Terms of Service

General terms

1. Access to and use of the website are governed by these terms, which visitors are asked to read carefully. Access to the website’s services and content requires full and unconditional acceptance of these terms. If a visitor¹ does not agree with any of them, they are asked not to use the website, its services or its content.

2. The Administrator reserves the right to revise or amend these terms at any time without prior notice. Visitors are therefore asked to check them periodically. Continuing to use the website after any amendment is published constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

3. Accessing the website and browsing its content do not, in principle, require registration or signing in. However, some services or features may require creating an account and signing in to it (see below for details).

4. The website’s software and source code, database, structure and design, and all of its content, including without limitation trademarks, distinctive signs, the domain name, logos, texts and graphics, are the intellectual and industrial property of the Administrator and are protected by applicable national, EU and international law.

Any use, reproduction, copying or commercial exploitation of the above, by any means or in any medium, without the Administrator’s prior written permission is expressly prohibited.

5. The website may contain hyperlinks to third-party websites. Those third parties retain full control of their websites and are solely responsible for the content and services provided through them, and for their security, lawfulness and validity.

Including such hyperlinks on the website does not constitute, and cannot be read as, the Administrator’s approval, endorsement or acceptance of the content or services of any third-party website.

A visitor who chooses to visit or use a third-party website through such hyperlinks acknowledges and accepts that they do so entirely at their own risk.

6. Third-party products, services, trademarks and any other third-party content that may appear on the website are the intellectual and/or industrial property of the respective third parties. Those third parties are solely responsible for satisfying or remedying any claim arising from a possible infringement of other people’s rights, including, for example, intellectual and industrial property rights. Any related liability of the Administrator is expressly excluded.

7. The Administrator may collect and process personal data of the website’s visitors and users, as set out in more detail in the Privacy Policy.

8. The Administrator does not guarantee that the operation of the website, the provision of its services and options, or access to its content will be uninterrupted and error-free. Nor does the Administrator guarantee that any errors or malfunctions will be fixed immediately, or that every question submitted will be answered.

9. The Administrator does not guarantee that the website and its content, any other website it links to, or the servers through which that content is made available to the visitor or user, will be free of viruses, malware or other harmful components.

10. The Administrator is not liable, under any circumstances, including negligence, for any damage of any kind that the visitor or user may suffer from or in connection with the use of the website, its services, its options or its content. Any related cost is borne solely by the visitor or user.

¹ For the purposes of these terms, every reference to a “visitor” also includes a “user” of the website, and vice versa.

1. How the platform works

The website is an online platform through which pet owners can search for and choose independent pet sitters, and sitters can present and offer their services for a fee.

2. Definitions

For the purposes of these terms:

(a) “Owner” means a registered user who searches for or books pet-care services,

(b) “Sitter” means a registered user who offers pet-care services through the website, and

(c) “User” means any registered Owner or Sitter. The same person may use the website in both capacities.

The Administrator provides only the technical infrastructure for searching for sitters, communication between Users, making bookings and processing payments. The Administrator does not itself provide pet boarding or care services.

Sitters act independently and are not employees, agents, representatives, partners or delegates of the Administrator.

3. Registration requirements and accounts

Only people who are at least eighteen (18) years old and have legal capacity may create an account.

When registering, a User must give accurate, complete and true details and keep them up to date. Creating an account with false details, or on behalf of another person without their permission, is prohibited.

Each User may keep one personal account, which they may use as an Owner, as a Sitter, or in both capacities. The account may not be transferred or assigned to a third party.

Users are responsible for keeping their sign-in details confidential and for all activity on their account. If sign-in details are lost or unauthorised access is suspected, the User must inform the Administrator immediately.

4. Sitter registration and identity verification

Before publishing their profile, a Sitter must complete the identity verification process provided through an independent payment and identity-verification provider.

Verification confirms only that the identity document matches the person using the account. It is not a criminal-record check, a certification of professional qualifications, or a guarantee, approval or recommendation of the Sitter by the Administrator.

Sitters are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their profile, in particular:

• their identity and details,
• their experience and knowledge,
• the services they offer,
• their service area and the place where pets stay,
• their availability and prices,
• the kinds of pets they take on,
• the photos and any other material they publish.

