data Protection Authority, in line with applicable law.

13. Your rights under Bahrain law

If we process your personal data, you may, with proof of identity, email hello@emberinnovations.dev and ask us to:

• Tell you whether we process personal data about you, and provide a copy of the data, its source, purposes, and categories of recipients (PDPL Article 18 — we aim to respond within 15 working days).
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data (you can also update password and some account settings yourself).
• Object to processing for direct marketing (we do not currently send promotional marketing; operational pipeline emails are not marketing). If we ever send marketing, we will honour an objection within 10 working days.
• Object to processing that causes unwarranted substantial damage, where the PDPL allows.
• Request rectification, blocking, or erasure where processing is unlawful, inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated (PDPL Article 23 — we aim to respond within 10 working days, with a lawful justification if we cannot fully comply).
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, without affecting earlier lawful processing.
• Ask that a decision about you is not based solely on automated processing of the PDPL Article 22 type. Shortlisting, grading, and SOLA Verified standing are human decisions by SOLA staff and the expert reviewer, not a machine-only score.

We may refuse or limit erasure or blocking where we have a legally acceptable justification. That includes: the data is still needed to perform the verification contract; to show a visit was booked and paid; to show a report and grade were issued; to keep Guide listing accurate; to satisfy tax or accounting rules; to investigate abuse; or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims (including arguments about refunds, which our Refund Policy states are not available for review fees). Blocking, if granted, means we stop using the data except with your consent, for evidence, or to protect third-party rights.

These rights belong to the individual (for example the owner whose name and email we hold). A salon cannot use a privacy request to rewrite an expert grade or to force a refund. Grades and visit outcomes are professional records of the review, not a preference setting.

14. Your responsibility for what you upload and link

You must make sure that CR documents, photographs, logos, price lists, Google Maps links, and Instagram handles are accurate, that you have the right to give them to us, and that they do not unlawfully include someone else’s personal data. In particular:

• Do not upload client photographs unless every identifiable person has agreed to that use.
• If staff appear in salon photographs, you must have a lawful basis under Bahrain law to share those images with SOLA for verification.
• Do not upload another person’s identity document.
• Google Maps and Instagram are third-party sites. We store the links you provide; their privacy rules apply when you or we open those links.

If a third party complains that you uploaded their data without permission, we may remove the file, pause the application, and give the complainant our account of what we hold. You agree that SOLA may do so to comply with the PDPL and to limit harm.

15. Children and legal capacity

SOLA accounts are for salon businesses. They are not for children. Consent under the PDPL must come from a person with full legal capacity (or their lawful guardian). Do not create an account for anyone who cannot validly contract. We will close an account if we learn it was opened without capacity.

16. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy when the product, providers, or the law changes. The date at the top of this section is the current version. The latest text will always be at /policies#privacy. Material changes will be posted there. Where the law requires, we will also email the address on the account. Continuing to use SOLA after the updated date, or ticking agreement again at signup or payment, means you accept the updated Policy. If you do not agree, stop using the service and contact us to close the account.

17. Complaints and governing law

Please contact us first at hello@emberinnovations.dev so we can try to fix the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Personal Data Protection Authority at the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Waqf in the Kingdom of Bahrain if you believe we have breached the PDPL.

This Policy is governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Courts of the Kingdom of Bahrain have jurisdiction over disputes arising out of this Policy, without limiting any mandatory right you have to complain to the Authority.

18. How to contact us

Email hello@emberinnovations.dev with the subject line “Privacy request”, your salon name, and the email on the account. We may ask for extra identification before we release or change data, so we do not disclose a salon’s file to the wrong person.

These Terms and Conditions (the “Terms”) govern your use of the SOLA website, salon dashboard, application and booking pipelines, expert review, written reports, grading, membership, the SOLA journal, the SOLA Guide, and the Marketing Directory. They are a contract between you (the salon owner, authorised contact, or Marketing Directory Provider) and EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L, CR 197621-1, the parent company of SOLA.

