I) Introduction
Who we are and our target audience
MyBestie is an online application - platform with the main objective of finding the right caregiver for the accommodation and care of pets. The application serves for the best possible information and search of the users (hereinafter "User") so that they can choose and trust the suitable person (hereinafter "pet sitter") to leave (hospitality - care) their pet, to take it for a walk for some hours, or to carry out drop in visits of hourly duration for an agreed duration of days, at the User's place, in order to take care of the pet/s during the User's absence.
Also, in time we will be able to provide more services for your pets, so that you can keep up to date with the new pet care options available, and their pricing.
Through our platform, the User will be able to choose the pet sitter he/she wants and "visit" him/her online, by viewing his/her profile and in some cases the space, through photos, where his/her pet will be accommodated. Each User will also be able to see comments and ratings from other Users for each pet sitter, in order to have a complete picture of the pet sitter to choose.
The relationship established between the User and the pet sitter is a direct relationship between them and the platform bears no responsibility for the agreement concluded between the two parties. Also, the platform is not responsible for the behavior of Users, pet sitters and animals or anyone else using the platform and disclaims any liability in any case of damage to third party, property, or animal caused by any way.
II) Conditions of use of the platform
a) For users
The Platform is offered exclusively for use by Users who are pet owners and who are obliged to create an account (hereinafter "profile") on the Platform with the data that will be requested.
The basic requirement is the User's identification, i.e. to prove that he/she is the owner of the pet, for these reason a photograph of the first page of the pet's health booklet where the name of the owner is mentioned, is required. It is also a prerequisite that the pet meets the requirements for hospitality [according to Law 4039/2012, as amended by Law 4235/2014 - (A' 15) ], namely to have a health booklet, to be electronically marked with a chip by a veterinarian and to be registered in the Special Registry of Companion Animals. Particularly in case the pet is a dog, a photo of the first and last page of the health booklet is required to prove that it has had the annual anti-rabies vaccination, it must also not be wild or “dangerous” for the pet sitter who will host it, or dangerous to the pet sitter or third parties during the walk.
Under the current legislation, “dangerous” pet animal is a pet animal that shows unprovoked and unjustified aggression, without being threatened, towards humans or other animals, as well as an animal that suffers from or is a carrier of a serious disease that can be transmitted to humans or other animals and cannot be cured.
The User has the obligation to bring to the pet sitter the pet's food, any medication it may be taking or any other formulation, as well as instructions for the amount of food, dosage of medication necessary for the care of the pet and the pet's transport carrier if it is a small pet, e.g. small dog, cat, rabbit etc.
The User must provide the pet sitter with all necessary accessories required for the pet (toys, muzzle, etc.).
In case the User does not fulfill the above obligation, he/she will be charged an additional fee for food, medication or any other preparation needs to be taken care of regarding the pet. The pet sitter has the right not to accept the pet if the User does not comply with the obligation to provide special treatment/medication or completely specialized food and in this case the User shall pay part of the reservation in proportion to the days, hours of hospitality-keeping amounting to 10% as a penalty.
In the event that a pet health issue arises, where the examination of the pet and the period of its stay in a Veterinary Clinic or Clinic is shorter than the agreed duration of hospitality, the expenses that the pet sitter may have to pay to the Clinic, is agreed that they will be paid in addition to the service fee, by the respective User and owner of the pet. The User agrees that he/she may give credit card details for the payment of these expenses to the Platform.
The pet sitter is not entitled to refuse its services in case the User does not enter the credit card details for any of the above charges to be made, however, in case of damage or health problem of the animal that requires special care, the pet sitter has every right to leave it at the Medical Center or Clinic from which the User will pick it up, informing the Platform and the User of this fact, for all the necessary information that the latter must know.
In the event that the User has not provided the pet sitter with the necessary for the proper accommodation of the pet, as well as a muzzle (in the case of a dog) for its safe walk, and any damage is caused to a third person, animal, the pet sitter himself, or damage to foreign property occurs, the User is fully responsible and no responsibility is taken by the Platform, the pet sitter or the Escort.
b) For pet sitters
The pet sitter has the obligation to meet the necessary hygiene and hospitality requirements in order to be able to accommodate, guard or walk the pets entrusted to him by the Users.
