Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Groomers who provide grooming Services booked through the Platform, and all Customers who receive those Services.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document states the guarantee the Company gives a Customer for a grooming Service booked through the Platform: the failure the guarantee covers, the claim the Customer must make and the period in which the claim must be made, the remedies of re-performance or refund, the funding of those remedies by the Company, and the Company's recovery from a Groomer whose failure caused the remedy. This document also states the Groomer's duties in performing under the guarantee.
1.2 The guarantee is the first-instance remedy for a quality complaint about a Service. A quality complaint is resolved under this document before any other proceeding, and the record of the claim, the evidence, and the remedy offered accompanies any later dispute concerning the same Service.
1.3 If a provision of this document conflicts with the Terms of Use, this document controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this document conflicts with the terms of a program in which the Groomer participates, the program terms control for that program. Policies and help pages explain this document; they do not amend it, and in any conflict this document prevails.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 The definitions in the Groomer Terms of Service are incorporated into this document by reference and apply to this document. This article defines only the additional terms used in this document, in alphabetical order.
2.2 Appointment: a booking for a grooming Service through the Platform, confirmed in accordance with the Appointment Operations Policy.
2.3 Confirmed Scope: the Services and specifications for an Appointment recorded at booking and confirmed at check-in, as the Service Standards Policy states the scope.
2.4 Customer: a person who books or receives grooming Services through the Platform for an animal in the person's care.
2.5 Groomer: a person the Company has accepted to provide grooming Services through the Platform, whether engaged as an employee or as an independent contractor, as the engagement states.
2.6 Guarantee Claim: a Customer's claim under this document that identifies a specific defect in a Service against the Confirmed Scope or the quality standards in the Service Standards Policy.
2.7 Re-performance: the re-performance of a defective Service at no charge under Article 4.
Article 3: The Guarantee and the Claim
3.1 Where a Service does not match the Confirmed Scope or does not meet the quality standards in the Service Standards Policy, the Customer is entitled to re-performance or a refund under Article 4. The guarantee covers a failure to meet the standard; the guarantee does not cover a preference for a different style where the Service performed matched the Confirmed Scope and met the standard.
3.2 A Guarantee Claim shall be made within seven (7) days of the completion time of the Appointment. A complaint made after that period is not a Guarantee Claim and is addressed, if at all, as a matter of goodwill at the location manager's discretion, without the defined remedies of Article 4.
3.3 A Guarantee Claim shall identify the specific defect by reference to the Confirmed Scope or to a quality standard. A statement of dissatisfaction that identifies no defect against the Confirmed Scope or the standards is not a Guarantee Claim and is addressed as a request for re-performance at the location manager's discretion.
3.4 The Company shall determine a Guarantee Claim against the Grooming Record maintained under the Grooming Records and Continuity of Care Policy and the Confirmed Scope, and shall record the claim, the evidence considered, and the remedy offered or given. The Groomer shall cooperate with the determination and shall produce the Grooming Record for the Appointment.
Article 4: Remedies
4.1 Re-performance. The defective Service shall be re-performed at no charge to the Customer, within fourteen (14) days of the Guarantee Claim. Re-performance is by the original Groomer where the Customer agrees, and by a different qualified Groomer where the Customer does not agree. The re-performance is recorded as a new Appointment linked to the original Appointment. A re-performance does not generate a second commission for the same Service, as the Groomer Compensation and Commission Terms provide.
4.2 Refund. Where re-performance is impractical, or where the Customer declines re-performance, the Company shall refund the defective service line in full to the original payment method within five (5) business days. A surcharge tied to the defective service line is refunded with that line. The remainder of the Appointment is not refunded, and a defect in one service line does not refund a service line that met the standard.
4.3 An injury to an animal is not a Guarantee Claim. A cut, a burn, a bite, or another injury is reported and addressed under the Incident and Injury Reporting Policy, with the cost allocation stated in the Service Liability and Waiver Policy. An injury shall not be routed through this document to reduce the remedy that those documents provide.
4.4 The total remedy under this document for one Appointment shall not exceed the total of that Appointment's service lines. Consequential amounts are excluded, except as the Service Liability and Waiver Policy provides for emergency veterinary costs.
Article 5: Funding and Recovery from the Groomer
5.1 The Company funds each remedy given under Article 4 in the first instance. The Customer receives re-performance or the refund from the Company without regard to any allocation between the Company and the Groomer.
5.2 Where the failure that gave rise to the remedy was the Groomer's failure: the Service did not match the Confirmed Scope or did not meet the quality standards in the Service Standards Policy because of the Groomer's performance: the Company may recover the cost of the remedy from the Groomer. Recovery is made by setoff against compensation otherwise payable to the Groomer under the Groomer Compensation and Commission Terms, and the Company shall state the recovery, the Appointment concerned, and the ground for the recovery in the Groomer's commission report.
5.3 No recovery is made from a Groomer for a remedy given for a failure that was not the Groomer's, including a failure caused by an animal's condition disclosed at intake and addressed under Article 6, or by an instruction of the Company or the location. Where the Groomer disputes a recovery, the dispute is raised before the payroll cutoff for the run in which the setoff appears, as the Groomer Compensation and Commission Terms provide.
Article 6: Exclusions
6.1 The guarantee does not cover (a) a result limited by the animal's condition, where the limitation was disclosed to the Customer at intake and the Customer consented to the resulting change of scope, including a severely matted animal that received a shave-down instead of the requested cut after that disclosure and consent;
(b) a result that follows a deviation the Customer requested against the Groomer's recorded professional recommendation, where the request and the recommendation are recorded in the Customer's notes for the Appointment;
(c) normal variation in hand-finished work that meets the quality standards in the Service Standards Policy; or
(d) a claim arising from the Customer's non-disclosure of bite history or of a health condition, as the Service Liability and Waiver Policy provides.