Sitters must keep this information up to date and accept only bookings they can actually fulfil.

Sitters are solely responsible for providing their services lawfully, safely and properly, for the welfare of the pets in their care, and for meeting any tax, social-security, administrative or other obligations that may apply to their activity.

5. Owners’ obligations

Owners declare that they are the lawful owner or keeper of the pet, or that they have the authority needed to entrust its care to another person.

Owners must give full, accurate and up-to-date information about the pet, including:

• its age, species, breed and weight,
• its state of health,
• any medication, allergies or special needs,
• its diet and daily habits,
• its behaviour, sociability and any aggression,
• the details of its vet and of a person to contact if needed (an emergency contact).

Withholding or misstating information that could affect the safety of the pet, the Sitter, other animals or third parties is a material breach of these terms.

Owners choose their Sitter at their own discretion and responsibility. Before booking, Owners are advised to look carefully at the Sitter’s profile and reviews, to talk to them and, where possible, to meet them first.

6. Bookings and the agreement between Users

Owners can send a booking request by choosing the Sitter, the type of service, the dates and any other available options.

Sending a request does not mean the booking is automatically accepted. A booking is confirmed only when the Sitter accepts it and the payment process completes successfully.

When the request is accepted, an agreement is formed directly between the Owner and the Sitter. The Administrator is not a party to that agreement and does not undertake to perform either party’s obligations.

Users are responsible for agreeing all the essential details of the service in good time, such as drop-off and pick-up times, care instructions, diet, medication and how to handle emergencies.

The Administrator does not guarantee that every request will be accepted, or that a Sitter meeting every Owner’s needs will be available.

Before a booking is confirmed, Users may not share or ask for personal contact details or move the conversation off the website. Once the booking is confirmed, the platform gives each party the other’s contact details needed to carry it out. Cancelling a booking in order to provide the same service off the website and avoid the applicable charges is prohibited. Any change, extension or repeat of that booking must be made through the website.

Failure to comply with this term may lead to the User being suspended or permanently barred from the platform and its services. The User must also compensate the Administrator for any damage, claim or expense arising from a breach of this term, in accordance with applicable law.

7. Payments and charges

Payments are made through an independent payment service provider. Use of the payment provider’s services is also subject to its own terms.

When a booking request is sent, an amount equal to the estimated total cost is temporarily held on the Owner’s card. If the Sitter accepts the request, the booking is confirmed and the charge is made. If the request is declined or not answered within the set deadline, the hold is released and the Owner is not charged.

Where requests have been sent to more than one Sitter, the request is treated as accepted when the first of them accepts.

The price of the service and the platform commission (or any other applicable charge) are shown to the Owner before the booking is finally confirmed.

After the booking is completed, the amount corresponding to the Sitter’s fee, less the platform commission, is paid to the Sitter through the payment provider.

Each User is responsible for their own tax and other legal obligations.

Users may not bypass the website’s payment system for a booking that started through it, in order to avoid the applicable charges.

8. Cancellations and refunds

Cancellations and refunds are governed by the relevant provisions of these Terms as they stand when each booking is confirmed. Any later amendment of these Terms applies only to bookings confirmed after it takes effect.

How long a refund takes to appear may depend on the payment provider and the bank that issued the card.

Cancellations are subject to review by the Administrator. An explanation of the reason for and circumstances of a cancellation may be requested.

Frequent or unjustified cancellations may lead to temporary suspension or permanent deletion of the User’s account.

If a booking is cancelled because an Owner or Sitter breached these terms, the User at fault may not be entitled to a refund.

Cancellation by the Owner

Owners may cancel a booking at any time. If they cancel at least seven (7) calendar days before its scheduled start, they get back the full amount they paid. If they cancel less than seven (7) calendar days before the start of the booking, they get back 50% of the amount they paid. If they cancel on or after the booking’s start date, no amount is refunded.

Cancellation by the Sitter

If a Sitter cancels a confirmed booking, the Owner is entitled to a refund of the full amount they paid, without any administrative charge.

9. User content and reviews

Users keep their rights in the photos, texts, profile details, reviews and other material they publish on the website.

By publishing that material, the User grants the Administrator a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, display and use it to the extent needed to operate the website and provide its services.

