Terms & Conditions

Bright Tails is a private limited company registered in England and Wales under company number 16115430.

BrightTails operates a subscription-based consumer BrightTails plan and support service intended for dog owners in the United Kingdom.

BrightTails is not intended to operate as an insurer or insurance intermediary and does not sell or arrange insurance policies. A BrightTails subscription is not intended to constitute an insurance policy, savings product, investment product, deposit account or other financial product.

The monthly subscription fee purchases access to the BrightTails BrightTails plan service and the opportunity, subject strictly to these Terms, to ask BrightTails to consider providing discretionary financial support towards certain eligible costs.

BrightTails Plan does not create an entitlement to receive a specified sum of money following the death, illness or other event affecting a dog.

Nothing contained on the BrightTails website, customer portal, advertising, social media, emails, promotional material or other communications should be interpreted as overriding these Terms or creating a guaranteed entitlement to financial support.

BrightTails operates a discretionary support model.

BrightTails Plan allows an eligible member to submit a request asking BrightTails to consider providing financial assistance towards eligible evidenced costs following the death of a registered dog, subject to the applicable waiting period and these Terms.

The existence of a BrightTails plan, the payment of subscription fees, completion of the waiting period, occurrence of the death of a dog, submission of documentation or satisfaction of eligibility requirements does not, individually or collectively, create an automatic entitlement to financial support.

BrightTails retains discretion regarding whether support is provided and, where support is provided, the amount of support offered, subject always to applicable law.

The maximum support amount displayed alongside a BrightTails plan plan represents the maximum amount that BrightTails may consider providing under that BrightTails plan level. It is not a guaranteed payout, insured sum, account balance, accrued benefit or amount owed to the member.

BrightTails Plan is provided in return for a recurring subscription fee displayed to the customer before purchase.

BrightTails Plan is personal to the member and registered dog and may not be sold, transferred, assigned or otherwise provided to another person without BrightTails' prior written agreement.

A separate BrightTails plan may be required for each dog.

The member is responsible for ensuring that information supplied when joining and throughout BrightTails plan remains complete and accurate.

BrightTails may request reasonable evidence to confirm eligibility, ownership of a dog, the identity of the member, the identity and age of a dog, veterinary history, the death of a dog, invoices, receipts or any other information reasonably necessary to administer the BrightTails plan or consider a request for discretionary support.

BrightTails Plan begins with a 12-month minimum term from the subscription start date. Subscription fees remain payable monthly throughout that minimum term, subject to statutory cancellation rights and any other rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

After the initial 12-month term, BrightTails plan continues on a monthly rolling basis until cancelled in accordance with these Terms.

The applicable subscription price will be clearly displayed before a customer enters into a subscription.

Subscription fees are charged on a recurring basis using the payment method supplied by the member until the BrightTails plan is cancelled or otherwise terminated in accordance with these Terms.

Subscription fees are consideration for the BrightTails BrightTails plan service. They do not represent premiums paid into an insurance policy.

Subscription fees are received as business revenue by BrightTails. They are not held on trust for individual members, segregated into personal accounts, invested on a member's behalf or accumulated as savings.

A member therefore does not acquire ownership of, or a beneficial interest in, any particular portion of BrightTails' funds merely by paying subscription fees.

Subscription payments do not accumulate into an individual balance and cannot ordinarily be withdrawn or redeemed as cash.

The amount a member has paid in subscription fees does not determine the amount of discretionary support that BrightTails may choose to provide.

To apply for BrightTails plan, the customer must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.

The customer must be the legal owner of the dog being registered or otherwise have sufficient legal responsibility for the dog to enter into the BrightTails plan.

Unless BrightTails expressly states otherwise at the time of joining, a dog must be under eight years old on the date its BrightTails plan begins.

BrightTails may require reasonable evidence of the dog's age and ownership, including veterinary records, registration information, adoption documentation, purchase documentation or other reliable evidence.

Providing false, misleading, materially incomplete or fraudulent information may result in suspension or termination of BrightTails plan and may be taken into account when BrightTails considers any request for support.

A member cannot request discretionary financial support until the registered dog has completed a continuous 24-month waiting period.

The waiting period begins on the effective date stated in the member's BrightTails account or BrightTails plan confirmation.

Payment of 24 individual monthly fees does not necessarily replace the requirement for 24 months of continuous BrightTails plan where BrightTails plan has been interrupted, cancelled, suspended or payments have not been maintained.