By creating an account, ticking the policy checkbox, submitting an application, booking a visit, paying a fee, using the dashboard, accepting Provider terms, or requesting a package through the Marketing Directory, you agree to these Terms, the Privacy Policy, and the Refund Policy. If you do not agree, do not use SOLA.

These Terms are written so that the process, the grade, and the limits of what SOLA promises are clear before you pay. A contract cannot stop every argument, but it can state — in advance — that shortlisting, the visit, the star grade, and SOLA Verified standing are professional, discretionary decisions, not a product you can return because you disagree with the result. The Marketing Directory is an introduction service only; SOLA is not a party to Salon–Provider engagements.

1. Who we are and what SOLA is

SOLA is a salon verification service operating in the Kingdom of Bahrain. SOLA is operated by its parent company, EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L, CR 197621-1. We run a curated cycle: salons apply in open windows, some are shortlisted for an on-site expert review, every reviewed salon receives a written report and star grade against the SOLA Standard, and salons that score 4 or 5 stars may subscribe to become SOLA Verified for one year.

SOLA is not an open marketplace, not a consumer review site, not a government licence, not a hygiene inspectorate, and not a guarantee of future clients, revenue, or Google or Instagram ratings. A SOLA grade is an independent professional assessment of the salon as observed on the visit, against the SOLA Standard. It is not a negotiation, a paid ranking, or a certificate that the salon is “perfect”.

• Legal name: EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L
• Commercial Registration (CR): 197621-1
• Questions about these Terms: hello@emberinnovations.dev
• Related documents: Privacy Policy and Refund Policy on this page, and The SOLA Standard at /the-sola-standard. Marketing Directory rules are in section 13 of these Terms and section 9A of the Privacy Policy.

2. Accounts and your responsibilities

Accounts are for legitimate salon businesses in Bahrain. You must be authorised to bind the salon and must give accurate owner, contact, and CR information. One salon account per owner record. You are responsible for keeping login details confidential, for everyone who uses the account, and for all activity under it.

• Do not create an account with false CR details, another salon’s identity, or documents you do not have the right to use.
• Keep your email current — pipeline notices (windows, shortlisting, booking, report ready) go there.
• SOLA may suspend or close accounts that misuse the platform, submit false information, abuse staff or the reviewer, or try to game shortlisting or grading.

3. The verification pipeline

You enter as Registered when the account is created. When an application window is open you may apply. SOLA then shortlists, or does not. Shortlisted salons may pay for their Expert Evaluation visit. After the visit, SOLA uploads a written report and a star grade. Four or five stars is Accepted. One, two, or three stars is Not Accepted. Accepted salons may subscribe. SOLA Verified requires both Accepted standing and an active membership, and lasts one year, after which re-verification applies. Full annual pause, restore, auto-shortlist, and opt-out rules are described in section 10 and match the product.

Nothing in the pipeline is a promise that you will be shortlisted, visited, Accepted, or listed. Capacity is limited. Windows open and close on dates SOLA sets.

4. Shortlisting is discretionary

Shortlisting is a human decision by SOLA staff. It is not automatic, not first-come-first-served, and not a right that follows from paying later or from having applied before. SOLA may consider application materials, photographs, capacity in the visit window, location mix, prior history, and operational judgment. SOLA does not have to give a written reason for not shortlisting, beyond the notice that you were not selected for that window.

If you are not shortlisted you remain Registered, keep your account, and may apply again when a later window opens. Not being shortlisted is not a grade, not a finding that the salon failed the Standard, and not a basis for a refund (no review fee has been taken at that stage).

5. Booking, payment, and the visit

Only shortlisted salons can pay during an open payment window. You pay for the Expert Evaluation, agree the Refund Policy, and complete payment. You never choose a date or time. After payment the expert visits unannounced within the window’s configured day-count. Review fees are one-time for that visit; they are not a membership and they do not purchase SOLA Verified standing.

• You may not reschedule. There is no visit date or time to move.
• You may not cancel a paid visit for a refund. If the salon is closed, refuses the visit, or is unprepared, the visit may still be treated as completed and the fee remains earned.

