Dispute Resolution Policy

1. Scope; Relationship to Terms of Use and Other Policies

1.1 Scope. This Policy applies to any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to the Platform, including any booking, gig, listing, communication, payment, cancellation, refund, safety report, moderation decision, or account action.

1.2 Incorporation and hierarchy. This Policy is incorporated into and forms part of:

• A. our Terms of Use: Terms of Use.
• B. our Payment and Chargeback Policy: Payment and Chargeback Policy.
• C. our Community Standards & Safety Policy: Community Standards & Safety Policy.
• D. any other applicable Platform policy referenced at the time of the dispute.

If there is a conflict:

• A. the Payment Terms & Refund Policy controls for refunds, reversals, credits, and cancellation-related financial outcomes;
• B. this Policy controls for process, escalation, and arbitration mechanics (except where a mandatory law requires otherwise);
• C. the Terms control for general legal terms (including disclaimers, limitations of liability, and assignment).

1.3 Marketplace posture. Village Haven operates a neutral marketplace technology platform. We do not provide caregiver services, do not employ Providers, and do not control how a Provider performs services. Providers set their own prices and terms within the Platform rules.

1.4 Pricing model disclosure.

• A.Providers set and list the price for a gig (the Provider Fee).
• B.Providers are intended to receive the Provider Fee for completed gigs, subject to the Payment Processor's rules, holds, reversals, and this Policy and the Payment Terms & Refund Policy.
• C.Households pay the Provider Fee plus a separate Platform Fee (currently 15% of the Provider Fee, or as disclosed at checkout) payable to Village Haven, which is in addition to (not included in) the Provider Fee.

1.5 Non-waivable rights preserved. Nothing in this Policy limits rights that cannot be waived under applicable law, including California consumer protection laws and any required remedies.

2. Definitions.

For purposes of this Policy:

2.1 "Household" means a user (typically a household/family) that seeks to book or purchase services from a Provider through the Platform.

2.2 "Provider" means a user (typically a caregiver/service provider) who offers services through the Platform.

2.3 "Booking" means a reservation, confirmed request, or agreement for services facilitated through the Platform, including the time/date, location (if applicable), scope, and price as presented at checkout.

2.4 "Provider Fee" means the price for a gig/service set by the Provider and displayed in the Platform, exclusive of the Platform Fee and any applicable taxes unless otherwise stated at checkout.

2.5 "Platform Fee" means the fee charged by Village Haven to Households in addition to the Provider Fee, currently 15% of the Provider Fee (or such other amount as disclosed at checkout).

2.6 "Platform" means the Village Haven technology marketplace, including websites, mobile applications, messaging tools, booking features, and related services.

2.7 "Payment Processor" means our third-party payment processor(s) and payment rails used to process card and other payments, payouts, refunds, reversals, holds, chargebacks, and related payment operations: Stripe, Inc. ("Stripe"), through its Stripe Connect platform. We may use additional or successor payment processors from time to time, and references to "Payment Processor" in this Policy include any such processors.

2.8 "Dispute" means any complaint, dispute, claim, controversy, or request for resolution between or among Households, Providers, and/or Village Haven relating to the Platform, including payment disputes, alleged misconduct, cancellations/refunds, quality concerns, and safety issues.

3. Tiered Dispute Resolution Framework

3.1 Tier 0: Safety-first triage. If a Dispute involves alleged abuse, endangerment, threats, violence, sexual misconduct, child safety, or any immediate safety risk, the Safety/Emergency process in Section 4 applies and may run in parallel with other steps.

3.2 Tier 1: Direct resolution between Household and Provider (where appropriate). Except for Safety/Emergency matters, payment fraud, or Platform policy violations requiring our intervention, users must first attempt to resolve routine issues directly using Platform tools (in-app messaging and dispute prompts) for at least:

• A. 48 hours, and
• B. no more than 7 days (unless the Booking date is sooner).

3.3 Tier 2: Internal case review by Village Haven. If Tier 1 does not resolve the Dispute, either party may open a case with Village Haven under Section 5. Village Haven will then conduct an internal review and may facilitate resolution.

3.4 Tier 3: 30-day amicable settlement/negotiation period. Before any party initiates arbitration against Village Haven (and, where applicable, before any formal legal proceeding permitted by Section 10.8), the initiating party must provide a Notice of Dispute under Section 10.3and participate in good-faith settlement discussions for at least 30 days (the "Amicable Settlement Period"), unless:

• A. seeking emergency injunctive relief under Section 10.8, or
• B. the claim is filed in small claims court under Section 10.7 (if eligible).

