Terms of Service
Small-Town Secrets is operated by Small Town Secrets Inc., a corporation incorporated in Ontario, Canada (“we”, “us”). These terms are an agreement between you and Small Town Secrets Inc., and it is Small Town Secrets Inc. that sells you anything you buy here. Our registered office is 11 Linsmary Court, Markham, Ontario L6E 1L2, Canada.
The service
Small-Town Secrets provides serialized interactive crime fiction. Episodes and evidence are released on a schedule. Episode 1 of every case is free. Every episode after it requires a Case Pass for that case, whether the case is running or closed. Prices are stated on the pricing page.
Lab and trial features are offered as they are and may change or be withdrawn. They never change what you paid for, what you can see in the case, or how answers are scored.
Acceptable use
Case materials are for your personal enjoyment. You may not scrape, redistribute, resell, or publicly repost the evidence, documents, audio, or solutions. Attempting to bypass release timing or access controls is prohibited.
What you write stays yours
Your notes, your timeline, and your theories belong to you. We are not claiming ownership of them and we are not going to start selling them.
What we do ask for is narrow: permission to read your case work so we can see how the story is landing and write a better one next time, and to count it alongside everybody else’s. Our writers see it without your name attached. If we ever want to show something you wrote to other players, or quote it in our own marketing, we will ask you first. How this works in practice, and what happens when you delete your account, is set out in the privacy policy.
Billing
The price is shown clearly before you pay. A Case Pass is a one-time purchase: you pay once, and nothing renews or charges you again later.
Refunds
A Case Pass is refundable in full within 48 hours of purchase, no questions asked. We don’t ask why, we don’t count how much of the case you read, and we don’t make you argue for it. One email to support@smalltownsecrets.com from the address you bought with; no form, no ticket number. Refunds are issued to the original payment method and usually appear within 5–10 business days, depending on your bank.
When the refund goes through, paid access closes automatically. Episode 1 stays free forever, and your notebook and timeline stay exactly where you left them if you come back later.
Past 48 hours we’re not obliged to refund a Case Pass, but we’d still rather hear from you than have you feel stung. Nothing here limits the refund rights your local consumer law gives you.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws in force in Ontario, Canada.
Fiction disclaimer
All characters, businesses, and events are fictional. Any resemblance to real persons or events is coincidental.