Cancellation and Late-Return Policy
This policy is part of the Terms of Service. It applies to every booking made through SwingSitters. Times are measured against the booking's scheduled start, in the time zone of the booking.
1. Before a booking is confirmed
- A request that the sitter has not yet accepted can be withdrawn at no cost. Nothing has been charged.
- A request expires if the sitter has not answered within 24 hours, or by the start time if that is sooner.
- An accepted request expires if the parent has not paid within 12 hours, or by the start time if that is sooner. Nothing is charged.
2. If the parent cancels a confirmed booking
| When | The sitter is paid | The parent is refunded |
|---|---|---|
| More than 24 hours before the start | Nothing | The full amount paid |
| From 24 hours to 2 hours before the start | 50% of the sitter subtotal | The rest of the amount paid |
| Less than 2 hours before the start, or a no-show | 3 hours at the booking's hourly rate | The rest of the amount paid |
The sitter subtotal is the hourly charges (including any extra-child add-on), the after-midnight premium and, for an overnight, the flat overnight fee. It does not include the ride-home stipend or the service fee.
A no-show means the sitter arrives for the booking and nobody is there to hand over the children, or the parent tells the sitter on arrival that they are not needed.
3. If the sitter cancels
The parent is refunded the full amount paid, whenever the cancellation happens. We cannot promise a replacement sitter. If a sitter does not arrive, the booking is treated as cancelled by the sitter once a person on our team has confirmed it, and the parent is refunded in full. A sitter who cancels a confirmed booking less than 24 hours before the start, or who does not arrive, receives a strike on their record; sitters who do so repeatedly may be removed from search.
4. If SwingSitters cancels
If we cancel a booking because a sitter's profile has been suspended, rejected or closed, the parent is refunded in full.
If we cancel a booking because the parent's account has been suspended or closed, it is treated as cancelled by the parent at that moment, and the table in section 2 applies.
5. Late returns
- There is a 15-minute grace period after the scheduled end.
- After that, overtime is charged in 15-minute blocks at 1.5 times the booking's hourly rate, including any extra-child add-on. A block that has started is charged in full.
- Overtime is worked out from the sitter's check-out time and charged to the parent's saved card after check-out. The sitter receives all of it. No service fee is added.
- If the card is declined, we email the parent, show the amount due on the booking with a link to pay it, and try the saved card again after 1 hour, 24 hours and 72 hours. A parent with a balance that has been unpaid for more than 72 hours cannot make new bookings until it is paid.
- The sitter is paid the overtime when it has been collected. If it has still not been collected after the last retry, a person on our team reviews it and we may pay the sitter from our own funds while we continue to recover it from the parent.
- If no authorised adult who is able to care for the children is present at the end of the booking, the sitter stays and overtime continues until one is.
6. Ending early
If the parent returns earlier than booked, the booking is charged as quoted. The three-hour minimum always applies.
7. How refunds are paid
Refunds go back to the original payment method. We send them promptly; your bank or card issuer may take several business days to show them. Tips are voluntary and are not refundable once paid.
8. Problems with a booking
If something went wrong during a booking, file an incident from the booking. An open incident pauses the sitter's payout while a person on our team reviews it. Depending on what we find, we may release the payout, refund all or part of the payment, or both in part. This policy does not limit that review.