Terms of Service

1. Who these Terms are with

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are an agreement between you and MECH (“MECH,” “we,” “us”), a business based in Texas, USA. They cover the MECH app, the mechlearn.app website, and related services (together, the “Service”). Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information and is part of these Terms. By creating an account, buying anything, or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you don’t agree, don’t use the Service.

2. Age requirements and parents

• Children under 13. A child under 13 can’t create an account themselves. Their parent or legal guardian sets up the account on mechlearn.app/parent/consent, reads our notice to parents, gives verifiable consent (by paying with a card) and agrees to these Terms for themselves and their child. The parent is responsible for the child’s use of the Service and for the subscription. Children’s accounts have a generated username, no photo, no editable name, no analytics, and no links to outside sites or communities. A parent can review or delete their child’s information, or withdraw consent, at any time by emailing support@mechlearn.app. If we learn a child under 13 has an account without a parent’s consent, we will close it and delete its data.
• Under 18. If you are 13 to 17 (or under the age of majority where you live), you may use MECH only with the permission of a parent or legal guardian. Your parent or guardian agrees to these Terms on your behalf and for themselves, is responsible for your use of the Service, and is the person who makes and is responsible for any purchase.
• Parents and guardians. By allowing your teen to use MECH, or by buying for them (for example through a parent link), you agree to these Terms for yourself and your teen and confirm you are at least 18.
• Coaches, teams and schools. A coach, school or organization that buys a Team or League plan agrees to these Terms for itself, confirms it is buying for students 13 and older, and is responsible for getting any permission its students’ parents, guardians or school require. Students under 13 join MECH only through the parent consent page, not with a team code.
• App store age checks. Some states, including Texas, require app stores to verify ages and get a parent’s consent for minors’ downloads and purchases. We may use the age range and consent status provided by the app store to decide whether, and how, MECH can be used, and to tell parents about significant changes.

3. The Service

MECH is a gamified learning platform for robotics, focused on FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). It includes lessons, quizzes, practice, arena challenges, rankings, streaks and a virtual reward economy. We may add, change, suspend or remove features or content at any time. Using MECH requires an active MECH Pro subscription, free trial, Team or League seat, or other paid access; there is no free version.

Not affiliated. MECH is an independent educational product. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by FIRST®, FIRST Tech Challenge, the FIRST Robotics Competition, VEX Robotics, the REC Foundation, or any parts maker. Those names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to describe what MECH teaches.

4. Your account

• Give accurate information, keep your login safe, and don’t share or sell your account. One person, one account.
• You are responsible for activity on your account. Tell us at support@mechlearn.app right away if you think someone else has access.
• You can delete your account anytime in Profile → Delete Account. Deleting it also cancels any MECH subscription paid through Stripe on that account.

5. Rules of use

You agree not to:

• Cheat, automate play, or use bots, scripts or macros to earn XP, Elo, gems, hearts or rank
• Exploit bugs, tamper with the app or its network requests, or try to get paid features without paying
• Reverse engineer, decompile or try to access non-public parts of the Service, or test its security without our written permission
• Impersonate anyone, or use usernames or team names that are hateful, harassing, sexual or unlawful
• Scrape, copy, resell or redistribute MECH content or data
• Interfere with the Service or other people’s use of it, or break any law while using it

If you break these rules we may remove content, reset progress or virtual items, or suspend or close your account, without a refund where the law allows.

6. Virtual items

Gems, hearts, XP, Elo, streaks and badges are virtual items with no real-world value. They are not money, can’t be cashed out or transferred, and are licensed to you (not sold) for use inside MECH only. We may change how they work, and they end when your account ends or the Service is discontinued.

7. Subscriptions, purchases and cancellation

• Plans. A paid plan is required to use MECH. MECH Pro is an auto-renewing subscription, monthly ($5.99 per month) or yearly ($29.99 per year), that includes everything in MECH. MECH Basic is an auto-renewing subscription ($1.99 per month) that includes the lessons, learn path, streaks and quests, but not the Arena, Elo, unlimited hearts, Mistakes Practice or other Pro features. You can upgrade from Basic to Pro anytime. Prices are in US dollars, and the price shown before you buy controls.
• Free trial. Eligible new subscribers may get a free trial (currently 7 days on the yearly plan, once per person). The trial length and the price you’ll pay are shown before you confirm. Unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends, it converts to a paid subscription and you are charged automatically. Subscriptions bought by a parent for a child under 13 on the parent consent page start with a payment and have no free trial, because the payment is how the parent’s consent is verified.
• Auto-renewal. Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each month or year, and you are charged the then-current price, until you cancel. Cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends to avoid the next charge. Cancelling stops future renewals; you keep Pro until the end of the period you paid for.
• How you pay. All MECH purchases, in the iOS app and on mechlearn.app, are paid through Stripe on a secure Stripe checkout page; they are not App Store purchases. Your payment method is charged when you confirm (or when a free trial ends). You can cancel anytime, online, in Profile → Manage Subscription, from the link in your receipt email, or by emailing support@mechlearn.app; cancelling is as easy as signing up. For yearly plans we email a reminder before each renewal.
• One-time purchases. Gem packs add gems to your account right away. Gems have no cash value and can’t be exchanged for money.
• Team and League plans. A Team plan is a one-time purchase by a coach or organization covering up to 15 students who join with the team code. A League plan is a one-time purchase by an organization covering up to 150 students in total across the team codes it creates. Both last 12 months from the date of purchase and do not renew automatically. The purchaser manages seats and can remove students, which ends their plan access. Seats can’t be resold or shared outside the purchasing team or organization.
• Refunds. Payments are non-refundable once a billing period starts, except where the law requires otherwise. If something went wrong (for example, a duplicate charge or a charge after you cancelled), email support@mechlearn.app within 30 days and we’ll make it right.
• Price changes. We may change prices. For an existing subscription we will email you at least 30 days before a higher price applies, and you can cancel before it does.
• Payments. Payments are processed by Stripe. We never see or store full card numbers.

