Privacy Policy

This policy explains how PetPond handles personal data. PetPond is operated from Portugal and complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

PetPond plays two different roles, and it matters which one:

• For the businesses that sign up (groomers, boarders and their staff) we are the data controller of your account data.
• For the client and pet records those businesses store in PetPond, the business is the controller and we are their data processor— we handle that data only on the business’s instructions. If you are a pet owner with a question about your data, your first point of contact is the business you booked with; we will help them respond.

1. Data we collect

From business account holders

• Account data — name, email address, business name, phone number, password (stored hashed by our authentication provider).
• Billing data — plan, billing history and VAT details. Card details are collected and stored by Stripe, not by us.
• Usage data — log and device information (IP address, browser, pages used) needed to run, secure and improve the Service.

On behalf of businesses (as processor)

• Client contact details, pet records (name, breed, notes, photos, vaccination records), appointment and payment history that the business stores in PetPond.

This marketing website itself sets no tracking cookies. The application uses cookies and similar storage strictly needed for signing in and keeping your session secure.

2. Why we process data and on what legal basis

• To provide the Service (accounts, scheduling, reminders, payments) — performance of a contract.
• To bill you and meet bookkeeping and tax obligations — legal obligation.
• To secure and improve the Service (logs, abuse prevention, aggregate analytics) — legitimate interests.
• To send product news — consent, which you can withdraw at any time; transactional emails (receipts, reminders you configure) are part of the Service itself.

3. Who we share data with

We do not sell personal data. We share it only with service providers that help us run PetPond, under contracts that meet GDPR requirements:

• Stripe — payment processing and payouts to your connected account.
• Amazon Web Services — hosting and authentication (Amazon Cognito).
• Xero — only if you connect your Xero account, to sync invoices and payments you choose to sync.
• Email/SMS delivery providers — to send the reminders and notifications you configure.

Where a provider processes data outside the EU/EEA, we rely on safeguards recognised by the GDPR, such as adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses.

4. How long we keep data

• Account and customer-stored data — for as long as the account is active, then deleted within 90 days of closure (you can export first).
• Billing records — as long as tax law requires (in Portugal, typically 10 years).
• Security logs — up to 12 months.

5. Your rights

Under the GDPR you can ask us to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• correct or delete it;
• restrict or object to processing based on legitimate interests;
• provide it in a portable format;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

Write to privacy@pet-pond.com and we will respond within one month. You can also complain to a supervisory authority — in Portugal, the CNPD (cnpd.pt).

If your data is held in PetPond by a business you are a client of, direct your request to that business; we will support them in fulfilling it.

6. Security

Data is encrypted in transit, passwords are handled by our authentication provider and never stored in plain text, and access to production data is restricted and logged. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your data we will notify you and the supervisory authority as the GDPR requires.

7. Children

PetPond is a business tool and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16, except where a business stores a client record that incidentally concerns a minor — that data is controlled by the business.

8. Changes to this policy

We will post updates here and, for material changes, notify account holders by email or in the app. The version and date at the top tell you what you are reading.

9. Contact

Privacy questions: privacy@pet-pond.com.