Messaging Policy

1 Purpose and Scope

PlantSearch^® provides messaging tools to help verified industry professionals communicate about plants, products, inventory, sourcing needs, availability, pricing, delivery, and other legitimate business matters.

This Messaging Policy applies to all messages, replies, forwarded messages, images, files, links, and other content sent through PlantSearch messaging features.

By using PlantSearch messaging services, you agree to use them responsibly, professionally, and in accordance with this policy, the PlantSearch Terms of Service, and all applicable laws and regulations.

2 Professional and Industry-Related Use

PlantSearch messaging is intended primarily for professional communications connected to the green industry and related trades.

Appropriate uses may include:

• Requesting current plant availability or pricing.
• Responding to sourcing requests or product inquiries.
• Discussing botanical names, cultivars, specifications, sizes, and grades.
• Coordinating freight, pickup, delivery, and order timing.
• Exchanging business contact or account information.
• Clarifying product condition, quality, quantity, or origin.
• Discussing nursery, landscape, horticultural, or agricultural services.
• Following up on legitimate business relationships established through PlantSearch.

PlantSearch messaging should not be used primarily for personal conversations, unrelated advertising, political solicitation, or activities unrelated to legitimate industry business.

3 Account and User Responsibility

You are responsible for all messages and content sent through your account. You must take reasonable steps to keep your login credentials secure and prevent unauthorized use.

You must not:

• Allow an unauthorized person to use your account.
• Impersonate another individual, nursery, company, or organization.
• Misrepresent your authority to act for a business.
• Use another user's account without authorization.
• Attempt to conceal the true identity or source of a message.

Businesses are responsible for ensuring that employees and representatives who use their PlantSearch accounts are authorized to communicate on the business's behalf.

4 Accurate Product and Business Information

Messages concerning products, availability, pricing, or services should be accurate to the best of the sender's knowledge at the time they are sent.

Users should clearly communicate information that may materially affect a purchasing or sourcing decision, including, when applicable:

• Correct botanical or commonly accepted trade name.
• Cultivar, variety, form, or applicable trademarked name.
• Container size, caliper, height, spread, or grade.
• Current quantity and availability.
• Product condition or known quality concerns.
• Pricing basis and whether pricing is subject to change.
• Minimum order or delivery requirements.
• Pickup, freight, delivery, or lead-time limitations.
• Applicable certifications, licenses, or inspection status.
• Geographic or agricultural shipping restrictions.

Users must not knowingly make false, deceptive, incomplete, or misleading representations about products, inventory, pricing, business identity, qualifications, or services.

5 Prohibited Conduct

You may not use PlantSearch messaging to send, promote, or facilitate content that:

• Threatens, harasses, intimidates, or abuses another person.
• Targets another person with unwanted or repeated communications.
• Contains discriminatory, hateful, obscene, or sexually explicit material.
• Promotes fraud, theft, deception, or other unlawful activity.
• Attempts to obtain passwords, payment credentials, or confidential information through deception.
• Contains malware, malicious code, viruses, or harmful downloads.
• Interferes with PlantSearch systems or another user's account.
• Violates another party's intellectual property, privacy, or contractual rights.
• Promotes the sale or transportation of unlawful or prohibited goods.
• Encourages violations of agricultural, environmental, import, export, or quarantine requirements.
• Contains intentionally false information designed to damage a person or business.

PlantSearch may also restrict behavior that is technically lawful but is disruptive, deceptive, harmful to the community, or inconsistent with the professional purpose of the service.

6 Commercial Communications and Spam

Relevant business outreach is permitted when it is reasonably connected to the recipient's role, company, sourcing activity, existing relationship, or use of PlantSearch.

You must not:

• Send high-volume, repetitive, or indiscriminate messages.
• Continue contacting a user who has clearly requested that communication stop.
• Send deceptive promotions or misleading sales offers.
• Use automated tools to collect contacts or send unauthorized bulk messages.
• Use PlantSearch primarily to redirect users to unrelated services.
• Artificially create conversations, inquiries, or engagement.

A message may be treated as spam based on its volume, frequency, relevance, accuracy, recipient feedback, or overall pattern of activity.

7 Privacy and Confidential Business Information

Users should exercise care before sending personal, confidential, proprietary, or commercially sensitive information through PlantSearch.

