1. The Groomers Marketplace

Groomers provides a technology platform that connects your salon with customers seeking grooming services. We handle discovery, booking management, and payment collection on your behalf as a limited payment collection agent. You remain the sole service provider and are responsible for service quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.

2. Onboarding & Eligibility

• You must be a legally operating business in India with valid GST registration (if applicable).
• You must complete Groomers' KYC process (ID proof, bank account verification) before receiving payouts.
• You are responsible for maintaining all statutory licences required to operate a grooming salon in your state/city.
• Only one vendor account per legal business entity is permitted.

3. Listing Accuracy

• All service descriptions, prices, photos, and operating hours must be accurate and kept up to date.
• Misleading listings (fake photos, hidden charges, inflated ratings) will result in immediate suspension.
• Groomers reserves the right to audit listings and request evidence of described services.

4. Commission & Platform Fee

• Groomers charges a platform commission on each completed booking. The applicable commission rate is specified in your onboarding agreement and visible in the vendor dashboard.
• Commission rates may be revised with 30 days' notice via email and in-portal notification.
• A payment gateway processing fee (charged by Razorpay) is deducted in addition to the platform commission.
• Groomers may offer reduced commission tiers for high-volume or premium partners.

5. Service Standards

• You must honour all confirmed bookings. Repeated cancellations without valid cause may result in demotion in search rankings or account suspension.
• You must maintain hygiene and safety standards as required by local health authorities.
• Customer complaints will be investigated by Groomers; cooperation is mandatory.
• Groomers may conduct mystery audits or customer feedback reviews at any time.

6. Prohibited Conduct

• Soliciting customers to book directly (off-platform) to avoid commission is strictly prohibited and will result in permanent termination.
• Discriminating against customers on grounds of race, religion, gender, disability, or any other protected characteristic is prohibited.
• Charging customers amounts higher than listed on the platform without prior disclosure is prohibited.

7. Intellectual Property

By uploading photos or content to your salon profile, you grant Groomers a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, display, and promote that content across the Groomers platform and marketing channels. You retain ownership of your content and may request removal (subject to cached copies) at any time.

8. Term & Termination

• This agreement is ongoing until terminated by either party with 30 days' written notice.
• Groomers may terminate immediately for material breach (fraud, data violations, repeated non-compliance).
• Upon termination, outstanding payouts for completed bookings will be released within 30 days after resolving any pending disputes.

9. Governing Law

This agreement is governed by Indian law. Disputes shall be first attempted via negotiation; failing which, by arbitration under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996, with the seat at [City], India.

1. Payout Schedule

• Payouts are processed on a T+2 business day cycle — i.e., funds from a completed booking are settled to your bank account 2 business days after the service date.
• Payouts are batched and transferred via NEFT / IMPS to your registered bank account.
• A payout statement is generated in your dashboard for each settlement cycle.
• Minimum payout threshold: ₹500. Balances below this are carried forward to the next cycle.

2. Payout Deductions

The following are deducted before each payout:

• Platform commission (as per your agreement)
• Razorpay payment gateway fee (typically 2% + GST)
• TDS deducted at source (as per applicable Indian tax rates)
• Any chargebacks or refunds issued to customers for your bookings

3. Impact of Customer Refunds on Payouts

• If a customer is granted a refund for a booking at your salon (due to your cancellation or a verified complaint), the refund amount is deducted from your next payout.
• If a refund is issued before your payout for that booking has been processed, the booking is simply excluded from the payout.
• Groomers will notify you of any refund issued against your bookings via dashboard notification and email.

4. Vendor-Initiated Cancellations

• If you cancel a confirmed booking, a full refund is automatically issued to the customer and no payout is made for that booking.
• A cancellation penalty of ₹50–₹200 (depending on booking value) may be applied to your account for cancellations without valid reason.
• More than 3 unjustified cancellations in a 30-day period may trigger a temporary suspension.

5. Raising a Payout Dispute

1. Go to Payouts in your vendor dashboard.
2. Select the affected settlement and tap "Dispute this settlement".
3. Provide supporting evidence (booking records, customer communications).
4. Groomers will review and respond within 5 business days.

6. Account Hold & Withheld Payouts

Groomers may place a temporary hold on payouts if:

• Your account is under fraud investigation
• Multiple unresolved customer complaints are pending
• KYC documents are expired or require re-verification
• A legal or regulatory instruction requires it

You will be notified immediately and given the opportunity to resolve the issue. Held funds are released once the situation is resolved.

1. Prohibited Business Practices

• Offering services outside those listed and approved on your profile
• Directing customers to book off-platform to circumvent Groomers' commission
• Inflating prices on Groomers while offering lower prices on other channels (price parity obligations may apply — check your agreement)
• Using fake reviews, incentivised ratings, or review manipulation of any kind
• Operating without required licences or in violation of local regulations
• Facilitating any services that are illegal under Indian law

2. Prohibited Platform Use

• Using automated scripts, bots, or crawlers to access the vendor portal
• Attempting to access or interfere with other vendors' accounts or data
• Uploading malicious files, scripts, or content
• Reverse-engineering the Groomers platform or APIs
• Creating multiple vendor accounts for the same business premises
• Sharing your vendor portal login credentials with unauthorised persons

3. Staff & Customer Conduct

• You are responsible for the conduct of your staff when serving customers booked through Groomers.
• Any harassment, discrimination, or mistreatment of customers will be grounds for immediate removal from the platform.
• Customer personal data shared by Groomers (name, contact, booking details) must be used only to fulfil the specific booking — not for unsolicited marketing or sold to third parties.

4. Content Standards

All content on your salon profile (photos, service descriptions, promotions) must be:

• Accurate and representative of your actual salon and services
• Free from copyrighted material you do not have the right to use
• Non-offensive, non-discriminatory, and compliant with the IT Act 2000
• Not misleading about pricing, service outcomes, or staff qualifications

5. Data Handling Obligations

As a data processor of customer information shared by Groomers, you must:

• Process customer data only for the purpose of fulfilling confirmed bookings
• Not store customer data beyond 30 days of the service date unless required by law
• Immediately notify Groomers at security@groomers.co.in if you suspect a data breach involving customer data
• Comply with the DPDP Act 2023 in your handling of any personal data

6. Enforcement & Appeals

Groomers may take the following actions for violations:

• Warning – issued for first-time or minor violations
• Listing demotion – reduced visibility in search results
• Temporary suspension – portal access paused pending investigation
• Permanent termination – for serious, repeated, or fraudulent violations

You may appeal any enforcement action by writing to vendors@groomers.co.in within 14 days of notification. We will review appeals within 7 business days.