Users declare that they hold the necessary rights in the content they post and that it does not infringe third-party rights or applicable law.

Reviews must be based on real experience, be honest, and not contain false, threatening, offensive, defamatory or unlawful content.

The Administrator may remove or limit the visibility of content that breaches these terms or applicable law.

10. Permitted use of the website

Using the website in an unlawful, fraudulent, misleading or harmful way is prohibited. For example, Users may not:

• give false information about their identity, their pet, or their experience or qualifications,
• harass, threaten, insult or discriminate against another User,
• publish unlawful or offensive content,
• infringe intellectual-property rights, personal data or other rights of third parties,
• use another User’s personal data for any purpose other than carrying out the booking,
• try to bypass or disrupt the security or payment systems,
• scrape data from the website or copy and resell any part of its services,
• use another person’s account or let a third party use theirs,
• try to pay off the website for a booking that came about through it.

11. Complaints, suspension and account deletion

Any User can submit a complaint or report about another User by email to support@zoaki.co. The report should include enough information and, where available, supporting evidence.

The Administrator makes reasonable efforts to look into reports and reply within a reasonable time. Submitting a report does not automatically mean that action will be taken against the reported User.

The Administrator may restrict, suspend or delete an account when the User breaches these terms or when that is necessary to protect Users, pets, security or the smooth running of the website.

Where feasible, and unless there is an emergency, a risk of fraud or a different legal obligation, the User is told the reason for the measure.

Suspension or deletion of an account does not release the User from obligations that arose before it, in particular financial obligations or obligations relating to confirmed bookings.

Users may stop using the website and ask for their account to be deleted.

12. Veterinary incidents

When a pet is added, Zoaki asks the Owner for the name and contact details of the pet’s vet and of an emergency contact. The Owner is responsible for keeping these details accurate and up to date. The vet’s and emergency contact’s details are shared with the Sitter only in connection with a confirmed booking, and are used solely for the pet’s care or to deal with an emergency.

If, during the booking, the pet shows signs of illness, injury or another health problem, the Sitter must inform the Owner immediately and ask for instructions. If the Owner cannot be reached, the Sitter must contact the emergency contact and/or the pet’s vet, as provided by the Owner.

The Owner authorises the Sitter to take the steps needed to give first aid and obtain emergency veterinary care.

The Owner is expressly obliged to cover the cost of veterinary treatment. The Administrator owes no financial compensation.

The Sitter must keep the Owner informed of how the situation develops and hand over any vet’s reports, instructions or receipts.

On collecting the pet, the Owner must check its condition. If they notice a health problem during or after the booking, they should go to a vet straight away and may inform the Administrator or review the Sitter on the platform.

The Administrator is not responsible for the vet’s diagnosis or treatment, for an Owner or Sitter not following veterinary instructions, or for any delay in further care caused by a User’s act or omission.

13. Responsibility for care services

The Administrator does not choose the Sitter on the Owner’s behalf and does not supervise or control the day-to-day provision of care services.

No guarantee is given as to the quality, safety or suitability of a Sitter’s services, the accuracy of their profile, or the suitability of the place where the services are provided.

Each Owner and Sitter is responsible for the agreements they enter into, their acts and omissions, and their compliance with applicable law.

The Administrator is not liable for the acts or omissions of Owners or Sitters, or for injury, illness, loss or death of a pet, personal injury, loss of or damage to property, or other damage caused by a User’s provision of care services or occurring during or in connection with it.

The website does not provide insurance or veterinary cover for bookings.

The User agrees to indemnify and hold the Administrator harmless from any claim, damage or expense arising against them from a breach of these terms, from unauthorised use of the website, or from (or in the context of) an agreement made with another User.

14. General information

Every User must inform the Administrator immediately if they have good reason to believe or suspect that another User is breaching these terms, or that a profile is false, inauthentic, inaccurate, misleading or incomplete.

All terms are essential, and any breach of them gives rise to an obligation to pay compensation.

These terms are governed by Greek law.

In the event of a dispute, the User is asked to contact the Administrator first, so that an amicable settlement can be attempted. Any dispute not settled amicably falls under the jurisdiction of the courts of Thessaloniki.

15. Contact

For questions about these terms or how the website works, Users can contact the Administrator by email at support@zoaki.co.