Welcome to Buckle & Bloom! We're a small, local baby gear cleaning service in Charlotte, North Carolina. These Terms of Service ("Terms") explain how our service works and what we each agree to when you book with us. We've tried to keep them in plain English. Please read them before booking, and keep a copy for your records. Sections 13 (Limitation of Liability) and 16 (Disputes, Arbitration, and Class Action Waiver) limit our responsibility and affect how disputes are resolved. Please read them carefully.
In these Terms, "Buckle & Bloom," "we," "us," and "our" mean Buckle & Bloom, a Charlotte, North Carolina small business. "You" and "your" mean the person booking our services or using our website. "Gear" or "item" means any baby or child product you give us to clean.
1. Accepting These Terms
How you agree. To book online, you must check a box confirming that you have read and agree to these Terms. We keep a timestamped record of that agreement, including the date and time, the booking it relates to, and the version of the Terms in effect. In addition, and as a backup, by booking a service, paying for a service, handing gear to us (in person or by leaving it out for contactless pickup), or using bucklebloomclt.com, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't book or use the site.
You must be at least 18 years old to book. If you're booking on behalf of someone else (for example, a family member or the gear's owner), you confirm that you have their permission to hand over the gear and to agree to these Terms on their behalf.
2. Our Services
We provide overnight cleaning for baby and child gear, including:
- Car seats (infant and convertible)
- Strollers
- High chairs
- Baby carriers and wraps
- Booster seats (including backless boosters)
- Other similar items we agree to clean
Home service (overnight). We pick up your gear in the evening, clean it overnight, and return it the next morning (see Section 5 for return times).
Daycare and preschool partners. We also offer a same-day service for daycare and preschool partners. That service is arranged directly with each partner, is governed by a separate written partner agreement (including any partner pricing, discounts, or return-time credits), and is not booked through the public website. If a partner agreement conflicts with these Terms, the partner agreement controls for that partner.
Employees and subcontractors. We may use employees, independent contractors, or subcontractors to perform any part of our services, including pickup, cleaning, drying, and return. All of the protections, limits, and disclaimers in these Terms that benefit us also benefit them.
3. Booking and Payment
How to book. You can book through our website. Some dates may be unavailable or blocked, and availability is first come, first served. A booking is confirmed once you receive a confirmation from us.
Prices. Current prices for home service are:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard car seat | $75 |
| Convertible car seat | $85 |
| High chair | $60 |
| Other items (e.g., stroller) | $60 |
| Add-on: baby carrier or wrap | $40 |
| Add-on: backless booster | $30 |
Prices may change from time to time. The price you see when you book is the price you pay for that booking, plus any surcharge you approve under "Heavy-soil and biohazard surcharge" below.
Payment. Payment is taken in full at the time of booking through Square, our third-party payment processor. We do not store your full card details; Square's own terms and privacy policy apply to your payment information.
Accurate information. Please make sure the item type you book matches the gear you hand over (for example, booking a convertible seat as a convertible). If the gear is different from what was booked, we may either adjust the price (with your OK) or return the item uncleaned.
Heavy-soil and biohazard surcharge. Some items need extra work or special handling – for example, items with mold or mildew, vomit, urine, feces, blood, or other bodily fluids, or unusually heavy soiling. If we find this, we'll contact you with a quoted surcharge before doing the extra work. We will only charge the surcharge if you approve it (a reply by text or email is enough). If you don't approve it, or we can't reach you before the return time, we may return the item uncleaned or partly cleaned, and Section 6 ("Our right to decline or stop work") applies.
Contact us before disputing a charge. If you have a problem with a charge, please contact us at bucklebloomclt@gmail.com first so we can try to fix it. If you file a chargeback or payment dispute without first contacting us and giving us at least 5 business days to respond, and the dispute is resolved in our favor, you agree to pay a chargeback administration fee of $25 to cover our processing costs and time, to the extent permitted by law.
4. Cancellations and Rescheduling
- 24 hours or more before your pickup window: cancel for free and get a full refund to your original payment method.
