Terms of Service

1. Payment Services

Civitek provides technology and payment processing services that allow individuals and organizations to submit payments electronically to participating government entities, public agencies, courts, offices, businesses, or other organizations that have engaged or authorized Civitek to provide payment services (each, a “Payment Recipient”). Depending on the payment service, available payment methods may include credit cards, debit cards, ACH/electronic bank transfers, digital wallets, or other payment methods made available through the service. Available payment methods may vary by Payment Recipient and payment type. Civitek provides the technology and payment services that facilitate the transaction. Civitek is not responsible for establishing, calculating, modifying, or determining the underlying amount owed to the Payment Recipient. Your use of the payment service does not alter or otherwise modify your obligation to the Payment Recipient.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Payment Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Payment Services. Civitek may update or revise these Terms to reflect changes to the Payment Services, applicable laws or regulations, or our business practices. Any updated Terms will be posted through the applicable Payment Service and will become effective on the date stated in the updated Terms. Your continued use of the Payment Services after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

3. Payment Amounts and Service Fees

When you use the Payment Services, you are responsible for the payment amount displayed for the transaction, as well as the applicable service fee. A service fee applies to each transaction and is charged separately from the amount being paid to the Payment Recipient. The applicable service fee is based on the payment method selected and will be clearly disclosed to you before you authorize the transaction. The payment amount and applicable service fee will be combined into the total amount due for the transaction (the “Total Payment”). By submitting a payment, you authorize Civitek to charge or debit your selected payment method for the Total Payment amount. Service fees are separate from any amount owed to the Payment Recipient and are retained by Civitek for providing the Payment Services. Service fees are generally non-refundable, including when a payment is declined, rejected, reversed, or otherwise not completed, except as required by applicable law. You also authorize Civitek to credit or otherwise adjust your payment method in connection with refunds, reversals, or other authorized adjustments to a transaction. Your card issuer, financial institution, or payment provider may impose additional fees or charges in connection with your transaction. Civitek is not responsible for any fees or charges imposed by your card issuer, financial institution, or payment provider.

4. Payment Authorization

When you submit a payment through Payment Services, you authorize Civitek to charge or debit your selected payment method for the Total Payment amount displayed to you before you submit the transaction. Civitek may verify that your selected payment method is valid and in good standing with your card issuer, financial institution, or payment provider. This verification may include submitting a request for payment authorization or a low-dollar authorization, credit, or debit to your payment method. By submitting a payment, you represent that you are authorized to use the payment method provided and that the payment information you provide is accurate and complete. You authorize Civitek to process the payment through the applicable payment network, financial institution, or payment provider. You also authorize Civitek to credit or otherwise adjust your payment method in connection with refunds, reversals, or other authorized adjustments to a transaction. Civitek may decline, delay, or place a transaction on hold if the payment method cannot be authorized, the transaction cannot be processed, or Civitek identifies activity that requires additional review or verification.

5. Payment Processing and Receipt of Funds

Civitek will process payments submitted through the Payment Services using the payment method you select. Once a payment has been successfully processed, Civitek will transmit or make the applicable payment amount available to the Payment Recipient through the applicable payment network, financial institution, or other payment processing channel. Processing and settlement times may vary depending on the payment method, financial institution, payment network, Payment Recipient, and other factors outside Civitek’s control. A payment may not be immediately available to or reflected in the records of the Payment Recipient. A payment is not considered complete solely because you have submitted the transaction or received confirmation from Civitek. The payment remains subject to successful processing, settlement, and acceptance by the Payment Recipient. Civitek does not control when a Payment Recipient receives, posts, applies, or credits a payment to your account or obligation. If you have a question about whether a payment has been received or applied, you may contact the Payment Recipient or Civitek Customer Support, as appropriate.

6. Payment Information and Transaction Accuracy

You are responsible for providing complete and accurate information when submitting a payment. This may include your name, contact information, payment information, account or reference number, case number, invoice number, citation number, or other information required by the Payment Recipient. Civitek is not responsible for delays, misapplied payments, rejected payments, or other consequences resulting from inaccurate, incomplete, or incorrect information provided by you. If you believe you entered incorrect payment information, you should contact Civitek and, when appropriate, the Payment Recipient as soon as possible. Civitek cannot guarantee that a submitted transaction can be canceled, modified, redirected, or corrected.