3.5 Good-faith requirement; no gamesmanship. Each party will participate in good faith in the applicable tier. Abuse of the process (including repeated bad-faith disputes, harassment, or knowingly false submissions) may result in account action under Section 8.6and/or allocation of fees/costs where permitted by applicable law and arbitral rules.

4. Safety, Emergency, and Abuse Reporting

4.1 Emergency situations. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911 (or your local emergency number) immediately. Do not wait for Platform support.

4.2 Report to Village Haven. Safety incidents should also be reported to Village Haven as soon as reasonably possible:

• A. Report Incident: Report an Incident.
• B. Email: hello@villagehaven.org
• C. Phone: +1 855 768 3073

4.3 Village Haven’s response. Village Haven may take immediate actions including:

• A. temporary holds on payouts where permitted by the Payment Processor and law;
• B. suspension or removal of listings or accounts;
• C. preservation of evidence (messages, logs) consistent with law and our retention practices;
• D. referrals to law enforcement, child protection authorities, or other agencies where appropriate or required.

4.4 No guarantee; no substitute for law enforcement. Our safety tools reduce risk but cannot eliminate it. Village Haven does not guarantee safety outcomes and is not a substitute for emergency services.

5. Internal Complaint Handling

5.1 How to open a case. You may open a case through:

• D. Report Incident: Report an Incident.
• E. Email: hello@villagehaven.org

5.2 Required information. To process a case, we may require:

• A. Booking ID and date/time;
• B. names/usernames of involved accounts;
• C. a clear description of the issue and the resolution requested;
• D. supporting evidence (Section 6).

5.3 Acknowledgment timeline. We will acknowledge receipt of a case within:

• A. 24 hours for safety-related matters (business days and after-hours triage as available), and
• B. 2 business days for non-safety matters.

5.4 Target response times. We will aim to provide a substantive response within:

• A. 3 business days for routine booking disputes,
• B. 7 business days for complex disputes (e.g., payment processor investigations, multi-party claims, fraud review),
• C. longer if required by Payment Processor timelines, law enforcement requests, or legal process; we will keep you reasonably informed.

5.5 Information requests; cooperation. Users must timely provide requested information. If a user fails to cooperate or provide reasonably requested information within 7 days (or shorter if time-sensitive), we may close the case or decide based on the available record.

5.6 Case outcomes. Depending on the facts, applicable policies, and processor constraints, Village Haven may:

• A. provide guidance for user-to-user resolution;
• B. facilitate messaging, structured negotiation, or voluntary mediation (Section 8);
• C. apply the Payment Terms & Refund Policy (including refunds/credits where applicable);
• D. reverse or void transactions where required or permitted;
• E. impose account actions under Section 8.6.

5.7 Reasoned decision-making; consistency; no precedent. We strive for consistent outcomes, but case decisions are fact-specific and do not create binding precedent for future cases.

6. Evidence Submission Rules

6.1 Accepted evidence. Evidence may include:

• A. in-Platform messages and call logs (if applicable);
• B. photos/videos of conditions relevant to the gig (no unlawful recordings);
• C. receipts for authorized expenses;
• D. relevant third-party communications directly tied to the Booking;
• E. police reports or incident reports (if applicable).

6.2 Prohibited submissions. You must not submit:

• A. unlawfully obtained content (including illegal wiretaps/recordings);
• B. sensitive personal information unrelated to the Dispute;
• C. another person's account credentials;
• D. content that violates law or Platform policies.

6.3 Authenticity and attestations. Village Haven may request that you certify that evidence is accurate and unaltered. Knowingly submitting falsified evidence is a material policy violation.

6.4 Confidentiality and limited use. We will use dispute submissions to investigate and resolve disputes, enforce policies, comply with law, and maintain Platform integrity, consistent with our Privacy Notice.

7. Payment Disputes, Chargebacks, and Payment Processor Coordination

Village Haven acts as a limited payment collection agent for Providers solely for the purpose of receiving Provider Fees. Receipt of funds by Village Haven or the Payment Processor is deemed receipt by the Provider.

7.1 Payment Processor controls certain outcomes. Card networks and the Payment Processor may control timeframes, holds, reversals, and chargeback outcomes. This Policy operates subject to those rules.

7.2 Chargeback notice requirement. If you initiate or intend to initiate a chargeback, you must notify Village Haven promptly at: hello@villagehaven.com and include the Booking ID. Failure to notify may impair our ability to investigate and may result in account limitations.

7.3 Cooperation required. Users must cooperate with reasonable requests for information needed to respond to a chargeback (e.g., proof of service, messages, timestamps, receipts).

