How Hermanus Helpers works

Who we are

Hermanus Helpers is a small local service in Hermanus, South Africa. Households find and book helpers (nannies, babysitters, au pairs, house and pet sitters, and domestic cleaners) whose work has been confirmed by past employers. Helpers build a work history they own.

These terms cover my.hermanushelpers.co.za. Questions: hello@hermanushelpers.co.za, or WhatsApp us on 077 294 9243.

How we look after your information is in our privacy notice.

What we do, and what we don't

• We put households and helpers in touch, and charge households a booking fee for that.
• We don't employ helpers. The work itself, the hours, the pay and any employment agreement are between the household and the helper.
• We never take a cut of a helper's pay. Households pay helpers directly, at a rate they agree together.
• We don't give legal or employment advice. For contracts, UIF, leave and minimum wage, see the Department of Employment and Labour.

What our checks mean

• Employer confirmed means a past employer told us the dates, the work and whether they'd hire the helper again, and we checked the reference ourselves.
• Seen by us means we have seen the certificate itself.
• We don't currently do police clearance, child protection register, identity or work permit checks. Please meet a helper and make your own checks before leaving them alone with your children or in your home.
• We take care with every check, but we can't promise how any person will work or behave.

Your account

• You need to be 18 or older to use Hermanus Helpers.
• Give true details, and keep them up to date.
• One account per person. Keep your password and login codes to yourself.
• You can delete your account or hide your profile at any time.

Booking and paying (households)

• Our fee is shown before you pay, and depends on the kind and length of the booking. It is for the booking through us, not for the helper's work.
• The helper's rate is agreed and paid directly between you and the helper. The rate on a profile is a guide from the helper.
• A booking is made once it's paid. You then see the helper's number, and the helper sees your name, number and area (never your address).
• While you pay, we hold the helper's dates for 30 minutes. If payment isn't finished in time, the dates are released.
• Bookings need at least 48 hours' notice, and can only be made while the helper's calendar is up to date.
• Your regular helper: if a helper already works for you ongoing through us, extra bookings with them are free. When you move to ongoing work or more days, you pay only the difference, as shown at checkout.
• Card payments are handled by Yoco. We never see or store your card details. Prices are in South African rand.

Cancellations, credit and refunds

• You cancel up to a day before (by midnight at the start of the day before the first booked day): your whole fee comes back as credit. Cancel in My bookings.
• You cancel later: you can still cancel a booking for certain dates in My bookings until the first booked time starts (morning 08:00, afternoon 12:00, evening 17:00), but our fee isn't refunded, including any credit it used.
• Regular work, or once a booking has started, WhatsApp us and we'll look at it with you.
• The helper cancels: your fee comes back as credit.
• The helper doesn't turn up: we refund your fee and follow it up.
• Ongoing work isn't the right fit: tell us within the first 2 weeks after it starts, and your whole fee comes back as credit. After that, we look at every case ourselves, and may give credit for part of the fee.
• Report anything that went wrong with a booking from My bookings. We look at every report ourselves.
• Credit can be used for any booking through us. It can't be swapped for cash, unless the law says otherwise.

Nothing in these terms takes away your rights under South Africa's Consumer Protection Act.

For households

• Keep what you see about helpers private.
• Don't contact a helper's current or past employers without the helper's permission.
• Treat helpers with respect, and pay the agreed rate on time.
• Use Hermanus Helpers only to find help for your own home.

For helpers

• Signing up is free for helpers. We never take a cut of your pay.
• Your profile is yours. You can hide it or ask us to delete it at any time.
• Tell us the truth about your work, experience and certificates.
• References must come from people who paid you for your work. A fake reference means you are removed for good.
• Keep your calendar up to date, and turn up for every booking. Missing a booking because your calendar was wrong counts as letting a household down. If you really can't make it, tell the household and us as early as you can.
• We decide who is listed on Hermanus Helpers, and may decline or remove a profile without giving reasons.

References and reviews

• Only give a reference for someone who worked for you, and answer honestly.
• We check every reference ourselves before it appears, and decide what is published.
• Profiles never name the person who gave a reference or review.
• We may leave out or shorten anything that names people, shares contact details, or isn't fair to publish.

Our standards

Hermanus Helpers only works if everyone can trust it. Anyone who breaks these terms, gives false information, or causes serious harm we have checked, is removed for good. This applies to helpers and households alike.

If something goes wrong

We do our best to keep the site working and our information right, but we can't promise it will always be available or free of mistakes. The work itself is arranged between the household and the helper, so we aren't responsible for what happens during it, except where the law says we are. If we are responsible for a loss, the most we owe is the fee you paid us for that booking, unless the law requires more.

Changes

If we change these terms, we'll update the date at the top. If a change affects bookings you've already made, the terms you booked under still apply to them. These terms are governed by South African law.