Effective Date: October 15, 2026 Version: 1.0 Applies to: All Veterinarians who provide consultations through the Platform, and all Clients who purchase consultations through the Platform.
Article 1: Introduction and Scope
1.1 This Policy governs disputes, refunds, and adjustments over consultation charges: the path a charge dispute follows from the Client, to Company review, to a determination; and the allocation of chargebacks and adjustments between the Company and the Veterinarian. This Policy decides money questions only. A question about the quality or propriety of the medicine or the conduct is decided under the Clinical Incident Reporting Policy and the Vet Conduct and Enforcement Policy. The two tracks are decided separately, on different evidence, because a refund to the Client and a finding against the Veterinarian are different conclusions.
1.2 Every refund, adjustment, and chargeback allocation under this Policy is recorded against the consultation record: the original payment reference for the refund, and the transfer reference for recovery of a transferred Veterinarian share. Each adjustment states its reason. If a provision of this Policy conflicts with the Terms of Use, this Policy controls for the subject it governs. If a provision of this Policy conflicts with the terms of a program in which a party participates, the program terms control for that program.
Article 2: Definitions
2.1 Account: the account a person or business establishes with the Company to use the Platform.
2.2 Chargeback: a reversal of a Client's payment, initiated through the Client's payment card issuer.
2.3 Client: a pet owner or caretaker who books a consultation through the Platform.
2.4 Company: All About Pawz, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company.
2.5 Consultation: a veterinary consultation provided by a Veterinarian to a Client through the Platform.
2.6 Platform: the websites, applications, and services the Company operates under the name All About Pawz, including aapawz.com.
2.7 Veterinarian: a veterinarian licensed in the state in which the patient is located, whom the Company has accepted to provide veterinary services through the Platform.
Article 3: Full Refunds Without a Dispute
3.1 The Company refunds the Consult Fee in full, automatically and without the Client asking, where: (a) the Consultation never occurred, by platform cancellation, by Veterinarian cancellation with no replacement, or by technical failure without clinical delivery; (b) the Veterinarian did not attend the booked Consultation, as the Cancellation, No-Show, and Rescheduling Policy provides; or (c) the Consultation was booked in violation of the routing rules and ought never to have been offered.
3.2 A full refund is made against the original payment, to the original payment method. A refund under this Article is the Company correcting its own record; no part of a refund under Article 3.1(a) or 3.1(c) is charged to the Veterinarian, and a refund under Article 3.1(b) follows the forfeiture rule in the Cancellation, No-Show, and Rescheduling Policy.
Article 4: The Dispute Path
4.1 A Client who disputes a consultation charge raises the dispute with the Company at support@aapawz.com, stating the Consultation and the ground of the dispute.
4.2 The Company reviews the dispute on the consultation record: the booking, the recorded start and end times, the finalized clinical note, the recorded consent, and the parties' statements. The reviewer is the Company's operations function, not the Veterinarian and not the Client. Partial failures receive partial treatment under Article 5; total failures receive a full refund under Article 3.
4.3 The Company issues a determination stating the outcome and the reasons, and moves the money in accordance with the determination: a refund to the Client, an adjustment between the Company and the Veterinarian, or no change. The determination and its reasons are recorded on the consultation record.
4.4 A dispute under this Article is a payment dispute. The chargeback rule that governs a Client's card dispute with an issuer is stated in the Chargeback Policy, and a dispute that the parties do not resolve under this Article is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy.
Article 5: Partial and Fault-Based Adjustments
5.1 Where a Consultation was delivered in part, or delivered in degraded form: a session substantially shortened by technical failure, video quality that made examination difficult, competent medicine in a poor experience: the Company determines an adjustment case by case and records the reason. The determination is made by the Company's operations function.
5.2 The split follows the fault. An adjustment is divided between the Company and the Veterinarian in proportion to the fee split in the Vet Fees and Payouts Policy: 80% to the Veterinarian's share and 20% to the Company's share: unless the fault is solely one party's. A failure of the Company's systems comes out of the Company's share. A failure of the Veterinarian: for example, attendance 20 minutes late: comes out of the Veterinarian's share. Where fault is shared or cannot be determined, the proportional split applies as the neutral default.
5.3 By way of example stated in the program's terms: on a $75.00 Consultation, the video session fails 15 minutes into a 30-minute session, the Veterinarian completes the assessment by telephone with the Client's agreement, and the note is thorough. The clinical content was substantially delivered: no refund, and a $15.00 goodwill credit for the degraded experience, borne $12.00 from the Company's share and $3.00 from the Veterinarian's share, in proportion. The Client is told what happened and the reason for the credit.
