Legal
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern access to and use of the PawBooker website and mobile application and related services (the “Platform”), operated by PawBooker LLC, an Arizona limited liability company (“PawBooker,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By creating an account, booking a service, or providing services through the Platform, you (“you” or “User”) agree to be bound by these Terms.
The Platform has two types of Users:
Sections below apply to all Users unless a section is marked as specific to Customers or Groomers.
You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or use the Platform.
PawBooker is a technology platform that connects Customers with independent Groomers and facilitates scheduling and payment processing through third-party providers. PawBooker does not itself perform, supervise, or guarantee any grooming service, and does not act as agent for either party in the underlying grooming transaction. Groomers are independent businesses, not employees, agents, partners, or franchisees of PawBooker, and PawBooker is not vicariously liable for a Groomer’s acts or omissions. PawBooker is not a party to the grooming service itself — the contract for grooming services exists directly between the Customer and the Groomer.
PawBooker is not responsible for:
Nothing in this section limits PawBooker’s own obligations regarding the payment processing and platform services it directly provides.
This section applies specifically to Users registered as Groomers.
You represent that you operate as an independent business (whether a sole proprietor, LLC, or other entity) and are not an employee, agent, or partner of PawBooker. You are solely responsible for determining how you perform your services, the price you charge for each service you list, your own supplies and equipment, and your own business operations. PawBooker does not set or approve your service prices; the Platform fee (see Section 2.4 for how payments are processed) is added to, and separate from, the price you set.
Control over your schedule and bookings. You set your own business hours and availability, and you decide in your sole discretion which booking requests to accept, decline, reschedule, or cancel. PawBooker does not assign, dispatch, or require you to accept any particular booking, and does not direct the methods, sequence, or manner in which you perform grooming services.
No exclusivity. Nothing in these Terms requires you to use the Platform exclusively. You remain free to offer grooming services through other channels or platforms, accept walk-in or off-Platform clients, maintain and solicit your own pre-existing clientele, and operate any competing or independent business. (This does not permit diverting a Customer you met through the Platform to book or pay off-Platform in order to avoid Platform fees, as described in Section 2.5.)
No employment relationship. These Terms do not create an employment, agency, partnership, joint-venture, or franchise relationship. PawBooker does not pay you wages, a salary, or an hourly rate; does not provide employee benefits (such as health insurance, paid leave, workers’ compensation, or unemployment insurance); does not withhold income or payroll taxes on your behalf; and does not provide the tools, equipment, or workspace used to perform your services. You are compensated by Customers for the services you provide, net of the Platform fees described in these Terms, and you are responsible for your own taxes as described in Section 2.4.
You are solely responsible for obtaining and maintaining any business license, permit, certification, or insurance required by your local, state, or federal law to lawfully operate a pet grooming business. PawBooker does not verify licensing or insurance and makes no representation that any Groomer is licensed, certified, or insured.
You agree that all information you provide on the Platform — services offered, pricing, availability, hours, location, and photos — is accurate and kept up to date. Misrepresenting your services, credentials, or pricing is grounds for suspension or removal under Section 2.6.
Customer payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. (“Stripe”) through Stripe Connect, PawBooker’s third-party payment processor. By connecting a Stripe account, you agree to Stripe’s Connected Account Agreement and related Stripe terms, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference; your ability to receive payouts is conditioned on maintaining an active, compliant Stripe account. Funds for a completed booking are typically captured at the time of service and released to your connected account on Stripe’s standard payout schedule, less any processing fees or holds Stripe applies. If a Customer disputes a charge before payout, Stripe may place a hold on the disputed amount pending resolution. PawBooker is not a bank and does not hold your funds outside of standard payment-processing timing.
You are solely responsible for:
While providing services booked through the Platform, you agree to:
PawBooker may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform, with or without notice, for reasons including but not limited to:
Where practical, PawBooker will provide notice of the reason for suspension or removal, but reserves the right to act immediately where necessary to protect Customers, other Groomers, or the integrity of the Platform. Suspension or removal is a decision about access to the Platform; it does not constitute supervision or control over how you perform grooming services.
PawBooker offers an optional, paid subscription tier for Groomers (“Pro”) that unlocks additional features, currently including: a business insights dashboard (revenue, repeat-customer rate, cancellations, service mix); an AI chat assistant that responds to Customers on the Groomer’s behalf, subject to Section 2.8 below, with escalation to the Groomer; an AI business assistant for querying the Groomer’s own customer, revenue, and supply data; automated win-back reminders for lapsed Customers; and priority support. PawBooker may add, remove, or modify Pro features from time to time.