Article 7: Abuse of the Guarantee and the Quality Signal
7.1 Guarantee abuse: a repeated claim without merit, a claim made to obtain a Service without charge, or a threat concerning a Review made to obtain a remedy: is recorded against the Customer. On the third abusive claim within twelve (12) months, the Customer's rights under this guarantee are suspended for twelve (12) months. The Customer may appeal a suspension under Article 10.
7.2 A Groomer whose re-performance rate exceeds ten percent (10%) of completed Appointments in a rolling sixty (60) day period is subject to a quality review under the Groomer Conduct and Enforcement Policy. The guarantee protects the Customer; the quality review, and not the guarantee, addresses a pattern of Services that do not meet the standard on first performance.
Article 8: Liability
8.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, or loss of goodwill, arising out of or relating to this document, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
8.2 To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this document shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the Groomer paid to the Company under this document in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
8.3 This article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this document; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts the Groomer owes for Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under this document; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
8.4 The parties agree that this article allocates risk between them, that it is an essential part of the basis of their bargain, and that it applies even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.
8.5 Nothing in this article limits liability for personal injury, or for injury to an animal, caused by negligence, where applicable law does not permit the limitation. The cap in Article 4, clause 4.4 is the cap on guarantee remedies and does not limit a claim for injury governed by the Service Liability and Waiver Policy.
Article 9: Indemnification
9.1 The Groomer shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against every claim, demand, action, loss, liability, judgment, settlement, cost, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) the Groomer's breach of this document; (b) the Groomer's Services, listings, or User Content; (c) the Groomer's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Groomer is responsible under this document.
9.2 The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this article. The Groomer shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The Groomer shall not settle a claim in a manner that imposes any obligation or restriction on the Company, or that does not release the Company fully, without the Company's prior written consent.
9.3 This article survives the termination of this document.
Article 10: Enforcement and Appeals
10.1 The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this document. The Groomer shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this document requires the Groomer to keep.
10.2 If the Company determines that the Groomer has violated this document, the Company shall give written notice stating the provision violated and the facts relied on, except where notice would compromise an investigation of fraud, a safety risk, or a legal obligation.
10.3 Where a violation is capable of cure, the Groomer has ten (10) business days from notice to cure it and to confirm the cure in writing. No cure period applies to fraud, counterfeiting, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
10.4 If a violation is established and is not cured within the period allowed, the Company may, proportionate to the violation: (a) issue a written warning; (b) remove or suppress a listing or content; (c) cancel an Order or a booking; (d) suspend the Account or a program participation, in whole or in part; (e) terminate this document and the Account; and (f) exercise any other right or remedy available under this document or at law. The Company may suspend the Groomer immediately, without prior notice and without a cure period, where the safety of an animal is at risk or where a qualification or certification the Groomer is required to hold has lapsed.
10.5 The Groomer may appeal a measure under this article by written notice to legal@aapawz.com within thirty (30) days of the measure, stating the grounds and attaching the records relied on. The appeal is decided by a person who did not make the original decision. The Company's decision on appeal is final. A measure remains in effect during an appeal unless the Company directs otherwise in writing.
10.6 The Company's delay in acting on a violation is not a waiver of the violation or of any later violation of the same kind.
Article 11: Term and Termination
11.1 This document takes effect when the Groomer is accepted to provide Services through the Platform and accepts this document, and continues until terminated under this article.
11.2 The Company may terminate this document and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the Groomer materially breaches this document, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
11.3 The Groomer may terminate this document on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Groomer has no Order, booking, or investigation outstanding.
11.4 On termination: (a) the rights granted under this document end; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including payment, refund, chargeback, record-keeping, and indemnification obligations: survive until satisfied; and (c) the Company shall disburse amounts owed, less amounts the Company may set off under this document, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
11.5 The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions articles survive termination.
Article 12: Dispute Resolution
12.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this document, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this document by reference.
Article 13: General Provisions
13.1 The Company may amend this document by posting the amended document in the Document Center and giving notice to the Groomer at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases the Groomer's fees or obligations takes effect thirty (30) days after notice; other amendments take effect on posting. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an amendment is acceptance of it. If the Groomer does not accept an amendment, the Groomer's remedy is to terminate under the Term and Termination article before the amendment takes effect.
13.2 Legal notices under this document shall be sent to legal@aapawz.com. Operational notices and all other communications shall be sent to support@aapawz.com. A notice to the Company is effective when the Company acknowledges receipt or, for email, one business day after sending, whichever is earlier. Notices to the Groomer are effective when sent to the email address in the Account or posted to the Account's notice facility in the portal, whichever occurs first. The Groomer shall keep the email address in the Account current. Notices under the DMCA and Copyright Policy are given as provided in that policy, to the designated agent at legal@aapawz.com.
13.3 This document is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to the Dispute Resolution Policy, any proceeding arising out of this document shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there.
13.4 If any provision of this document is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
13.5 This document, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and the Groomer for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
13.6 The Groomer shall not assign this document or any right or obligation under it without the Company's prior written consent, and an assignment without consent is void. The Company may assign this document to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the Groomer.
13.7 A waiver of any provision of this document is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
13.8 Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This document shall not be construed against a party on the ground that the party prepared this document. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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