No discretionary financial support is available in respect of an event occurring during the waiting period, even where the resulting invoice, cremation, funeral, memorial or other expense is issued or paid after the waiting period has ended.

The relevant date for determining whether the waiting period has been completed will ordinarily be the date on which the registered dog died.

The waiting period exists as a fundamental feature of the BrightTails BrightTails plan and cannot be waived merely because a member has experienced unexpected or distressing circumstances.

Eligibility to request support requires the BrightTails plan to remain active and payments to remain up to date.

Cancellation terminates future eligibility in accordance with these Terms.

Where a BrightTails plan ends and the customer subsequently joins again, the new BrightTails plan will ordinarily be treated as a new BrightTails plan and a new 24-month waiting period will apply unless BrightTails expressly confirms otherwise in writing.

Members should therefore not assume that previous periods of BrightTails plan will be carried over following cancellation.

Following completion of the applicable waiting period, an eligible member may submit a request asking BrightTails to consider providing financial support towards eligible costs.

Financial support is discretionary.

BrightTails does not promise that every request will be accepted and does not guarantee payment merely because a member appears to satisfy the eligibility requirements.

BrightTails may consider the circumstances of an individual request, supporting evidence, the nature and reasonableness of the costs incurred, compliance with these Terms and any other relevant circumstances.

BrightTails retains discretion as to:

• whether any support will be provided;
• the amount of any support;
• which evidenced costs BrightTails is willing to support; and
• whether further reasonable information or evidence is required before a decision can be made.

Where BrightTails provides support, the amount provided will never exceed the applicable maximum support limit for the member's plan.

The maximum support limit is a ceiling only. It is not an amount automatically payable.

BrightTails does not guarantee a payout upon the death of a registered dog.

BrightTails Plan therefore must not be relied upon as the member's only means of paying for veterinary, cremation, burial, funeral, memorial or associated expenses.

Members remain responsible for making appropriate arrangements for expenses they may incur.

A member should not enter into a financial commitment with a veterinary practice, crematorium, funeral provider or other third party on the assumption that BrightTails will subsequently pay or reimburse that expense.

BrightTails may consider reasonable and evidenced costs directly connected with services following the death of the registered dog where those costs fall within the categories of support offered by BrightTails at the relevant time.

The member must provide genuine invoices, receipts or other documentation reasonably requested by BrightTails.

Support will not exceed the amount actually incurred by the member for an eligible expense.

For example, where an eligible evidenced expense is £650 and the member's maximum available support level is £1,000, the existence of the £1,000 maximum does not entitle the member to the £350 difference.

Maximum support amounts do not have a cash surrender value and unused amounts cannot be withdrawn.

BrightTails may undertake reasonable verification before determining a request for support.

Depending upon the circumstances, this may include requesting invoices, receipts, veterinary records, confirmation of death, identification documents, evidence of ownership and information concerning the relevant service provider.

Where reasonably necessary and legally permitted, BrightTails may ask the member to provide authority enabling relevant information to be verified with a veterinary practice, crematorium or other service provider.

Documents must be genuine and must not have been altered, fabricated or intentionally presented in a misleading manner.

BrightTails may postpone consideration of a request while reasonably necessary information remains outstanding.

BrightTails takes fraud and dishonesty seriously.

A member must not knowingly provide false, altered, fabricated or misleading information or documentation, impersonate another person, misrepresent ownership or circumstances concerning a dog, submit duplicate expenses, conceal a reimbursement received from another source where relevant to the request, or otherwise attempt to obtain support dishonestly.

Where BrightTails reasonably suspects fraud or deliberate dishonesty, it may suspend consideration of the request while reasonable enquiries are undertaken.

Where fraud or deliberate material misrepresentation is established, BrightTails may reject the request, terminate the BrightTails plan and seek recovery of money obtained dishonestly, subject to applicable law.

Suspected criminal conduct may be reported to the appropriate authorities where lawful and appropriate.

Each BrightTails plan level may display a maximum discretionary support amount.

That figure represents the maximum amount BrightTails may consider providing and does not represent money belonging to the member.

It does not accrue month by month.

It is not a savings balance.

It cannot be withdrawn.

It cannot ordinarily be transferred between dogs or members.

It does not become automatically payable following the death of the registered dog.

The actual amount of any support offered may be lower than the stated maximum.

BrightTails does not itself provide veterinary treatment, cremation, burial, funeral, memorial or similar professional services unless expressly stated otherwise.