8. Safety

MECH teaches general robotics concepts. Building and running robots involves power tools, batteries, motors, moving parts and electricity, which can cause injury, fire or property damage. Always follow your team’s and venue’s safety rules and competition rules, wear eye protection, and work with adult supervision. MECH content is educational only, not professional engineering, electrical or safety advice, and may not match the latest official game manual. You are responsible for how you use what you learn. To the extent the law allows, MECH is not responsible for injury or damage that results from building, testing or operating robots.

9. Sponsors and outside links

Some lessons may say “Presented by” a sponsor, and some screens link to parts stores or other sites. Some links are affiliate links, which means MECH may earn a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Sponsorships never change our answers or lesson content, and sponsors get no personal information about you. We aren’t responsible for third-party sites, products or purchases.

10. Our content and your feedback

The Service, including lessons, questions, explanations, graphics, software, and the MECH name and logo, is owned by MECH or its licensors. We give you a limited, personal, non-commercial, revocable license to use it for learning. Coaches may use MECH with their own team. If you send us feedback or ideas, we may use them without paying you. If you believe something on MECH infringes your copyright, email support@mechlearn.app.

11. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We don’t promise the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure, that progress or virtual items will never be lost, that content is complete or current, or that using MECH will lead to any competition, award, school or job result. Always check official competition rules.

12. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THE LAW ALLOWS, MECH AND ITS OWNERS, EMPLOYEES AND SUPPLIERS WON’T BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, DATA, PROGRESS OR VIRTUAL ITEMS, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICE. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATED TO THE SERVICE WON’T EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) WHAT YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR (B) $50. Some places don’t allow some of these limits, so they may not fully apply to you. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that can’t be limited by law.

13. Indemnity

If you are an adult user, parent, guardian, coach or organization, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless MECH and its owners from claims, losses and costs (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your (or, for parents and guardians, your teen’s) misuse of the Service or violation of these Terms or the law.

14. Disputes

• Talk to us first. Most problems can be fixed by emailing support@mechlearn.app. Before starting any claim, you agree to email us a description and give us 30 days to try to resolve it.
• Arbitration (adults only). If you are 18 or older (including parents, guardians and coaches), any dispute that isn’t resolved informally will be decided by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, instead of in court, except that either side may bring an individual claim in small claims court, and either side may ask a court to stop infringement or misuse of intellectual property.
• No class actions (adults only). Adults agree to bring claims only individually, not as a plaintiff or class member in any class or representative action.
• Opt out. You can opt out of arbitration and the class-action waiver by emailing support@mechlearn.app within 30 days of first agreeing to these Terms, with your name and the email on your account.
• Minors. This section 14’s arbitration and class-action waiver don’t apply to claims brought by or for a user under 18; those go to the courts described below.
• Law and courts. These Terms are governed by Texas law and applicable U.S. federal law, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute not subject to arbitration will be brought only in the state or federal courts located in Texas, and you and MECH consent to their jurisdiction, except where the law of your home state gives you a right to sue where you live.

15. Ending the agreement

You can stop using MECH and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or end your access if you break these Terms, if the law requires it, or if we discontinue the Service; if we discontinue a paid service, we will refund any unused prepaid period of a web subscription. Sections that by their nature should survive (including virtual items, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity and disputes) survive.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. For material changes we will give notice in the app or by email before they take effect and, where required (for example, by app store age laws), ask a parent to approve again. If you keep using MECH after changes take effect, you accept them. If you don’t agree, stop using MECH and cancel any subscription.

17. Apple App Store

If you got MECH from Apple’s App Store: these Terms are between you and MECH, not Apple. Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance or support, and isn’t responsible for the app, any warranty claims, product liability claims, legal or regulatory compliance claims, or intellectual property claims about it. If the app fails to meet any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple for a refund of the purchase price (if any), and Apple has no other warranty obligation. You confirm you are not in a country under a U.S. embargo and are not on a U.S. government restricted-party list. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them. You must also follow the App Store’s Usage Rules.

18. General

• If any part of these Terms is unenforceable, the rest stays in effect, and that part is enforced as far as the law allows.
• Our not enforcing a term isn’t a waiver. You can’t transfer these Terms; we may transfer them as part of a merger, sale or reorganization.
• We aren’t responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control.
• These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and MECH about the Service.

19. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email support@mechlearn.app.