7. Payment Acceptance and Underlying Obligations

Civitek provides payment processing services and does not establish, determine, or control the amount of any payment obligation owed to a Payment Recipient. You are responsible for ensuring that the payment amount, account number, case number, reference number, or other information you provide is accurate and sufficient to identify the obligation for which you are making payment. Submitting a payment through the Payment Services does not guarantee that the Payment Recipient will accept, post, apply, or credit the payment to a particular obligation. You remain responsible for any underlying obligation until the Payment Recipient has accepted and properly applied the payment. Civitek is not responsible for late fees, penalties, interest, collection activity, or other consequences arising from a payment that is submitted incorrectly, declined, rejected, delayed, not received, or not properly applied by the Payment Recipient. If you have questions about the amount owed, the status of the underlying obligation, or how payment was applied, you should contact the applicable Payment Recipient.

8. Declined, Rejected, or Delayed Transactions

A payment transaction may be declined, rejected, delayed, placed on hold, or otherwise not completed for a variety of reasons, including insufficient funds, an invalid or expired payment method, authorization failure, inaccurate payment information, payment network or financial institution issues, security or fraud concerns, or other circumstances affecting the transaction. Civitek may delay or place a transaction on hold while additional information or verification is obtained or while a transaction is reviewed for security, fraud prevention, or processing purposes. If a payment is declined, rejected, reversed, or otherwise not completed, you remain responsible for any underlying payment obligation to the Payment Recipient, including any applicable late fees, penalties, interest, or other amounts that may apply. If a payment is not successfully completed, Civitek may provide notice of the transaction status through the applicable Payment Service or using the contact information you provided. Civitek is not responsible for any consequences resulting from your failure to monitor or respond to such notices.

9. Refunds, Cancellations, and Reversals

Once a payment has been submitted, it generally cannot be canceled, changed, or modified through the Payment Services. If you need to correct or dispute a payment, you should contact the applicable Payment Recipient and, where appropriate, your card issuer, financial institution, or other payment provider. Civitek does not determine whether a payment should be refunded. Any refund or adjustment is generally subject to the policies and authorization of the applicable Payment Recipient, and the payment method or payment network used for the transaction. If a Payment Recipient authorizes a refund, Civitek may process the refund to the original payment method, where permitted by the applicable payment network or financial institution. Refunds may take additional time to appear on your account depending on your payment method and financial institution. Service fees charged by Civitek are generally non-refundable, including when a payment is canceled, declined, rejected, reversed, refunded, or otherwise not completed, except as required by applicable law. Civitek may also reverse or adjust a transaction when necessary to correct an error, process an authorized refund, address a payment reversal, comply with applicable law, or respond to a transaction that was not successfully settled.

10. Service Availability

Civitek will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the availability and functionality of its payment services. However, Civitek does not guarantee that a payment service will always be available or that transactions can always be completed without interruption, delay, or error. The payment service may be unavailable or interrupted due to maintenance, upgrades, security measures, telecommunications or Internet disruptions, payment network issues, financial institution outages, equipment failures, cyber incidents, governmental actions, or other circumstances beyond Civitek's reasonable control. A temporary interruption, delay, or unavailability of a payment service does not, by itself, create entitlement to a refund of any service fee or other amount, except where otherwise required by applicable law.

11. Fraud Prevention and Security

Civitek may use commercially reasonable measures to detect, prevent, investigate, and address suspected fraud, unauthorized activity, money laundering, abuse, or violations of applicable law or these Terms. Civitek may delay, decline, reverse, suspend, or otherwise restrict a transaction or access to a payment service when reasonably necessary to protect you, Civitek, a Payment Recipient, a financial institution, a payment network, or other parties, or to comply with applicable law or payment network requirements. You authorize Civitek to request and use information that is reasonably necessary to verify your identity, payment method, or transaction.

