Preened is a place to find independent beauty professionals and book them directly. We want you to feel confident - so here's exactly what our badges and reviews mean, and where the responsibility sits. We'd rather be honest about our limits than imply checks we don't do.
What the “Trusted Pro” badge means
A Trusted Pro badge is earned from real activity on Preened. The bar is: a profile photo, 10+ different clients served, at least 3 returning clients, a rating of 4.0★ or higher from 5+ reviews, and a completed booking in the last 30 days. We measure all of that automatically from real bookings and real reviews, and providers can see their own progress toward it.
How the badge is awarded right now
We're at the start, so we're being careful rather than automatic: the numbers above are counted by the system, but a person checks the profile and awards the badge. That means it can lag behind the moment a provider technically qualifies. We'd rather say that plainly than imply a machine is watching around the clock. When awarding becomes automatic, this page will say so.
What it does NOT mean
The Trusted Pro badge is not an identity check, a criminal-background check, or a check of qualifications, licences or insurance. Preened does not vet providers or supervise the work. Providers are independent businesses - when they join, they confirm they hold whatever qualifications, permits and insurance their service requires (see the Provider Terms). Please use your own judgement, read reviews, and message a provider before booking if you're unsure.
How reviews work
Every rating comes from a real, completed appointment - the review link is sent to the client after their booking is marked done, one review per booking, and providers can't review themselves. We don't invent reviews or ratings, ever. That's the whole point: the numbers you see are earned.
Two kinds of appointment
Some providers are mobile - they travel to your home, office or hotel. Others work from their own studio, which is often a room at their home, and you go to them. Many do both. Every profile and search result says which. The protections below are labelled, because a stranger coming to your door and you going to a stranger's address are different situations.
Safety check-in, for either kind of appointment
A provider can name a trusted contact and start a safety check-in before an appointment. If they don't check out in time, that contact is emailed automatically. It was built for providers travelling to a home, but nothing about it is mobile-only - a provider seeing a new client alone at their studio can use it exactly the same way. It is available now, free on every plan, and it will never sit behind a paywall. It is a notification tool, not an emergency service - it alerts a person the provider chooses, and depends on their device and network.
For clients: if the provider comes to you
You'll know who to expect. Before a home visit we show you the provider's name, photo and contact number. If someone else arrives, you don't have to let them in - you can cancel on the spot at no charge, and any deposit is refundable. Please tell us, so we can act on their access.
For clients: if you go to their studio
You get the address before you travel. Some providers publish their studio address on their profile; where they haven't - usually because it's their home - it's sent to you once your booking is accepted, along with their name and number. If an address never arrives, don't travel; the booking isn't confirmed.
You are never committed to staying. If the place isn't what was described, or you simply don't feel right about it, you can leave. Tell us afterwards - we treat “the studio wasn't as described” as a report like any other, and we will take it up with the provider.
What we haven't checked. We do not inspect studios. We don't verify that a premises is licensed, insured, or that it is where the provider says it is. A studio address on Preened is something the provider typed in, and nothing more.
For clients: both kinds
Share your appointment. One tap sends a friend or family member the provider's name, the time and the address - whether that address is yours or theirs. The message is written on your own phone and sent by you - we never see it and we don't store who you sent it to.
Report an appointment. There's a report link on your booking confirmation, and support@preened.co.za always works. We read every report and can restrict a provider's access. For anything criminal, contact SAPS first - we are not an investigative or emergency service.
For providers: deciding on a booking
When a request comes in - mobile or studio - you see whether that client has booked you before: first booking, or how many previous visits and when. That's your own booking history shown back to you at the moment it's useful, and it applies to every booking, because letting a stranger into your studio deserves the same warning as walking into theirs.
Two further switches are free and provider-controlled: daytime home visits only, and a reminder to call before you approve. Both currently apply to mobile bookings only. If you work from a studio and want the same limits on who comes to you, email us - we'd rather say “not yet” here than let the wording imply cover you don't have.
What you won't see: anything about a client's bookings with other providers. We don't run a shared client blocklist and we won't. Reports about a client come to us, where they can be handled properly - a list of names passed between providers is unfair to people who can't answer it, and exposes the provider circulating it to real legal risk.
What's free
Every safety feature on this page is free, on every plan, permanently. The safety check-in, the new/returning client indicator, daytime-only home visits, call-before-you-approve, appointment sharing and reporting - all free, and we won't move them behind a paid plan. That's a commitment in our Provider Terms (section 10), not a marketing line.
Your money and your data
Preened takes 0% commission - you pay your provider directly, and we never hold or touch that payment. Providers own their own client relationships. We handle your booking details only to make the booking work; see our Privacy notice.
If something goes wrong
If you have a concern about a provider or an appointment, contact the provider first where you can, and email us at support@preened.co.za so we can look into it. Serious safety concerns should always also go to SAPS or the relevant local authorities. For questions about your personal information, write to privacy@preened.co.za instead.
This page describes how Preened works and is not legal advice. It may be updated as Preened grows.