Terms of Service

Welcome to Swipaw 🐾 These Terms of Service (the "Terms") are an agreement between you and [Registered company name], a corporation organised under Philippine law with SEC Registration No. [SEC registration no.] and its principal office at [Registered office address] ("Swipaw", "we", "us"). They cover the Swipaw mobile apps, the web app and website, and every related service (together, the "Platform").

By creating an account or using the Platform you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Notice. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

In short: Swipaw connects pet owners with each other and with independent service providers. Prices are always shown up front, paid bookings are held in escrow until the service is done, providers pay a commission, chat opens only after a match or a confirmed booking, and everyone must be 18 or older, honest, and kind to animals.

1. About these Terms#

1. These Terms apply together with the rules shown inside the app — for example a listing's cancellation policy, the Community Guidelines and the mechanics of a promotion. If they conflict, the more specific in-app rule applies to that feature.
2. You accept these Terms electronically. Under the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (RA 8792), that acceptance is as valid as a signature on paper.
3. We may update these Terms to reflect new features, legal requirements or how the Platform works. We will tell you about material changes in the app or by e-mail at least 15 days before they take effect. If you keep using the Platform after that date, the new Terms apply; if you disagree, you can close your account at any time.

2. Who can use Swipaw#

1. You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter into a binding contract. You confirm your age when you sign up, and verification checks your ID.
2. You may hold one personal account. A business, clinic, shelter or foundation must be represented by an authorised person who verifies their own identity first.
3. You may not use the Platform if we previously suspended or banned you, or if the law prohibits you from doing so.
4. During the pilot, Swipaw operates in the Philippines. Anyone may browse, but bookings, payouts and donations work only for Philippine accounts and payment methods, in Philippine pesos (PHP).

3. Your account#

1. You can sign up with Google, Facebook, Apple, e-mail and password, or your mobile number and a one-time code. Keep your sign-in details secret and tell us right away at [email protected] if you think someone else used your account.
2. You must verify your e-mail address and mobile number before you can swipe, send requests, book, chat or post.
3. For sensitive actions — changing your e-mail or phone, adding or removing a payout account, deleting your account — we may ask you to prove it is really you (password, authenticator code, SMS code or a fresh sign-in).
4. You are responsible for everything done through your account, and for keeping your profile and your pets' profiles accurate and up to date.

4. Verification (KYC) and badges#

1. When it is required. You must pass identity verification ("KYC") before you post a paid service, accept bookings, receive payouts or list adoptable pets as a shelter. We may also require basic verification before you pay for a booking; the app tells you when it does.
2. What we ask for. A valid government ID (front and back), a selfie holding the ID and your address. Stud owners also submit vaccination cards for each stud pet; businesses and shelters submit their organisation details and documents.
3. How we review. A trained member of our team reviews every submission, usually within 48 hours. We approve it, ask you to fix something, or reject it with a reason. After a rejection for serious reasons you may need to wait 30 days before submitting again.
4. What a badge means. A "Verified Owner", "Verified Stud", "Verified Business" or "Verified Shelter" badge means we checked the documents you gave us at that time. It is not a criminal background check, a licence, or a guarantee of anyone's conduct or of the quality of their services — please still use good judgement.
5. Submitting forged, borrowed or misleading documents leads to a permanent ban and may be reported to the authorities.

5. How the marketplace works#

1. Swipaw is an online platform. Groomers, pet hotels, vets, sitters and walkers, pet-taxi drivers, trainers, stud owners and shelters ("providers") are independent — they are not our employees, agents or partners. The contract for a service is between the requester and the provider.
2. We are not a party to that contract, except for our role in collecting and holding payments, releasing payouts and resolving disputes as described below.
3. Veterinarians and other professionals are responsible for their own advice and must hold the licences their work requires. Swipaw does not give veterinary advice. In an emergency, go to the nearest clinic.
4. We operate the Platform as an online marketplace and aim to meet the Internet Transactions Act of 2023 (RA 11967), the Consumer Act of the Philippines (RA 7394) and related rules — including verifying providers, showing prices clearly and handling complaints promptly.

6. Listings, prices and offers#

1. Providers must describe their services truthfully, show their real price, keep availability up to date, state their cancellation policy and hold any permit or licence the law requires. Some categories are reviewed by our team before they go live.
2. Listed prices are always visible. A requester may offer a lower amount, down to the floor the provider allows (by default 50% of the listed price). The provider can accept, reject or counter, and every offer stays visible inside the request.
3. A request expires if the provider does not reply within 72 hours. After a rejection you can request the same listing again after 24 hours.
4. The amount you pay is always calculated by our servers from the listing or the accepted offer.
5. Requests are structured — free-form chat with a provider opens only once a booking is confirmed (see section 12).

