Terms of Use – Gardinou

1. Purpose

These Terms and Conditions of Use (the “Terms”) govern access to and use of the Gardinou platform.

By using the platform, the user acknowledges having read, understood, and agreed to these Terms.

2. Nature of the Service

Gardinou is a Canadian platform that connects pet owners with pet sitters and is operated from Quebec.

Gardinou acts exclusively as a technological intermediary and assumes no responsibility for the quality, safety, legality, or performance of services provided by users.

Gardinou is not a party to any agreements concluded between users.

3. Commission

Gardinou applies a 0% commission policy. All payments are made directly between pet sitters and pet owners.

Gardinou does not intervene in the management, processing, or securing of payments made between users.

4. Identity Verification

Identity verification is required to activate a Pet Sitter profile on the platform.

This verification is carried out by a specialized third-party service provider, Didit, through an automated process.

Gardinou:

Does not collect identity documents
Does not access submitted documents
Does not retain biometric data
Receives only a verification status (approved / not approved)

Identity verification does not constitute an absolute guarantee regarding a user’s true identity, behavior, reliability, or qualifications.

5. Verified Profiles

Verified profiles are sitters who have successfully completed the identity verification process.

The verification badge only indicates that the automated identity verification process has been completed.

6. Subscriptions and Accounts

The platform offers:

• A Pet Owner Account, free of charge
• A Pet Sitter Plan, billed monthly at a rate of $15

The Pet Owner Account provides access to search, booking, and request management features.

The Pet Sitter Plan allows users to create and publish a pet sitter profile and access the related platform features.

The Pet Sitter Plan is intended for individuals who wish to offer pet care services and promote their services to pet owners using the platform.

The pet sitter acknowledges that they use the platform to gain visibility, receive booking requests, and grow their client base.

Subscription fees help cover access to Gardinou's technological infrastructure, platform hosting, booking tools, identity verification services, support services, and the operational costs associated with maintaining and developing the platform.

Subscriptions are commitment-free and may be cancelled at any time.

Any subscription period that has already begun remains payable and is non-refundable. The user remains responsible for all amounts due up to the effective cancellation date.

Cancelling a subscription stops future automatic renewals but does not have retroactive effect on fees already charged for the current subscription period.

Gardinou does not guarantee any minimum number of bookings, requests, clients, or earnings.

7. Liability Insurance

Pet sitters are solely responsible for maintaining valid liability insurance covering their services.

Gardinou acts solely as a connecting platform and does not verify or guarantee the insurance coverage of pet sitters.

8. Account Suspension or Termination

Gardinou reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate an account, without prior notice, in cases of:

Violation of these Terms and Conditions
Providing false or misleading information
Fraudulent, abusive, or inappropriate behavior
Any use likely to harm the platform or its users

Such suspension does not entitle the user to any refund.

9. Visibility of Non-Verified Sitters

Gardinou does not guarantee any minimum level of visibility, requests, or bookings.

10. Limitation of Liability

Gardinou is not responsible for:

Agreements entered into between users
Payments made between users
Damages, losses, or disputes arising from services provided by a user

Users are solely responsible for the agreements they enter into with one another.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Gardinou’s total liability shall be limited to the amounts actually paid by the user to Gardinou during the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

11. Protection of Personal Information

Gardinou processes personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy available on the platform.

By using the services, the user acknowledges having read this policy.

12. Identity Verification – Specific Consent

For sitters who choose to proceed with identity verification, identity verification is provided by Didit, an external provider specialized in automated verification.

This process may include:

• Facial recognition
• Automated validation of identity documents
• Presence verification (“liveness check”)

By choosing to proceed with verification, the user consents to their personal information being transmitted directly to Didit for this specific purpose.

Didit processes this information in accordance with its own terms and privacy policy. Gardinou exercises no control over the processing activities carried out by Didit.

13. Modifications to the Terms

Gardinou reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time.

The most recent version is available on the platform. Continued use of the services following any modification constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

14. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of the Province of Quebec and the applicable federal laws of Canada.

Any dispute relating to the use of the Gardinou platform shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Judicial District of Montreal, Quebec, unless otherwise required by applicable law.