This page outlines the terms and conditions relating to Lancaster Puppies Pet Payments service, and situations which may be covered by the Lancaster Puppies Guarantee.

Please know that for accepting payments through Lancaster Puppies, we apply Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) rules through our payment services partner Stripe. By accepting payments through Lancaster Puppies you automatically agree to processing of data collected by Stripe for the purpose of processing payments on the Site. Please visit Stripe's Terms of Service and Stripe’s Privacy Policy for more information. 

Stripe, Inc. headquarters located at 354 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA 94080. Details on regulations and information for specific states can be found on the Stripe Payments Company Licenses page. Stripe Payments Company holds necessary licenses to operate as a money transmitter in the United States of America. In the United States, money transmitters must register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and comply with specific reporting and compliance requirements.

Lancaster Puppies reserves the right to not refund a user in case of a breach of any of our terms.

Lancaster Puppies Guarantee

It's important to note that while some situations may result in a full or partial refund being claimed or guaranteed, the seller has the freedom to refund a payment at any time, regardless of whether the situation falls within the outlined policy or not. Therefore, we always recommend buyers to contact the seller before taking any further action. This includes discussing any issues or concerns that may have arisen and working together to find a resolution.

In the event of a dispute between the seller and the buyer, our Trust & Safety team will conduct a thorough investigation, typically within 5 working days. If additional information is requested or a payment deadline is provided, all required details or outstanding payments must be submitted within 48 hours. Both parties are required to adhere to the deadlines set by the Trust & Safety team. Failure to comply with these deadlines may impact the final decision. Should our investigation determine that the seller is at fault, as per our policy, we will first contact the seller to resolve the issue before Lancaster Puppies initiates the refund process.

If the seller does not respond and provide the requested evidence or documentation within the specified timeframe, they automatically acknowledge and accept the decision made by the Trust & Safety team.

I. Guarantee Fee

While Pet Payments is free to use for sellers, a percentage of each Pet Payment is collected by Lancaster Puppies from buyers. This fee is returned if the seller chooses to cancel the rehoming.

II. Basic Eligibility

• You have not broken any of our General or Payment terms.
• You have purchased a single pet per pet payment.
• The pet must still be in your possession, and you must have legal ownership of the pet.
• You must reside in the US.
• You must take the pet to a US veterinarian clinic for an official diagnosis (when applicable).
• The pet payment transaction must be sent through Lancaster Puppies, and our liability only covers the purchase amount mutually agreed and recorded within the platform’s chat and email communications.
• The pet(s) must be at least 8 weeks old.

Viewing the Pet

For buyers, we strongly recommend that you view the pet in-person or over video chat.

For sellers, you must allow the buyer to view the pet in your home or via video chat.

Upholding the Agreement

Both the buyer and the seller are agreeing to reserve a specific pet at a specific date and price. If either person chooses not to proceed with the agreed rehoming of their own accord, they may be at risk of losing any deposit which was sent. If the buyer is eligible for a partial or full refund, the seller must return the deposit or the entire payment, respectively, to Lancaster Puppies using a secure link to transfer the funds to the buyer's account. If a payment is refunded to the buyer, the buyer is not required to return the pet back to the seller to receive the refund.

Confirming Rehoming

When a buyer confirms the rehoming of a new pet, any funds still held by Lancaster Puppies are immediately released to the seller. Any buyer who clicks to "confirm collection" in the Lancaster Puppies chat prior to physically receiving their new pet will not eligible for any form of coverage or compensation under the Lancaster Puppies Guarantee.

Once the buyer has picked up the pet, they are required to press the “Confirm Collection” button. In the unlikely event that the buyer does not confirm the collection after taking the pet, Lancaster Puppies reserves the right to confirm the collection on behalf of the buyer. After 24 hours have passed since the pickup, the remaining funds will be automatically released to the seller.

Third-Party Transportation

In the event that the seller and buyer agree to use a third-party transportation service to deliver the pet, the "collection" time is defined by Lancaster Puppies as the time when the seller hands-off the pet to the courier. Section II applies before the pet is provided to the courier, while Section III applies after the pet is handed to the courier.