On the visit, the expert reviewer and any authorised team member may observe the floor, stations, hygiene practice, management, environment, technical work, and client-facing service, and may speak with staff as reasonably needed. You must present the salon as it actually operates. Concealing areas, sending staff home, or staging a show that does not reflect ordinary operation may be taken into account in the grade and may be treated as misuse of the process.

The grade is based on what could reasonably be observed on that visit. It is a snapshot of that day and those conditions — not a lifetime average, not a review of your marketing, and not a score of how much you paid.

6. The SOLA Standard

Reviews are assessed against the SOLA Standard. The public summary of the five pillars is on /the-sola-standard. Those pillars are:

• Hygiene and Safety — sanitation systems, tool sterilisation, station discipline, and habits that protect every client visit.
• Consultation — how the salon listens, assesses, and agrees the work before it starts.
• Team and Professionalism — floor leadership, conduct, training, and the composure of the team.
• Client Experience & Salon Image — atmosphere, presentation, timing, finishing, and the composed experience clients remember.
• Brand, Trend & Digital Presence — identity, current work, and whether the digital profile matches the floor.

The website page is a summary so you know the standard before you apply or pay. Each visit report restates the criteria applied to that visit. SOLA may refine how pillars are described or weighted in reports over time; that does not give you a right to have a past grade rewritten.

7. The written report — criteria explained

Every reviewed salon receives a written report on the private dashboard, whether the outcome is Accepted or Not Accepted. Each report will set out the criteria / SOLA Standard pillars applied to that visit, so the standard being measured is clear. The star grade remains the reviewer’s professional opinion of that visit against those criteria. SOLA does not undertake to write a narrative justification of why a particular star was chosen.

You agree that delivery of the report with the criteria explained is a full and sufficient account of the standard applied. SOLA is not obliged to hold a meeting, a phone hearing, a second visit, a “re-mark”, or a further written defence of the same visit. Questions of clarification (for example how to open the PDF) are operational. Arguments that the grade is “too low”, “unfair”, “inconsistent with our reputation”, or “not what we expected” are not a defect in the service.

Reports and grades are professional records. Past reports stay on the account. If you are shortlisted in a later window, you may see prior grading history. A new visit produces a new report; it does not erase the fact of the earlier one.

8. Star grades are final professional opinions

The star grade is an integer from 1 to 5, assigned by the expert reviewer (and recorded by SOLA) as a professional opinion of the salon against the SOLA Standard on that visit.

• 4 or 5 stars — Accepted. You may then subscribe. Accepted is not yet SOLA Verified.
• 1, 2, or 3 stars — Not Accepted. You still receive the report. You may apply again in a later window. Booking and payment only unlock if you are shortlisted again.
• A report, a visit, or a high grade does not by itself list you on the SOLA Beauty app. SOLA Verified requires Accepted plus an active membership, on the one-year clock. The membership is what keeps your profile live on the app.

By booking and paying for a visit you acknowledge and agree all of the following:

• Grading is inherently a matter of expert judgment. Two reasonable professionals might emphasise different details; SOLA’s appointed reviewer is the one whose judgment counts for this process.
• You are not paying for a particular star result, for Accepted standing, or for SOLA Verified. You are paying for the visit, the written report, and the grade as issued.
• Disappointment, disagreement, or a belief that the grade is “unfair” does not make the grade wrong, does not require SOLA to change it, and does not entitle you to a refund, a free extra visit, or a public or private apology.
• Your Google reviews, Instagram following, years in operation, fit-out cost, celebrity clients, prices, or comparison with another salon (including another SOLA-reviewed salon) do not entitle you to a higher grade.
• SOLA will not alter a star grade or Accepted / Not Accepted outcome because you complain, threaten a review, threaten legal action, or withhold membership.

The only correction SOLA will make to a recorded grade or report file is a genuine clerical or administrative error — for example the wrong PDF attached to the wrong salon, a star number mistyped in our records versus the report file, or a file that will not open. A clerical correction is not a re-grading of the visit. Requests of that kind should go to the contact email with the salon name and a clear description of the file error.