The pet sitter is initially obliged to create an account (hereafter "profile") with his/her data which will be authenticated by his/her identity. In his/her profile, he/she must inform the platform which pets (dog, cat, fish, turtle, rabbit, birds, etc.) he/she has, and also has to register with the platform which service he/she can offer (hospitality, guarding, walking). The pet sitter also has to prove with photographic evidence that has the appropriate space to accommodate each pet, possibly the square meters in which it is accommodated if it is an overnight stay, that it meets the basic requirements for the safety of the pet and generally any information that is useful in such case (for example if the pet sitter is the owner of a pet himself, because some pets cannot coexist with others).
It is expressly agreed that no more than three similar pets may be hosted by the same pet sitter.
The platform is not responsible for these conditions, but the pet sitter must make them known.
The pet sitter in case of hosting or overnight stay of a pet, must provide a safe place for it, having limited the possibility of the pet’s escape and must not leave the pets unattended in an outdoor area such as a balcony or yard which has access to a street, from which the pet could escape and suffer injury.
In case of loss of a pet from the pet sitter’s accommodation, custody or during a walk, the pet sitter must immediately inform the User and the Platform. In case of emergency, such as a health problem or accident of the animal, the pet sitter is obliged to notify the User and the Platform and to act immediately to transfer it through the cooperating transport service to the nearest cooperating Veterinary Clinic - Animal Clinic, and the cost of its transport, hospitalization, treatment or examination will be paid exclusively by the User - owner of the pet, who will be in direct relationship with the clinic-center for the payment of these costs.
Finally, the pet sitter is not responsible for any damage that occurs to the pet, from another animal, third person, damage to another person's property, and also in the case of an accident, once he has shown the necessary diligence and that it occurs outside his residence. Specifically, under the latest amendment to the legislation, the pet sitter, to avoid accidents, is required during the walk to keep the dog tied up and keep a short distance from the dog. The same obligation applies to any person accompanying the animal.
Drop in visits service
The Service is offered to Users in cases where their pet cannot be moved from their home and in cases where this is not recommended for the welfare of the animal, such as cats, turtles, rabbits.
The visit is priced per hour, and for cat care includes litter cleaning, food, play and also companionship. In case the caregiver needs to move from a distance, the cost is adjusted.
The pet sitter and the Platform are not liable for any damage, damage or injury that occurs to the User's home during the time the Sitter remains within the home as part of the pet care.
The User of the Service agrees that he/she will need to provide the pet sitter with keys to the home and clear instructions as to its location (as well as details of the floor and apartment number as applicable). The User is required to provide keys to the home and clear instructions as to the location of the pet's food and any medication the pet is taking within the home, as well as any other useful information for the Sitter's convenience. Should any need arise for any additional purchase of food or necessary items, medication for the pet, the Platform reserves the right to charge these to the User, subject to the individual terms and conditions herein.
The User needs to provide the pet sitter with the pet's health booklet and any contact details of the Veterinarian cooperating with him/her.
It is possible to meet directly with the Sitter by mutual agreement, which is free of charge and non-binding. In case the User wishes the pet sitters to show him/her his/her Police Identity Card/Passport; he/she can request it directly from the respective pet sitter.
The pet sitter and the User are in a direct relationship with each other regarding the receipt and delivery of the keys and agree directly between them on the time and manner of their deliverance.
The Platform shall not be liable in any case for loss of keys or items from the User's premises.
The Platform shall not be liable for any accident of the Sitter at the User's premises.
In the event that the Sitter's visit does not take place for the total duration of days for which it is agreed, the additional amount paid in advance by the User for the remaining days and hours, will be refunded to the User. In any case, the Platform retains the amount of the commission paid to it and is not liable to pay it back.
Exceptionally, only in the event that the service provided is not performed following a cancellation by the User at least 24 hours before the initial date of provision of the service, the total amount shall be refunded to the User.
