These Terms of Service ("Terms") are an agreement between you and Sitters4Me ("Sitters4Me", "we", "us") covering your use of the Sitters4Me mobile app and website (together, the "Service"). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
1. Who can use Sitters4Me
You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract. The Service is offered only in the United States. You agree that the information you give us is accurate and that you will keep it up to date. You are responsible for your account and for keeping your password secure, and for everything done through your account.
2. What we do, and what we don't
Sitters4Me provides technology that lets parents request care, lets sitters accept it, and handles payment between them. Sitters are independent contractors, not employees, agents or partners of Sitters4Me. Sitters decide whether to accept a job and how to do it. Parents decide whether a sitter is right for their family.
We screen sitters before approving them, which may include a background check through a third-party provider and identity and age checks. Screening reduces risk but cannot eliminate it. A background check only reports information that was available and lawfully reportable when it was run, and it cannot predict future behavior. We do not guarantee any sitter's identity, qualifications, conduct, or the quality or safety of care. Parents should use their own judgment, speak with a sitter before a booking, give clear instructions, and stay reachable.
3. Parents
- Give accurate information about your children, including allergies, medical conditions, special needs, emergency contacts and any custody or pick-up restrictions.
- Provide a safe home: secure hazards, medications and weapons, and tell the sitter about pets, cameras and house rules.
- Remain reachable during a booking and have a plan for emergencies.
- Treat sitters with respect. You may not request or require anything unlawful or unsafe.
4. Sitters
- You are an independent contractor. You are responsible for your own taxes, insurance, and any licenses or registrations that apply to the care you provide, and for following all laws that apply to you.
- Provide safe, attentive care. Never leave a child unattended, never be impaired by alcohol or drugs on a job, and do not bring guests, or photograph or record children, without the parent's consent.
- Keep everything you learn about a family and its children confidential, and use children's information only to care for them on that booking.
- Show up on time, or cancel as early as you can. Repeated no-shows or late cancellations may lead to restrictions or removal.
- Report any injury, incident or safety concern to the parent immediately and to us as soon as you can. Follow any legal duty to report suspected abuse or neglect.
- Complete the background check we ask for, and tell us promptly if the information you gave us changes.
5. Bookings and cancellations
Parents can request a sitter right now or schedule one for later. A booking is confirmed when a sitter accepts it. Sitters can decline any request. Cancellation limits, fees or restrictions may apply and are shown in the app before you confirm a cancellation. Repeated cancellations may lead to restrictions on your account.
6. Payments, fees and taxes
- Card on file. Parents must keep a valid credit or debit card on file to book. Payments are processed by Stripe. When a sitter ends a job, your card is charged automatically for that job. You authorize us and Stripe to charge it.
- What a parent pays. The sitter's hourly rate for the time worked, plus Sitters4Me's service fee, applicable sales tax, and payment processing costs. The amount is shown in your receipt. Any tip you add goes entirely to the sitter.
- How time is billed. For the first four hours, time is rounded up to the next full hour. After four hours, time is billed by the minute. This is also described in the app.
- What a sitter earns. The hourly rate for the time worked, less Sitters4Me's service fee, plus any tips. Taxes and processing costs paid by the parent are not part of a sitter's earnings. As of the date above, the service fee is 10% of the sitter's rate, charged to the parent in addition to the rate and deducted from the sitter's earnings. We may change fees going forward, and the current fees are always shown in the app before you book or accept.
- Failed payments. If a charge is declined, we may try again, and we will ask you to update your card. Until an unpaid balance is cleared, you will not be able to request new bookings. You are responsible for any amount you owe.
- Payouts. Sitters are paid through Stripe. To receive payouts you must connect a payout account with Stripe and accept Stripe's terms, which may include identity verification. Payout requests are reviewed and paid to that account. The minimum payout is $1.00. Sitters are responsible for their own taxes, and where tax forms are required they are provided through Stripe.
- Refunds and disputes. If something went wrong with a booking, contact us promptly at support@sitters4me.com. We may issue refunds, credits or adjustments at our discretion. If you dispute a charge with your card issuer, we may share information about the booking to respond, and may restrict your account while it is resolved.
- Referral credits have no cash value, cannot be transferred, and are subject to the terms shown in the app when they are offered. We may change or end referral programs.
- No going around the app. You agree not to use Sitters4Me to meet a sitter or family and then arrange and pay for that same care outside the app in order to avoid fees.
7. Messages, reviews and acceptable use
You may chat with the other person in a booking and leave ratings and reviews. You are responsible for what you post. You may not use the Service to harass, threaten, discriminate against or defraud anyone; share unlawful, sexual, hateful or violent content; impersonate anyone; collect other users' information; interfere with the Service or its security; or use it for any unlawful purpose. We may review messages and reports to keep people safe and enforce these Terms, and we may remove content or restrict accounts that break them. You give us a license to host and display your content as needed to run the Service. To report a problem or an abusive user, email support@sitters4me.com.
8. Our rights and your account
We may suspend or end your access at any time if we believe you have broken these Terms, put someone at risk, or created legal or safety risk for us or others. You can stop using the Service and delete your account at any time in the app under My Account → Delete My Account. Deleting your account is described in the Privacy Policy. Sections that by their nature should survive (such as payment obligations, disclaimers, liability limits and dispute provisions) continue after your account ends.
9. Disclaimers
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free, or that any sitter or parent will be suitable, safe or reliable. We are not responsible for the acts or omissions of sitters, parents or other users.
10. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, Sitters4Me and its owners, officers, employees and contractors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, data or goodwill, arising from your use of the Service or from any booking. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the greater of the fees you paid to Sitters4Me in the six months before the claim or $100. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.
11. Indemnity
You agree to defend and indemnify Sitters4Me and its owners and personnel against claims, losses and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your content, or your conduct, including any dispute between you and another user.
12. Governing law and disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute that we cannot resolve informally will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Harris County, Texas, and you and we consent to that jurisdiction. Before filing a claim, each of us agrees to try in good faith to resolve it by contacting the other first.
13. App stores
If you downloaded the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, you acknowledge that these Terms are between you and Sitters4Me only, not Apple or Google. Apple and Google have no obligation to provide maintenance or support for the app, and are not responsible for any claim relating to it. Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms as they apply to iOS apps. You must also follow the usage rules of the store you downloaded from.
14. Changes and general terms
We may update these Terms. If we make material changes, we will update the date above and notify you in the app or by email before they take effect, and continuing to use the Service afterward means you accept them. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service. You may not transfer your account or rights under these Terms; we may transfer ours in a merger or sale of the business.
15. Contact
Questions about these Terms? Email support@sitters4me.com.