If you want a different outcome, the contractual path is to improve against the criteria in the report and re-apply when a later window opens — not to litigate the last visit. You waive, to the maximum extent permitted by Bahrain law, any claim that the grade or Not Accepted standing is unfair, biased, negligent, defamatory, incomplete, or a breach of contract merely because you disagree with the professional opinion, provided the report with the criteria explained was issued for that visit.

9. Accepted, membership, and SOLA Verified

Accepted means you passed the review (4 or 5 stars). SOLA Verified means Accepted plus an active membership. The first month of membership is complimentary as shown at checkout, then the monthly fee (currently 70 BHD unless the checkout shows a different amount). SOLA creates the Guide listing for you; the complimentary period includes up to three days for that work.

SOLA Verified standing, Guide listing, and plaque eligibility last for the one-year verification term, provided the membership stays active. They are not permanent, not a property right, and not a licence you can transfer to another owner or location without SOLA’s agreement.

10. The one-year cycle, pause, and re-verification

• If you cancel or payment lapses during the one-year window, the badge and Guide listing pause immediately. The original year clock does not reset.
• If you resubscribe before that same one-year mark, standing can be restored on the same clock. That is not a new review and not a “renewal grade”.
• If the one-year mark arrives while you are still lapsed — or if you stay subscribed to term — you are auto-shortlisted for re-review unless you opt out in Settings. Re-review is Book & Pay → Visit → Report → Accept / Not Accept → Subscribe, at the review price then in force.
• Opting out keeps past reports on the profile. It removes you from the shortlist queue for that re-verification.

A previous SOLA Verified year does not entitle you to pass the next review. Quality can change; that is why verification is annual.

11. Fees and refunds

Current review fees and the monthly membership are shown on /pricing and at checkout. SOLA may change fees for future visits and future billing periods. A fee already paid for a confirmed visit is not recalculated if prices later change.

Review visit fees are final and non-refundable once payment completes, including where you disagree with the report or grade, are Not Accepted, miss the visit, or do not subscribe. Membership cancellation stops future charges according to the payment terms at checkout; it does not refund the review fee. The Refund Policy on this page is part of these Terms.

12. Guide listing, plaque, and how you may describe SOLA

Phone, price list, and logo submitted at signup may be used to prepare your Guide listing after you become SOLA Verified. Public listing is only for current SOLA Verified standing. If membership is paused or the year ends without a completed re-verification, you must not hold out the salon as currently SOLA Verified.

A salon review article and an owner spotlight article on /blog are benefits of an active SOLA Verified membership, together with the SOLA Beauty app profile. You only receive them after you subscribe. SOLA writes the salon review from your expert report, and writes the owner spotlight from the interview answers you submit. You cannot ask for either article to be edited, and you do not approve it before it is published. If you pause or end the membership, every article tied to your salon is taken off the website. The file is kept. If you subscribe again, that article can return to the website. This does not apply to journal articles that are not tied to a salon.

• Do not display the badge, plaque, or “SOLA Verified” as if it were current when it is paused, expired, or never awarded.
• Do not advertise a star grade as a public SOLA ranking unless SOLA has authorised that use. The report is a private professional record.
• Do not edit, crop, or quote the report in a way that hides the criteria or a Not Accepted outcome.
• If SOLA emails a temporary password for your SOLA Beauty / Guide account, you must log in and change it immediately. SOLA is not responsible for account access issues resulting from an unchanged temporary password. SOLA Verify cannot see whether that password is later changed on the Beauty app.

13. Marketing Directory

This section applies to SOLA Verified salons (“Salons”) that use the Marketing Directory and to independent third-party marketing agencies and freelancers (“Providers”) who list packages on it. Use of the Marketing Directory is also governed by the Privacy Policy (section 9A), which describes what Salon and Provider information is disclosed, to whom, and when.

13.1. What the Marketing Directory is

The Marketing Directory is a facilitation and introduction service. It connects SOLA Verified Salons with Providers who list their own services and packages on the platform.

SOLA is not a party to any agreement between a Salon and a Provider. Once a Salon’s contact information is shared with a Provider through a Directory request, all scoping, negotiation, payment for the package itself, delivery of work, and any dispute arising from that engagement takes place entirely between the Salon and the Provider, outside the SOLA platform. SOLA’s role ends at the introduction.