7. Payments and escrow#

1. Payment partner. Payments are processed by Xendit, a licensed payment service provider. You can pay with GCash, Maya, credit or debit cards, online banking or virtual accounts and, where available, over-the-counter outlets. Swipaw never sees or stores your full card number. Xendit's own terms also apply to your payment.
2. Booking flow. When a provider accepts your request, the booking waits for your payment for 24 hours. Once paid, the booking is confirmed and a secure chat opens between you and the provider.
3. Escrow. Swipaw holds your payment on the provider's behalf until the service is done ("escrow"). It is not a bank deposit and earns no interest.
4. Release. After the service, the provider marks the booking complete and you confirm. If you do not confirm or open a dispute within 48 hours, the booking is confirmed automatically and the payout is released to the provider.
5. Taxes and receipts. Prices include any applicable taxes unless the listing says otherwise. Providers are responsible for their own taxes and for issuing official receipts where the law requires; Swipaw issues receipts for its own fees.
6. Pay only inside Swipaw. Payments made directly to a provider (cash, e-wallet or bank transfers outside the app) are not protected by escrow, cannot be refunded by us, and are not allowed for bookings arranged on the Platform.

8. Commission, payouts and provider responsibilities#

1. Commission. Swipaw keeps a commission of 10% of each completed paid booking by default. It is deducted from the provider's payout — requesters never pay it on top of the agreed price. Some categories may carry a different rate; the rate that applies is always shown in the app before you list a service, and we will give notice before changing it.
2. Payout accounts. You may register up to 3 GCash, Maya or bank accounts in your own name. A newly added account becomes eligible for payouts after a 24-hour security hold, and you need basic verification to receive payouts.
3. Payout timing. Earnings from confirmed bookings become available in your Wallet and are paid out on the schedule shown there. We may hold a payout while a dispute, chargeback, fraud check or legal request is open.
4. Your duties as a provider. Deliver the service as described and on time, treat every animal with care, keep required licences and permits, keep customers' addresses and personal details private, and never ask a customer to pay outside the Platform.

9. Cancellations, refunds and disputes#

1. Default cancellation windows. Unless a listing shows a different policy before you pay, these windows apply (times are counted back from the booked start time, or check-in for hotels):

2. Provider cancellations. If a provider cancels a confirmed booking, you receive a full refund. Providers who cancel repeatedly may lose access to bookings.
3. Refund timing. Refunds go back to your original payment method. E-wallet refunds usually arrive within a few days; card refunds can take 7–14 banking days depending on your bank. Where a refund cannot go back the same way, we send it to your registered payout account.
4. Disputes. If something goes wrong, open a dispute from the booking before the payment is released. The payout is frozen while our team reviews the booking, your evidence and — only for this purpose, and with the access logged — the chat linked to the booking. We may refund you, release the payment to the provider, or split it fairly.
5. Our decision settles how the escrowed payment is handled on the Platform. It does not take away any right you have under the law, including filing a complaint with the Department of Trade and Industry or going to court.

10. Donations and adoption#

1. Donations can be made only to foundations and shelters verified by our team, one-time or monthly. The minimum donation is ₱20. Any platform fee is shown before you pay (by default there is none — donations pass through in full). You can cancel a monthly donation at any time; this stops future charges but does not refund past ones.
2. Foundations are responsible for how they use donations. We verify their registration documents but do not audit their finances. Ask the foundation directly about tax-deductible receipts.
3. Adoption. Shelters and owners decide who adopts their pets. Your application answers are shared with the lister. Where an adoption fee applies, you pay it in the app. Swipaw is not a place to buy or sell animals — adoption fees set by shelters and owners are the only animal-related payments allowed.

11. Pets, stud services and animal welfare#

1. Every user must follow the Animal Welfare Act (RA 8485, as amended by RA 10631), the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 (RA 9482) and local rules on pet registration and leashing.
2. Stud services require verified, up-to-date vaccination cards (including anti-rabies) for each stud pet. Breed only healthy, fully grown pets with a veterinarian's go-signal — never too young, too old or too often.
3. We remove listings, posts and accounts that put animals at risk, and we may report suspected cruelty or neglect to the proper authorities.