12. User Responsibilities and Prohibited Conduct

You agree to use the payment service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You may not:

1. provide false, inaccurate, or misleading information;
2. impersonate another person or entity;
3. use another person's payment method without authorization;
4. use the payment service for fraudulent, unlawful, or unauthorized purposes;
5. interfere with or attempt to compromise the security or operation of the payment service;
6. introduce malicious software, viruses, or other harmful code;
7. attempt to gain unauthorized access to any systems, accounts, networks, or data;
8. use automated means to access or extract information from the payment service except as expressly authorized by Civitek;
9. interfere with another user's access to or use of the payment service; or
10. otherwise violate applicable law or the rights of Civitek, a Payment Recipient, or another party.

13. User Accounts and Credentials

One-time payments may be made without creating a user account where this option is available. Users who wish to establish recurring payments or use features that require an account must create and maintain an account with Civitek. When you create an account, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your username, password, and other account credentials. You are responsible for all payment transactions and other activity conducted through the Payment Services using your account credentials. You should not share your username or password with any other person and should promptly notify Civitek if you believe your account credentials have been compromised or if you become aware of unauthorized activity. You are responsible for providing accurate and current information when creating and maintaining your account.

14. Electronic Communications

By using the Payment Services, you agree that Civitek may communicate with you electronically regarding your use of the Payment Services. Electronic communications may include, but are not limited to, communications regarding these Terms of Service, payment transactions, payment confirmations and receipts, disclosures or notices related to a payment, customer service matters, account activity, service updates, and other communications related to the Payment Services. Civitek may send electronic communications to the email address associated with your account or the email address you provide when submitting a payment. Civitek may also provide notices or other communications through the applicable Payment Service. You are responsible for ensuring that the email address and other contact information you provide to Civitek are accurate and current. Where available, Civitek may communicate with you by text message regarding payment reminders, payment transactions, payment confirmations and receipts, account activity, service updates, and other information related to the Payment Services. You must expressly opt in to receive text messages before Civitek will send you text messages through the applicable text messaging service. You may provide your express consent through a designated opt-in process, which may include checking a box on a web form, providing consent through the applicable Payment Service, sending a specified keyword by text message to a designated number, or completing a separate consent form. Your consent to receive text messages is not required to make a payment or use the Payment Services. You may discontinue receiving text messages from Civitek at any time by following the designated opt-out instructions provided in the applicable text message or by contacting Civitek Customer Support. Opting out of text messages will not affect your ability to use the Payment Services, except for text messaging features that require your consent to receive such communications. Where applicable, text messages may include marketing, promotional, or informational communications regarding Civitek's products, services, or updates. You may manage your communication preferences, including opting out of specific types of communications, by following the instructions provided in the applicable communication or by contacting Civitek Customer Support. Message and data rates may apply to text messages depending on your mobile service provider and plan. Civitek is not responsible for any fees or charges imposed by your mobile service provider. Civitek is not responsible for any damage, losses, or expenses incurred by you as a result of your failure to properly opt in to or opt out of text messaging services in accordance with the instructions provided.

15. Privacy and Protection of Information

Civitek is committed to protecting information collected through its payment services. Your use of a Civitek payment service is subject to Civitek's Privacy Policy, which describes how information is collected, used, disclosed, and protected. By using the payment service, you acknowledge and agree that Civitek may collect and process information as necessary to provide payment services, process transactions, prevent fraud, provide customer support, comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and perform other activities described in the Privacy Policy.

16. Intellectual Property

The payment service, including its software, technology, website design, content, graphics, interfaces, trademarks, service marks, logos, documentation, and other materials, is owned by or licensed to Civitek and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Except as expressly permitted by Civitek, you may not reproduce, modify, distribute, publish, transmit, sell, reverse engineer, create derivative works from, or otherwise exploit any portion of the payment service or its content. All rights not expressly granted to you are reserved by Civitek and its licensors.

17. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Payment Services and all related websites, applications, software, content, and information are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Civitek disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, accuracy, availability, and reliability. Civitek does not guarantee that the Payment Service will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components. Civitek does not guarantee that a payment will be accepted, posted, applied, or credited by a Payment Recipient, or that use of the Payment Service will satisfy any payment obligation.

18. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Civitek and its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, service providers, payment processors, and data providers (collectively, the “Civitek Parties”) shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to your use of, or inability to use, the Payment Services, including loss of profits, revenue, data, business, or goodwill. The Civitek Parties shall not be responsible for damages or losses arising from: • A Payment Recipient’s actions or omissions; • The amount or status of an underlying payment obligation; • A Payment Recipient’s failure to accept, post, or apply a payment; • Incorrect information provided by you; • A financial institution’s or payment network’s actions or omissions; • A declined or reversed transaction; • Unauthorized use of your payment method, except to the extent caused by Civitek’s negligence or willful misconduct; or • Events beyond Civitek’s reasonable control. Where liability cannot be excluded or limited by law, the Civitek Parties’ liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

19. Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Civitek Parties from claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or related to:

1. your use or misuse of the payment service;
2. your violation of these Terms;
3. information you provide through the payment service;
4. your violation of applicable law or the rights of another person or entity; or
5. your negligent, fraudulent, or intentional acts or omissions.

20. Suspension and Termination

Civitek may, at its discretion and to the extent permitted by law, suspend, restrict, or terminate your access to a payment service if Civitek reasonably believes that you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent or unauthorized activity, created a security risk, or otherwise used the payment service in a manner that may harm Civitek, a Payment Recipient, another user, or a third party. Civitek may also modify, suspend, or discontinue all or any portion of a payment service at any time, subject to applicable law and any separate contractual obligations owed to a Payment Recipient. Termination or suspension does not relieve you of any payment obligations or other obligations incurred before termination.

21. Third-Party Services

The payment service may rely upon or interact with third-party services, including financial institutions, payment networks, payment processors, digital wallet providers, telecommunications providers, hosting providers, and other technology providers. Civitek is not responsible for the acts, omissions, availability, performance, or policies of third parties except to the extent required by applicable law. Your use of certain third-party payment methods may also be subject to separate terms and conditions imposed by the applicable third party.

22. Force Majeure

Civitek shall not be liable for any failure or delay resulting from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, fire, flood, severe weather, power or telecommunications failures, Internet disruptions, labor disputes, governmental actions, acts of terrorism, cyber incidents, payment network disruptions, financial institution failures, or other similar events.

23. Governing Law and Venue

These Terms and any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the payment services shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the parties agree that the state and federal courts located in Leon County, Florida shall have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the payment services.

24. Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or any rights or obligations under these Terms without Civitek's prior written consent. Civitek may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, without your consent in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, sale of assets, corporate restructuring, or transfer to an affiliate or successor, or as otherwise permitted by law.

25. No Third-Party Beneficiaries

Except for Civitek's affiliates, service providers, and other parties expressly identified as beneficiaries under these Terms, these Terms are intended solely for the benefit of you and Civitek and do not create any rights or remedies in any other person or entity.

26. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, that provision shall be modified or limited to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

27. No Waiver

Civitek's failure to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of its right to enforce that provision or any other provision in the future.

28. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with any applicable Privacy Policy, payment disclosures, and additional terms presented to you in connection with a particular payment service, constitute the agreement governing your use of the applicable Civitek payment service and supersede prior versions of these Terms relating to that service. Where separate written terms or agreements exist between Civitek and a Payment Recipient, those agreements govern the relationship between Civitek and the Payment Recipient and are not modified by these consumer-facing Terms.

29. Contact Us

Questions regarding the amount of a payment or the underlying payment obligation should be directed to the applicable Payment Recipient. If you have a question regarding a billing error appearing on a statement issued by your card issuer, financial institution, or other payment provider, or if your payment transaction is declined, you should contact your card issuer, financial institution, or payment provider directly. Civitek Customer Support is available to assist with questions regarding the use of the Payment Services, including questions about payment processing, transaction status, or why your payment method was charged or debited. If your payment method was charged or debited but the Payment Recipient has not received or credited the funds, please contact Civitek Customer Support for assistance.