Preliminary Version — Pending full legal review. Questions? Contact hello@groomr.co.za
Groomr (Pty) Ltd is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you use the Groomr platform at groomr.co.za.
From Customers: • Full name and email address • Pet details (name, breed, species) • Booking history and payment records • Reviews and ratings submitted From Groomers (in addition to the above): • Identity document (SA ID or passport) • Proof of residential address • Police clearance certificate • Business registration documents • Bank account details for payouts • Profile photo and business information Automatically collected: • IP address and device information • Browser type and operating system • Pages visited and time spent on platform • Booking and transaction data
We use your personal information to: • Create and manage your account • Process bookings and payments • Verify Groomer identity and suitability • Send booking confirmations and notifications • Resolve disputes between Customers and Groomers • Improve and personalise our platform • Comply with legal obligations • Prevent fraud and ensure platform security • Send service updates and important notices
We process your personal information on the following grounds: • Performance of a contract — to provide the services you have requested • Legal obligation — to comply with South African law including POPIA and tax legislation • Legitimate interest — to operate and improve our platform, prevent fraud, and protect our users • Consent — where you have given us specific consent, such as for marketing communications
We may share your personal information with: • Groomers — Customers' booking details are shared with the relevant Groomer to fulfil the service • Customers — Groomer profile information is publicly visible on the platform • PayFast — payment information is processed by PayFast in accordance with their privacy policy • SendGrid — email notifications are sent via SendGrid • Cloudinary — verification documents and profile images are stored via Cloudinary • Law enforcement — where required by law or court order We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Groomer verification documents are retained for a minimum of five (5) years for compliance purposes. Booking records are retained for five (5) years for tax and accounting purposes. You may request deletion of your account and personal information at any time, subject to our legal retention obligations.
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss or destruction. These include encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), Firebase Authentication for account security, and access controls limiting who can view sensitive documents. However, no internet transmission is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Under the Protection of Personal Information Act, you have the right to: • Access the personal information we hold about you • Request correction of inaccurate personal information • Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements) • Object to the processing of your personal information • Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@groomr.co.za.
The Groomr platform uses essential cookies and local storage to maintain your login session and platform preferences. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. By using the platform, you consent to our use of essential cookies.
The Groomr platform is not intended for use by persons under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at hello@groomr.co.za.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes via email. The date of the most recent update is shown at the top of this page.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe we have processed your personal information unlawfully: Information Regulator (South Africa) Website: www.inforegulator.org.za Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za
For any privacy-related queries or to exercise your POPIA rights, contact our Information Officer: Email: hello@groomr.co.za Website: groomr.co.za