7.4 Prohibited conduct. You must not:

• A. pursue a chargeback for a transaction you already received a refund for; or
• B. knowingly submit false chargeback claims.

7.5 Chargebacks, Reversals, and Offsets. Chargebacks and processor reversals are not "refunds." A Chargeback or processor reversal may occur without Village Haven's approval and is handled under Sections Section 9–Section 10.

To the extent permitted by applicable law and disclosed in the Payment Terms, Village Haven may recover amounts owed (including amounts arising from Chargebacks, fraud, abuse, refunds issued after payout, or policy violations) by offsetting such amounts against future Payouts, credits, or other amounts otherwise payable through the Platform.

If a user's account reflects a negative balance, the user remains responsible for repayment of such amounts.

7.6 Allocation of Platform Fee vs Provider Fee in payment disputes. Because the Platform Fee is separate from the Provider Fee, chargeback handling may require distinct treatment of each component as reflected in the checkout line items and processor records. Any refund of Platform Fees or Provider Fees (or both) will be determined under the Payment Terms & Refund Policy and Payment Processor constraints.

8. Cancellations and Refunds Disputes

8.1 Primary policy. All cancellations, refunds, credits, and non-performance financial outcomes are governed by the Payment and Chargeback Policy: Payment and Chargeback Policy.

8.2 Dispute submission. Cancellation/refund disputes must be submitted through the internal case process in Section 5 and must include:

• A. the cancellation reason and timing;
• B. any relevant communications;
• C. any proof of performance/non-performance, as applicable.

8.3 No expansion of refund rights. This Policy provides process and escalation; it does not create refund rights beyond those stated in the Payment Terms & Refund Policy or required by law.

8.4 No “off-platform” modifications. If users arrange cancellations, refunds, or price adjustments off-platform, Village Haven may have limited ability to assist, and such conduct may violate Platform policies.

9. Disputes Between Households and Providers

9.1 Village Haven as neutral marketplace. Village Haven does not act as a household's or provider's agent, does not supervise services, and does not guarantee any user's performance. We may provide communications and resolution tools, but we are not a court and do not provide legal advice.

Village Haven does not assume a fiduciary duty or special relationship beyond operating a neutral marketplace and complying with applicable law.

Nothing in this Policy creates an employment, agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between Village Haven and Providers.

9.2 Resolution tools. Village Haven may provide:

• A. structured messaging prompts;
• B. evidence upload portals;
• C. voluntary mediation facilitation (Section 9.3);
• D. standardized outcomes where the Payment Terms & Refund Policy applies.

9.3 Optional facilitated resolution / mediation. Village Haven may offer voluntary, non-binding mediation facilitated by Village Haven or a third-party mediator. If offered:

• A. participation is voluntary unless required by applicable law or agreed in the Terms;
• B. the mediator does not issue binding decisions; and
• C. any settlement is between the users, not Village Haven, unless Village Haven is expressly a party to the settlement.

9.4 Account actions during user disputes. During a pending dispute, Village Haven may place temporary restrictions (e.g., limited messaging, booking holds) to prevent escalation, fraud, or retaliation.

9.5 Evidence-based determination for Platform actions. Where Village Haven must make a Platform decision (e.g., policy enforcement, safety action, refund eligibility under the Payment Terms), Village Haven may decide based on available evidence, system logs, and credibility indicators.

9.6 No guarantee of recovery. We do not guarantee recovery of funds, collection from another user, or a particular outcome in any user-to-user dispute.

9.7 Regulatory Cooperation. Village Haven may cooperate with law enforcement, regulators, or payment networks in connection with disputes involving fraud, safety, or regulatory compliance.

10. Disputes With Village Haven: Arbitration Agreement

This Section 10 applies to disputes between you and Village Haven. It does not require arbitration of disputes solely between Households and Providers unless the Terms expressly provide otherwise.

10.1 Covered disputes. Except as expressly excluded below, you and Village Haven agree that any Dispute between you and Village Haven arising out of or relating to the Platform, these Policies, or the Terms will be resolved by binding arbitration on an individual basis.

10.2 Mutuality. The obligation to arbitrate applies equally to you and Village Haven. Neither party has unilateral authority to bypass arbitration except as expressly stated (small claims or injunctive carve-outs).

