Draft placeholder — not legal advice, not reviewed by a solicitor. This page was written to cover the right topics so nothing is a blank page, but it has not been checked by a qualified solicitor and contains bracketed [PLACEHOLDER] facts that must be filled in with real company details before this goes live. Do not publish or rely on this as-is.

Terms of Service (Customers)

Last updated: [PLACEHOLDER: date]

Who you're contracting with

[PLACEHOLDER: legal entity name], company number [PLACEHOLDER], registered office [PLACEHOLDER] ("Sludge", "we", "us"). Sludge arranges septic tank, cesspit, and treatment plant emptying, either by matching you with an independent operator ("provider") or, where you book directly through a provider's own page, by providing the booking and payment infrastructure for a job the provider has arranged with you themselves.

[PLACEHOLDER — needs a solicitor's decision: whether Sludge contracts with the customer as principal (we sell you the service, and separately pay the provider), or as the provider's agent (the provider sells you the service, we just process payment). This changes who is liable if a job goes wrong, and should be decided and reflected consistently across this document, the provider terms, and the actual Stripe money flow.]

Getting a price

Prices shown before you book are estimates based on the tank type and volume you tell us, using either Sludge's standard pricing or, where you book via a provider's own page, that provider's own pricing. The actual charge is based on the volume actually emptied, which may differ from the estimate. Where a provider offers a fixed quote instead of an estimate, that price is fixed and won't change regardless of the actual volume.

If the actual volume comes out significantly higher than estimated, we (or the provider) will contact you before taking payment rather than silently charging a higher amount than you authorised.

Payment

When you book, your card is authorised for an amount covering the estimate (or the fixed quote) — this is a hold, not a charge, and will show as "pending" on your statement. Payment is only captured (actually taken) after the job is completed, based on the actual volume emptied (or the fixed quote), and you have had [PLACEHOLDER: confirm the exact review window promised to customers — the product currently targets roughly 24 hours] to raise any concern.

Payment is processed by Stripe. We do not store your card details.

Cancellation

[PLACEHOLDER — needs solicitor review against the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013: as an online/distance contract, you normally have a 14-day cancellation "cooling-off" period. Because a septic tank emptying is usually booked for a specific, often near-term, date, we would typically ask you to expressly agree that we can start the service before that 14 days is up (Reg. 36/37) — and to acknowledge that if you cancel after the job has started or completed, you may owe an amount reflecting the service already provided. This section needs that express-consent wording drafted properly, not just asserted here.]

Access and cooperation

You're responsible for making sure the provider can reasonably access the tank at the agreed time (as described in your access notes), and for the accuracy of the address, location pin, and tank information you provide. We and the provider are not liable for delay or additional cost caused by inaccurate access information.

Liability

[PLACEHOLDER — needs solicitor drafting: standard UK consumer limitation-of-liability language, consistent with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (services performed with reasonable care and skill) and which does not attempt to exclude liability that can't lawfully be excluded (e.g. death, personal injury, fraud).]

Complaints

Governing law

[PLACEHOLDER: England and Wales, unless a different jurisdiction is decided — confirm with a solicitor.]