The Consumer Protection Committee today released standard regulations for pet grooming services, stipulating that businesses should clearly explain pricing methods, ask if pets are aggressive and charge an additional fee if pets are left at the shop for an extended period.
With a growing proportion of households adopting pets, more businesses are offering pet grooming services from nail trimming to bathing.
The committee in a news release today announced its new “Standard Contracts for Dog and Cat Grooming Services,” with the Ministry of Agriculture responsible for enforcement.
Photo: Taipei Times
Committee deputy director Chen Hsing-hung (陳星宏) said that the regulations are intended to prevent disputes between consumers and businesses, and balance both parties’ rights.
There were 17 disputes over pet grooming last year, most commonly over unclear pricing, with pet owners asked to pay extra fees before being able to retrieve their pets, Chen said.
The new regulations would be binding to both parties, preventing similar disputes, he said.
Other disputes have arisen because owners failed to pick up their pets on time, inconveniencing the business by leaving pets in their care, Chen said.
The regulations stipulate that businesses may charge late pickup fees and additional care fees if the pet is not picked up by the end of the business day, he said.
The additional daily fee cannot exceed more than three times the original service fee, he added.
The regulations also stipulate contract termination and refund policies, Chen said.
If the service provider is at fault, it must refund the customer within three days, Chen said.
If the service cannot be completed due to unavoidable disasters, any fees already collected must be refunded, he said.
In addition, if the consumer has prepaid for services, but decides not to continue, they may terminate the contract, Chen said.
A processing fee may be charged in such cases, not exceeding NT$1,000 or 5 percent of the total contract amount, he said.
If businesses use a standardized contract, but contravene the provisions, they may be fined NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 if they fail to correct the issue within the given deadline, the committee said.
If they fail to do so again upon a second warning, they may be fined NT$50,000 to NT$500,000, with additional penalties for each subsequent contravention, it said.
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