III) Reservations and financial terms
By registering on the Platform (both as User and as pet sitter), you agree to be bound by the Platform's Terms and Conditions for making payments. The exchange of personal information without a final booking by the user is prohibited. Failure to comply with this policy will result in the exclusion of the pet sitter / User from using the Platform and its services.
a) For pet sitters
The pet sitter sets the price he/she wants according to the service he/she provides hosting, within the limits set by the platform. The sitter/walker has the right to set the price outside the preset limits, ONLY after receiving the necessary positive reviews and the Platform grants the right.
The pet sitter has 12 hours to accept or not the booking, when it is a booking for an immediate date and 48 hours, when it is a booking that is made at a present time but for a future service (i.e. booked today for 2 months later).
In the event that the User does not pick up the pet on the agreed day and within a time frame of (3) hours from the agreed pick up time, the Platform is entitled to an additional charge.
b) For users
The User is invited to choose the pet sitter he/she considers suitable for the service he/she needs, whether it is guarding, boarding or simple walking.
The User in each booking he/she makes must be aware that the platform will add 25% of the price set by the pet sitter, which will constitute to the commission of the Platform. After the pet sitter accepts the booking, the User pays the requested amount, which will be paid to the Platform, and after the 25% commission percentage of the service is reserved, the Platform will pay the fee amount to the pet sitter.
In the event that the booking does not proceed within 12 hours (which pet sitter has at his disposal to accept or not accept the booking in case of a booking for an immediate date) or 24 hours (which pet sitter has at its disposal to accept or not accept the booking in case of a booking that is made at that moment but for a future service) the User has no obligation to pay the amount required for the booking.
For any change in the commission of the platform, both parties i.e. the User and pet sitter will be informed through the Platform.
In case pet animals are abandoned to pet sitters beyond the agreed days, and the owners do not contact the pet sitter or the platform, the pets will be considered as lost and abandoned.
In the above case we will be obliged to immediately take care of the animal's management in every legal way by calling the Animal Welfare Department of the relevant municipality of the area where the pet sitter is located, retaining all our legal rights against the abandoner for any additional costs or fees.
IV) Further services
Our platform additionally provides the following services, which are not related to pet sitter:
Veterinarian
In case any health issue or crisis arises with the pet, while its being under the supervision of the pet sitter, our Platform collaborates with a veterinarian who will take care of the User's pet.
The veterinarian will be informed by the pet sitter about the contact details of the User and he must also inform the platform about the visit.
For the veterinarian's services, the User shall be charged.
In case the Pet has a specific and special health problem for which it is attended by a specific Veterinarian, the User is also obliged to communicate in advance the details of the Veterinarian attending the Pet, in case the pet sitter needs to communicate these details to the Veterinarian cooperating with the Platform.
V) Cancellation policy
a) Cancellation by the user
The User may choose one of the following cancellation policies taking into account the rating of the services provided (hospitality, security and ride). In particular, the return policy is analyzed in:
Flexible
The User receives a full refund if he/she cancels the reservation up to 24 hours before the start of the service. If the User cancels after 24 hours before the start of the stay, MyBestie has the right to keep 25% of the commission.
The above also applies to overnight stays, as well as pet walks and the new service of drop-in visits.
b) Cancellation by the pet sitter
Cancellations by the pet sitter are taken seriously and may result in an account review, temporary suspension and possibly termination of access to the platform. pet sitter is expected to only accept bookings that he/she has committed to complete. The platform understands the need for exceptions when extenuating circumstances arise. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, the death of an immediate family member, natural disaster or some other catastrophic event that makes it impossible to provide the service in question.
In all cases MyBestie reserves the right to a 25% commission.
VI) Limitation of liability
As stated above, the relationship between the User and pet sitter is a direct relationship between them and no liability is borne by the platform.
The pet sitter, from the moment he agrees to provide pet boarding and pet care services on his premises, expressly assumes the risk for any damage and injury caused by the pets, including damage to his property or bodily injury that he or anyone else at the Sitter's residence may suffer. It is the sole responsibility of pet sitters to make decisions that are in the best interest of themselves and their pets and to exercise reasonable care to avoid accidents. No responsibility is accepted by the Platform for any damage or injury to the pet sitter, the Pet, third party or animal. The Platform is not responsible for any accidents. Similarly, the Platform shall not be liable for any damage or injury caused by pets, including damage to the property or bodily injury that he or she or someone else in the User's residence may suffer, with regard to the drop-in visits service.