13.2. Provider listings must be accurate

Providers are solely responsible for the accuracy of everything they list on the Directory, including package descriptions, scope, pricing, and discount percentages. A Provider may not list one price and charge a different one.

Providers must honor the exact price and scope shown on the Directory for any package requested through it. Charging a Salon more than the listed price, or materially changing the scope of what was listed without the Salon’s express agreement, is a violation of these Terms.

13.2A. Minimum discount

Every package listed on the Directory must be discounted by at least 10% from your usual price, meaning the price you normally charge clients outside SOLA for the same package and scope. You must not raise a usual price in order to create or enlarge a discount. SOLA may ask for reasonable evidence of your usual pricing. Misstating a usual price or discount is a violation of section 13.2.

13.3. Provider membership

Providers need an active Provider membership to be listed on the Marketing Directory and to receive Salon requests. The fee is currently 15 BHD per month unless checkout shows a different amount. It is billed monthly in advance through our payment partner.

What the fee covers. The membership covers your listing and every Salon request you receive while it is active. SOLA charges no per-request fee, no per-client fee, and no commission on sales you make with Salons found through the Directory.

No guaranteed volume. The membership pays for access to the Directory. It does not buy a number of requests, clients, or sales. A month in which you receive few or no requests does not create a credit, discount, or refund.

Failed payments. If a payment fails, SOLA will pause your listing and dashboard access until the outstanding amount is paid. SOLA may collect an unpaid amount together with the next monthly charge.

Cancellation. You may cancel at any time. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. After that, your listing is removed and your dashboard access ends. Your obligations under sections 13.2, 13.2A, and 13.12 for requests you have already received continue after cancellation.

Price and model changes. SOLA may change the membership fee or the way Directory access is billed. SOLA will email you at least 30 days before any change takes effect, and it applies from your next billing period. You may cancel before the change takes effect. Any introductory or founding rate that SOLA has confirmed to you in writing will be honoured on the terms stated.

13.4. Status accuracy

Providers must use the dashboard’s status controls (Contacted, In Discussion, Completed) accurately and in good faith. Marking a request as “Contacted” without having actually made contact with the Salon is a misrepresentation and a violation of these Terms, regardless of intent.

13.5. Responsiveness

Providers are expected to engage with requests in a reasonably timely manner. Repeatedly ignoring, failing to act on, or failing to respond to Salon requests — whether from new or returning clients — is a violation of these Terms, whether or not any individual request was time-sensitive.

13.6. Suspension and removal

SOLA may, at its sole discretion, warn, suspend, or permanently remove a Provider from the Marketing Directory for reasons including but not limited to:

• Repeatedly ignoring or failing to act on Salon requests (new or returning)
• Listing a price or package that is not honored, or charging a Salon more than the listed price
• Falsely or inaccurately marking a request’s status — including marking a request “Contacted” without genuine contact having occurred
• Any other conduct SOLA determines undermines the integrity of the Marketing Directory or harms Salons using it

SOLA is not obligated to give advance notice before suspending or removing a Provider, particularly where the conduct in question directly affects a Salon.

13.7. Effect of removal

On removal, a Provider’s profile is taken down from the Directory immediately. Any Provider membership fees already owed remain due; fees already paid are not refunded as a result of removal. Removal does not affect obligations the Provider already owes to any Salon under an agreement made outside the platform.

13.8. No warranty on Provider services

SOLA does not vet, endorse, guarantee, or warrant the quality, timeliness, legality, or outcome of any Provider’s services or deliverables. SOLA makes no guarantee regarding the number, quality, or conversion of leads a Provider will receive through the Directory.

13.9. Limitation of liability (Marketing Directory)

To the maximum extent permitted by law, SOLA is not liable for any loss, damage, dispute, or dissatisfaction arising from a Salon–Provider engagement, including disputes over payment, scope, quality of work, or delivery timelines. SOLA’s total liability in connection with the Marketing Directory, however arising, is limited to the Provider membership fees actually paid by the relevant Provider in the three (3) months preceding the claim.