Members remain responsible for selecting third-party providers and entering into contracts with those providers.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, BrightTails is not a party to the contract between a member and a third-party provider.

BrightTails does not guarantee the availability, quality, suitability, safety, pricing, conduct or performance of an independent third-party provider merely because the provider is mentioned on the BrightTails website or in communications.

Any dispute concerning services actually provided by an independent third party should ordinarily be addressed directly with that provider.

Nothing in this section excludes responsibility that BrightTails cannot lawfully exclude.

Where BrightTails decides to provide discretionary financial support, BrightTails may determine an appropriate method of payment.

This may include payment to the member following verification of an eligible expense or, where appropriate and agreed, payment directly to a relevant service provider.

BrightTails may require satisfactory evidence that an expense has been incurred or is genuinely due before making payment.

A decision to provide support in one particular case does not oblige BrightTails to make the same decision in another case.

A member must disclose, where reasonably requested, whether the same expense has already been paid or reimbursed by another person, business, charity, insurer or organisation.

BrightTails is intended to assist with genuine costs and does not permit a member knowingly to obtain duplicate reimbursement for the same expense where doing so would result in the member receiving more than the expense actually incurred.

BrightTails may take other reimbursements into account when determining the amount of discretionary support it is willing to provide.

Members are responsible for maintaining a valid payment method.

If a subscription payment fails, BrightTails may make reasonable attempts to collect the outstanding amount and may notify the member.

BrightTails Plan benefits may be suspended while subscription fees remain unpaid.

Where payment remains outstanding, BrightTails may terminate the BrightTails plan after providing any notice required by applicable law or these Terms.

The consequences of a short payment failure, including whether continuity of BrightTails plan can be restored following prompt repayment, will be applied reasonably and consistently.

During the initial 12-month minimum term, a member may give notice to cancel through the cancellation method made available by BrightTails, but the cancellation will ordinarily take effect at the end of that minimum term and monthly fees remain payable until then.

After the initial 12-month minimum term, a member may cancel the monthly rolling subscription at any time through the cancellation method made available by BrightTails. Cancellation will take effect at the end of the current paid monthly period unless BrightTails confirms otherwise.

Cancellation prevents future recurring subscription charges after the cancellation becomes effective, subject to any payment already properly due.

Cancellation ends eligibility to make future requests for discretionary support.

Amounts previously paid as subscription fees do not become refundable merely because the member cancels after paying for a period of BrightTails plan, except where the member has a statutory right to a refund or BrightTails otherwise agrees to one.

Cancellation does not convert previous subscription fees into a cash balance.

Nothing in these Terms removes or restricts any cancellation, refund or other right that a consumer has under applicable UK law.

Where a statutory cooling-off period applies to a distance contract, BrightTails will honour the rights applicable to that contract.

Any mandatory consumer right takes precedence over a provision of these Terms that would otherwise conflict with that right.

BrightTails may terminate or suspend a BrightTails plan where there is a legitimate reason to do so, including material breach of these Terms, non-payment, established fraud or deliberate dishonesty, abusive or threatening conduct towards staff, misuse of the service, or circumstances making continued provision of the BrightTails plan unlawful.

Where appropriate, BrightTails will provide reasonable notice and information regarding termination.

Nothing in this section permits BrightTails to exercise termination rights in a manner prohibited by consumer law.

BrightTails may develop or change its BrightTails plan services over time.

Where a proposed change materially disadvantages an existing member, BrightTails will provide reasonable advance notice where required and will explain when the change will take effect.

Changes will not retrospectively remove rights that have already arisen where doing so would be unlawful.

Where required by consumer law, members will be provided with an appropriate opportunity to cancel before a materially adverse change takes effect.

BrightTails may change subscription prices from time to time.

Any price applicable when joining will be clearly communicated before purchase.

Where BrightTails proposes to increase the recurring subscription price for an existing member, reasonable advance notice will be provided and any rights required by applicable consumer law will be respected.

BrightTails will not charge a new recurring price without providing information required by law.

BrightTails may occasionally provide welcome packs, gifts, promotional items, discounts or other benefits as part of BrightTails plan.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, promotional items do not have a cash value and cannot be exchanged for cash.

Eligibility requirements, availability periods and other material conditions applicable to promotions will be disclosed where appropriate.

Promotional benefits are separate from discretionary financial support and receiving a promotional benefit does not affect or guarantee a future support decision.

Members are responsible for keeping their account details reasonably accurate and for protecting passwords and other account credentials.