Article 6: Veterinarian-Initiated Adjustments
6.1 A Veterinarian may authorize a full or partial refund of the Veterinarian's own Consultation within seven (7) days of completion. The Company processes the refund and recovers the transferred share by transfer reversal where the share has already been paid out.
6.2 A Veterinarian-initiated refund is not an admission of fault and is not recorded as a conduct matter. A pattern of Veterinarian-initiated refunds is addressed as a quality conversation under the Vet Conduct and Enforcement Policy, not as discipline, because the pattern is consistent with either conscientious practice or a competence problem, and the conversation determines which.
Article 7: Chargebacks
7.1 A Chargeback on a Consult Fee runs through the Company's chargeback process under the Chargeback Policy. The Veterinarian's transferred share for the disputed Consultation is held pending the outcome: held, not recovered at once. If the Company succeeds in representment, the hold is released. If the Company does not succeed, the recovery executes by transfer reversal against the Veterinarian's share, to the extent the loss is allocated to the Veterinarian under Article 5.2's fault rule.
7.2 The consultation record is the representment evidence: recorded start and end times, the finalized clinical note, and the recorded consent. A Chargeback alleging that services were not rendered is answerable on a complete record; a Consultation with no note and a short recorded duration is not defensible on the same terms. Documentation under the Clinical Documentation Policy therefore protects both parties' revenue.
7.3 A Veterinarian whose Consultations generate repeated Chargebacks is reviewed for quality under the Vet Conduct and Enforcement Policy. A single Chargeback is a Client dispute; a pattern: three in a quarter under the program's terms: starts the review. The review examines the Consultations, not only the count.
7.4 Marking a no-show Consultation as completed, discovered through a payment dispute under this Policy, is referred as a fraud matter under the Vet Conduct and Enforcement Policy; the dispute process does not absorb a fraud finding into a refund.
Article 8: Liability
8.1 Payment-dispute risk. The Company bears the cost of an adjustment to the extent of the Company's fault or the Company's share, and the Veterinarian bears the cost to the extent of the Veterinarian's fault or the Veterinarian's share, as Article 5.2 provides. Nothing in this Article limits liability for personal injury or injury to an animal caused by negligence, where applicable law does not permit the limitation.
8.2 Exclusion of certain damages. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither party is liable to the other for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, or loss of goodwill, arising out of or relating to this Policy, even if the party has been advised of the possibility of those damages.
8.3 Cap. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company's total liability arising out of or relating to this Policy shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts the affected party paid to the Company under this Policy in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
8.4 Carve-outs. This Article does not limit (a) a party's indemnification obligations under this Policy; (b) liability for fraud or willful misconduct; (c) amounts owed for Orders, fees, chargebacks, or refunds under the Company's documents; or (d) liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
8.5 Essential purpose. The parties agree that this Article allocates risk between them, that it is an essential part of the basis of their bargain, and that it applies even if a limited remedy fails of its essential purpose.
Article 9: Indemnification
9.1 Duty. The Veterinarian shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against every claim, demand, action, loss, liability, judgment, settlement, cost, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) the Veterinarian's breach of this Policy; (b) the Veterinarian's services or content; (c) the Veterinarian's violation of any law or of the rights of any person; and (d) taxes for which the Veterinarian is responsible under the Company's documents.
9.2 Procedure. The Company shall give prompt written notice of a claim under this Article. The Veterinarian shall control the defense with counsel reasonably acceptable to the Company. The Company may participate in the defense at its own expense. The Veterinarian shall not settle a claim in a manner that imposes any obligation or restriction on the Company, or that does not release the Company fully, without the Company's prior written consent.
9.3 Survival. This Article survives the termination of this Policy.
Article 10: Enforcement and Appeals
10.1 Investigation. The Company may investigate any suspected violation of this Policy. The Veterinarian shall cooperate with an investigation and shall produce the records this Policy requires the Veterinarian to keep. The Company may hold payouts to the Veterinarian while an investigation under this Article is pending, and shall release amounts not required to satisfy the Veterinarian's obligations when the investigation closes.
10.2 Notice. If the Company determines that the Veterinarian has violated this Policy, the Company shall give written notice stating the provision violated and the facts relied on, except where notice would compromise an investigation of fraud, a safety risk, or a legal obligation.