13.10. Indemnification (Providers)

Providers agree to indemnify and hold SOLA harmless against any claim, loss, or liability arising from their services, their conduct on the Directory, or their engagement with a Salon.

13.11. Salon obligations

Salons using the Marketing Directory agree to provide accurate contact and business information, and acknowledge that SOLA is not responsible for the outcome of any engagement they enter into with a Provider found through the Directory.

13.12. Use of Salon information

You may use Salon contact details shared through the Directory only to respond to that Salon’s request and to deliver the services the Salon agrees to. You must not:

• sell, rent, share, or disclose Salon information to any third party
• add a Salon to marketing lists or send unrelated promotions without the Salon’s separate consent
• keep contacting a Salon after it has asked you to stop
• use Salon information to approach that Salon’s clients or staff

You are an independent controller of the Salon information you receive. You must keep it secure and handle it in line with Law No. 30 of 2018 (PDPL). A breach of this section is grounds for immediate removal under section 13.6.

13.13. Provider eligibility and representations

Providers must hold a valid commercial registration, or another licence or permit required in Bahrain to offer the services they list. While your membership is active, you may describe yourself as “Listed on the SOLA Marketing Directory”. You must not describe yourself as SOLA Verified, SOLA-endorsed, or SOLA-approved, or suggest that SOLA guarantees your work.

14. Intellectual property

SOLA owns the platform, the SOLA name and badge, The SOLA Standard as a framework, and the copyright in reports as documents produced for the process. We grant you a limited licence to download your own report for internal use (owner, managers, staff) and to show it to professional advisers under confidentiality. You may not republish the report, sell it, or use it to attack the reviewer or SOLA in a misleading way.

You remain responsible for photographs, logos, and documents you upload, and you grant SOLA a licence to use them to run verification and, if you become SOLA Verified, to prepare the Guide listing and related membership materials. If you submit an owner interview, you grant SOLA a licence to use those answers, your salon name, and your logo to write and display the spotlight article for as long as section 12 allows it to stay on the website. You do not own the article SOLA writes.

15. Acceptable use

You must not harass SOLA staff or the expert reviewer; scrape the site; attempt to access another salon’s account; or use the process to obtain a report you then misrepresent. Abuse of the reviewer or staff is grounds for closing the account without refund of a paid visit.

16. What we do not promise

To the maximum extent permitted by Bahrain law, SOLA provides the platform, visit, report, and grade “as is” as a professional verification service. We do not warrant that you will be shortlisted, Accepted, or SOLA Verified; that the grade will match your self-assessment; that clients will book; that the Guide will produce a particular commercial result; or that the site will be uninterrupted.

The expert review is not a substitute for municipal licences, civil defence, labour, or public-health approvals. Passing SOLA does not mean every legal requirement is met. Failing SOLA does not mean you have broken a statute.

17. Limitation of liability

SOLA, its staff, and the expert reviewer are not liable for lost profits, lost clients, reputational harm, disappointment, or the cost of refurbishment or training you choose after reading a report, arising from shortlisting decisions, the visit, the report, the star grade, Not Accepted standing, pause or expiry of SOLA Verified, or Guide listing — except for liability that Bahrain law does not allow to be limited (for example fraud, or death or personal injury caused by negligence where that cannot be excluded).

Where liability can be limited, SOLA’s total liability to you for a given visit is capped at the review fee you actually paid to SOLA for that visit, and for membership claims at the membership fees you paid in the three months before the claim. That cap does not apply to a refund you are not entitled to under the Refund Policy; it is a ceiling on damages if a court nonetheless finds SOLA liable. Marketing Directory liability is further limited as set out in section 13.9.

18. Indemnity

You will indemnify SOLA and the expert reviewer against claims, losses, and reasonable legal costs arising from: false information or documents you submit; photographs or files you had no right to upload; your misuse of the badge or report; or a third-party claim that you published or described the grade or report in a misleading way. Providers’ indemnification for Directory engagements is also set out in section 13.10.

