General Terms and Conditions (AGB) of The Cottage MedCos GmbH
This is an English translation of our German terms and conditions (AGB). Only the German version is legally binding.
As of 9 October 2026
1. General provisions
1.1These terms and conditions apply to all contracts between The Cottage MedCos GmbH, FN 570178y, Handelsgericht Wien (Commercial Court of Vienna), Colloredogasse 1, 1180 Wien, phone +43 1 470 41 97, e-mail office@the-cottage.at (hereinafter “The Cottage”), and its customers. They cover all services of The Cottage, in particular laser hair removal, medical cosmetics and IHHT, as well as the sale of products and vouchers at the locations 1180 Wien, Colloredogasse 1, and 1060 Wien, Mariahilfer Straße 27/10, regardless of whether the contract is concluded in person, by phone, by e-mail or online. The version in force at the time the contract is concluded applies. It is available at www.the-cottage.at/agb, where it can be saved and printed, and is available at the locations.
1.2These terms and conditions do not cover medical and aesthetic-medical services of the medical practice of Dr. Peri Bergmann-Caucig (Ordination Dr. Peri Bergmann-Caucig), which operates in the same building, and of the doctors working there, even if these services are presented on the website or in the price list. In these cases, the contracting party is the respective doctor, and her terms apply. Appointments for these services are made via the Latido platform or directly with the medical practice.
1.3Consumers within the meaning of these terms and conditions are customers for whom the contract is not part of the operation of their business (§ 1 KSchG, Austrian Consumer Protection Act). Mandatory consumer rights are not restricted by these terms and conditions. Terms referring to persons apply to all genders.
2. Conclusion of the contract and booking appointments
2.1Service descriptions, prices and available appointments on the website, in the price list and in other advertising are non-binding. A treatment contract is concluded as soon as a specific appointment for a specific service is agreed in person, by phone or by e-mail, or is booked online.
2.2When booking online at www.the-cottage.at, the customer selects the location, service and appointment, logs in to their customer account or creates one, and receives an overview of the services, appointment, location and total price. There they can check all details, correct them using the change and back functions, or cancel the process by closing the window. By clicking “Confirm booking” (in the German version “Verbindlich buchen”), they make a binding offer. The Cottage accepts it by displaying the appointment on the screen as booked, together with a booking number. If an error message appears instead, no contract has been concluded. If the status is unclear, the customer should not book again but should call to ask. The language of the contract is German. The Cottage stores the text of the contract; it cannot be accessed on the website after the booking, and the customer receives it with the confirmation under clause 2.3.
2.3After every booking made online, by phone or by e-mail, the customer immediately receives a confirmation by e-mail stating the service, location, appointment and total price including VAT, together with the cancellation rule, these terms and conditions and the information on the right of withdrawal including the withdrawal form. Confirmations and reminders are sent to the contact details stored by The Cottage. The customer provides correct details and reports any changes; details entered when logging in online do not automatically change contact details that are already stored. Appointment reminders by text message (SMS) or e-mail are a service; if they are not received, the appointment is still binding.
2.4To book online, the customer needs a customer account in the Phorest booking system. They keep their password secret. They may request the deletion of the account at any time in writing or by e-mail to office@the-cottage.at, unless statutory retention obligations prevent this. Only services offered at the selected location can be booked online; there is no entitlement to book specific services or appointments online.
3. Right of withdrawal for bookings made online, by phone or by e-mail
3.1Consumers who book an appointment online, by phone or by e-mail, or who buy a voucher online, may withdraw from the contract within 14 days without giving any reason. The period begins on the day of the booking or purchase or, if a voucher is sent in paper form, on the day it is received.
3.2The withdrawal must be declared to The Cottage MedCos GmbH, Colloredogasse 1, 1180 Wien, for example by e-mail to office@the-cottage.at, by phone on +43 1 470 41 97, by letter or, where available, via the link “Manage your appointments online” in the confirmation. The model withdrawal form in the annex may be used but does not have to be. It is sufficient to send the declaration before the period expires.