10.3 Opportunity to cure. Where a violation is capable of cure, the Veterinarian has ten (10) business days from notice to cure it and to confirm the cure in writing. No cure period applies to fraud, a risk to the safety of a person or an animal, unlawful conduct, or a violation that by its nature cannot be cured.
10.4 Measures. If a violation is established and is not cured within the period allowed, the Company may, proportionate to the violation: (a) issue a written warning; (b) remove or suppress content; (c) suspend the Account or program participation, in whole or in part; (d) terminate this Policy and the Account; and (e) exercise any other right or remedy available under the Company's documents or at law. The Company may suspend a Veterinarian's participation immediately where a license has lapsed or a safety risk arises.
10.5 Appeal. The Veterinarian may appeal a measure under this Article by written notice to legal@aapawz.com within thirty (30) days of the measure, stating the grounds and attaching the records relied on. The appeal is decided by a person who did not make the original decision. The Company's decision on appeal is final. A measure remains in effect during an appeal unless the Company directs otherwise in writing.
10.6 No waiver by delay. The Company's delay in acting on a violation is not a waiver of the violation or of any later violation of the same kind.
Article 11: Term and Termination
11.1 Term. This Policy takes effect when the Veterinarian is accepted into the consultation program, or when a Client first purchases a consultation, and continues until terminated under this Article.
11.2 Termination by the Company. The Company may terminate this Policy and the Account on thirty (30) days' written notice for any reason, and immediately on written notice if the affected party materially breaches this Policy, engages in fraud, or becomes ineligible to participate.
11.3 Termination by the Veterinarian. The Veterinarian may terminate this Policy on thirty (30) days' written notice to support@aapawz.com, provided the Veterinarian has no Consultation, dispute, or investigation outstanding.
11.4 Effect of termination. On termination: (a) the rights granted under this Policy end; (b) obligations that arose before termination: including payment, refund, chargeback, record-keeping, and indemnification obligations: survive until satisfied; and (c) the Company shall disburse amounts owed, less amounts the Company may set off under the Company's documents, within thirty (30) days, except amounts held in connection with an open investigation or dispute.
11.5 Survival. The Definitions, Liability, Indemnification, Enforcement and Appeals (for measures taken before termination), Dispute Resolution, and General Provisions Articles survive termination.
Article 12: Dispute Resolution
12.1 Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Policy, or to the relationship it governs, is governed by the Dispute Resolution Policy, which is incorporated into this Policy by reference.
Article 13: General Provisions
13.1 Amendments. The Company may amend this Policy by posting the amended Policy in the Document Center and giving notice to the affected party at the email address in the Account. An amendment that materially increases a party's fees or obligations takes effect thirty (30) days after notice; other amendments take effect on posting. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an amendment is acceptance of it. A party that does not accept an amendment may terminate under Article 11 before the amendment takes effect.
13.2 Notices. Legal notices under this Policy shall be sent to legal@aapawz.com. Operational notices and all other communications shall be sent to support@aapawz.com. A notice to the Company is effective when the Company acknowledges receipt or, for email, one business day after sending, whichever is earlier. Notices to a party are effective when sent to the email address in the Account or posted to the Account's notice facility in the portal, whichever occurs first. Each party shall keep the email address in the Account current.
13.3 Governing law. This Policy is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to the Dispute Resolution Policy, any proceeding arising out of this Policy shall be brought in the state or federal courts located in Shelby County, Tennessee, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there. The practice of veterinary medicine under this Policy is governed by the law of the state in which the patient is located.
13.4 Severability. If any provision of this Policy is held unenforceable, the provision shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted, and the remaining provisions continue in full effect.
13.5 Entire agreement. This Policy, together with the documents it incorporates by reference, is the entire agreement between the Company and each party for the subject it governs and supersedes every prior or contemporaneous statement, communication, or agreement on that subject, whether written or oral.
13.6 Assignment. A party other than the Company shall not assign this Policy or any right or obligation under it without the Company's prior written consent, and an assignment without consent is void. The Company may assign this Policy to an affiliate or in connection with a sale of all or part of its business, on notice to the affected party.
13.7 Waiver. A waiver of any provision of this Policy is effective only in writing and only for the instance stated. No waiver is a waiver of any other provision or instance.
13.8 Interpretation. Headings are for convenience only. "Including" means "including without limitation." This Policy shall not be construed against a party as its drafter. The English-language text controls over any translation.
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