Privacy Policy - PET Pool & Home

Last updated: 26th October 2026

PET Pool & Home respects your privacy. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, who we share it with, and the rights you have under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”). Please read it together with our website terms and conditions.

Who we are

This website, petandpool.co.za, is operated by PET Pool & Home, trading as PET Pool & Home (“we”, “us”, “our”). For the purposes of POPIA we are the responsible party for the personal information described in this policy.

Email: support@petandpool.co.za
Phone: +27 (0)11 786 7166 (Mon – Fri, 8:30am – 5:30pm)
Address: 142 Bekker Rd, Vorna Valley, Midrand, 1686

Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to everyone who visits our website, creates an account, places an order, subscribes to PETnext, signs up for any benefit we offer (excluding Dotsure Benefit), contacts us, or receives communications from us by email, SMS or WhatsApp, as well as to customers of our stores whose information is held in our systems (“you”).

Personal information we collect

3.1 Information you give us

Account and identity details: name, surname, email address, mobile/telephone number, password and, where relevant, company name and VAT number.
Order and delivery details: billing and delivery addresses, your preferred store, the products you buy, order history, delivery instructions and communications about your orders.
Subscription details: if you join PETnext, the products, quantities and delivery frequency you choose.
Pet information: details you choose to share about your pets (for example type, breed or age) so we can offer relevant products and advice.
Communications: messages you send us through our contact form, by email, phone, WhatsApp or social media, and any reviews, survey responses or competition entries.
Benefit and insurance products: if you sign up for a pet benefit offered in partnership with a third-party provider, the information needed to enrol you.
Job applications: if you apply for a vacancy, your CV and the information you include in your application.

3.2 Information we collect automatically

Device and usage information: IP address, browser and device type, operating system, pages viewed, links clicked, referring website, search terms and the dates and times of your visits.
Shopping cart activity: the items you add to your cart and whether a checkout or payment was started but not completed.
Cookies and similar technologies: see section 8 below.

3.3 Payment information

Card payments are processed by our third-party payment gateway provider. We do not store your full card number, CVV or banking passwords. We only receive confirmation of whether a payment succeeded.

How and why we use your personal information

We only process personal information for specific, lawful purposes. Depending on the situation, we rely on the performance of our contract with you, your consent, our legal obligations, or our legitimate interests (or yours).

To create and manage your account and to create a matching customer (debtor) account in our retail and accounting system so we can process your orders.
To process, fulfill and deliver your orders, including calculating delivery fees based on the distance between your selected store and your delivery address, arranging delivery or collection, processing returns and refunds, and issuing tax invoices.
To show stock and prices for the store you select.
To manage PETnext subscriptions and recurring orders.
To communicate with you about your orders and account, for example order confirmations, payment and delivery updates, password resets and responses to your queries. These service messages are not marketing and may be sent by email, SMS, phone or WhatsApp.
To remind you about items left in your cart or a payment that was not completed (see section 5.3).
To send you marketing about our products, specials, catalogues and promotions, as described in section 5.
To improve our website and services, understand how visitors use the site, fix problems and measure how well our advertising works.
To prevent fraud, protect our website, systems and customers, and enforce our terms.
To run competitions and promotions you choose to enter.
To consider job applications.
To comply with the law, including tax, accounting and consumer protection requirements, and to respond to lawful requests from authorities.

Marketing communications (email, SMS and WhatsApp)

5.1 How we may contact you

We may send you marketing messages about our products, specials, new arrivals, catalogues, promotions, competitions and store news by email, SMS and WhatsApp, and we may show you advertising on platforms such as Google, Facebook and Instagram.

5.2 When we will send you marketing

In line with section 69 of POPIA and the Consumer Protection Act, we will only send you direct electronic marketing if:

you have given us your consent, for example by ticking an opt-in box, subscribing to our newsletter, or opting in to receive WhatsApp messages from us; or
you are an existing customer who gave us your contact details when buying a product or service from us, the marketing relates to our own similar products or services, and you were given the opportunity to object when your details were collected.

Every marketing message will identify us as the sender and tell you how to opt out.

5.3 Abandoned cart and incomplete payment reminders

If you add products to your cart or start a payment without completing your order, we may send you a small number of reminder emails about that cart. You can stop these reminders by using the unsubscribe link in the email or by contacting us.