12. Chat, community and your content#

1. Chat opens only after a mutual match, or once a paid booking is confirmed. Rejected or expired requests never open a chat. Booking chats become read-only 7 days after the booking is completed or cancelled.
2. To keep everyone safe, the app may warn you when a message looks like it shares contact or payment details before a booking is complete.
3. Your content stays yours. You give Swipaw a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, resize, display and share the photos, text and other content you post, only to operate, improve and promote the Platform. We will ask you before featuring your content in advertising outside the Platform. The licence ends when you delete the content, except for copies we must keep by law or that others have already shared.
4. Only post content you have the right to share. If you believe content infringes your rights, tell us at [email protected] and we will review it promptly.

13. Community rules#

You agree not to:

• break the law, or harm, neglect or endanger any animal;
• harass, threaten, bully, discriminate against or sexually exploit anyone;
• create fake profiles, impersonate someone or misrepresent a pet, a service or a credential;
• scam people, ask for payment outside the Platform, or manipulate reviews, Paw Points or referrals;
• share other people's personal data without their permission;
• post spam, malware, or content that is hateful, violent, sexually explicit or illegal;
• scrape, copy, reverse-engineer, overload or test the security of the Platform without our written permission; or
• get around a suspension, a block, or any limit we put in place.

14. Paw Points, perks and promotions#

1. Paw Points reward activity on the Platform. They have no cash value, cannot be sold or transferred, and can be redeemed only for the perks shown in the app (such as Super Paws, Boosts, Undos, stickers and vouchers).
2. We may change how points are earned or redeemed, or let unused points expire, with reasonable notice. We may remove points earned through abuse or by breaking these Terms.
3. Promotions and referral programmes have their own mechanics, shown in the app, and follow any permit the law requires.

15. Reports, enforcement and closing your account#

1. You can report or block anyone from any profile, listing, post, review or chat. Our team reviews every report and prioritises animal-welfare and scam reports.
2. If someone breaks these Terms, we may remove content, limit features, suspend or ban the account, hold payouts, or report the matter to the authorities. Where safety is at risk we may act right away; otherwise we will usually tell you why and give you a chance to respond. You can ask us to review a decision by writing to [email protected].
3. You can delete your account at any time from Settings → Privacy & data. We hide your profile immediately and permanently anonymise it after 14 days (you can restore it before then). Pending bookings, refunds and payouts are settled first, and records we must keep by law are retained as described in our Privacy Notice.

16. Meeting safely#

Swipaw verifies identity documents but does not run criminal background checks. Meet in public, pet-friendly places, bring your pet's vaccination records, and trust your instincts — you are responsible for your own interactions and your pet's behaviour. See our safety tips. In an emergency, call 911.

17. Disclaimers#

1. We work hard to keep the Platform available, accurate and secure, but we provide it "as is" and cannot promise it will always be uninterrupted or error-free.
2. To the extent the law allows, we are not responsible for the services providers deliver, for the conduct of users on or off the Platform, or for content posted by others.
3. Nothing in these Terms limits the rights you have under the Consumer Act of the Philippines or any other law that cannot be waived.

18. Limitation of liability#

1. To the extent the law allows, Swipaw is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data or goodwill.
2. Our total liability for any claim connected with the Platform is limited to the greater of (a) the fees and commission we received from you in the 12 months before the claim, or (b) ₱5,000.
3. These limits do not apply to liability for fraud, gross negligence or wilful misconduct, for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or to anything else the law does not allow us to limit.

19. Indemnity#

You agree to compensate Swipaw for losses, claims and reasonable legal costs that arise from your breach of these Terms, your content, the services you provide on the Platform, or your violation of the law or of anyone's rights.

20. Governing law and disputes#

1. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.
2. Please contact us first — most problems can be solved quickly. If we cannot resolve a dispute within 30 days, either of us may bring it before the proper courts of [City], Metro Manila, to the exclusion of other venues, without prejudice to any consumer's right to file a complaint with the Department of Trade and Industry or another government agency.

21. Everything else#

1. These Terms, together with the policies they mention, are the whole agreement between you and Swipaw about the Platform.
2. If a provision is found invalid, the rest stays in force. If we do not enforce a right right away, we have not waived it.
3. You may not transfer your rights under these Terms. We may transfer ours to a company that takes over the Platform, and will tell you if we do.
4. We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, such as natural disasters, outages of payment or telecom networks, or government action.
5. We send notices in the app or to the e-mail address on your account. These Terms are written in English; any translation is for convenience, and the English version prevails.

22. Contact us#

Questions about these Terms? Write to [email protected], use our contact form, or send mail to [Registered office address]. We are happy to help — salamat for being part of the Swipaw family! 🐾