- Less than 24 hours before your pickup window: if you cancel, we'll refund your payment minus a late cancellation fee of 25% of the booking price.
- Missed pickup (no-show): if we arrive during your pickup window and can't collect the gear (no one available and gear not left out as agreed), 100% of the booking price is forfeited. We may reach out to help you rebook.
- Rescheduling: you may reschedule for free with at least 24 hours' notice before your pickup window. A reschedule with less than 24 hours' notice is treated as a late cancellation.
- If we need to cancel or reschedule (for example, illness, weather, or a vehicle problem), we'll contact you as soon as reasonably possible and offer a new date or a full refund, your choice. That is your only remedy if we cancel or reschedule.
Why we charge these fees. Our overnight capacity is limited, and a late cancellation or no-show usually means we can't fill that slot. You and we agree that our actual loss is hard to calculate and that these fees are a reasonable estimate of the capacity we lose. They are not a penalty.
To cancel or reschedule, email us at bucklebloomclt@gmail.com or use the link in your booking confirmation. Notice counts from the time we receive it.
5. Pickup, Return, and Access
Service area. Pickup and return are free within the Charlotte metro area. If you're not sure whether your address is covered, please ask before booking.
Pickup. Pickups happen in the evening during your chosen window between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
Return. We aim to return home service gear by 7:00 am the next morning, and in any case no later than 10:00 am.
Handoff and access. You can hand the gear to us in person or leave it in an agreed spot (such as a porch or front step). By choosing contactless pickup or return, you agree that:
- you're responsible for gear left outside before we pick it up and after we drop it off;
- we're not responsible for theft, weather damage, or other loss that happens while gear is left unattended at your location as agreed; and
- you'll give us safe, reasonable access to the pickup/return spot (for example, gate codes, pet secured, a clear path).
We may send a quick confirmation (and may take a photo) when gear is picked up and returned.
Gear in our vehicle and overnight storage. To the fullest extent allowed by law, we are not responsible for loss of or damage to gear while it is in our vehicle, in transit, or in overnight storage that is caused by theft, fire, flood, severe weather, power failure, vehicle accident caused by others, or other events outside our reasonable control, unless caused by our gross negligence or willful misconduct. We recommend that you check whether your homeowner's or renter's insurance covers your property while it is away from home.
Drying. We only return gear that is dry and ready to use. If an item isn't fully dry by 7:00 am, we'll let you know and return it as soon as it's dry. If a home service item is returned after 10:00 am because it wasn't dry, you'll receive a credit equal to 50% of that item's price toward your next booking. The credit is not cash, is not refundable or transferable, and is your sole and exclusive remedy for a late return. Partner pricing, discounts, or credits for daycare and preschool partners are set out only in their partner agreements.
Reinstallation. We do not install car seats or bases in your vehicle. You are responsible for reinstalling your seat (see Section 9).
Unclaimed or abandoned gear. If we can't return your gear because no one is available, access isn't possible, or you don't respond to us, we'll try to contact you to arrange return. Starting 7 days after the scheduled return date, storage fees of $5 per item per day may build up. If the gear is still unclaimed 30 days after we send you written notice (by email or text to the contact details you gave us), we may treat it as abandoned and donate, recycle, or dispose of it, and we'll have no further responsibility for it. You remain responsible for any unpaid fees.
6. Your Responsibilities
Before pickup, please:
- Remove personal items from the gear (toys, pacifiers, snacks, mirrors, covers, etc.). We aren't responsible for items left in or attached to the gear.
- Tell us about any issues you know of, including:
- recalls affecting your gear;
- existing damage, missing parts, or repairs;
- whether a car seat has been in a crash of any severity; and
- the seat's expiration date, if it's near or past.
- Include all parts you want cleaned (covers, inserts, straps, cup holders) and let us know if anything was aftermarket or non-original.
- Uninstall car seats and bases from your vehicle, unless we've agreed otherwise.
- Give accurate contact details so we can reach you about your booking.
