Terms and Conditions
Consent
On booking with us, you will need to confirm the details of your dog, and some of your/the owners details. Once you have given Paws Aloud all the details we will ask you to sign agreeing that the information is correct. We ask that all the information you give us is full and as accurate to your knowledge as possible. If you are to ever change any of these details, (eg, phone number, or any medical details) please let us know as soon as possible.
*PLEASE NOTE WHETHER YOU SIGN OR NOT, LEAVING YOUR DOGS WITH US WILL CONSTITUTE YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND AGREEMENT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
Pricing
All prices given are only estimates due to many factors like (but not limited to) the size of the dog, complexity of the groom, the current condition of the dogs coat. However, additional charges may be added…
These can include (but are not limited to): grooming fees, special circumstances fees*, flea charges, excessive de-matting charges, etc.
Extra fees can occur as we are not always able to know how time-consuming or complicated a groom can be until we have started it. Or know the behaviour of the dog.
We will always try and contact you regarding these changes, however if we are unable to, we will go ahead with what we think the best course of action is for your dog.
*Special Circumstances are added on for situations such as (but not limited to): If your dog is aggressive or dangerous, if they break equipment, Excessive defecating (poo bags, cleaning solution and air freshener all cost money)…
Paying for your Groom
For all customers we do not know the price we will charge because only an estimate has been given without seeing the dog. If you need to change your appointment day/time or cancel please allow 48 hours’ notice before the appointment. Payment of the full groom is charged by invoice for cancellation of less than 48 hours.
Grooming Charges
Paws Aloud holds the right to change the prices of its services and products at any time. The prices are decided by the groomer on consultation or even during the groom. No prices given are guaranteed and may vary from visit to visit. The Prices page on our website or on any leaflet is only there as a guide line.
We understand this is not helpful while trying to find prices, but feel it is unfair that two dogs of the same breed be bundled to the same price bracket if one is kept well maintained and the other is a knotty mess, or maybe one is pleasant and friendly and the other is marking on the wall and trying to bite us. Time and effort from our grooms is what we are pricing on not breed. We hope you can understand.
Cancelled or Missed Appointments
If you wish to cancel your appointment, you must let us know 48 hours before your appointment. Failure to do so will mean full payment is due.
If you miss your appointment, you will be charged the full amount. If you show up more than 15 minutes late for an appointment it will be classed as a missed appointment. If you have 3 missed appointments in a row, we may refuse further bookings as it is not fair to other customers who are wanting our services and cannot book in.
When you think you will be late for an appointment, please call right away. We may be able to accept your dog even though late, or try to offer an alternative solution. But this all depends on our schedule and other factors out of our control.
Moving Appointments
If you need to move an appointment, please let us know as soon as you can, if it is less than 48 hours before your groom you may just need to make a new appointment and your money will not be refunded or transferred to the new appointment. We will try our best to come to some solution, but some factors are out of our hands.
Collecting Your Dog
Once your dog is here for their groom, we will often give you a time to collect your dog. We will keep you updated throughout the groom in case this changes.
Please understand while working with animals we have to be a bit flexible with times as to make sure the dogs are all cared for safely while getting the best groom, we can offer them.
If you are unable to collect your dog at the given time, please let us know ASAP as a charge of £5 per 15mins after the first 15mins of non-collection will apply.
Aggressive/Scared Dogs and Dog Safety
Paws Aloud will attempt to groom all dogs but reserves the right to cancel a groom for the safety of the groomers and the dog. Please note a charge may still occur. You must inform us if your dog has shown signs of aggression in the past or if you know them to be of an unpredictable nature. Please let us know if your dog has started to show signs of aggression as their personalities can change over time. In conjunction with the Dangerous Dogs Act, you the owner, understands that you will be held liable for all bites/injuries caused by your dog.
Subsequently, leaving your dogs at Paws Aloud, you understand and accept that there will be other dogs present and that while Paws Aloud will take all reasonable measures to ensure your dog’s safety, due to the unpredictability of dogs, we will not be held responsible for any and all injuries caused to your dog by another dog, or your dog’s actions.
When dogs are scared, they sometimes act unpredictable or thrash around, we will endeavour to keep your dog calm within reasonable measures of dog grooming (lots of dogs don’t enjoy a bath or a hair dryer or having their feet touched etc) and we hold the right to cancel a groom at any time if the dog shows too much stress that we feel it is unsafe to carry on the groom. Charges may still occur.
Safety Over Style
We love dogs and love working with them and while having a groom has a positive effect on the dog’s health and well-being, if your request for a style cannot be achieved while considering the safety of your dog, we may need to make the style different from your expectations.
The safety of your dog will always come first at Paws Aloud.
