Salon Policies, Procedures, Terms & Conditions

By booking and attending your appointment you agree to the following salon policies, procedures, terms and conditions - 

Appointments

• A reminder message of your appointment will be sent via SMS. We ask that you please respond to this by close of business on the day you receive it. Unconfirmed bookings may be cancelled and a $25 fee (per dog) will be applied.
• We ask that any changes or cancellations be made 48 hours prior to your appointment to avoid a $25 late cancellation fee, this then gives us time to fill that appointment.
• Unconfirmed, late cancellations and no shows may incur a $25 fee and repeat ‘offenders’ will need to pay a non-refundable deposit upon booking their next appointment.
• If you are running late, we ask that you please advise us via a phone call.
• The salon is run by appointment, if you are more than 15 minutes late this impacts the entire day. If we have not been advised, your appointment may be cancelled.

It is unfortunate to have to implement these policies, but due to the increasing amount of unconfirmed, no shows and late cancellation of appointments, I have been left with no alternative.

*fees to be charged are at management’s discretion.

Pick Up

• Please do not return until you receive your pick up message. If we are still working on your dog and you return earlier than expected, your dog will be happy and excited to see you, this will make our job harder and more dangerous. If this does occur we will kindly ask you to leave the salon so the groom can be finished, this may result in extra time required to complete the groom.
• If arriving early to collect your dog, please phone ahead rather than just dropping in.
• If you need a certain pick up time, please advise us upon booking your appointment, not upon drop off where we may not be able to accommodate you.
• Please, allow between 2-4 hours (depending on the size of your dog, coat condition, type of trim and/or time of year) for each grooming appointment.

Sign out Policy (during COVID-19, staff will sign your dog out on your behalf)

• Upon collection you will be asked to ‘sign your dog out’; by signing this form you have indicated that you understand that Paws of Distinction takes no responsibility for incidents, injuries or illnesses once your dog has left the salon.
• Failure to sign this form by owner or agent (person collecting) will also activate the disclaimer.
• For our records, photos will be taken of any issues your dog presents with whilst being groomed.
• Should your dog sustain an injury whilst being groomed, and we have indicated such to you, we will take responsibility for any veterinary treatment required for that injury.
• Please use this opportunity to inspect your dog’s groom and let us know if you’d like anything changed (we will be happy to rectify issues before your leave the salon).

Grooming

• We reserve the right to modify your dog’s haircut and price in accordance with coat condition (which will be explained to you upon discussing your dogs groom) i.e.
  • if it has been longer than 8 weeks between visits;
  • if staff feel no brushing has been undertaken at home in between visits;
  • if your dog is matted and staff feel it is cruel and painful for the dog to be groomed out;
  • If your dog is matted and staff feel an injury may occur in the process of brushing/combing/dematting (this may cause rashing/haematoma’s etc.)
• Whilst we take all due care to ensure no injury occurs during your dog’s grooming visit, IF your dog does sustain an injury as a DIRECT result of the condition of your dog’s coat, we will not be held responsible.
• If staff notice fleas on your dog, a flea treatment will be given (unless previously stated otherwise by owner)
• If you are unhappy with your experience at Paws of Distinction we ask that you bring this to our attention and allow us the chance to resolve the issue. This is very important especially when lengths of coat are involved e.g. what is short to us may not be short to you, etc.

Pricing

• All prices, given over the phone or without having personally assessed your dog, are an estimate only and are subject to change at management’s discretion.
• Extra charges may apply due to excessive matting, extra time grooming or stylised trims.
• Extra charges may apply for flea treatments where needed.
• Grooming sessions may be charged at an hourly rate of $80 per hour. (You will be advised of this upon inspection of your dog).

The Salon

• DO NOT OPEN THE GATE, this is for ALL dog’s safety!
• Please bring your dog into the salon with a lead and collar/harness.
• Please ensure your dog has toileted before entering the salon (clean up fees may apply).
• Abuse, in any form, to management and/or staff will not be tolerated and will result in refusal of service.

Thank you all for your continued support.

We look forward to seeing you all at your next appointments.