Safety. If we find signs that an item is unsafe – such as cracks, frayed harness webbing, heavy mold, or that it's expired or recalled – we may stop work on that item, tell you what we found, and return it uncleaned or partly cleaned. Our notes are a courtesy only and are not a safety inspection. If we don't flag a problem, that doesn't mean there isn't one.
Our right to decline or stop work. We may decline to clean, or stop cleaning, any item at any time and for any lawful reason, including safety concerns, heavy soiling, risk of damage, or an item that doesn't match the booking. If we decline an item before starting work, we'll refund the price for that item. If we stop after work has started, the price for that item (or a portion of it that reflects the work already done, at our discretion) is still owed, and we'll return the item as is.
7. How We Clean; No Guarantee of Stain or Odor Removal
Manufacturer care instructions. We clean each item following its manufacturer's care instructions as closely as we reasonably can, using cleaning products we select. This matters for safety: for example, many manufacturers limit how harness straps may be cleaned. Because we follow those instructions, some cleaning methods (like machine-washing or soaking certain parts) may not be used on your gear. If you or your child has a known sensitivity or allergy to any cleaning product or ingredient, tell us before pickup. We can't guarantee that every product will suit every person.
Photo check-in. Before cleaning, we take photos of each item to record its condition when it arrives. See Section 8 for how these photos are used.
Results. We work hard to get your gear looking and smelling fresh, but we can't guarantee that every stain, odor, or discoloration will come out. Old stains, sun fading, set-in odors, and some materials may not respond fully to safe cleaning methods. Normal wear (like faded fabric, pilling, or loose threads) may become more noticeable after cleaning.
8. Condition, Damage, and Our Responsibility
We take great care with your gear. Even so, baby gear naturally ages, and some items have hidden weaknesses.
We are not responsible for:
- pre-existing damage, wear, or defects (including those recorded in our check-in photos);
- damage caused by following the manufacturer's care instructions;
- color fading, shrinkage, or texture changes that result from normal, instruction-compliant cleaning;
- parts that are worn, brittle, or already failing (for example, old elastic, foam, or Velcro);
- items or parts you didn't tell us about or that were left in the gear;
- loss or damage while gear is left unattended at your location as agreed (see Section 5); or
- loss or damage while gear is in our vehicle or storage, to the extent described in Section 5.
Check-in photos. Our check-in photos are conclusive evidence of an item's condition when we picked it up.
How to make a damage or loss claim. If you believe we damaged or lost an item, you must give us written notice (by email to bucklebloomclt@gmail.com) within 48 hours after the item is returned (or, for a lost item, after the scheduled return time), and include clear photos of the claimed damage. You have the burden of proving that the damage or loss happened while the item was in our care and was caused by us. Claims not made in this way and within this time are waived.
What we'll do if a claim is approved. We do not repair items. If we accept that an item was damaged or lost because of our own mistake while in our care, we will choose, at our option, to either (a) replace it with the same or a comparable item, which may be a comparable used item in similar condition, or (b) pay you its reasonable current used (depreciated) value, not its original or new-replacement price. This is your sole and exclusive remedy for damaged or lost gear, and it is subject to the limits in Section 13.
Time limit for claims. Any legal claim relating to our services must be brought within one (1) year after the claim arises, or it is permanently barred, to the extent permitted by law.
9. Car Seat Safety Disclaimer
Please read this section carefully.
- We clean; we don't inspect or certify. Buckle & Bloom is a cleaning service. We are not Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) unless we tell you otherwise in writing, and our cleaning is not a safety inspection, repair, or certification.
- No representation about structural integrity or crash performance. We make no promise, representation, or warranty about the structural integrity, crash performance, or safety of any car seat, booster, base, or other gear, either before or after cleaning.
- Installation is your responsibility. You are responsible for correctly reinstalling your car seat, base, and harness and for checking that everything (straps, buckles, chest clip, covers) is reassembled and adjusted correctly before each use, following your car seat and vehicle manuals. We recommend having a certified CPST check your installation if you have any doubts.
- Crashed or expired seats must be replaced. Car seats that have been in a crash (as defined by the manufacturer) or are past their expiration date should be replaced, not cleaned and reused. We may decline to clean these seats. If we do clean one at your request, cleaning does not make it safe to use.
