Terms of Service

Last Updated: May 2026

Welcome to RanchRunners. By using our platform, you agree to the following terms and conditions governing the relationship between you, independent contractors ("Runners"), and the platform.

1. Liability and Platform Operations

1.1 Platform as a Venue

RanchRunners provides a technology platform that connects Pet Owners with independent Pet Care Providers. RanchRunners does not employ these Providers and does not provide pet care services. Any contract for pet care is solely between the Pet Owner and the Provider. RanchRunners is not vicariously liable for the actions, omissions, or negligence of independent third parties.

1.2 No Insurance

RanchRunners does not sell, provide or arrange insurance of any kind. No insurance, guarantee or bond comes with any booking. Providers are independent and responsible for their own conduct; a Client's recourse for a Provider's intentional misconduct is against the Provider directly.

1.3 Background Check Limitations

While RanchRunners utilizes third-party services (such as Checkr) to run preliminary background checks on Senior Providers, we do not guarantee the absolute accuracy of these reports or the future behavior of any Provider. Pet Owners assume all risks associated with granting a third party access to their home, property, and pets.

2. Dispute Resolution Policy

As a platform connecting clients with independent contractors, RanchRunners facilitates transactions but does not directly employ the Runners. However, to ensure platform integrity and user safety, we maintain a strict Dispute Resolution Policy.

2.1 Client Disputes

If a client is dissatisfied with a service or believes a service was not rendered as contracted, they may file a formal dispute through the RanchRunners application within 48 hours of the time the service was completed. After that window closes, the booking is finalized and disputes must be raised with RanchRunners support directly. A client may also close a booking early by marking it as satisfactory in the app, which finalizes it immediately.

Upon filing a dispute:

• The payout to the independent contractor for the disputed job will be paused if it has not already been paid. Payouts are not withheld for the duration of the dispute window; where a contractor has already been paid and a dispute is subsequently resolved in the client's favor, RanchRunners recovers that amount from the contractor's future earnings.
• A platform administrator will investigate the claim, reviewing GPS telemetry, chat logs, timestamps, and provided photographs.
• This administrative review process will conclude within 72 hours.

2.2 Dispute Rulings & Payout Status

RanchRunners acts as the final arbiter for all platform disputes to comply with Stripe Connect terms and gig-economy labor standards.

• Ruling in Favor of the Client: The job will be administratively cancelled, and a prorated or full refund will be issued to the client's original payment method. Any gratuity the client left for that service is returned to them as well, to the card it was charged to or to their Wallet Credits if it was paid from credit. The contractor will forfeit the payout for the disputed service, including that gratuity. Where the payout for that service has already been transferred to the contractor, RanchRunners will recover that amount from the contractor's future earnings rather than reversing the transfer; the contractor is notified of the amount, may continue accepting work, and each subsequent payout is reduced until the amount is recovered.
• Ruling in Favor of the Runner: The dispute will be dismissed, the job will be marked as officially completed, and the payout will be released to the contractor in the next weekly payout batch.

3. Independent Contractor Acknowledgment

By operating as a Runner on this platform, you acknowledge that you are a 1099 independent contractor. You agree that RanchRunners reserves the right to temporarily hold funds in escrow pursuant to the 72-hour dispute window outlined above.

4. Payments, Billing, and Escrow Policies

All payments are processed securely via Stripe. RanchRunners acts as a technology platform facilitating transactions and does not act as a bank. Funds held during a dispute are held in a Stripe-managed escrow state and must be resolved promptly to comply with financial regulations. By booking a service, clients agree to the following billing practices:

4.1 Authorization Holds & Deferred Billing

By booking a service, you authorize RanchRunners to place a temporary hold (authorization) on your selected payment method for the estimated cost of the service.

• Short-Term Bookings: For services scheduled to conclude within 6 days of the booking date, an authorization hold is placed immediately. The payment will be captured (processed) only upon the successful completion of the service.
• Deferred Authorizations (Advance Bookings): For services booked further in advance, an authorization hold will not be placed immediately. You consent to RanchRunners automatically initiating an authorization hold on your payment method exactly 6 days prior to the conclusion of the scheduled service. If this authorization fails, your booking will be paused until a valid payment method is provided.

