Terms of Service

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and capable of entering into a binding contract to use the Platform. By registering, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements. Accounts created on behalf of a business must be authorized by that business.

2. Your Account

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your profile up to date. You may not share your account with others or create multiple accounts.

We may suspend or terminate your account if we determine that you have violated these Terms, provided false information, or engaged in conduct that is harmful to the community or to BuddySit.

3. The Platform's Role

BuddySit is a marketplace that connects pet owners with pet sitters. We are not a pet sitting service. We are not a party to any pet sitting arrangement between members. We do not employ, supervise, or control members acting as pet sitters. The actual pet sitting services are provided directly by member sitters to member pet owners.

Each booking is governed by a Pet Sitting Agreement signed digitally by both parties. A template of this agreement is available at /legal/waiver-template.

4. Credit System

4.1 What Credits Are

BuddySit uses a virtual credit system as the sole means of compensation for pet sitting services on the Platform. Credits are not currency, have no cash value, and cannot be redeemed for cash or transferred between accounts except through the Platform's booking system.

4.2 Earning Credits

You earn credits by completing approved pet sitting bookings as a sitter. Credits are held in escrow from the time of booking acceptance and released to your account upon booking completion. New members receive 10 welcome credits upon registration.

4.3 Purchasing Credits

You may purchase additional credits at any time through the Platform at published rates. All credit purchases are final and non-refundable, except as required by applicable law or as expressly stated in our cancellation policy. Credits do not expire.

4.4 Credit Escrow

When a booking is accepted, the required credits are placed in escrow and deducted from the pet owner's available balance. Escrowed credits are released to the sitter upon successful booking completion. If a booking is cancelled, escrowed credits are returned to the pet owner subject to the cancellation policy in Section 6.

4.5 Account Termination

Upon account termination, purchased credits that have not been used may be eligible for a refund at our discretion, less any promotional or welcome credits. Credits earned through completed sittings are non-refundable.

5. Bookings

5.1 Requesting a Booking

To request a booking you must have sufficient credits in your account. A booking request is an offer to engage the listed sitter for the specified service, dates, and credit amount. Sitters are not obligated to accept any booking request.

5.2 Acceptance

A booking is confirmed when the sitter accepts the request and both parties have digitally signed the Pet Sitting Agreement. Credits are placed in escrow at the time of acceptance.

5.3 Accurate Pet Information

Pet owners must ensure all pet profile information — including vaccination status, behavioral history (including any history of aggression or biting), medical conditions, and care requirements — is accurate and complete at the time of booking. Providing false or incomplete information is a material breach of these Terms and of the Pet Sitting Agreement.

5.4 Completion

A booking is marked complete when both parties confirm the service has been rendered or after a defined waiting period. Escrowed credits are released to the sitter upon completion.

6. Cancellations and Disputes

6.1 Cancellations

Either party may cancel a confirmed booking before the service start time. The credit consequences of cancellation depend on how close to the start time cancellation occurs, as detailed in our Cancellation Policy, which forms part of these Terms. In general, cancellations made well in advance result in a full credit return to the pet owner; cancellations made close to the start time may result in partial credit retention by the sitter.

6.2 Disputes

If a dispute arises regarding a completed or cancelled booking, either party may file a dispute through the Platform within 7 days of the booking end date. We will review the dispute and make a good-faith determination regarding credit allocation. Our decision is final for credit purposes. Disputes do not affect either party's right to pursue legal remedies independently.

7. Member Conduct

You agree not to use the Platform to:

• Provide false information about yourself, your pets, your qualifications, or your property.
• Harass, threaten, or harm other members.
• Arrange or solicit payment for services outside the credit system (circumventing the Platform).
• Create fake reviews or manipulate the rating system.
• Scrape, copy, or redistribute Platform content without permission.
• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any local, state, or federal law.
• Knowingly bring an animal that poses a danger to others or has an undisclosed history of aggression.
• Access another member's account or attempt to bypass authentication.

Violations may result in immediate account suspension or termination without refund of purchased credits.

8. Ratings and Reviews

After each booking, members may leave ratings and written reviews of the other party. Reviews must be honest and based on first-hand experience. You may not post reviews that are defamatory, hateful, or designed to manipulate ratings. We reserve the right to remove reviews that violate these standards.

9. Intellectual Property

The Platform, including its design, code, trademarks, and original content, is owned by BuddySit and protected by intellectual property law. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works without our prior written consent.

You grant BuddySit a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, and reproduce content you upload to the Platform (such as pet photos and profile information) solely to operate and improve the Platform.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS. WE DO NOT VERIFY THE CREDENTIALS, QUALIFICATIONS, OR BACKGROUNDS OF MEMBERS.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BUDDYEXCHANGE AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM OR ANY PET SITTING SERVICES ARRANGED THROUGH IT, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL CREDITS YOU PURCHASED IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM (VALUED AT FACE PURCHASE PRICE) OR (B) ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS ($100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow exclusion of certain warranties or limitation of liability, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless BuddySit and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with your use of the Platform, your content, your pet sitting activities, or your violation of these Terms.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which BuddySit is domiciled, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising under these Terms that cannot be resolved informally shall be submitted to binding arbitration administered under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, except that either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm.

Class action waiver: You agree that any arbitration or court proceeding will be conducted solely on an individual basis and not as a class, collective, or representative action.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the effective date and notify you by email or in-app notification at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Platform and may close your account.

15. Miscellaneous

• Entire agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and the Pet Sitting Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and BuddySit regarding the Platform.
• Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
• Waiver. Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.
• Assignment. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights without restriction.

16. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at:

BuddySit
Email: support@buddyexchange.com