3.3Withdrawal before the treatment begins is free of charge; no cancellation fee is charged. The Cottage refunds any payments already made within 14 days of receiving the declaration, using the same means of payment and free of charge.
3.4If the appointment falls within the withdrawal period, The Cottage only carries out the treatment if the customer expressly requests in the medical history and consent form to be treated before the period expires and confirms that they lose their right of withdrawal once the treatment has been performed in full. This request is confirmed to the customer before the treatment begins. If they withdraw after that, but before the end of the treatment, they pay for the share of the service provided up to that point.
3.5Failing to attend without cancelling is not a withdrawal; clause 4 applies. There is no right of withdrawal for contracts concluded in person at a location, for example the purchase of courses, packages or products at reception.
4. Cancellation, late arrival and no-shows
4.1Agreed appointments are binding. The customer may cancel or reschedule an appointment free of charge up to 24 hours before it begins; Sundays and public holidays do not count. An appointment on Monday at 10 a.m. can therefore be cancelled free of charge until Saturday at 10 a.m. If an appointment is only made within this period, it can be cancelled free of charge up to one hour after booking, but no later than the start of the appointment.
4.2The Cottage accepts cancellations by phone on +43 1 470 41 97, by e-mail to office@the-cottage.at or, where the booking system offers this, online, and outside opening hours also by e-mail or answering machine. The time at which the message is received is decisive for the deadline.
4.3If the customer cancels later or does not attend, The Cottage charges a cancellation fee of 50% of the agreed treatment price, at least €60, but no more than the full treatment price. The cancellation fee is invoiced by e-mail and must be paid within 14 days by bank transfer or at the location. For treatments that have already been paid for (voucher, course or package session), the cancellation fee is retained from the amount paid or the pro-rata value; the rest remains available to the customer as credit.
4.4No cancellation fee is charged if the customer withdraws under clause 3, if The Cottage is responsible for the appointment not taking place or if the treatment is refused under clause 7.3. If deadlines shown online or in messages from the booking system differ from these terms and conditions, the deadline that is more favorable to the customer applies.
4.5The customer is asked to arrive about 5 minutes before the appointment begins, or 30 minutes beforehand for treatments with numbing cream. The treatment time begins on arrival in the treatment room. In the event of late arrival, the agreed appointment stays as it is; the time missed is only made up if the rest of the day’s schedule allows. Otherwise, before the treatment begins, The Cottage states how much the treatment has to be shortened, and the customer decides whether to take the shortened treatment at the full price or whether the appointment counts as missed (clause 4.3). If no treatment is possible any more, the appointment counts as missed. If the customer shortens the treatment at their own request, the price remains unchanged. The treatment duration shown online is a guide value.
5. Prices and payment
5.1The current price list applies; it is available at the locations and at www.the-cottage.at. For online bookings, the total price shown in the overview before clicking “Confirm booking” applies; for other bookings, the price stated when the appointment was agreed; otherwise, the price according to the price list in force when the contract was concluded. All prices are final prices in euros including VAT.
5.2New price lists apply to contracts concluded after their publication. For appointments already agreed and for courses and packages already purchased, the agreed price remains; for vouchers, clause 6.2 applies.
5.3Payment is made after the treatment at the location, in cash, by debit card (Bankomat card) or by credit card, without deduction. Appointments booked online are also usually paid for at the location. For individual services, The Cottage may require a deposit or a credit card to be stored; the amount and how it is used will then be shown before the booking is completed, and the card details are captured exclusively in the Phorest booking system and by its payment service provider, not on the website. A deposit is credited against the treatment price or a cancellation fee under clause 4.3; in the event of a withdrawal under clause 3, it is refunded. Payment by bank transfer or on invoice is only possible in exceptional cases by arrangement with the management; cancellation fees under clause 4.3 are exempt from this restriction.
5.4The fee for a consultation with a cosmetics expert is credited towards a treatment booked within three months of the consultation. Medical consultations are subject to the terms of the medical practice.
