Terms of Service

1. What FAUNA is

FAUNA is a platform for looking after your animals: health profile, reminders, searching for vets and services, adoption, community and more. We connect people, animals and professionals, we are not the ones providing the veterinary services.

FAUNA is operated by STEADYDAWN, LDA, NIPC 519618637, Rua dos Álamos, Entrada 22, Apartamento Monte Carlos J, 9000-202 Funchal, Portugal. You can reach us at support@faunasocialcare.com.

2. FAUNA is NOT a substitute for a vet

The information in the app (articles, community, tools) is for support and organisation; it is not veterinary medical advice. In case of illness or emergency, always contact a vet. We are not responsible for clinical decisions taken on the basis of the app.

3. Your account

You must be at least 18 years old. You are responsible for keeping your password safe and for the activity on your account. The details you give must be true.

4. Content you post

You remain the owner of what you post (photos, posts). You grant us a limited licence to show that content within the service. You may not post illegal or offensive content, or content that harms animal welfare, we remove it and may suspend accounts that do so.

5. Adoption is always free

FAUNA never charges a fee for adoption. Any adoption fee stated by a shelter goes 100% to that shelter. We make the contact easier; the adoption process is the responsibility of the shelter and the adopter.

6. Bookings and payments

Paying for a booking inside the app is only possible once the business has activated payments, and most have not yet. Until they do, booking creates a REQUEST: the price is agreed and paid directly with them, and FAUNA neither receives nor holds that money. Where payment goes through the app, it is processed securely (Stripe), held until the service has been provided, and FAUNA charges the business a commission — never you twice. Refunds follow the professional's policy and the applicable consumer law.

7. Buying and selling in the Marketplace

Buying inside the app is only possible once the seller has activated payments, and most have not yet. Until they do, whoever wants an item talks to whoever posted it and they arrange payment and delivery between themselves, and FAUNA neither receives, holds nor guarantees that money. The rules that follow — the escrow, the buyer protection fee and the seller's commission — apply when payment goes through the app, and never when it is arranged outside it.

The Marketplace holds two things. Objects. Food, beds, carriers, toys, equipment. Those are sold. And animals changing homes with no money involved: adoptions posted by associations and shelters, and giveaways by private people, always at €0. SELLING AN ANIMAL IS FORBIDDEN in the Marketplace, and FAUNA charges nothing on an adoption or a giveaway. The seller and the buyer make the deal between themselves. FAUNA does not own what is for sale, does not hold it in a warehouse and is not a party to the contract of sale: we put you in touch and we hold the money. Listings are written by the seller, and it is the seller who is responsible for what they say and what they deliver. The money is held by us and only goes to the seller after the buyer confirms they received it. That is what the buyer protection fee pays for: 5% of the item price plus €0.70. Free items and donations carry no fee. We charge the seller a commission of 7% of the item price, or 4% with the seller plan. The commission never applies to the protection fee or to shipping. If the seller is acting in the course of their business, the buyer is a consumer and has the rights the law gives them, including the right to withdraw within 14 days. Between private individuals those rights do not apply. If something went wrong with an order, write to us BEFORE you confirm receipt: until you confirm, the money is still with us.

8. Subscriptions (FAUNA Premium)

FAUNA Premium subscriptions are sold by the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android): payment is charged to your store account, and FAUNA never sees or stores your payment details. They renew automatically at the end of each period (month or year) at the price shown when you bought, until you cancel in the store settings, up to 24 hours before the period ends. Cancelling does not refund the period already paid; refund requests go to Apple or Google. Featuring a Marketplace listing is a one-off purchase through the store and starts right after purchase, so it is not refundable. Nothing in the app is unlocked by codes or by any means outside the store.

9. Deleting your account

You can delete your account at any time in the app settings, under “Delete account”. Your data is anonymised or deleted in line with the Privacy Policy.

10. Limitation of liability

The app is provided "as is". We do our best, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted availability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, our liability is limited, and nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by Portuguese law. Before going to court, write to us. Most things are settled that way.

If we cannot agree and you are a consumer, you may turn to an alternative consumer dispute resolution body. The one with nationwide competence, where there is none for your area, is CNIACC, Centro Nacional de Informação e Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo (cniacc.pt). If you live in a region with its own centre, you may use that one.

You may always go to the Portuguese courts, and, as a consumer, to the court where you live.

If you are a consumer, you can also use the Portuguese electronic complaints book, at livroreclamacoes.pt.

12. Community Rules and moderation

The Community Rules are part of these Terms and you can read them in the app settings, under “Community Rules”. They say what belongs here and what does not, and they are the basis of any decision of ours about content.

We use an automatic check on photos and a list of forbidden terms in text. The rest is decided by people. When we remove your content, limit its reach or act on your account, you can ask us for the decision and the rule at stake, and contest it, by writing to support@faunasocialcare.com: an appeal is reviewed by a person, not by the system that made the decision.

The reports YOU file, and the answer to each one, are in the app settings, under “My reports”, and that is where you can appeal them. We may also act against anyone who reports in bad faith, repeatedly.

Single point of contact for authorities and for users, for the purposes of Articles 11 and 12 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act): support@faunasocialcare.com. We reply in Portuguese or English.

13. Changes to these terms

These documents carry a version number. When we change the text in a relevant way, the number goes up and the app asks you to read and accept the new version before continuing, even if you accepted the previous one. The day, the time and the version you accepted are recorded.

We make no changes with retroactive effect. If you do not accept the new version you cannot keep using the app, and you can delete your account at any time; if it stays unaccepted for 360 days, we warn you by email before closing the account.

14. Taxes and invoicing

Whoever issues the document answers for it. If you use FAUNA as a professional or as a seller, your tax obligations are yours: registration, status, the rate you charge, invoicing and returns. FAUNA is not your accountant and does not represent you before any tax authority.

The VAT rate the app shows you is a SUGGESTION, worked out from a table of rates by country and region. It may be out of date, it may not apply to your case, and it does not cover reduced rates, exemptions or special regimes. You enter the rate your accountant determines, and that is the one that appears on your documents. We keep what we suggested and what you chose, with the date — so the decision has an owner.

What the app generates is a PROOF OF PAYMENT, not an invoice. It does not replace your invoicing software and does not meet any certified-invoicing obligations the law places on you.

Separately from this, FAUNA charges you its commission and issues its own document for it. VAT on that commission follows the rules of where you are: in Portugal it carries Portuguese VAT; in another Member State with a valid, confirmed VAT number it is reverse charge; without a confirmed number it carries your country's VAT; outside the European Union it is out of scope. If you give us a VAT number we may confirm it — a number that does not confirm counts as if it did not exist.

If anything in this section is unclear, talk to an accountant before issuing your first document. It is cheaper than fixing it afterwards.