Members must notify BrightTails promptly if they reasonably believe their account has been accessed without authorisation.

The BrightTails website and customer portal may occasionally be unavailable due to maintenance, technical problems, security requirements or circumstances outside BrightTails' reasonable control.

BrightTails will take reasonable steps to maintain its services but does not guarantee uninterrupted availability of every digital feature.

BrightTails may communicate with members electronically using the email address, telephone number or account contact details supplied by the member.

Members are responsible for maintaining accurate contact information.

Service communications concerning payments, BrightTails plan administration, changes to Terms, security or support requests may be distinguished from optional marketing communications.

Marketing communications will be handled in accordance with applicable privacy and electronic marketing requirements.

The BrightTails name, branding, website design, written materials, graphics, logos and other intellectual property belonging to BrightTails may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, commercially exploited or represented as belonging to another person without permission, except where use is permitted by law.

Nothing in BrightTails plan transfers ownership of BrightTails intellectual property to a member.

BrightTails will process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law and its Privacy Policy.

Information may be processed where reasonably necessary to establish and administer BrightTails plans, collect subscription payments, communicate with members, prevent fraud, verify requests for support and comply with legal obligations.

Where information concerning veterinary treatment or other records is requested, BrightTails will handle that information in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.

The Privacy Policy provides further information regarding how personal information is collected, used, retained and protected and the rights available to individuals.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability which cannot lawfully be excluded.

Subject to those protections, BrightTails is not responsible for losses caused exclusively by an independent third-party provider over whom BrightTails has no control, or losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when the BrightTails plan contract was entered into.

BrightTails does not accept responsibility for a member entering into expenditure in reliance upon receiving discretionary support where BrightTails had not agreed to provide that support.

Nothing in these Terms restricts the member's statutory rights as a consumer.

BrightTails aims to deal fairly with concerns about its BrightTails plan service.

A member who believes that BrightTails has made an error or has not administered their BrightTails plan appropriately should contact BrightTails using the contact details published on its website.

BrightTails may request information reasonably necessary to investigate the complaint.

A complaint concerning the quality or performance of an independent veterinary practice, crematorium, funeral provider or other third party should ordinarily be raised with that provider.

Where BrightTails declines or limits a request for discretionary support, the member may ask BrightTails to reconsider the decision where the member believes relevant information was overlooked or wishes to provide additional evidence.

Any reconsideration remains subject to the discretionary nature of the BrightTails support model.

A previous decision, whether favourable or unfavourable, does not create a precedent requiring BrightTails to make the same decision in another case.

BrightTails will not be responsible for delay or failure to perform an obligation where performance is prevented by circumstances genuinely outside its reasonable control, to the extent permitted by law.

Such circumstances may include major failures of communications infrastructure, banking or payment-system disruption, natural disasters, governmental restrictions, serious cyber incidents affecting third-party infrastructure or other comparable events.

BrightTails will take reasonable steps to minimise disruption where practicable.

If BrightTails does not immediately exercise a contractual right, this does not necessarily mean that the right has been waived.

Similarly, a decision by BrightTails to exercise discretion favourably for one member or on one occasion does not automatically create an entitlement for another member or require BrightTails to exercise its discretion in the same way in the future.

If a court or other competent authority determines that any provision of these Terms is unlawful or unenforceable, that provision will be treated as ineffective to the extent required by law.

The remaining provisions will continue to apply so far as legally possible.

These Terms, together with any documents expressly incorporated into them and information specifically agreed with the member at the point of purchase, form the contractual basis of BrightTails BrightTails plan.

Nothing in this section excludes liability for fraud or prevents a consumer from relying upon rights arising from statements or information that applicable law requires BrightTails to honour.

Members may not transfer their BrightTails plan to another person without BrightTails' written agreement.

BrightTails may transfer its rights or obligations as part of a legitimate sale, restructuring or transfer of its business where permitted by law, provided that doing so does not unlawfully reduce the member's contractual rights.

These Terms and the relationship between BrightTails and its members are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

If you are a consumer resident elsewhere in the United Kingdom, you may also have mandatory rights under the law applicable where you live which these Terms do not remove.

Nothing in these Terms deprives a consumer of any mandatory right concerning where legal proceedings may be brought.

Questions concerning BrightTails plan, these Terms, cancellations or requests for discretionary support can be sent to support@brighttails.co.uk.

Members should quote their BrightTails plan details when contacting BrightTails so that enquiries can be handled efficiently.