10.3 Notice of Dispute. Before starting arbitration, you must send a written Notice of Dispute to:

Email: hello@villagehaven.org (subject: "Notice of Dispute") and/or

Mail: 540 Pico Ave, Unit 107, San Simeon, CA 93452

The Notice of Dispute must include:

• A.your name, account email/phone, and mailing address;
• B.a description of the dispute and relevant dates;
• C.the specific relief you seek (including any amount claimed); and
• E.Village Haven will send any Notice of Dispute to you using the contact information in your account or by other reasonable means.
• F.10.3 30-day Amicable Settlement Period. After a valid Notice of Dispute is received, the parties will attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute for at least 30 days before either party initiates arbitration, unless the dispute qualifies for small claims court under Section 10.7 or injunctive relief under Section 10.8.

10.5 Arbitration administrator and rules. Arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules in effect at the time the arbitration is initiated (the "Rules"), except as modified by this Policy. If AAA is unavailable or declines to administer the arbitration, the parties will agree on a substitute administrator that complies with applicable consumer due process standards; if they cannot agree, a court of competent jurisdiction will appoint an administrator consistent with the Federal Arbitration Act and consumer due process principles

10.6 Delegation clause. The arbitrator (not a court) will have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute about the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, or formation of this arbitration agreement, including any claim that all or part of it is void or voidable, except that a court may decide the enforceability of the class action waiver in Section 10.10 to the extent required by applicable law.

10.7 Small claims court carve-out. Either party may bring an eligible claim in small claims court in the county of your residence (or, if you are not a California resident, in the applicable small claims venue under state law) or in Sheridan County, Wyoming, as permitted by the small claims court's jurisdictional rules, so long as the claim remains in small claims court and proceeds only on an individual basis.

10.8 Injunctive relief carve-outs. Either party may seek temporary or preliminary injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to the extent necessary to protect:

• A. intellectual property rights;
• B. confidential information and data security; or
• C. user safety and prevention of imminent harm,
• D. without waiving the obligation to arbitrate the underlying dispute.

The designation of Sheridan County, Wyoming as the legal seat does not require travel by a consumer claimant. For California residents, in-person hearings (if any) will occur in the county of residence unless the consumer elects otherwise.

10.9 Seat/venue; remote hearing; California fairness.

• A.Seat of arbitration: Sheridan County, Wyoming
• B.Hearing location: The arbitration will be conducted by video/teleconference by default unless an in-person hearing is required by the Rules or the arbitrator finds good cause. If an in-person hearing is required, it will occur in the county of your residence (for California residents) or another mutually agreed location, unless the arbitrator determines another location is required for fairness and due process.

10.10 Governing law for arbitration. The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) governs the interpretation and enforcement of this arbitration agreement. To the extent state law applies to the underlying dispute, the governing law provisions in the Terms apply, subject to non-waivable consumer protections.

The arbitrator shall have no authority to conduct class, collective, consolidated, coordinated, or representative arbitration absent written consent of all parties.

10.11 Class action waiver; representative actions. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you and Village Haven agree that:

• A.each party may bring claims only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, representative, or private attorney general action; and
• B.the arbitrator may not consolidate claims or preside over any form of representative proceeding.

California note: Nothing in this Policy is intended to waive non-waivable rights under California law. If a court determines that a particular representative-claim waiver is unenforceable as to a specific claim, then that claim will proceed in court to the minimum extent required by law, and the remaining claims will proceed in arbitration.

If the arbitrator determines a claim was filed for harassment, improper purpose, or is objectively frivolous, the arbitrator may award fees and costs to the extent permitted by applicable law.

10.12 Arbitration fees and costs. Fee allocation will be governed by the Rules and applicable law. If you are a consumer, Village Haven will pay or reimburse required filing, administrative, and arbitrator fees to the extent required for enforceability under the Rules and applicable law, unless the arbitrator determines your claim is frivolous or brought for an improper purpose (as permitted by law).

10.13 Arbitrator authority and relief. The arbitrator may award any relief permitted by applicable law on an individual basis. The arbitrator must issue a reasoned written decision upon request. Confidentiality does not prevent disclosure of arbitration outcomes to regulators or as required by law.

10.14 Confidentiality. The arbitration proceeding and award will be confidential to the extent permitted by the Rules and law, except as necessary to enforce the award, comply with law, or protect a party's rights.

10.15 Time limits. Any claim must be brought within the time limit required by applicable law; this Policy does not extend statutes of limitations.

10.16 PAGA Carve-Out. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent a claim is brought under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and controlling law prohibits mandatory arbitration of certain representative components, (a) individual PAGA claims shall be arbitrated where permitted by law, and (b) any non-individual component shall be severed and stayed pending arbitration of the individual claim. If this subsection is deemed unenforceable, it shall be severed, and the remainder of this arbitration agreement shall remain enforceable.