- Recalls. You are responsible for checking whether your gear is subject to a recall and for following the manufacturer's recall instructions.
- Check before use. Please inspect all gear after it's returned and before your child uses it. If anything looks wrong, don't use it and contact us right away.
- You assume the risk of use after return. Once gear is returned to you, you assume all risk of reinstalling and using it, to the fullest extent allowed by law.
10. Photos and Privacy
Check-in photos. We take photos of your gear before (and sometimes after) cleaning to record its condition and for quality control. We keep these photos for our records and to help resolve any questions.
Marketing photos. We may use before-and-after photos, videos, and other materials showing your gear for marketing, including on our website and social media, without asking for your permission. You grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, edit, and publish these materials for any business purpose. We will not intentionally post photos that show your child, anyone's face, your home address, or other personal details. However, we can't guarantee that people, background details, or other incidental information will never appear. If you spot something you'd like removed, let us know and we may remove or edit it at our discretion.
Your information. We collect the information needed to provide our service – such as your name, address, phone number, email, and booking details – and use it only to provide and improve our services and to communicate with you. We don't sell your personal information. We share it only with service providers that help us run the business (for example, Square for payments, and our booking/website tools) or our employees and subcontractors, when required by law, or as part of a sale or transfer of our business (see Section 18). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
Electronic communications. By booking or contacting us, you agree to receive communications from us electronically (email, text, or through the website), and agree that these meet any requirement that communications be "in writing."
Text messages. By giving us your mobile number, you agree that we may send you text messages about your booking (for example, confirmations, pickup and return updates, drying delays, damage or surcharge questions, and abandoned-gear notices), including texts sent using automated technology. Separately, if you check the box to opt in, we may send marketing texts. Agreeing to marketing texts is not a condition of buying anything. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to stop receiving texts at any time, or HELP for help. If you opt out of booking texts, we'll use email instead, and you agree that this may delay updates.
11. Weather, Delays, and Things Outside Our Control
We're a small, local team. Sometimes things happen that are outside our control – severe weather, road closures, power outages, illness, vehicle breakdowns, or other emergencies. If one of these affects your booking, we'll contact you as soon as we reasonably can and either reschedule or offer a full refund for any service we can't provide, at your choice. That is your only remedy. We're not responsible for delays or missed windows caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
12. Satisfaction and Refunds
We want you to love the results. If you're not happy with the cleaning:
- Tell us within 48 hours of your gear being returned, by email at bucklebloomclt@gmail.com, with a short description and photos. You must tell us before you use the item or reinstall it.
- We may offer a free re-clean of the affected item (with free pickup and return in our service area). A re-clean is your sole and exclusive remedy for dissatisfaction with our cleaning.
- Any refund is at our sole discretion and is capped at the price you paid for the affected item. We are never required to give a refund.
No claims are accepted:
- for stains, odors, or wear that could not be removed using safe, manufacturer-approved methods (see Section 7);
- after the item has been used or reinstalled; or
- more than 48 hours after return.
Contact us before disputing a charge. Please contact us before filing a chargeback or payment dispute. See Section 3 for the chargeback administration fee.
Approved refunds go back to your original payment method through Square. Processing times depend on your bank.
13. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent allowed by North Carolina law:
- Our services are provided "as is" and "as available." Apart from what is stated in these Terms, we don't make any other promises or warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or workmanlike performance.
- We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of use, inconvenience, lost time, rental or replacement gear costs, or missed work or travel, related to our services or website.
- Our total liability for any claim related to a booking is limited to the lesser of (a) the amount you paid for that booking or (b) the depreciated value of the affected item under Section 8.
Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, such as liability for our gross negligence or willful misconduct.
