Dealer Services & Platform Responsibility Boundary Policy
Responsibility boundaries between VanStro as the product supply platform and independent dealers providing extended services.
1. Purpose
This Policy defines the boundary of responsibility between VanStro Global Supply Inc. ("VanStro" or the "Platform") and its dealers in relation to product supply and dealer-provided extended services, including delivery, installation, measurement, renovation support, disposal, project coordination, and after-sales support.
It exists to keep responsibilities transparent to customers while protecting the independent operation of VanStro's dealer network.
2. Two Layers of Business
Customer interactions fall into two distinct layers, each governed by a different responsible party:
(a) Product Supply (Platform layer). VanStro supplies the products and is the responsible party for the products it supplies. Product orders and product payments are processed through the VanStro platform.
(b) Dealer Extended Services (Dealer layer). Delivery, installation, measurement, renovation support, disposal, project coordination, and similar services are the dealer's own services. The dealer contracts directly with the customer for these services. VanStro is not a party to them.
These two layers are separate transactions, even where they relate to the same project. Unless expressly stated in writing, a product order does not include any dealer service.
3. VanStro Platform Responsibilities (Product Supply)
As the product supply platform, VanStro is responsible for:
- Product sourcing and supply
- Inventory and product-information management
- The online product catalog and ordering system
- Product and platform promotion
- Development of the dealer network
VanStro does not directly provide, and does not hold itself out as providing: delivery, installation, site measurement, renovation, project management, disposal, or on-site support services. These are performed by dealers under Section 4, unless VanStro states otherwise in writing.
4. Dealer Responsibilities (Extended Services)
Dealers are independently owned and operated businesses. No dealer may bind VanStro. Each dealer manages its own day-to-day operations, personnel, marketing, customer relationships, resale and service pricing, and services. A dealer may, at its own discretion, provide extended services such as:
- Product delivery and transport
- Installation
- Removal and installation
- Site measurement
- Design consultation
- Renovation support
- Disposal
- Project coordination
- Extended service packages
- Additional after-sales services
The availability, scope, and price of these services vary by dealer and by dealer service area. Dealer service areas record the locations where a dealer can support customers.
5. Customer Frontline and Escalation
The local dealer is the customer's single point of contact for all enquiries, orders, delivery, returns and exchanges, services, and after-sales support. VanStro does not operate a direct-to-customer service channel for routine matters.
VanStro acts as a backstop for escalation only. Where a product or policy matter is not resolved by the dealer, the customer may escalate that matter to VanStro, which will then review it.
For dealer extended services, the dealer is the responsible party. A customer may report dealer conduct to VanStro, and VanStro may take such reports into account in managing its dealer relationships, but VanStro does not thereby assume responsibility for the service itself.
6. Website Handling of Dealer Extended Services
The VanStro website presents dealer extended services in a way that keeps the platform layer and the dealer layer clearly separated.
Dealer pages and mini-sites may show dealer name, ID, contact information, dealer service area, business hours, available services, indicative service pricing, appointment or enquiry forms, and a link to the dealer's own website. Every page or section that presents dealer services carries a clear notice that services are provided by the independent dealer and not by VanStro.
Service enquiries, quotations, and bookings submitted through a dealer page are routed to the dealer for handling. VanStro does not quote, schedule, or manage dealer services. Service requests and payments are kept separate from the product checkout flow.
7. Service Pricing and Payments
Dealer services are separate from VanStro product sales. Service fees - which may include delivery, installation, measurement, renovation, disposal, project management, and other service charges - are set by the dealer alone. Unless stated in writing, service fees are not included in VanStro product pricing.
Payment for dealer services is collected by the dealer directly; VanStro does not collect, process, or manage dealer service fees. The dealer is solely responsible for service quotations, invoicing, collection, performance, warranty, and the handling of any service dispute.
8. Service Liability
Dealer extended services are performed by the dealer as an independent business. The dealer is solely responsible for service quality, scheduling, installation workmanship, service personnel, project execution, and service warranty.
VanStro is not responsible for dealer service pricing, scheduling, workmanship, delays, or any service-related dispute. Nothing on the platform, including the display of a dealer's services, makes VanStro a party to, or guarantor of, a dealer's services.
9. Customer Information and Referrals
At the customer's request, VanStro may provide contact information for one or more participating independent dealers that report serving the customer's location. A listing or referral does not guarantee any volume and does not require the customer or dealer to proceed. Where customer information is shared with a dealer for this purpose, it is shared only to the extent needed for the requested referral and is handled in accordance with the VanStro Privacy Policy and applicable privacy law, including PIPEDA and Quebec's Law 25.
10. Taxes
VanStro and the dealer are each responsible for charging and remitting the applicable GST/HST and provincial sales tax on their own supplies - VanStro on the products it supplies, and the dealer on the services it provides.
11. Final Interpretation
VanStro may update this Policy as the platform and dealer network continue to develop.
Appendix - Recommended On-Page Disclosure Text
A. On dealer service pages: "The services on this page are provided by [Dealer Name], an independent dealer, not by VanStro. When you request a service, you enter into an agreement directly with the dealer. The dealer sets its own pricing and is responsible for performing the service. VanStro supplies the products only."
B. At handoff to a dealer's own website: "You are leaving VanStro and going to [Dealer Name]'s own website. The dealer's terms, pricing, and policies will apply."
C. On a platform-hosted dealer mini-page: "This page is hosted on VanStro for [Dealer Name], an independent dealer, but it presents the dealer's own business. The services here are provided, priced, and paid for through the dealer, not VanStro. VanStro is not a party to these services and supplies the products only."