5.5Discounts, special prices and other reductions cannot be combined unless the price list expressly provides for a combination (e.g. the combination rule and the course price for laser hair removal, the zone discount and the combination advantage for EMSCULPT NEO and Cellution). Promotions only apply during the stated period or while stocks last. Promotional vouchers are credited against the list price and can be redeemed once per person.
6. Vouchers, courses and packages
6.1Vouchers are available at the locations and online in the voucher shop linked from the website; in both cases, the seller is The Cottage. They can be redeemed at both locations, but not for services of the medical practice. The rules on booking and cancelling appointments (clauses 2 and 4) apply to their redemption.
6.2Value vouchers are issued for an amount of money, service vouchers for a specific service. Both are valid for five years from issue; the treatment must be provided within this period. If the price of the service is higher when a service voucher is redeemed than when it was issued, the customer pays the difference.
6.3Every voucher is stored in The Cottage’s booking system and is usually assigned to a customer account. It can be redeemed by the person to whose customer account it is assigned. Vouchers given as gifts online are redeemed by entering the voucher code; whoever enters the code is deemed to be entitled to redeem it. If a printout or an e-mail containing the voucher is lost, the voucher remains in the system as long as it has not been redeemed. Vouchers that have not been paid for in full or that have been falsified may be rejected.
6.4Courses and packages (series of several treatments at a total price) are purchased at reception and paid for in advance, not online. If the customer selects a course or package online, this only books the first appointment. If they decide against the purchase at reception, the first treatment is charged at the pro-rata price (total price divided by the number of treatments). Courses and packages are personal, non-transferable and are kept in the customer account. The minimum and maximum intervals between sessions stated at the time of purchase must be observed.
6.5Courses and packages are valid for 36 months from purchase. After that, the entitlement to the outstanding treatments expires. At the customer’s request, which can be made up to two years after expiry, The Cottage credits the pro-rata price of the unredeemed sessions towards other services. Sessions are redeemed at the location where they were purchased, unless otherwise agreed at the time of purchase. If the treatment is no longer offered there or the location closes, outstanding sessions can be redeemed on the same terms at the other location. The Cottage notifies affected customers of a closure by e-mail at least three months in advance; appointments already agreed are moved or cancelled free of charge, at the customer’s choice.
6.6Vouchers, courses and packages are neither exchanged for cash nor refunded. The right of withdrawal under clause 3 and the customer’s mandatory statutory claims remain unaffected.
7. Health and the customer’s cooperation
7.1Before the appointment, the customer receives the medical history and consent form by e-mail and can fill it in in advance; otherwise, they fill it in and sign it on site before the treatment begins. They answer all questions about their health completely and truthfully and state all circumstances that are relevant to the treatment, e.g. illnesses, allergies, hypersensitivities, metal parts in the body, photosensitizing medication or a pregnancy. They report any changes before the next treatment. Health information does not belong in the “Message to us” field of the online booking.
7.2The treatments offered by The Cottage are cosmetic services and do not replace a medical examination or treatment.
7.3The Cottage may refuse a treatment if there are health or hygiene reasons against it. In this case, a cancellation fee is only charged if the customer culpably concealed these reasons contrary to clause 7.1.
7.4If, according to the price list, a treatment requires an initial medical appointment (e.g. IPL and laser treatments other than laser hair removal) and this has not taken place, the appointment is converted into a consultation with a cosmetics expert. This consultation is only charged if the customer was expressly informed of the requirement before booking; it is then credited in accordance with clause 5.4.
7.5If a customer behaves inappropriately despite a warning, The Cottage may ask them to leave the premises and ban them from the premises.
8. Performing the treatment
8.1The Cottage treats its customers to the best of its knowledge, professionally and in accordance with the current state of cosmetics. A specific result cannot be promised because of individual differences (e.g. skin and hair type, hormonal status). The customer is informed about the effects and risks before the first treatment.
8.2The Cottage may have treatments carried out in its name by qualified third parties and is liable for them as for its own employees. A request for a particular practitioner is taken into account where possible. If that person is unavailable, another qualified person carries out the treatment; the customer may then reschedule or cancel the appointment free of charge. Requests made in the “Message to us” field are also taken into account where possible, but do not create an entitlement unless confirmed.