Matted Dogs
In accordance with the rules set out by The Animal Welfare Act 2006, Paws Aloud will not spend more time than is allowed (15mins) de-matting dogs’ coats that have been neglected as this might cause stress or trauma to the pet by doing so. Small matts may be attempted to de-matt but as dogs react differently, the dogs’ needs will be the deciding factor on how we proceed.
Matted coats will have an effect on the desired groom, (if you would like a particular style, it might not be possible after getting the matts out. We will try to advise on this during consultation or mid groom if needed). Matted dogs will add an additional charge to the groom, as taking extra care and effort to remove any matts will often take a longer time. This charge can vary between £10 and £20.
During a groom we may need to make the decision to clip matts out. This may cause a different style to what was requested. We will always try and contact you, however, for the health, comfort and safety of the dog, if we cannot get hold of you, we will proceed with the clipping. If your request is not in the best interest of the dog, we may end the groom or superspeed your desire with what is best for the dog.
Please note you will still be charged the full amount for the groom.
Veterinary Treatment
Paws Aloud will do whatever is appropriate for the well-being of all pets in our care. However, if the services of a vet are required, by leaving your dog with us, you authorise Paws Aloud to obtain veterinary treatment in the case of an incident or serious medical problem being discovered during grooming.
You as the owner, also agree that Paws Aloud is not liable for any pre-existing conditions and problems found during grooming and you agree to pay for all medical treatment, incurred due to such.
Paws Aloud is not a vet and any advice given regarding health problems should be checked with a licensed vet.
Please note all staff are trained in dog first aid and we do learn a lot about dog health during our learning. So do please take our advice on board but as mentioned, check with a registered vet.
Photos/Video
By leaving your dogs with Paws Aloud you consent to us using photos/videos taken by Paws Aloud for digital and printed promotional material and social media. Paws Aloud will not sell pictures of your dog to any third party companies.
We do offer sale of photos we take to you the owner or your family and friends. Purchased photos will not contain the “Paws Aloud” logo.
You might also notice we share any pictures of the dogs we groomed that you also share with social media. If you see any of these and wish us not to share them, please contact us and we will take them down no questions asked. (We are just pleased with our work, and we love your doggos so much we like to share)
Sale Products
Paws Aloud will not be held responsible for any fault or injury caused by products purchased from Paws Aloud. Caution should be used while operating any products, and any product used for cleaning/cosmetic purpose or edible, it is the owner’s responsibility to check your dog has no medical problem with the ingredients.
If you are unsure if a product is suitable for your dog, it would be wise to not give it to your dog. Any complaints of products should be taken up with the manufacturer. By all means contact Paws Aloud and we will try to aid you in your complaint.
Other Dogs
Please do not handle or approach other dogs in the salon. Not all dogs are friendly to strangers and may bite without warning regardless of how friendly they may appear. We cannot be held responsible if you are injured by a dog that you approached or touched.
When entering and exiting the salon please be mindful of other people and their dogs. Always Close the door behind you so your or other people’s dogs don’t escape, don’t let your dog start sniffing around other people’s dogs as they might not like it, if your dog is becoming a handful around other customers please wait outside until it is clear to enter.
Let us all look out for one another.
Abusive Behaviour Towards Staff
We have a zero tolerance on bad behaviour to any of our staff. We understand that your dogs are precious to you, and we want to do whatever we can to give you the groom you want. However, please understand that interpreting the words of a customer into a hairstyle of a dog is not always easy.
We may shape and style the dog differently from what you had hoped, we might take it shorter than you wanted. Please try to remain calm and understand the dog’s hair will always grow back.
We will not tolerate abusive language or actions towards any members of staff. We have the right to ban any customers for this.
Feedback and Reviews
If you have any issue, big or small, with a groom or situation, we please ask that you contact us at Paws Aloud in the first instance before leaving a negative review.
Please give us a chance to work with you to create a resolution by letting us know about the issue as soon as possible.
Small alterations maybe able to be made right after the groom if you are not happy, or if there is a problem then it can be worked on at the next groom. Interpreting the words of a customer into the hairstyle of a dog is not always easy, and sometimes not even possible.
Please understand any issues that are raised after a few days of their groom might not be able to be rectified easily and may incur a charge if we agree to resolve the problem.
We want you to be happy with the groom, we want your dog to be happy and safe with their groom. If something isn’t correct, we want the opportunity to make it so.
Your Data and GDPR
Please see our GDPR statement with reference to how we store and how we use and share your data. Along with the Details we Take that explains what information we get from you.
Any further clarification or details on any topic here or not, please do get in contact and we will help as best we can.
COVID-19
In order to do our part to help against Covid-19, we ask that when entering the salon, only 1 person per household comes in. An exception to this is if you are bringing in multiple dogs and need assistance.
Please wear a face mask where possible and respect social distancing measures. If someone is already in reception, please wait outside for them to leave before entering.