19. Suspension and closing the account

SOLA may suspend or close an account for breach of these Terms, unpaid amounts that affect membership, or conduct that threatens the integrity of the Standard or the Marketing Directory. Closing the account does not require SOLA to delete the verification archive described in the Privacy Policy, and does not create a refund of review fees already paid. Provider suspension or removal from the Marketing Directory is also governed by sections 13.6 and 13.7.

20. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms when the product, fees, or the law changes. The date at the top of this section is the current version. Material changes will be posted at /policies#terms. Continuing to use SOLA after that date, or agreeing again at signup or payment, means you accept the updated Terms. A visit already paid is still governed by the Refund Policy and by the grading rules in sections 6–8: the grade for that visit remains the reviewer’s professional opinion, and that visit’s report sets out the criteria applied.

21. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The courts of the Kingdom of Bahrain have jurisdiction. You and EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L will first try to resolve operational issues by email. That informal step does not require SOLA to re-grade a visit.

22. Contact

Email hello@emberinnovations.dev with your salon name (or Provider agency name) and the email on the account. For a suspected clerical error in a report file, say so clearly in the subject line. Grade-disagreement messages that do not identify a clerical error may be closed with a reference to sections 7 and 8 of these Terms. Marketing Directory questions may reference section 13.

23. Consultation

Consultation is a side service, separate from verification and from SOLA Verified membership. Sending a consultation enquiry means you have read and agree to these Terms, the Privacy Policy, and the Refund Policy. It does not enter you into a review window, and it does not promise a grade, a badge, or a listing.

After the introduction, if you go ahead, we email you a payment link. The consultation fee is not refundable once it is paid, as set out in the Refund Policy. Deliverables are sent to the email on the enquiry. They are not published. The enquiry, our notes, and any private copy of a deliverable can be seen only by the consultant assigned to you and by authorised SOLA administrators. We may contact you on the phone number you gave us for further details.

This Refund Policy applies to all SOLA Expert Evaluation review fees, SOLA Verified membership charges, Marketing Directory Provider membership charges, and consultation fees. It is part of the contract you enter with EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L, CR 197621-1, the parent company of SOLA. There are no refunds. Read it before you pay.

1. Refunds are not possible

SOLA does not refund review fees, membership charges, or consultation fees. That is complete: no full refund, no partial refund, no credit, no “goodwill” right, and no cash alternative. Once a payment is completed, the amount is earned for the service described when you paid.

This applies whether the payment is a one-time review fee or a recurring membership charge (including any period after a complimentary first month). Asking for a refund, opening a complaint, disagreeing with a grade, or cancelling in Settings does not create a right to money back.

2. You are told this before you pay for a review

Before a review payment can proceed, SOLA notifies you that review fees are final and non-refundable. That notice appears on the booking page and again in a confirmation step that you must accept. You are also given a link to this Refund Policy. Payment cannot be started until you agree.

By paying the review fee you acknowledge that you have read this Policy, that you were notified before payment that refunds are not possible, and that you accept the fee is non-refundable for any reason. Completing checkout is your confirmation. You cannot later say you were not told, that you did not understand, or that you expected a refund if the visit, report, or grade disappointed you.

Creating a salon account also requires agreement to this Refund Policy together with the Privacy Policy and Terms. The pre-payment step for a review is an additional, specific acknowledgement of the no-refund rule for that fee. Sending a consultation enquiry is your agreement to this no-refund rule for any consultation fee.

3. What the review fee is for

The review fee pays for the booked visit, the written report (with the criteria / SOLA Standard pillars explained), and the star grade as issued. It does not pay for a particular star result, for Accepted standing, or for SOLA Verified. If you are Not Accepted, miss the visit, or choose not to subscribe, the fee is still not refundable.