5.4 WhatsApp

If you message us on WhatsApp or opt in to receive WhatsApp messages, we will use your mobile number and the content of your messages to reply to you and, where you have agreed, to send you updates and promotional messages. WhatsApp is operated by WhatsApp LLC / Meta Platforms, and messages sent through it are also subject to WhatsApp’s privacy policy. We will never add you to a WhatsApp broadcast or marketing list without your consent.

5.5 How to opt out

You can withdraw your consent or object to marketing at any time, free of charge (other than your normal data or SMS charges), by:

clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any marketing email;
replying STOP to any marketing SMS;
clicking the OPT OUT button on any WhatsApp message;
updating your communication preferences in your account (where available); or
emailing support@petandpool.co.za.

Opting out of marketing will not stop service messages about your orders, account or subscriptions. Please allow a few business days for your request to take effect. You may also register your details on the National Opt-Out Registry once it is in operation.

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We only share it where necessary, and we require our service providers (operators) to keep it confidential, secure, and to use it only to provide services to us:

Our stores and group companies, so your selected store can prepare, deliver or hand over your order and help with queries.
Retail, stock and accounting systems we use to manage customer accounts, orders, invoices and stock.
Payment gateway providers and banks, to process payments and refunds and prevent fraud.
Delivery and courier partners, who receive your name, delivery address and contact number to deliver your order.
Website hosting, IT, security and email delivery providers (for example our transactional email service), who host our website and send our emails.
Marketing and messaging platforms, such as email marketing services, SMS providers and WhatsApp/Meta, to send you messages you have agreed to receive.
Analytics and advertising partners, such as Google and Meta (Facebook/Instagram), as described in section 8.
Benefit and insurance partners, only if you choose to sign up for a benefit they provide.
Professional advisers, such as auditors, accountants and lawyers.
Authorities and others where required by law, for example in response to a court order or to protect the rights, property or safety of our customers, staff or the public.
A buyer or successor, if our business or part of it is sold, merged or restructured, in which case your information will remain protected under this policy.

Transfers outside South Africa

Some of our service providers (for example email, analytics, advertising, cloud and messaging platforms such as Google, Meta/WhatsApp and our email delivery provider) store or process information on servers outside South Africa. We will only transfer personal information across borders as permitted by section 72 of POPIA, for example where the recipient is subject to laws, binding rules or an agreement that provide an adequate level of protection, or where the transfer is necessary to perform our contract with you or you have consented to it.

Cookies, tracking and advertising

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. We and our partners use cookies, pixels and similar technologies to:

Make the site work (essential cookies): keep you logged in, remember your cart and selected store, and keep the site secure. The site will not work properly without these.
Understand how the site is used (analytics): for example through Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics, so we can improve the website.
Measure and personalise advertising (marketing): for example the Google Ads tag and Meta (Facebook) Pixel, which help us understand whether our ads lead to sales and show you relevant ads on other websites and social media.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, and you can manage ad personalisation through your Google Ad Settings and your Facebook/Instagram ad preferences. If you block essential cookies, parts of the website (such as your cart and checkout) may not work.

How we protect your personal information

We take appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access and unlawful processing. These include encrypted (HTTPS) connections, secure hosting, access controls so only staff who need the information can see it, password protection, and contractual obligations on our service providers. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, but if we become aware of a security compromise that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA.

Please keep your account password confidential and let us know immediately if you think your account has been accessed without your permission.

How long we keep your personal information

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy, unless we are required or permitted by law to keep it for longer. For example, records of transactions and tax invoices are generally kept for at least five years to meet tax and accounting requirements. Marketing preferences, including opt-outs, are kept so that we can respect your choices. When information is no longer needed, we delete, destroy or de-identify it.

Your rights

Under POPIA you have the right to:

Be informed that your personal information is being collected, and how it is used.
Access the personal information we hold about you (requests may be made in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act and our PAIA manual).
Correct personal information that is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. You can update most account details yourself by logging into your account.
Request deletion of personal information we are no longer allowed to keep.
Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds, and at any time to processing for direct marketing.
Withdraw consent where we rely on your consent, without affecting processing that took place before you withdrew it.

To exercise any of these rights, email support@petandpool.co.za (marked “Attention: Information Officer”). We will need to verify your identity before acting on your request, and we will respond within a reasonable time.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites, social media pages and partner offers. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example when the law changes or we change how we process personal information. The latest version will always be published on this page with the “Last updated” date. Where changes are significant, we will let you know by email or a notice on our website.

Contact us and complaints

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal information, or if you would like to make a complaint, please contact our Information Officer at support@petandpool.co.za or on +27 (0)11 786 7166. We will do our best to resolve your concern.