10.17 Settlement Release; California Civil Code § 1542 Waiver. If the Parties resolve any dispute through a written settlement agreement, the Parties may include a mutual release of claims. To the extent such release applies to claims arising under California law, the Parties expressly waive the protections of California Civil Code § 1542, which provides:

"A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release, and that, if known, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party."

This waiver applies only in connection with a separately executed written settlement agreement and does not operate as a prospective waiver of unknown claims absent such agreement.

10.18 Survival. This arbitration agreement survives termination of your account and any cessation of Platform use.

10.19 Time Limitation. To the extent permitted by law, claims against Village Haven must be filed within one (1) year of the event giving rise to the claim.

10.20 Severability and Reformation. If any provision of this arbitration agreement is found unenforceable, it shall be reformed to the minimum extent necessary to render it enforceable, consistent with the Federal Arbitration Act and applicable law.

11. Opt-Out of Arbitration

11.1 Opt-out right. You may opt out of the arbitration agreement in Section 10 by sending a written opt-out notice within 30 days of the earliest of: (a) the date you first accept the Terms containing this Policy, or (b) the date this Policy first becomes applicable to you (the "Opt-Out Period").

11.2 How to opt out. Send an email to hello@villagehaven.com with subject line "Arbitration Opt-Out," or mail to 540 Pico Ave, Unit 107, San Simeon, CA 93452, and include:

• A. your full name;
• B. the email/phone associated with your account; and
• C. a clear statement that you opt out of arbitration.

11.3 Effect of opt-out. If you opt out, Section 10 will not apply to disputes between you and Village Haven. This does not affect any other provisions of the Terms or your ability to use the Platform (unless prohibited by law). Opting out does not opt you out of any required amicable settlement process under Section 3 for internal resolution.

12. Mass Arbitration

12.1 Purpose and fairness. This Section is intended to promote efficient, fair resolution of similar claims without limiting any party's substantive rights.

12.2 Definition. "Mass Arbitration" means 25 or more arbitration demands asserting substantially similar claims and represented by the same or coordinated counsel, or otherwise coordinated.

12.3 Pre-filing conference for Mass Arbitration. Before filing Mass Arbitration demands, the parties will participate in a good-faith conference to determine:

• A. whether claims are substantially similar;
• B. whether informal resolution is possible; and
• C. a proposed batching schedule.

12.4 Batching. If the claims are substantially similar, they will be filed and administered in batches of 10. Each batch will proceed through arbitrator appointment, initial conference, and (if not resolved) merits determination.

12.5 Bellwether. If administered by the arbitration provider and permitted by applicable law, the parties may agree (or the administrator may direct) that a subset of cases proceeds first as bellwethers to inform settlement. Bellwether outcomes are non-binding on non-bellwether claimants unless the parties agree otherwise.

12.6 Filing fees and administrator fees. Fees will be allocated consistent with the Rules and applicable law. To improve feasibility and avoid coercive fee leverage, the administrator will assess fees per batch where the Rules permit and where consistent with due process.

Administrative and filing fees shall be assessed and paid per batch where permitted by the administrator's rules. Filing of mass demands without participation in the pre-filing conference constitutes failure to comply with this Policy.

12.7 Tolling. For claims included in a Mass Arbitration process under this Section, any applicable limitation periods will be tolled from the date the Notice of Dispute is received (Section 10.3) until the earlier of: (a) settlement, (b) completion of the claimant's assigned batch, or (c) a court ruling that tolling is not permitted.

12.8 Severability of mass arbitration section. If any part of this Section 12 is found unenforceable, it will be severed and the remainder will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted, and the parties will proceed under the administrator's default procedures consistent with the FAA and applicable consumer protections.

13. Notices and Contact Information

13.1 Dispute contacts.

• A. Support: hello@villagehaven.org
• B. Payments/Chargebacks: hello@villagehaven.org
• C. Safety: hello@villagehaven.org
• D. Legal Notices (Notice of Dispute / arbitration): hello@villagehaven.org / 540 Pico Ave, Unit 107, San Simeon, CA 93452

13.2 Deemed receipt. Email notices are deemed received when sent (absent an automated bounceback). Mail notices are deemed received five (5) business days after dispatch by tracked mail.

14. Accessibility

We are committed to making dispute processes accessible. If you need this Policy in an alternative format or need assistance submitting a dispute due to a disability, contact:

Email: hello@villagehaven.org

Phone: +1 855 768 3073

15. Versioning; Changes

15.1 Updates. We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our Platform, legal requirements, or dispute processes. We will post the updated Policy with a new Effective Date/Last Updated date. If changes are material, we will provide additional notice as required by law.