Terms of use

1. Who provides the service

Coussinet is run by a self-employed sole proprietor in Quebec.

Email: budget-tooling@proton.me

2. The service in short

• Free: the split calculator, the guided interview, the preview of your budget (totals, split, guidelines) and the encrypted save of your budget.
• Early access: an access code can unlock a budget’s “autopilot” plan for free (section 5).
• Later: this plan will become a paid feature. The terms of sale will be published before purchases open.

There is no account: your budget is tied to a budget code (section 4).

3. What the tool is, and what it isn’t

What it is. A calculation tool that organizes your budget from your answers. It offers general guidelines (for example, the 50/30/20 guideline or an emergency fund of a few months) to help you decide and, if your plan is unlocked, a plan to automate your transfers.

What it isn’t.

• It is not advice, whether financial, tax, legal or investment advice tailored to your situation, and it doesn’t replace a professional. We aren’t financial planners or advisers.
• We recommend no financial product and no institution.
• We never touch your money and we do not connect to your bank accounts. You set up your own transfers, at your bank.
• General information about laws and programs is current as of the date shown, with its source; it may change.

What we ask of you. Results depend on your answers: check the amounts against your statements and pay stubs before you set up any transfers, and use your own judgment. The decisions you make with your budget are yours.

What we commit to. Careful, tested calculations; sources and dates for official information; promptly fixing any error we find or that is reported to us, and announcing it in the tool if it may have affected results already computed.

4. Your budget code

• Your browser creates a random budget code. It’s the only key to your budget: we don’t know it and we can’t recover it.
• If you lose your code, you lose access to your budget (and its unlocked plan), except on a device where it’s still stored. Keep it safe (in a password manager, or written down somewhere safe).
• Anyone who has your code can open, change or delete your budget. Share it only with people you choose, such as your partner.
• We will never ask for your code by email or phone.

5. Early-access codes

During early access, we give access codes to a few people who test the tool and give us feedback.

• A code unlocks a budget’s “autopilot” plan for free: the budget that is open when you enter the code. That unlocked budget gets the same commitments as any unlocked budget (section 6).
• A code is single-use (unless stated otherwise) and may have a deadline, given when we hand it to you. After that date the code no longer works, but a plan already unlocked stays unlocked.
• A code has no cash value: it can’t be sold or exchanged for money. Since nothing was paid, there’s nothing to refund.
• We may stop giving out codes at any time. Budgets already unlocked stay unlocked.
• If we quote your feedback publicly, it will be with your permission, and we’ll say you received free access.
• What we keep about codes (nothing that links them to your budget): see our privacy policy.

6. How long we keep your budget, and if the service ever closed

• Budget not unlocked: deleted automatically if it hasn’t been opened or changed for 6 months. Opening it resets the clock.
• Unlocked budget (with an access code or, later, by a payment): kept for as long as the service exists.
• If we ever had to close the service, we commit to announce it at least 6 months in advance, with a clearly visible notice on the website and in the tool (we have no other way to reach you, since we don’t keep your email); to keep your budget and your plan available during those 6 months; to offer, during that period, a way to export your budget in a format you can keep; and then to delete all data.
• If an event beyond our control (force majeure, for example our host suddenly ending its services) prevented us from meeting that notice period, we’d tell you as soon as possible and keep the export available as long as possible.
• You can delete your budget yourself at any time (“Delete my budget”). A deleted budget can’t be recovered.

7. How the tool evolves

We improve the tool regularly. We may change its look, wording and calculations to improve it or fix errors. The tool may be briefly unavailable for maintenance; we do our best to keep that rare and short.

8. Acceptable use

By using the tool, you agree not to:

• create budgets or send requests in an automated, large-scale way (bots), or try to overload the service;
• try to access other people’s budgets, guess codes (budget or access codes), or get around the security protections;
• resell the tool, its plan or an access code, or offer the tool as a paid service to others.

If you find a security flaw, please write to us at budget-tooling@proton.me: we’ll be grateful.

9. Intellectual property

• Your budget belongs to you. You only allow us to keep it (encrypted) and process it to provide the service, as described in our privacy policy.
• The tool, its text, calculations, design and name belong to its operator. Your results are for your personal or household use: you can print them and show them to anyone you like (your partner, your accountant, an adviser of your choice).
• Your ideas: if you send us a suggestion, we may use it to improve the tool, with no obligation to you. We’ll never publish your feedback without your permission.

10. Our responsibility

• We are responsible, as the law provides, for damage caused by our fault. Nothing in these terms limits or excludes that responsibility, or the rights and warranties you have under the Quebec Consumer Protection Act and Civil Code.
• The tool works from the answers you give it: a result based on an inaccurate answer isn’t an error of the tool. That’s why we ask you to check amounts before setting up transfers (section 3).
• If we find an error in our calculations, we fix it and tell you in the tool (section 3).

11. If these terms change

• We may update these terms (for example, for a new service or a change in the law). The date at the top shows the version in force.
• A new version applies from its effective date. If it’s less favourable to you, we announce it on the website and in the tool at least 30 days in advance. If you don’t agree, you can stop using the tool and delete your budget.

12. Governing law, courts and complaints

• These terms are governed by the laws of Quebec and the federal laws of Canada that apply there.
• A disagreement? Write to us first at budget-tooling@proton.me: we’ll look for a solution with you.
• If you’re a consumer, you may go to the courts where you live, and also to the Office de la protection du consommateur (opc.gouv.qc.ca) if you live in Quebec, or to your province’s consumer protection office.
• If any part of these terms were found invalid, the rest still applies.

13. Contact us

Coussinet · budget-tooling@proton.me