4.2 Upfront Capture for Extended Trips

For multi-day or continuous services (such as Overnight Sitting) spanning more than 6 total days, Stripe escrow limitations apply. By booking these extended services, you agree that your payment method will be fully charged (captured) upfront at the time of booking. The funds are held securely by the platform and disbursed to the independent contractor only upon completion of the trip.

4.3 Group Bookings & Prorated Capture

For recurring schedules or multi-day walk packages booked as a single group, you authorize a unified hold for the entire sequence. The final charge will not be processed until the entire sequence of grouped walks is completed. The final captured amount will be dynamically prorated to reflect only the services actually rendered, accounting for any individual cancellations within the group.

4.4 Pre-Paid Wallet Credits (ACH Packages)

RanchRunners may offer the ability to purchase pre-paid "Walk Packages" via ACH bank transfer, resulting in digital Wallet Credits. These credits are applied automatically at checkout to bypass credit card processing fees. Wallet Credits hold no cash value outside of the RanchRunners ecosystem and cannot be redeemed for cash, except where required by law. If a service booked using Wallet Credits is cancelled within the acceptable window, the balance will be refunded directly back to your digital wallet. Pre-paid Walk Credits are strictly non-transferable.

4.5 Fraud Prevention & Service Refusal

RanchRunners utilizes automated security measures to prevent fraud. We reserve the right to require additional multi-factor authentication (e.g., 3D Secure) at checkout, or to instantly cancel any booking and suspend any account flagged by our security partners as high-risk or unauthorized, without prior notice.

4.6 Past-Due Balances & Account Locking

If a service is rendered but the authorized hold expires, or the payment method fails upon final capture, the client remains fully liable for the outstanding balance. You agree that RanchRunners reserves the right to lock your account, suspend the ability to book future services, and automatically attempt to charge any other saved payment methods on your profile until the past-due balance is settled in full.

5. Cancellations and Penalties

Clients may cancel standard services prior to the start time to release the authorization hold or receive a refund. However, specific premium services carry strict, non-negotiable penalty clauses due to the significant schedule block required by the contractor.

• The 50% Overnight Penalty: If a client cancels an "Overnight Sitting" service within 72 hours of the scheduled start time after a contractor has accepted the booking, the client forfeits 50% of the total booking cost. The platform will process this penalty charge, refund the remaining 50%, and disburse the penalty payout to the contractor who accepted the booking to compensate for lost earning potential. Grace period: a booking cancelled within 1 hour of being placed, and before its scheduled start time, is never penalised — the authorization hold is released, or pre-paid credits are refunded, in full. No penalty applies to a booking that no contractor has yet accepted. By booking an Overnight service, you explicitly agree to this charge.

6. Platform Fees and Sitter Payouts (For Independent Contractors)

Runners operating on the platform agree to a software licensing fee.

• The 18% Take-Rate: The platform deducts a strict 18% fee from the gross cost of the service prior to transferring the payout to the Runner's Stripe Connect account.
• Weekly Batched Payouts: To minimize financial processing fees, payouts are not instant. Runner earnings, minus the agreed-upon platform usage fee, are held in a digital ledger and automatically disbursed in weekly batches to the Runner's connected Stripe account. RanchRunners does not guarantee immediate access to funds upon walk completion.
• Failed Client Payments: In the event a client's payment method fails upon capture, RanchRunners will make commercially reasonable efforts to secure the funds and disburse the Runner's payout. Where a client's bank reverses a payment for a service the Runner has completed, the payout for that one service is held while the reversal is reviewed, and is then released to the Runner whatever the outcome. RanchRunners bears the cost of a client's reversed payment and never recovers it from the Runner. The Runner is notified when such a hold begins and when it ends, and no other earnings are affected.
• Tipping: 100% of the gross tip is routed to the Runner. However, the third-party credit card processing fee associated with the standalone tip transaction (e.g., 2.9% + 30¢) is deducted from the tip amount prior to payout. If a dispute for that job is later resolved in the client's favor, the full gratuity is refunded to the client along with the service fee; where the platform issues a goodwill refund and no dispute has been resolved against the Runner, the Runner keeps the gratuity.