8.3If The Cottage has to cancel or reschedule an appointment for an important reason, for example because the practitioner is ill or a device has failed, it informs the customer as soon as possible and offers an alternative appointment. Amounts already paid and course sessions are kept as credit.
8.4For contracts already concluded, The Cottage only changes a service if the change is minor, objectively justified and reasonable for the customer.
9. Warranty and liability
9.1The statutory warranty of two years from the treatment or from the handover of the goods applies (§§ 922 et seq. ABGB; for goods sold to consumers, the Consumer Warranty Act (Verbrauchergewährleistungsgesetz)). The customer can first demand rectification, for example a follow-up treatment, or replacement. If these are impossible or would involve disproportionate effort, if The Cottage refuses them or does not carry them out within a reasonable period, or if they are unreasonable for the customer, the customer can demand a price reduction or, except in the case of minor defects, the termination of the contract. The customer is asked to report defects promptly; reporting them later does not affect their claims.
9.2There is no warranty claim insofar as a defect is due to another salon or the customer having altered the treatment or having treated the area improperly afterwards, for example with their own creams that were not recommended or sold by The Cottage.
9.3The Cottage is liable in accordance with the statutory provisions, and for personal injury also in cases of slight negligence. For other damage, for example to clothing caused by oils or creams, or to items brought along or forgotten, liability for slight negligence is excluded. Claims under the Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz) remain unaffected.
9.4If the customer conceals circumstances under clause 7.1, The Cottage is not liable for any resulting damage that it could not recognize; in all other respects, any contributory negligence on the part of the customer is taken into account (§ 1304 ABGB).
10. Retention of title
Goods sold remain the property of The Cottage until they have been paid for in full.
11. Data protection and photos
11.1The Cottage processes the customer’s data (in particular name, contact details, appointments, services and payments) in order to prepare and perform the contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) and to comply with legal obligations (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR), and, as described in the privacy policy, on the basis of legitimate interests or consent. The controller is The Cottage MedCos GmbH. It uses the Phorest booking system as a processor for appointment management, the customer account, confirmations, reminders and the voucher shop. Health data from the medical history and consent form is only processed with separate explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR). Photos of the treated area before and after the treatment are only taken with separate consent given in the same form; they serve exclusively for documentation in the client file and are neither passed on nor used for advertising.
11.2The customer can revoke consents, for example for photos, health data or news and offers by e-mail or text message (SMS), at any time with effect for the future in writing or by e-mail to office@the-cottage.at, and consent to advertising also via the unsubscribe option in every advertising message. Everything else, in particular on recipients, storage periods and the customer’s rights, is set out in the privacy policy at www.the-cottage.at/en/privacy-policy, and on online booking, medical history and photos and the voucher shop in its sections 10 to 12.
12. Final provisions
12.1New terms and conditions apply to contracts concluded after their publication. Individual agreements with the customer take precedence over these terms and conditions.
12.2Austrian law applies. Consumers retain the protection of the mandatory provisions of the law of the country in which they have their habitual residence.
12.3For actions against consumers whose domicile, habitual residence or place of employment is in Austria, the court in whose district one of these places is located has jurisdiction (§ 14 KSchG). For disputes with businesses, the court in Vienna with subject-matter jurisdiction has jurisdiction.
12.4If any provision of these terms and conditions is invalid, the remaining provisions remain valid. In relation to consumers, the invalid provision is replaced by the statutory provision; in relation to businesses, it is replaced by a provision that comes as close as possible to its economic purpose.
Annex: Model withdrawal form
(Complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract.)
To: The Cottage MedCos GmbH, Colloredogasse 1, 1180 Wien, e-mail: office@the-cottage.at
I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/we (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service (*):
Ordered on (*)/received on (*):
Name of consumer(s):
Address of consumer(s):
Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper):
Date:
(*) Delete as appropriate.