Unless authorized, you must not disclose another party's:

• Private contact information.
• Customer or supplier lists.
• Confidential pricing agreements.
• Payment card or banking information.
• Passwords or security credentials.
• Protected employee or customer information.
• Trade secrets or proprietary business records.
• Private messages or attachments received from another user.

8 Images, Attachments, and External Links

Images and attachments should relate directly to a legitimate business conversation. Examples may include plant photographs, availability lists, invoices, quotes, certificates, shipping documents, or product specifications.

You must not send files or links that:

• Contain malicious software or harmful code.
• Misrepresent their destination or purpose.
• Infringe copyrights, trademarks, or other rights.
• Contain unlawful, abusive, or prohibited content.
• Attempt to bypass PlantSearch security controls.

Recipients should independently verify unfamiliar files, links, payment instructions, and requests for sensitive information before acting on them.

9 Blocking and Reporting

PlantSearch may provide tools that allow users to block another user or report a message, conversation, company, or account.

Users should submit reports in good faith and provide accurate information. The reporting system must not be used to retaliate against a competitor, interfere with lawful business activity, or knowingly submit false allegations.

Blocking a user may restrict future messaging, but it may not remove prior messages, transaction records, or information PlantSearch is required or permitted to retain.

10 Moderation and Enforcement

PlantSearch may review reported content, account activity, and related information when reasonably necessary to:

• Investigate a reported policy violation.
• Protect users, businesses, or the public.
• Prevent fraud, abuse, spam, or security threats.
• Enforce PlantSearch policies and agreements.
• Comply with valid legal obligations.
• Maintain the integrity and availability of the service.

Depending on the circumstances, PlantSearch may issue a warning, remove or restrict content, limit messaging functionality, temporarily suspend access, permanently disable an account, preserve relevant records, or refer a matter to the appropriate authorities.

Enforcement decisions may consider the severity of the conduct, potential harm, prior violations, available evidence, account history, and whether the behavior appears intentional or repeated.

11 Message Records, Deletion, and Retention

PlantSearch may store message content and related records, including sender and recipient information, timestamps, delivery status, read status, reports, and system activity, as necessary to provide and protect the service.

Deleting a message or conversation from a user's view may not immediately or permanently remove every copy from PlantSearch systems. Information may remain in backups, security records, transaction records, legal holds, or records retained for legitimate operational purposes.

PlantSearch may preserve relevant messages when reasonably necessary to investigate abuse, respond to a dispute, protect legal rights, prevent fraud, or comply with applicable law.

12 Plant Industry and Regulatory Compliance

Users are responsible for understanding and following all laws, regulations, and industry requirements that apply to their products, services, communications, and transactions.

This may include requirements involving:

• Nursery registration or dealer licensing.
• Plant inspection and phytosanitary certification.
• State or federal quarantines.
• Invasive or regulated plant material.
• Pesticide treatment or disclosure.
• Plant patents, trademarks, and propagation rights.
• Import and export documentation.
• Agricultural shipping restrictions.
• Environmental and conservation laws.
• Sales tax, resale certificates, and commercial records.

PlantSearch does not guarantee that a user, product, shipment, certificate, license, or proposed transaction complies with every applicable requirement.

13 Transactions Between Users

PlantSearch messaging helps users communicate, but PlantSearch is not automatically a buyer, seller, broker, carrier, payment processor, inspector, or party to a transaction merely because the communication occurred through the service.

Users are responsible for independently confirming:

• The identity and authority of the other party.
• Product specifications, availability, and condition.
• Prices, taxes, fees, and payment terms.
• Freight, pickup, delivery, risk of loss, and insurance.
• Licenses, certifications, inspections, and legal restrictions.
• Refund, replacement, cancellation, and dispute terms.

A sent message, delivered message, read receipt, typing indicator, reaction, or other messaging status does not by itself create acceptance of an offer, confirm an order, authorize payment, or establish a binding agreement.

Users should document important transaction terms in an appropriate purchase order, invoice, contract, or other business record.

14 Changes to This Policy

PlantSearch may update this Messaging Policy as the service, industry practices, legal requirements, or safety needs change.

When changes are made, PlantSearch may update the date shown at the top of this page and may provide additional notice when appropriate.

Continued use of PlantSearch messaging after an updated policy becomes effective may constitute acceptance of the revised policy, subject to applicable law and the PlantSearch Terms of Service.