Terms of Service

1.1 About Rooted

Rooted is an online platform that connects customers in London with independent hair stylists and salons. These Terms of Service (these "Terms") govern your access to and use of the Rooted website, mobile application, and related services (together, the "Platform").

The Platform is operated by Exit Operation Ltd (trading as Rooted), a limited company registered in England and Wales with company number 16595899 and registered office at 72b Osbaldeston Road, London N16 7DR ("Rooted", "we", "us", "our").

By creating an account, making a booking, listing services, or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

1.2 Who can use Rooted

You must be at least 18 years old and resident in the United Kingdom to use the Platform as a customer or as a stylist. By registering, you confirm that both are true.

The Platform is intended for use in the United Kingdom. We do not currently support customers or stylists based outside the UK.

1.3 The role Rooted plays

Rooted is a booking and discovery platform. We do not provide hair services. Services are provided by independent stylists who list their availability on Rooted. When you book a service, you are entering into a contract with the stylist directly. Rooted is not a party to that contract.

Rooted's role is to:

• Host stylist profiles and help customers discover them
• Process payments on behalf of stylists
• Hold deposits securely until the service takes place
• Enforce cancellation, late fee and no-show policies
• Provide a dispute resolution channel when things go wrong

Rooted is not responsible for the quality of hair services performed. If you have a complaint about a service you received, please contact the stylist directly first. If you cannot resolve it with them, contact us at support@rootedapp.co.uk and we will try to help.

1.4 Customer accounts

To book a service, you need to create an account with a valid email address. You are responsible for keeping your account password secure and for any activity under your account.

When booking, you agree to:

• Provide accurate personal details (name, contact, and where relevant, your address for mobile bookings)
• Pay the required deposit at the time of booking
• Turn up at the agreed time and location
• Pay any outstanding balance directly to the stylist on the day (unless the service required full payment at booking)
• Follow the stylist's published policies, including late arrival, children, allergies, and hair preparation

1.5 Stylist accounts ("Creators")

Stylists apply to join Rooted. Applications are reviewed by Rooted before approval. We may decline or remove a stylist at our discretion, particularly if we identify concerns about the quality of service, customer complaints, or breach of these Terms.

As a stylist, you agree to:

• Provide accurate information about your business, services, prices, and working address
• Hold any required insurance, licenses or certifications for the services you offer
• Be responsible for your own tax obligations, including income tax and National Insurance where applicable
• Honour bookings made through the Platform
• Communicate respectfully with customers
• Not share customer contact details with third parties or use them for any purpose outside providing the booked service

You understand that Rooted does not employ you and you are not our agent, partner or employee. You operate as an independent professional.

1.6 Payments and fees

For customers

• Customers pay a £1.50 Rooted service fee on every booking. This is non-refundable except where the stylist cancels (see Section 1.8).
• Customers pay a deposit at the time of booking, set by the stylist. The remaining balance is paid to the stylist on the day, unless the stylist has marked the service as requiring full payment upfront.
• Travel fees apply to mobile bookings. The travel fee is calculated based on distance between the stylist's working address and the customer's address. The full travel fee is paid at the time of booking.

For stylists

• Stylists on the free Seedling tier pay a commission of 8% on each booking (service price plus travel fee, excluding the £1.50 Rooted service fee).
• Stylists on the paid Bloom tier pay a commission of 4% and a monthly subscription of £22.50.
• Stylists can switch between tiers at any time from their dashboard.
• Payouts are processed via Stripe Connect. Stylists must have a verified Stripe account to receive payments.

All prices on the Platform include any applicable taxes. Exit Operation Ltd is not currently registered for VAT.

1.7 Cancellations

See the full Cancellation and Refund Policy at /legal/cancellation. The short version:

• Cancel more than 7 days before the appointment: full refund of service and travel fees. The £1.50 service fee is not refunded.
• Cancel 7 days or less before the appointment with a deposit-only booking: no refund. The deposit is forfeited to protect the stylist's time.
• Cancel 7 days or less before the appointment with a full-payment booking: 50% of the service price is refunded. Travel fees are not refunded.
• Same-day cancellations are not permitted through the Platform. If you have a genuine emergency, contact the stylist directly.

If the stylist cancels, you get a full refund including the £1.50 service fee. The stylist is charged £1.50 towards the cost of refunding you.

1.8 Late arrivals and no-shows

If you arrive after the stylist's grace period (set by them individually), the stylist may apply a late fee. This fee is charged automatically to the payment method you used to book.

If you do not show up at all without cancelling, you are treated as a no-show. The stylist keeps the deposit. If you paid in full, the stylist keeps the full payment.

Repeated late arrivals, no-shows or cancellations may result in your account being suspended or permanently removed from the Platform.

1.9 Acceptable use

You must not:

• Use the Platform for anything illegal, fraudulent, or harmful
• Harass, threaten, or abuse stylists, customers, or Rooted staff
• Post false, misleading or defamatory content
• Attempt to bypass payment, commission or fee mechanisms (for example, agreeing to take a Rooted-originated booking "off-platform")
• Reverse engineer, scrape, or copy the Platform for competing purposes
• Use bots or automated systems to access the Platform
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to other users' accounts or data

Serious or repeated breaches may result in permanent account removal, forfeiture of pending payouts, and legal action where appropriate.

1.10 Content you upload

You retain ownership of content you upload to the Platform (including portfolio photos, profile text, and reviews). By uploading, you grant Rooted a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display, and use that content for the purposes of operating and promoting the Platform.

You confirm that you own or have the right to share any content you upload, and that it does not infringe anyone else's intellectual property, privacy, or other rights.

1.11 Suspension and termination

You can close your account at any time by contacting support. Rooted can suspend or remove your account if:

• You breach these Terms
• We have reasonable concerns about fraud, safety, or legal compliance
• You are the subject of serious or repeated complaints
• You attempt to bypass the Platform's fees

On closure, any outstanding payouts owed to stylists will be paid after any dispute periods have passed and any applicable deductions have been settled.

1.12 Liability

Rooted provides the Platform on an "as is" basis. We do our best to keep it running smoothly but we do not guarantee that the Platform will always be available or free from errors.

Our liability to you for any loss arising from use of the Platform is limited to the fees you have paid us in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim, or £100, whichever is higher.

We do not exclude liability for death, personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or anything else we cannot lawfully exclude.

We are not liable for the quality of services provided by stylists, or for losses arising from your dealings with another user of the Platform.

1.13 Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the updated version on the Platform and change the "Last updated" date at the top. For material changes, we will also email active users. Continuing to use the Platform after changes have been published counts as acceptance.

1.14 Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be dealt with by the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

1.15 Contact

Questions or concerns about these Terms can be sent to support@rootedapp.co.uk.