Price and billing platform. The Pro subscription is priced at $34.99/month across all platforms. How a given Groomer’s subscription is billed depends on the platform used to subscribe:
A Groomer’s access to Pro, and which billing system governs it, does not change simply because the Groomer uses PawBooker on a different platform after subscribing — see Section 2.4 regarding payment processing generally.
Complimentary Pro. PawBooker may, at its discretion, grant a Groomer complimentary (no-charge) access to Pro features. Complimentary Pro access is not a paid subscription, is not billed, and may be modified or revoked by PawBooker at any time.
Refunds. For iOS and Android subscriptions, refund requests are handled by Apple or Google, respectively, in accordance with their own policies; PawBooker does not process or guarantee refunds for app-store-billed subscriptions. For Stripe-billed web subscriptions, PawBooker will refund a charge in full if you request it within 7 days of that charge; requests made after 7 days are not eligible for a refund, and access continues (and the next renewal will still occur) until you cancel.
If you enable the AI chat assistant available with Pro, the assistant uses automated, artificial- intelligence technology to draft or send responses to Customer messages on your behalf, within parameters you configure. You remain solely responsible for all communications sent through the assistant, whether or not you personally reviewed them before they were sent, and for promptly correcting any inaccurate or inappropriate response. The assistant is a tool you choose to enable and configure — PawBooker does not direct what the assistant says to a particular Customer. You may disable the assistant at any time in your Pro settings.
The assistant may occasionally generate inaccurate, incomplete, or contextually inappropriate responses. PawBooker does not guarantee the accuracy of AI-generated communications and is not liable for outcomes resulting from a Customer’s reliance on them. You should configure the assistant to escalate pricing, medical, safety, or other sensitive questions directly to yourself.
This section applies specifically to Users registered as Customers.
When you book a service, you authorize PawBooker to charge your saved payment method for the price of the service, any additional line items added by the Groomer at time of service, applicable taxes, and any tip you choose to add. Charges for completed services are generally processed off-session (i.e., without requiring you to re-enter payment details at the time of charge). Payments are processed by Stripe; PawBooker does not store your full card number, and your payment method is handled through Stripe’s PCI-compliant systems.
Cancellation terms (notice required, any applicable fees) are as displayed at the time of booking or in-app. Repeated late cancellations or no-shows may result in restricted booking privileges.
If you’re unsatisfied with a completed service, contact the Groomer directly or reach PawBooker support within 48 hours of the appointment. PawBooker may, at its discretion, facilitate a refund, partial refund, or credit for a service that was not rendered as booked; a charge that reflects a service actually performed is not refundable solely because you changed your mind. Refund requests are reviewed under Section 4.
You agree to:
PawBooker may suspend or terminate your access to the Platform for reasons including but not limited to:
PawBooker is not a party to, and assumes no liability for, disputes between Customers and Groomers regarding the grooming service itself (e.g., dissatisfaction with a haircut, an injury during grooming, or a disagreement about pricing not reflected in the Platform’s invoice). PawBooker may, at its discretion, assist in facilitating communication or reviewing Platform records (such as invoice history or messages), but is not obligated to arbitrate, refund, or otherwise resolve such disputes on the parties’ behalf.
Charges that were authorized and reflect services actually rendered are not, by themselves, grounds for a Platform-issued refund.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, PawBooker and its officers, employees, and affiliates are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, arising from your use of the Platform or any grooming service booked through it — including but not limited to injury to a pet or person, property damage, or dissatisfaction with services rendered by an independent Groomer.
PawBooker’s total liability for any claim arising from these Terms or use of the Platform shall not exceed the greater of (a) the fees PawBooker itself retained (if any) from the transaction giving rise to the claim, or (b) the total Pro subscription fees you paid PawBooker in the 12 months preceding the claim (or $100, if you were not a Pro subscriber during that period).
PawBooker does not maintain insurance covering grooming services performed by Groomers, injury to a pet or person, or property damage arising from an appointment. Groomers and Customers are encouraged to maintain their own applicable insurance.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless PawBooker and its officers, employees, and affiliates from any third-party claim, damage, or expense (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from: your use of the Platform, your violation of these Terms, or (for Groomers) the services you provide to Customers.
The Platform, including its software, design, trademarks, and content (excluding User Content), is owned by PawBooker or its licensors and protected by intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Platform for its intended purpose. You may not copy, modify, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works from the Platform, except as permitted by applicable law or Section 9 (Mobile Application License).