As a pet sitter, you acknowledge and agree that the Platform has no responsibility to compensate you for any physical damage that the hosted pet may cause to your (the pet sitter's) property and you agree that no compensation will be required, in the event of physical damage to the animal, from the Platform.
In case of illness of the pet during the boarding, care or walk, the owner or someone authorized by the owner must pick up the pet immediately, otherwise the owner is responsible. The platform shall not be liable to him/her in the event that he/she fails to pick up or is slow to pick up his/her pet. If the above for some reason is not possible to be applied, we will again make every effort to offer first aid to your pet, by the veterinarian contracted with the platform.
The platform is not responsible in case of injury or death of the guest pet or third animal during contact with it.
VII) Jurisdiction of courts
These terms of use are governed by Greek law. In the event of a dispute arising in relation to these terms of use, the courts of Athens shall have jurisdiction.
VIII) Copyright
All material on the Website belongs to the platform or the platform's licensors. It is protected by Greek, Community and international copyright laws and belongs exclusively to the platform or its respective licensee and is made available to its visitors strictly for personal (non-commercial or profit-making) use. You may not use these items unless we give you written permission to do so.
The trademarks, images, MyBestie name and logo are owned by MyBestie. Any other trademarks, service marks, logos and/or trade names appearing on the Website are the property of their respective owners. You agree that you acknowledge the rights of MyBestie and the respective third parties in these marks. You may not copy or use any of these marks, logos or trade names without the written permission of the owner.
Ownership and use. MyBestie retains ownership of its intellectual property rights, and you have no right to its intellectual property and rights. Except to the extent that you actually read material on the Website while using the Website or the Services (or download or print such material for your personal reference), you have no right to use, copy, display, perform, create derivative works from, transmit or license any items or content available on the Website, other than User Generated Content. You agree that we will have a perpetual right to use and incorporate into the MyBestie Platform any comments or suggestions for improvement that you provide to us regarding the Platform, without any obligation to compensate you.
Your content. Except for the non-exclusive license granted to MyBestie with respect to User Content, MyBestie will not acquire ownership of the User Content you post.
While MyBestie makes every effort to ensure that the content and information appearing at any time on the Site is as accurate and true as possible, MyBestie is not responsible for its reliability, completeness or timeliness.
MyBestie does not bear any obligation to check the information provided by users, that are made available in its system. The use of any information transmitted by our platform is at your sole risk.
MyBestie reserves the right to modify, add, alter the content or services of the website, as well as the terms of use, at any time it deems necessary and without prior notice, just by announcing them through the platform.
IX) Protection of personal data
During your visit to our platform and in order to make your reservation for any of our services, but also to ensure that we can contact you to inform you about issues related to our services, you may be asked to provide information about yourself (name, phone number, city, city, email address, etc.). Any personal data that you provide anywhere on our website is intended solely to ensure the operation of the respective service and may not be used by any third party pursuant to the GDPR, Law 4624/2019 and all relevant provisions.
The online platform operates in accordance with the current EU and Greek legislation and keeps your personal data secure for as long as you are registered.
The personal data that you declare on our online platform are used exclusively by the platform for the purpose of supporting, promoting and executing the transactional relationship. The data kept in the file may be disclosed to the competent judicial, police and other administrative authorities upon their legitimate request and in accordance with the legal provisions in force at any given time. Any personal data that you declare on the platform (through the use of cookies) are intended solely to ensure the operation of the respective service and may not be used by any third party without complying with the provisions of the GDPR and Law 4624/2019.
a) The information we request from you
Each visitor can browse the platform without providing any personal information.
We will need personal data (such as your e-mail) only when you become a member of the platform.
The necessary data for each transaction is your full name, a mobile phone, address (street, city, postal code). At the same time, there are some data we ask for voluntarily (such as a landline phone number).
In summary, we only ask for as much information as we need in order for you to enjoy a special experience, consistent completion of the services you have chosen, secure payment of services.
b) For what purposes we process your personal data
We process your personal data to safely provide our services to you, as well as to improve your requirements. More specifically, they facilitate the daily operation of our services, to better promote our services, to inform you about new services that may be added to our platform and your response to them, as well as to implement better marketing practices and always provided that you agree to the above.
c) How we process your personal data
Our platform has been built on the trust our users place in us. In order to establish the confidentiality of the information you provide us with, we implement all the technical and organizational measures required for this purpose and in particular:
- We collect only those personal data that are relevant and necessary to better understand your needs.