4. Situations that still do not get a refund

Without limiting section 1, no refund is available for any of the following, or any similar situation:

• Change of mind, or deciding the process is not for you after payment
• Cancellation by the salon, inability to attend, staffing issues, owner absence, or business closure
• Being late, unprepared, or refusing the expert access needed to complete the visit — the visit may still be treated as completed
• Dissatisfaction with the report, the criteria as explained, or the star grade
• A belief that the grade is unfair, too low, or inconsistent with your reputation, Google reviews, Instagram, or another salon
• Not being shortlisted in a later window, not being Accepted (1–3 stars), or not becoming SOLA Verified
• Wanting a second visit, a re-mark, or a meeting about the grade
• Wanting a specific visit date, or any request to reschedule or cancel after payment
• Chargebacks, bank disputes, or requests made through the payment processor, your card issuer, or a third party instead of SOLA

5. No reschedule, no cancellation refund

After a review fee is paid there is no reschedule and no cancellation. The visit is unannounced. Payment is final. You cannot cancel a paid visit for a refund.

6. Memberships — cancel anytime; no refunds

SOLA Verified membership can be cancelled at any time in Settings. Cancellation stops future charges. It does not refund membership amounts already billed, it does not refund any review fee, and it does not extend or restore SOLA Verified standing beyond the rules in the Terms.

When you cancel in Settings, cancellation is scheduled for the end of the current billing period with our payment partner. You remain subscribed until that date. You cannot undo the cancellation during that period. After that date you can subscribe again. The month (or complimentary period) already in progress is not refunded, in whole or in part, if you cancel part-way through it.

If payment fails or the membership lapses, badge and Guide listing pause according to the Terms. Restoring the membership later is not a refund and does not require SOLA to return earlier charges.

The complimentary first month, where offered at checkout, is not a paid period and creates no refund. From the first paid month onward, each successful charge is final.

6A. Provider memberships

Marketing Directory Providers may cancel their membership at any time. Cancellation stops future charges but does not refund any amount already billed. No refund, credit, or partial refund is given:

• for months in which you received few or no Salon requests
• if you are suspended or removed under section 13.6 of the Terms
• if you cancel part-way through a billing period

6B. Consultation fees

A consultation fee is not refundable once it is paid. The payment link is sent by email. It is not the verification checkout. No refund, credit, or partial refund is given for a change of mind, a cancelled or missed introduction, dissatisfaction with the advice or the deliverables, or because the consultation did not lead to verification. Sending the enquiry is your agreement to this rule, before any payment link is sent.

7. How payment is taken

Payments are processed by our payment partner at checkout. SOLA does not store your card number. A receipt or invoice from checkout is evidence of payment, not a promise of a refund. If the checkout interface shows a generic “contact merchant” path, this Policy is SOLA’s answer: refunds are not available.

8. Chargebacks and payment disputes

Because you are notified before paying, and because paying is your acknowledgement of this Policy, you agree not to open a chargeback, bank dispute, or similar reversal for a review fee or membership charge on the ground that you wanted a refund, disagreed with the grade, missed the visit, or cancelled in Settings.

If a chargeback or reversal is opened anyway, SOLA may contest it and provide this Policy, the pre-payment acknowledgement, booking records, and the report as evidence that the service was sold as non-refundable. SOLA may suspend the account, pause listing, and withhold further visits until the dispute is closed. Winning or losing a chargeback does not rewrite this Policy for other salons.

9. Business customers

SOLA review and membership are sold to salon businesses, not as a consumer leisure purchase. You confirm you are acting in the course of that business. Statutory cooling-off or “distance selling” refund rights that apply only to consumers, if any, are not intended to apply to these fees. If a mandatory rule of Bahrain law nevertheless requires a refund in a specific case, SOLA will comply with that rule and only to that extent — that is not a general right to refunds.

10. No promised exceptions

Staff, emails, or social messages cannot promise a refund that this Policy forbids. Only a written decision by SOLA that a payment was taken in error (for example charged twice for the same visit, or charged after the salon never reached checkout) may reverse that specific error. Duplicate or mistaken charges are not a change to the no-refund rule for a completed, correctly taken payment.

11. Governing law

This Refund Policy is issued by EMBER INNOVATIONS W.L.L, CR 197621-1, the parent company of SOLA. It is governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The courts of the Kingdom of Bahrain have jurisdiction. It should be read with the Terms and Conditions (including grading finality) and the Privacy Policy.

12. Contact

Questions: hello@emberinnovations.dev, with your salon name and the email on the account. A request for a refund of a correctly taken review fee or membership charge will be refused with a reference to this Policy.