Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Groomers who provide grooming Services through the Platform and whose Services are reviewed by Customers.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This document governs reviews of grooming Services: which Customers may review, the duties of authenticity that apply to a review, how the Company moderates reviews, the Groomer's right to respond, and how reviews are used in the evaluation of a Groomer. The User Content and Reviews Policy states the platform rule for User Content and reviews; this document states the Groomer's obligations under the same rule and incorporates the User Content and Reviews Policy by reference.
1.2 Reviews serve two purposes that this document protects together: a Customer's right to describe an experience honestly, and a Groomer's right not to be judged on a review that is not genuine. A rule in this document that protects one purpose shall not be applied to defeat the other.
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 Customer: a person who books or receives grooming Services through the Platform for an animal in the person's care.
2.4 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.
2.5 Review: a rating and accompanying statement about a Service that a Customer submits through the Platform for publication.
Article 3: Who May Review
3.1 Only a Customer with a completed Appointment may review the Service provided at that Appointment. Eligibility is determined against the Appointment record: no completed Appointment, no Review.
3.2 A Customer may submit one Review for each completed Appointment. A Review attaches to the Appointment. Where more than one Groomer provided service lines within one Appointment, the Review is shared across those service lines, because the Customer experienced the Appointment as a whole.
Article 4: Authenticity and Prohibited Manipulation
4.1 A Review shall reflect the Customer's genuine experience of the Service received. A person shall not post a Review for a Service that was not received, and shall not post a Review containing a claim the person knows to be false.
4.2 The Groomer shall not post, commission, procure, or incentivize a Review of the Groomer's own Services, and shall not post, commission, procure, or incentivize a Review of another Groomer's Services. Prohibited conduct includes offering a discount or another benefit in exchange for a Review, offering a benefit in exchange for a favorable Review, and causing a family member, an employee, or another person to post a Review that presents as a Customer's independent experience.
4.3 Review fraud by a Groomer is a conduct violation under the Groomer Conduct and Enforcement Policy. A pattern of manufactured Reviews is enforced under that document without a cure period.
4.4 The Company shall direct post-Service requests for a Review to all Customers equally and in neutral wording that does not steer the Customer toward a favorable answer. The Groomer shall not direct a Review request only to Customers the Groomer believes to be satisfied.
4.5 The Company's compliance position under the Federal Trade Commission rule on the use of consumer reviews and testimonials, 16 CFR Part 465, is stated in the FTC Fake Review Rule. Fake reviews and review manipulation are violations of federal law as that document states, in addition to violations of this document.
Article 5: Moderation
5.1 The Company moderates a Review by its content and not by its sentiment. A Review shall be removed where the Review is defamatory, obscene, or discriminatory, or where the Review discloses private information, including personal details of a Groomer or information of another Customer. A Review that describes a genuine bad experience, however strongly stated, shall not be removed for that reason.
5.2 A factual dispute is annotated and not silently deleted. Where a Review states a fact that the Grooming Record maintained under the Grooming Records and Continuity of Care Policy or the incident records maintained under the Incident and Injury Reporting Policy contradict, the Company may publish an annotation stating the documented facts alongside the Review. The Company shall not delete a critical Review without stating a ground under clause 5.1, and shall not suppress an honest negative Review.
5.3 Every moderation action is recorded with the reason for the action, whether the outcome is publication, annotation, suppression of display, or removal. Suppression of display does not delete the Review record, which is retained for audit and for pattern analysis. The Company shall notify the Customer of a removal and state the reason, and the Customer may appeal as the User Content and Reviews Policy provides.
5.4 A Review that alleges a medical diagnosis concerning an animal, or that alleges unlawful conduct, shall be escalated to the location manager before any moderation action is taken, because such a Review may concern the distinction between an observation and a diagnosis stated in the Pet Safety and Handling Standards and may require a report under the Incident and Injury Reporting Policy.
Article 6: The Groomer's Response
6.1 The Groomer may post one public response to each Review of the Groomer's Services. A response shall be professional in form and shall: (a) address the facts of the Service; (b) disclose no Customer data; (c) contain no argument with the Customer; and (d) attribute no fault to the animal. A response that offers to make the Service right under the Platform Service Guarantee satisfies this clause; a response that blames the animal's behavior for the outcome does not.
6.2 The Groomer shall not contact a Customer outside the Platform concerning a Review except through the response facility this article provides or through a communication the Platform Service Guarantee requires, and shall not offer a benefit in exchange for the removal or alteration of a Review.
Article 7: Use of Reviews in Evaluation and Compensation
7.1 Reviews are an input to the evaluation of a Groomer under the Groomer Conduct and Enforcement Policy, measured as a rolling ninety (90) day average rating together with Review volume. Reviews are inputs and not verdicts. A single negative Review is not a violation of any document.
7.2 Where a pattern of Reviews raises the same complaint, the Company shall investigate the pattern against the Grooming Records for the Appointments concerned before taking any measure. The investigation determines whether a measure follows; the rating alone does not.
7.3 Reviews do not affect a Groomer's compensation unless the Groomer's Commission Plan under the Groomer Compensation and Commission Terms expressly includes a quality modifier stated in the plan. No Commission Plan shall reduce earned commission on the basis of Reviews alone without a substantiated investigation under the Service Standards Policy.
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.
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, including a response posted under Article 6; (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, including review fraud, to counterfeiting, to a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, to unlawful conduct, or to 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.
Related articles