- We do not disclose your personal data to any external party or third party without your consent unless required by law or a court order and after having informed you in advance.
- We always keep our records of your personal data up to date for as long as you are a member.
- We have stringent security measures in place, designed to be able to largely prevent unauthorized access to your personal data and the corresponding leakage of your personal data.
- The platform staff strictly adheres to the carrier confidentiality rules.
d) Lawful basis of processing
According to the GDPR, processing may be based on a lawful basis for the following:
- The fulfillment of our contractual relationship
- To comply with a legal or regulatory duty
- Your consent such as when you opt in to receive email newsletters or newsletters.
- To satisfy our legitimate company interests such as direct marketing, fraud prevention, ensuring network and information security.
e) Who we share your personal data with
The privacy of your personal data is a major concern of our platform. For this reason, any disclosure to third parties (other than those involved in the contract) of your information is always subject to our express consent unless required by law or court order.
f) How long we keep your data
We keep your personal data for as long as we need it and only for the purpose of serving your needs. We use the following criteria to determine how long we keep your personal data:
- When you purchase services we retain your personal data for the duration of our contractual relationship.
- When you contact us to make an enquiry we retain your personal data for the entire duration required to process your enquiry.
- When an account is created, we retain your personal data until you ask us to delete it.
- Where you have provided your consent for direct marketing communication, we retain your personal data until you remove your subscription or request its deletion.
- Where cookies are installed on your computer see the relevant section on cookies.
- We may retain some of your personal data either for the purpose of pursuing our claims before the courts or for statistical or historical purposes.
When we no longer need to use your personal data, we delete it from our records or anonymize it, so that it is not possible to identify you from it.
g) Photos of users and pet sitters
The personal data includes photographs of Users, pet sitters and pets. The website shares photos of Users' pets with other Users and visitors and with the public. You agree that the Platform has the right to publish these photos on its website and on social media (social media) Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and the like.
X) Use of cookies
The platform has the possibility to use cookies as part of the facilitation and operation of the services through its website. Cookies are small files (text files), which are sent and stored on the user's computer, allowing websites such as MyBestie, to operate seamlessly and without technical anomalies, to collect multiple user choices, to identify frequent users, to facilitate their access to it, and to collect data to improve the content of the website. Cookies do not cause damage to users' computers or to the files stored on them. We use cookies to provide you with information and process the services in question, but also allow us to present you with promotional & educational content relevant to your interests and needs. You should be aware that cookies are absolutely necessary in order for the website to function properly and seamlessly.
Third party vendors, including Google, may display platform advertisements on internet sites, use cookies to inform, optimize and display advertisements based on a user's previous visit to the website.
You may choose to opt out of such use of cookies by Google. You can also configure your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge etc.) to inform you each time before a cookie is downloaded and you can decide whether to accept or reject it. In this case, keep in mind that you may not be able to use all its features.
We reserve the right to change this cookie policy at any time. Any changes to this Cookies Policy will take effect once the revised Cookies Policy is available on our website.
Third party advertisers and other businesses we partner with may use their own cookies to collect information regarding your activities on our website. We do not control these cookies.
XI) Confidentiality of transactions
Confidentiality is considered self-evident. The same basic principles that govern traditional transactions apply in the case of our platform. All information transmitted by the user/member to the platform is confidential and the platform has taken all necessary measures to use it only to the extent necessary in the context of the services provided and not for future use.
Newsletter and licenses
As a User of the Platform, you accept, after the end of your use of the Platform and pet sitter services, to receive messages from us in the form of SMS, inviting you to submit your evaluation of the Platform.
In case of non-response or non-registration of a review by the Users within 7 days from the sending of the SMS message and the related email, it is presumed that the review is positive.
When you enter the Platform, as a User, you accept that in order to access the Platform, you need to choose whether or not you wish to receive newsletters from the Platform and/or promotional activities concerning our services, at your email address.