The seller is required to provide the buyer with proof that the pet was handed over to the carrier, at which point the buyer must click to "confirm collection" to release the remaining funds held by Lancaster Puppies to the seller.

Lancaster Puppies is not responsible for the services, conduct, safety, or any injuries sustained to the pet as a result of using a third-party transport company.

Ensuring Health

The seller is responsible for ensuring that a pet is healthy when a buyer makes their payment and when the pet is collected.

Both the buyer and seller are responsible for ensuring that the pet being rehomed meets the minimum age requirement before leaving its parents: Dogs must be at least 8 weeks old.

III. Before Collection: Payment Protection

In the event that a rehoming is cancelled before the pet has been collected, the buyer is only entitled to either a partial or full refund depending on the circumstances.

Buyer Receives a Full Refund

The buyer will receive a full refund of any deposit they paid, plus the remaining balance and Lancaster Puppies guarantee fee if any of the following occurs:

• The seller chooses to cancel the rehoming
  The buyer is entitled to a full refund if the seller chooses not to proceed with the sale. This includes a situation where the seller has taken a deposit or agreed to a rehoming, and stops responding to the buyer.
• The buyer does not physically receive the pet they reserved due to no fault of their own
  It is important that a buyer does not confirm delivery of their pet before picking it up. This also includes when a seller has agreed to rehome a specific pet, but decides to rehome this pet elsewhere and offers a different pet instead.
  

Buyer Receives a Partial Refund

There are some situations when the buyer may be entitled to only a partial refund. In these situations, any deposit which has been placed, and the Lancaster Puppies guarantee fee, will not be refunded. The buyer is entitled to a refund of their remaining balance when:

• The buyer chooses to cancel the rehoming
  In the event that a buyer no longer wishes to proceed with the rehoming, the seller is entitled to keep any deposit placed to reserve a pet.

IV. After Collection: Health Guarantee

If the pet you bring home falls critically ill within 6 months of collection as a result of breeder neglect or a serious congenital disease, the buyer may be entitled to a full refund. The Lancaster Puppies Health Guarantee only covers the payment made through the website for the pet purchase.

What situations may be covered:

• Parvovirus
• Death caused by seller’s neglect
• Hospitalization due to a life-threatening health condition
• Serious health issues that significantly impact the pet’s quality of life, such as:
  • Severe heart murmur (high-grades)
  • Hernias requiring surgical intervention
  • Congenital (inherited) illnesses

In these situations, Lancaster Puppies requires vet reports and any other necessary documents/photos for pets falling critically ill within 6 months of collection. This policy also covers instances where a pre-existing condition is discovered within 6 months of collection that was not previously disclosed by the seller and is clearly affecting the pet’s quality of life. Please note that any claims must be made within 9 months from the date of collection.

What is not covered:

• If you or another household member turns out to be allergic
  It is important for the buyers to properly research and consider the potential allergies of everyone in the household before placing a deposit.
• If paperwork related to the pet is not received
  The buyer assumes the risk of the pet not having relevant paperwork upon placing a payment. For example, if you place a payment before seeing proof a pet is vaccinated, you also assume the risk of the pet not being vaccinated.
  This includes pedigree paperwork, such as AKC documents.
• If the buyer's landlord or residence does not allow pets
  Prior to making a payment, tenants are required to research and confirm with their landlord if pets are allowed in the rental property.
• Unforeseen circumstances
  In the event of unforeseen circumstances on their side, buyers are advised to contact the seller and explain the situation. Unforeseen circumstances for the buyer include but are not limited to: a change of mind, lack of time for a pet, work-related changes, pet temperament incompatibility, a pet conflict with other household pets, or a sudden family emergency. 
• Diarrhea
• Parasites (lice, worms, fleas, ticks)
• Cryptorchidism (undescended testicles)
• Mild or treatable symptoms which may be unrelated to the way the pet has been bred or raised by the breeder (e.g. infections, food poisoning, or other symptoms which any puppy might develop post-collection.)
• Health risks disclosed in the breed profile relevant to your breed. If your pet is a mixed breed, Lancaster Puppies references all linked breed profiles to determine eligibility.
  
