Cuticle Code Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account or using Cuticle Code, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years of age to use Cuticle Code. Users between 16 and 18 years of age must have verifiable parental or guardian consent to create an account and use the platform. By using Cuticle Code, you represent that you meet these age requirements. Cuticle Code reserves the right to terminate any account that we reasonably believe belongs to a user under the minimum age.

3. Description of Service

Cuticle Code is a two-sided marketplace that connects consumers with independent nail technicians and beauty salons. We provide the platform for discovery, booking, messaging, payment processing, and AI-powered business tools. Cuticle Code is not a nail salon and does not provide beauty services directly.

4. Account Types & Responsibilities

• Consumers: browse, search, book, and pay for nail and beauty services
• Independent Providers: list services, accept bookings, manage their business, access AI tools
• Salon Owners: manage a salon with multiple technicians, accept bookings, track team earnings

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials and the accuracy of all information you provide. You must not share your account or allow unauthorized access.

5. Booking & Payment Terms

Deposits & Refunds

• A 20% deposit (calculated on the service cost, not the booking fee) is required to confirm a booking
• The deposit is charged immediately when the booking is submitted via Stripe Checkout
• The deposit is fully refundable if the booking is cancelled at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment time
• Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the appointment will result in forfeiture of the deposit
• The $1.99 Booking Service Fee is non-refundable regardless of cancellation timing
• Free rescheduling is available 24+ hours before the appointment; the deposit carries over

Booking Service Fee

Cuticle Code charges a Booking Service Fee to fund platform operations including payment processing, customer support, and dispute resolution services. Your first 10 bookings include all platform benefits at no additional charge. After that, a $1.99 Booking Service Fee is included with your deposit payment. This fee is not insurance and does not constitute a guarantee of service quality. Any remedies offered through our dispute resolution process are provided at Cuticle Code's sole discretion.

Balance Payment Options

• After the deposit is paid through the platform, consumers may choose to pay the remaining balance either through the app (via Stripe Checkout) or directly to the provider at the time of service (cash, card, or other method agreed upon with the provider)
• When a consumer chooses to pay the remaining balance directly to the provider, Cuticle Code is not responsible for collecting, verifying, or mediating that payment. The transaction is solely between the consumer and provider
• The platform's financial responsibility is limited to processing the deposit and booking service fee. Any disputes regarding balance payments made directly to the provider must be resolved between the consumer and provider

Tips

• 100% of tips submitted through the app are directed to the service provider. Platform fees are calculated on the service cost only, not on tips
• Stripe payment processing fees are applied to the total transaction amount and are absorbed by the platform and/or provider as part of standard payment processing — they do not reduce the tip amount received by the provider
• For salon bookings where the technician does not have their own payment account, tips are tracked by the platform and reported to both the salon owner and the technician. The salon is responsible for disbursing tips to the technician

6. Tip Tracking & Transparency

For bookings made through a salon, tips submitted through the app are tracked and reported to both the salon owner and the individual technician. The platform provides visibility into tip amounts owed but does not guarantee disbursement from the salon to the technician. Technicians and salon owners are responsible for settling tip payments between themselves.

Technicians can view tips owed to them in the "Tips Owed to You" section of their dashboard. Salon owners can view and mark tips as paid in the "Tips Owed to Technicians" section of their earnings dashboard. Technicians receive a notification when a tip is received for a salon booking.

7. Subscription Terms

• Providers and salons can choose between Basic and Pro subscription plans
• All new provider and salon accounts start with a 45-day free trial
• After the trial, subscriptions are billed monthly through Stripe
• Provider pricing: Basic $24.99/mo, Pro $49.99/mo
• Salon pricing is auto-calculated by technician count: Small (1-5 techs), Medium (6-15), Large (16+)
• You may downgrade from Pro to Basic at any time; you retain Basic features but lose access to AI agents, priority search, and advanced analytics
• You may cancel your subscription at any time; cancellation hides your profile from consumers but does not delete your account or data
• Cuticle Code reserves the right to change pricing with 30 days advance notice

8. Provider & Salon Obligations

• Provide accurate and up-to-date business information, pricing, and availability
• Honor accepted bookings and provide quality services as described
• Respond to booking requests in a timely manner
• Maintain a professional, safe, and respectful environment
• Comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws, including licensing requirements
• Not engage in misleading pricing, fake reviews, or deceptive practices

9. Consumer Obligations

• Show up for confirmed appointments on time
• Pay the remaining balance at the time of service
• Treat providers, their staff, and their spaces with respect
• Provide honest, fair, and constructive reviews
• Not engage in abusive, harassing, or fraudulent behavior

10. Account Deletion & Termination

You may delete your account at any time directly in the app by going to your Profile (or Settings for salon owners) and tapping "Delete My Account."

Account deletion follows a 30-day soft delete process:

• Your account is immediately deactivated and hidden from other users
• All pending bookings are cancelled and affected parties are notified
• Your data is retained for 30 days, during which you can contact support@cuticlecode.com to cancel the deletion and restore your account
• After 30 days, your personal data is permanently and irreversibly deleted
• Anonymized booking and review data is retained (as "Deleted User") to preserve the other party's history

Cuticle Code reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms of Service, engage in fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity, belong to users under the minimum age of 16, or abuse the platform or its users.

11. Intellectual Property

Cuticle Code, its name, logo, design system, and AI agent features are the intellectual property of Cuticle Code. Portfolio photos and content uploaded by providers remain the property of the provider. By uploading content to Cuticle Code, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display, distribute, and promote it on the platform.

12. AI Features

Cuticle Code's AI features (nail analysis, style recommendations, review responses, revenue optimization, client retention, smart booking) are powered by Google Gemini. AI-generated content is provided as suggestions only and should be reviewed by the user before use. Cuticle Code is not liable for actions taken based on AI-generated recommendations.

13. Provider Rankings & Featured Placement

Cuticle Code uses an algorithm to determine provider visibility in sections like "Trending Near You" on the consumer home screen. Rankings are based on the following factors:

• Recent booking activity (number of bookings in the last 30 days)
• Customer ratings and review frequency
• Profile completeness (photo, bio, portfolio, services listed)
• Responsiveness to booking requests

Rankings are updated periodically and no provider can pay for higher placement. Cuticle Code reserves the right to modify ranking criteria at any time to improve the consumer experience.

Provider visibility in location-based sections ("Near You") is determined solely by geographic proximity to the consumer's registered address.

The "Fresh Inspiration" section features recent portfolio photos from providers, prioritizing work from highly-rated providers. Providers can increase their chances of being featured by uploading recent portfolio photos and maintaining high service ratings.

Cuticle Code does not guarantee any specific level of visibility or booking volume.

14. Limitation of Liability

Cuticle Code is a marketplace platform that facilitates connections between consumers and service providers. We are not responsible for:

• The quality, safety, or outcome of services provided by technicians or salons
• Disputes between consumers and providers
• Accuracy of AI-generated recommendations or business insights
• Service interruptions or technical issues beyond our reasonable control

Our total liability is limited to the fees you have paid to Cuticle Code in the 12 months preceding the claim.

15. Dispute Resolution

For booking disputes between consumers and providers, we encourage direct communication through our in-app messaging system. For unresolved issues, contact support@cuticlecode.com. Cuticle Code will review disputes and mediate in good faith but is not obligated to resolve disputes between users.

16. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes through the app or via email. Continued use of Cuticle Code after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

17. Contact

For questions about these terms:

Email: support@cuticlecode.com