Common questions.
The questions kennel and cattery owners ask us most, answered plainly.
What does a quiet month cost?
3% of what you take through Sable that month. No bookings, no fee. No monthly fee, no setup fee, no lock-in; Stripe’s card fee (about 1.5% + 20p) is separate.
What does Sable actually cost?
3% of each payment made through Sable, taken by Stripe when the customer pays. No monthly fee, no setup fee, no lock-in. Stripe’s card fee is separate. You keep the rest, less Stripe’s card fee. Cash and on-account bookings carry no fee. Card processing runs at Stripe's standard rate (about 1.5% + 20p per card payment), passed through at cost.
What happens to my customer list if I ever leave?
It's yours and it leaves with you. You can export your customers, pets and bookings free at any time, and Sable's terms promise your data is made available — never withheld — when you go.
Who do I actually talk to when something's wrong?
James, the founder. Every email reaches him. No ticket queue.
Do my customers pay extra to book through Sable?
No. Customers see one all-in price for their dates and that's what they pay — no booking fee or service charge added at checkout. That price is your price for those dates. Sable's 3% comes off your side of the payment, never the customer's.
Do I have to set it up myself?
No. We come out and set it up, free, at your door — that's the normal way a business joins Sable. If you'd rather do it yourself, you can, in minutes at app.sable.vet.
How long does setup take?
About half an hour, in person, free — longer if there are years of records to bring across, and we stay until it's done. We come to you, set up your services, rates, capacity and cancellation policy, bring your client, pet and booking records across, put your booking link on your website, and take a real booking before we leave.
Do I need new card machines or hardware?
No. Online payments run through Stripe on your own account. Cash and on-account bookings can live in the diary too — nothing is collected through Sable on those, so there's no fee on them.
I'm not techy. Is that a problem?
No. We set it up for you, in person, and stay until you're comfortable with it. After that you can change almost anything by describing it in plain words — Sable proposes the change, you approve it, and every change can be undone.
Can I keep taking bookings by phone?
Yes. Plenty of your customers will always ring, and the diary is built for it — you add the booking in seconds and everything else (payment, check-in, records) works the same.
Is my diary and customer data safe?
Your data is held securely in the UK/EEA under UK GDPR, with no ads, no tracking and no selling of data — see the privacy policy. You remain the owner and controller of your customer records.
Is Sable just a booking system?
Sable finds you customers and runs your diary. Pet owners find Sable businesses in the app, and AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude can check your live availability and hand over your booking link; marketplaces charge 15–20% commission for that, Sable 3% of payments. The other half is the back office: payments, pre-arrival check-in, an arrivals board, pet and vaccination records.
Ask the person who built it.
Every email lands with the founder.