14. Indemnification
You agree to defend, protect, and reimburse Buckle & Bloom (including its members, managers, employees, subcontractors, and agents) against claims, losses, and costs – including reasonable attorney's fees where permitted by law – that come from:
- incorrect installation or use of your gear after it's returned;
- any injury, death, or property damage connected with the use of any gear after it's returned to you;
- any claim by a third party (including another household member, caregiver, or the gear's owner) relating to gear you gave us;
- information you gave us that was false or incomplete (for example, not telling us about a crash, recall, or damage);
- your breach of these Terms; or
- your violation of any law or anyone else's rights.
15. Using Our Website
You may use bucklebloomclt.com for personal, lawful purposes only, such as learning about and booking our services. Please don't try to disrupt the site, access parts of it you aren't meant to, or copy our content.
All text, logos, photos, and designs on the site belong to Buckle & Bloom or its licensors and may not be copied or reused without our written permission.
Our site may link to other websites (for example, Square or manufacturer pages). We don't control those sites and aren't responsible for their content or practices.
We may refuse service, cancel bookings (with a refund of amounts paid for services not performed), or restrict access to the site if someone violates these Terms or acts abusively toward us or our team.
16. Disputes, Arbitration, and Class Action Waiver
Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights, including your right to go to court.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules, and, for this arbitration agreement, by the Federal Arbitration Act.
Informal resolution first. If you have a concern, please contact us first at bucklebloomclt@gmail.com – most problems can be solved with a quick conversation. You and we agree to try in good faith to resolve any dispute informally for at least 30 days before starting arbitration or a small claims case.
Binding individual arbitration. If we can't resolve a dispute informally, you and we agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, our services, or our website will be resolved by final and binding arbitration on an individual basis, administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules in effect at the time (available at adr.org). Fees will be paid as provided in the AAA Consumer Arbitration Rules. Unless you and we agree otherwise, any in-person hearing will take place in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, or the arbitration may be conducted by phone, video, or written submissions as the AAA rules allow. The arbitrator may award the same individual relief a court could award, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court with jurisdiction.
Class and collective action waiver. You and we each agree to bring claims only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not combine more than one person's claims or preside over any class or representative proceeding. If this class waiver is found unenforceable for a particular claim, that claim (and only that claim) will be decided in court, not arbitration.
Small claims exception. Either you or we may instead bring an individual claim in small claims court (magistrate's court) in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, as long as the claim qualifies and stays there on an individual basis.
30-day right to opt out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing bucklebloomclt@gmail.com within 30 days after you first agree to these Terms, with your name, address, and a clear statement that you want to opt out of arbitration. Opting out does not affect any other part of these Terms.
Venue for anything not arbitrated. Any dispute not subject to arbitration (including small claims cases, or if you opt out) will be handled only in the state courts located in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and you and we agree to that venue and jurisdiction.
17. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we'll post the new version on our website and update the effective date at the top. The Terms in effect when you book will apply to that booking. Using our services after changes are posted means you accept the updated Terms for future bookings. Changes to Section 16 will not apply to a dispute that you have already told us about.
18. General
- Entire agreement. These Terms (plus any written partner agreement, if you're a daycare or preschool partner) are the whole agreement between you and us about our services.
- No oral changes. No verbal statement, promise, or agreement by anyone (including our team) changes these Terms. Any change or waiver must be in writing and sent from our business email or included in a written partner agreement.
- Assignment. We may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, without your consent, including as part of a sale, merger, reorganization, or transfer of all or part of our business or assets. You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms without our written consent.
- Subcontractors. We may use employees, independent contractors, and subcontractors as described in Section 2.
- If part is unenforceable, the rest of these Terms still apply, and the unenforceable part will be replaced with an enforceable term that comes closest to the original intent (except as stated in Section 16 for the class action waiver).
- No waiver. If we don't enforce part of these Terms right away, we can still enforce it later.
- No partnership. These Terms don't create a partnership, employment, or agency relationship between you and us.
- Survival. Sections 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 18 continue to apply after your booking is completed or cancelled.
- Language. These Terms are written in English. If a translation is provided, the English version controls.
19. Contact Us
Questions about these Terms or your booking? We're happy to help.
Buckle & Bloom
Charlotte, North Carolina
Email: bucklebloomclt@gmail.com
Website: bucklebloomclt.com