Paws Aloud is doing everything we can during this difficult time. This includes extra cleaning schedules, aprons we can disinfect and wiped down, wearing face masks, rubber gloves (or using a lot of alcohol hand-sanitiser) as well as social distancing for us and the dogs from different households.
Please do your part to help out during this pandemic. Be kind. Stay Safe.
What is GDPR?
In short the General Data Protection Regulation is a set of rules laid out by the EU (so probably might change in the future?). The rules are basically there to disclose any use or collection of data that a company might take about you.
Why should you care?
In the past if you ever gave your data to any company, they were supposed to follow the data protection act. However, when you would sign/agree to the companies conditions there would often be small print saying that you allow them to hand it about and use it how they see fit. GDPR seems to have refreshed everyone knowledge on following Data Protection and made it so companies have to prominently show how they will use your data.
So you should care about how people use your data, or you will end up with phone calls from ‘Insurance’ companies asking “Hi have you been involved in a car accident in the last 10 years?”
What data do we take/keep and how do we use it
So obviously, we have to take some of your details…
- Pets Name : Obviously we need to know who you are bringing to us
- Year you pet was Born : So we know what to expect, bouncing puppy or doddering old timer
- Breed : Are you bringing an Old English or a Chihuahua, we need to know what we are scheduling for
- Colour of your dog : If you bring 3 ShihTzus it helps us differentiate them or just helps us remember your dog
- Your Name : This helps us remember who you are, find the record card, and also makes it a little more pleasant if we call you by your name rather than ‘Oi!’
- Telephone numbers : We need a way to remind you of your groom, to contact you during the groom if anything crops up, to let you know when to collect your dog.. basically we might need to communicate with you so this facilitates that. If you have a partner or house number you would also like to give us we can take that as well.
- Medical Details of your Dog : Please don’t worry about what we might think, just answer honestly. These are merely so we know how to handle your dog while its in our care. If it’s not vaccinated then we don’t let it play with other doggos, if it has fleas fine we can get it straight in the bath for a de-flea bath etc. We just need to know
- – Vaccinated regularly?
- – Microchipped?
- – Neutered/Spayed?
- – Any fleas, ticks, mites, worms etc (parasites)?
- – Ok with other dogs, or people?
- – Allowed to have treats?
- – Medicated shampoo, and is it your own?
- – Any medical issues at all!! anything, even if its strange and completely random, just tell us.
- Details about the groom : We need to know what it is you want us to do with your dog. Sometimes customers leave it to us so we write what we want.
- Date : This is not really data we get from you, but rather just from farther time himself. We do record each day you are in with us and what we did on that day just for records sake.
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WE MIGHT NEED FROM YOU
- – Email Address : So we can email you any grooming schedules, or payment links if that is your preferred method of doing it.
- – Home Address : We usually only want this from you if we are collecting/Dropping off your dog for you.
Most of this information is taken on the day of your first groom and we request you inform us of any updates to this information in the future if you continue to use our services.
We record the details on our digital record cards and these are password protected and not shared with any third parties. The laptop is stored out the way of the public and only our staff have access to it.
When you first call us we do collect your dogs name, breed, your name, mobile number, email address and house address, depending on the service you are after from us. This information is stored Digitally within your calendar entry on a Google Calendar. (Click HERE to see Googles security details). These details are accessed from a Windows PC that is kept up to date, along with Android/iPhone phones/tablets.
How long do we (Paws Aloud) keep your data?
We will start to remove old details on the calendar within 6 years of your visits. This is mainly due to it making searching a lot harder if it brings up many previous years’ worth of appointments. The record cards we usually destroy if you have not been to us for roughly 3 years, This is more to free up space as it is likely you will not be returning to us. Should you decide to return to us after many years away then we would just have to start a new record card anyway as to many factors could have changed anyway. If you get a new dog because your previous one has passed, then it would need a new record card anyway, all new dogs get a new record card.
Do we share your data?
In short no. We don’t share your data with anyone. We post pictures of our grooms (your dogs) on social media, though you are agreeing to our terms and conditions when you leave your dog with us. We try not to include anyone’s actual name other than the dog unless you would like to be ‘tagged’ in them. If you wish the photos be taken down let us know and we will no questions asked. We have no interest in sharing your data with anyone, it is only in our positions for our own records to look back on so you can get a continued experience from groom to groom.
Your rights with this data?
Well there are 6 main rights with your data..
- Companies must tell you what data they collect, how long they keep it, why they keep it (that’s what this page is doing now)
- If you ever wish to see the data we have on you, you can request it (just drop us an email and we will show you)
- Companies must erase your data if you request to be forgotten
- Portability of data. If you wanted to visit another dog groomer, thats ok, we will be upset but we will gladly hand over your data so you can take it to another company.
- You can restrict the way a company uses your information, it doesn’t really apply to us but it means you can choose how a company uses your data
- You can always object the collection or use of your data
- By law you can request a company shows you its process for data use if you think it is being used unfairly