• Other (aesthetics, breed misclassification, incorrect sex, incorrect age, etc.)

Seller responsibility:

The seller is responsible for ensuring that the pet is healthy when the buyer places a payment upon or after viewing. 

If it is determined that the seller is at fault for not fulfilling their above responsibility, the seller is required to refund the buyer should the buyer submit a claim that is eligible under the Lancaster Puppies Guarantee.

V. Extended Health Guarantee (Insurance Extension)

In addition to the standard Lancaster Puppies Health Guarantee in Section IV, a buyer may qualify for a six (6) month extension of the Health Guarantee coverage period (the “Insurance Extension”), increasing the Health Guarantee coverage from 6 months to 12 months from the collection date, if the buyer purchases eligible pet insurance within the timeframe set out below (from any insurer, including—if available—our partner Fetch Pet Insurance).

1. Eligibility for the Insurance Extension

A buyer will qualify for the Insurance Extension if all of the following conditions are met:

• The buyer meets the Basic Eligibility requirements in Section II and the claim otherwise falls within the scope of Section IV (After Collection: Health Guarantee).
  
• The buyer purchases and activates an eligible pet insurance policy for the pet within forty-five (45) days of the collection date (as defined in these Terms, including where third-party transportation applies).
  
• The policy must be issued by an insurer legally permitted to sell pet insurance in the United States and must provide accident and/or illness coverage for the pet.
  
• The policy must relate to the specific pet purchased through Lancaster Puppies Pet Payments and be in the buyer’s name (or the name of someone in the buyer’s household).
  
• Eligible insurance may be purchased from any insurer, including providers you source independently or via partners we may introduce (for example, if available, Fetch Pet Insurance). Buying through a partner is not required to qualify.
  

2. Evidence (provided only if requested or on claim)

Lancaster Puppies may request evidence at the time of a claim (or during an investigation) to confirm eligibility for the Insurance Extension. Acceptable evidence may include a policy declarations page, certificate of insurance, confirmation email, or similar documentation showing:

• pet details,
  
• policy start date, and
  
• insurer/policy reference.
  
  

3. Effect of the Insurance Extension

If the buyer qualifies for the Insurance Extension:

• the “within 6 months of collection” coverage period in Section IV is extended to within 12 months of collection; and
  
• the claim must be submitted no later than 15 months from the collection date.
  
  

4. What does and does not change

• The Insurance Extension does not change what is covered or excluded under Section IV; it only extends the time period in which eligible conditions must occur/be discovered.
  
• The maximum refund/coverage remains limited to the pet purchase amount paid through Lancaster Puppies, as described in this policy.
  
• Pet insurance is a separate product and contract between the buyer and the insurer. Purchasing pet insurance does not guarantee a refund under this policy and does not replace or limit any rights the buyer may have under their insurance policy (subject to that insurer’s terms).
  
  

5. Definitions

For the purposes of this Section V:

• “Collection date” has the meaning set out in these Terms, including where third-party transportation is used.
  
• “Insurance Extension” means the extension described in this Section V that applies where the buyer purchases and activates eligible pet insurance within 45 days of collection.
  
  

VI. Pet Payments FAQ

We have answered some common questions here:
Support Portal: Pet Payments FAQ  

VII. Final notes:

This policy is subject to change and may be revised or updated at any time without prior notice. Please note that refund claims made more than 9 months after pet collection are not valid.

If contacting the other user to resolve any problem privately is unsuccessful, we recommend users to contact Lancaster Puppies Trust & Safety for support.

Please note that any arbitration for Pet Payment disputes must be conducted through Lancaster Puppies. Any user seeking arbitration externally (e.g., in small claims court or through a bank chargeback) will be in breach of these Pet Payment terms, resulting in their account being banned without compensation for any guarantee claims, listing packages, or boost packages.