Slugist On Demand — Service Terms
These terms sit alongside our general Customer Terms and our Privacy Policy.
1 What Slugist On Demand is
Slugist On Demand is a single, one-off slug and snail collection visit, available without a subscription. It lets you try the Slugist service, or deal with a particular slug problem, without an ongoing commitment.
Collection is carried out in two time-separated stages on the same evening: an early-evening visit in daylight to set up bait stations and guide strips at points suited to your garden, and a return visit after dark, when slugs are most active, to collect and remove the pest species. Beneficial species are left undisturbed. The collected pests are removed and disposed of humanely.
2 How booking works
Slug activity depends heavily on weather and ambient conditions. The best collection nights cannot be predicted far ahead, so Slugist On Demand does not work like an ordinary fixed-time appointment.
When you book, you join a weekly holding list. We then carry out your visit on a suitable evening, chosen for slug activity, and we let you know in advance which evening that will be. On the morning of your planned visit we will message you to confirm we are coming that evening.
Because your visit depends on conditions, the exact date may move. If the evening we choose does not suit you, you can let us know and we will arrange another — see "Rearranging your visit" below. You do not need to be at home or awake for the visit, provided you have given us a safe means of garden access.
3 A survey first
Slugist visits require a garden survey before your first collection, so that we know your garden and can place bait effectively and work safely after dark. If you have not yet had a garden survey, please book one before your first collection visit.
4 Price and payment
Slugist On Demand is charged per visit at the price shown on our website, which is the definitive source for our pricing. Payment is taken at the time of booking. If you are a Slugist Standard subscriber, additional on-demand collections are available to you at a reduced rate, applied using your subscriber discount code. The standard and subscriber rates are shown on our website.
5 Rearranging your visit
If the evening we propose does not suit you, please let us know as soon as you can, using the link in your booking confirmation or by contacting us at hello@hortimate.uk. We will then rearrange your visit for another suitable evening. Please note that you rearrange by contacting us or using your booking link — not by replying to our text message, as our text messages are sent from an unmonitored number and replies are not received.
6 Cancelling
You can cancel up to one hour before a visit. As Slugist On Demand is paid in advance, if you cancel before the visit has been carried out, we will refund you. If you sign up online, you also have a legal right to cancel within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. As a single visit is usually carried out within that period, we will only refund you for any visit not yet delivered.
7 What we collect, and our guarantee
We collect only the pest species of slugs and snails — the small number of species that damage garden plants. Beneficial species, which make up the great majority, are identified and left in place.
Results vary with the weather, the season, and the conditions on the night, but we give a guarantee: we will remove a minimum of 5 pest slugs and snails on each visit. If fewer than 5 are caught from your garden during our planned visit, we will carry out a further full collection on another night free of charge. This guarantee covers a single repeat visit for each individual Slugist On Demand booking.
8 Upgrading to a subscription
If you book and pay for a Slugist On Demand visit and then take out a Slugist Standard subscription within one month of that visit, we will give you one extra free collection visit before your 12-month subscription begins. The on-demand visit you have already paid for stands as normal; the free collection is in addition to it, and in addition to the collections included in your subscription.
9 Optional upgrades
The following can be added to your Slugist service. Where a charge applies, it is shown on our website.
Slug deterrent treatment (free). During a collection visit we can apply our non-toxic surface deterrent to hard garden surfaces near vulnerable planting. This deterrent does not kill slugs, it just stops them crossing, and helps to disrupt slug movement routes. It is harmless to slugs and to wildlife, and is included at no charge.
Nematode soil treatment (paid). For slug species that live and feed below ground — particularly around vegetable beds and bulbs — we offer a professional nematode soil treatment, applied in spring or autumn. This is a paid add-on, charged at the price shown on our website.
Leopard slug introduction (paid). The leopard slug is a beneficial species that actively hunts and eats pest slugs and their eggs, providing natural, long-term control. We can introduce leopard slugs to your garden as a one-off service. This is a paid add-on, charged at the price shown on our website.
10 How we contact you
We will contact you about your visit by email and, where you have agreed to it, by SMS. You can manage your SMS preference in your member profile. How we use your contact details is explained in our Privacy Policy.
11 Access and your responsibilities
You are responsible for providing safe garden access on the evening of your visit, and for telling us about hazards, pets to be secured, and anything we should know before working in your garden after dark. We may not be able to complete a visit if safe access is not available. Because Slugist visits take place at night, we ask that you let your neighbours know you are expecting us, so our presence in your garden with a torch does not cause alarm.
12 General
Our general Customer Terms and our Privacy Policy apply to Slugist On Demand. Where these terms cover something specific to the service, they apply in addition to our general terms.