You retain ownership of content you submit to the Platform, including listing photos, profile information, pet photos, and messages (“User Content”). You grant PawBooker a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, display, and use your User Content to operate, promote, and improve the Platform. If your User Content includes a photo of a Customer’s pet, home, or property, you represent that you have the Customer’s permission to take and use that photo for the purpose submitted.
Customers and Groomers may rate and review each other after a completed booking. Reviews must reflect genuine experiences; manipulating, exchanging, or fabricating reviews is prohibited. PawBooker may remove a review that violates this section or otherwise violates these Terms, but is not obligated to remove a review solely because a User disagrees with it. A Groomer may publicly respond to a review left on their own listing; responses are subject to the same standards as reviews under this section and may be removed on the same basis.
If you believe content on the Platform infringes your copyright, send a notice to support@paw-booker.com with the information required under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. We will respond in accordance with the DMCA’s notice-and-takedown procedures.
Our collection and use of your information — including location data (used for routing, matching, and service verification), photos, payment and payout information, and other personal data — is described in our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Platform, you consent to the data practices described in the Privacy Policy.
Subject to your compliance with these Terms, PawBooker grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to download, install, and use the PawBooker mobile application (the “App”) on a device you own or control, solely for your personal, non-commercial use of the Platform’s intended purpose (or, for Groomers, to operate your grooming business through the Platform).
You may not:
This license is limited to use on devices you own or control, and as permitted by the Apple App Store or Google Play Terms of Service, as applicable.
You agree that PawBooker may collect and use technical data about your device and App usage, as described in our Privacy Policy, to provide and improve the Platform.
PawBooker, not Apple or Google, is solely responsible for providing maintenance and support for the App, to the extent required by applicable law.
The App is provided “as is.” To the extent not prohibited by law, PawBooker disclaims all warranties, and Apple and Google have no warranty obligation of any kind regarding the App. In the event the App fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple or Google, and they may refund the purchase price (if any) for the App; to the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple and Google have no other warranty obligation with respect to the App.
PawBooker, not Apple or Google, is responsible for addressing any claims relating to the App, including product liability claims, claims that the App fails to conform to legal or regulatory requirements, and claims arising under consumer protection or similar laws.
PawBooker, not Apple or Google, is responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of any claim that the App, or your possession or use of it, infringes a third party’s intellectual property rights.
You represent that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. government embargo or designated as a “terrorist supporting” country, and that you are not on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
Apple Inc. and Google LLC, and their respective subsidiaries, are third-party beneficiaries of this Section 9, and each may enforce it directly against you.
If you access the App through the Apple App Store, your use is also subject to Apple’s Usage Rules in the App Store Terms of Service. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and Apple’s Usage Rules, Apple’s Usage Rules govern solely as to your use of the App on Apple devices.
If you access the App through Google Play, your use is also subject to the Google Play Terms of Service.
Purchases of the Pro subscription made within the App are governed by Section 2.7 and by the applicable app store’s billing terms.
Apple and Google have no obligation to furnish maintenance, support, or any warranty with respect to the App, except as required by applicable law, and are not responsible for addressing claims relating to the App, as set out in Section 9.
You may stop using the Platform at any time. PawBooker may suspend or terminate any account as described in Sections 2.6 and 3.5, or for any other reason with reasonable notice, except where immediate action is necessary to protect Users or the Platform.
PawBooker may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the app or by email prior to taking effect. Continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Arizona, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.
Before filing a claim, you agree to contact PawBooker at support@paw-booker.com and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for 30 days.
Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform that is not resolved informally will be settled by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, in Maricopa County, Arizona (or another mutually agreed or remote location). YOU AND PAWBOOKER EACH WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL AND TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing support@paw-booker.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms.
Either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court, and PawBooker may seek injunctive relief in court to protect its intellectual property or the security of the Platform.
We may send notices to the email or in-app address associated with your account; notice is effective when sent. You may send legal notices to PawBooker as described in Section 15.
PawBooker is not liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, internet or payment-processor outages, or government action.
If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and PawBooker regarding the Platform and supersede any prior agreements.
You may not assign these Terms without PawBooker’s consent. PawBooker may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
General questions about these Terms can be directed to support@paw-booker.com.
Legal notices should be sent to PawBooker LLC, c/o Northwest Registered Agent LLC, 4539 N 22nd St, Ste N, Phoenix, AZ 85016, Attn: Legal, or to support@paw-booker.com.
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