What Is The Mad Paws Cancellation And Refund Policy?
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At Mad Paws we understand that sometimes bookings need to be cancelled. We have put in place some policies to outline what the process will be in each situation. Our Cancellation Policy and Refund procedures are also outlined in our Terms of Service.
If a Pet Owner cancels a booking after it has been paid for, but before the booking starts
If an Owner cancels a Booking after paying the Pet Service Fee, but before the Pet Services have been performed, the Owner will be required to pay any applicable Sitter Cancellation Fee to the relevant Sitter (depending on the cancellation policy selected by the Sitter).
Mad Paws allows pet sitters to choose their cancellation policy from three different policies we have set. Owners can view the cancellation policy on the sitter's public profile.
The three cancellation policies are:
- Flexible Policy - a full refund will only be available if the Booking is cancelled before 12pm AEST, one day before the Pet Services are to be performed under the Booking;
- Moderate Policy - a full refund will only be available if the Booking is cancelled before 12pm AEST, 7 days before the Pet Services are to be performed under the Booking;
- Strict Policy - a full refund will only be available if the Booking is cancelled before 12pm AEST, 14 days before the Pet Services are to be performed under the Booking.
If a booking is cancelled outside the timeframe specified in the sitter's chosen cancellation policy, the pet owner will receive a full refund of the Pet Service fee.
If the cancellation occurs within the timeframe of the cancellation policy, then the owner will receive a refund of 50% of the Pet Service fee.
Our Booking Fee is non-refundable when a booking is cancelled by the owner.
In this scenario, if the pet sitter is owed the cancellation fee (50% of the Pet Service fee, minus Our Service Fee) this will then be deposited into the pet sitter's balance.
All ongoing Repeat Weekly Bookings without a specified end date are subject to the Flexible policy regardless of the Cancellation Policy the Sitter has set forth in their profile. Read more about this specific policy here.
If you wish to cancel a paid booking, action this via the booking details, and we will arrange a refund (if appropriate).
If a Pet Sitter cancels a booking after it has been paid for
If a pet sitter cancel's a paid booking, the Sitter is required to immediately message the Owner and cancel it via the booking details.
Mad Paws will refund the full amount paid to the owner, and we will aim to help the pet owner find a replacement pet sitter. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the cancellation we may flag the pet sitter's profile. If two paid bookings are cancelled within three months, Mad Paws may suspend or remove the pet sitter's profile.
Mad Paws aims to ensure that once a booking is paid for, it is secured and locked in. We understand that sometimes pet sitters need to cancel, either due to an emergency or an unavoidable circumstance. However, once a booking has been paid for we want to keep cancellations by pet sitters to a minimum. This is due to the fact that Mad Paws wants to make sure sitters get paid for the jobs they complete, and so owners are guaranteed the service.
Once a booking has been completed, can the owner get a refund?
If a pet owner is extremely unhappy with the service that was provided by the pet sitter they booked, or if an incident occurs during a booking, the pet owner is able to submit a claim for a refund. However, to be eligible for a refund, the following needs to have happened:
- The pet owner and pet sitter must have had a Meet and Greet before the booking (in person or digitally),
- The booking must have been paid for through the Mad Paws website,
- If the booking has finished, then the pet owner must have left a poor review for the pet sitter,
- The claim must be reported to Mad Paws within the "Withholding Period", 72 hours, from the confirmation of the End of Stay, to report any incident that may have occurred by contacting the Customer Support team via Live Chat.
Once this has been reported to Mad Paws, we will review what has happened and discuss with both parties to attempt to reach an agreement around a solution. This is also outlined in our Terms of Service.
If you would like to cancel a booking that has been paid for, please complete this via the bookings tab on your profile.