Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

16. Geographic Restrictions

The owner of the Website is based in the State of Texas in the United States. We provide this Website for use only by persons located in the United States. We make no claims that the Website or any of its content is accessible or appropriate outside of the United States. Access to the Website may not be legal by certain persons or in certain countries. If you access the Website from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.

17. Disclaimer of Warranties

You understand that we cannot and do not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading from the internet or the Website will be free of viruses or other destructive code. You are responsible for implementing sufficient procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your particular requirements for anti-virus protection and accuracy of data input and output, and for maintaining a means external to our site for any reconstruction of any lost data. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DISTRIBUTED DENIAL-OF-SERVICE ATTACK, VIRUSES, OR OTHER TECHNOLOGICALLY HARMFUL MATERIAL THAT MAY INFECT YOUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER PROGRAMS, DATA, OR OTHER PROPRIETARY MATERIAL DUE TO YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR TO YOUR DOWNLOADING OF ANY MATERIAL POSTED ON IT, OR ON ANY WEBSITE LINKED TO IT. YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, AND ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, AND ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR ANY PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY MAKES ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPLETENESS, SECURITY, RELIABILITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY, OR AVAILABILITY OF THE WEBSITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY REPRESENTS OR WARRANTS THAT THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL BE ACCURATE, RELIABLE, ERROR-FREE, OR UNINTERRUPTED, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, THAT OUR SITE OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES IT AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT THE WEBSITE OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL OTHERWISE MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, THE COMPANY HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY WARRANTIES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

18. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE COMPANY, THEIR AFFILIATES, OR THEIR LICENSORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS, OR DIRECTORS BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE, ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO IT, ANY CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE OR SUCH OTHER WEBSITES, INCLUDING ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PERSONAL INJURY, PAIN AND SUFFERING, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF GOODWILL, LOSS OF DATA, AND WHETHER CAUSED BY TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF FORESEEABLE. THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, IN WHICH CASE DAMAGES OF ANY CHARACTERIZATION SHALL BE CAPPED IN THE AGGREGATE AT THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO THE COMPANY IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS.

19. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Company, its affiliates, licensors, and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms of Use or your use of the Website, including, but not limited to, your User Contributions, any use of the Website’s content, services, and products other than as expressly authorized in these Terms of Use, or your use of any information obtained from the Website.

Binding Arbitration & Class Action Waiver

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY – IT MAY SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING YOUR RIGHT TO FILE A LAWSUIT IN COURT. BY ACCESSING AND USING THE WEBSITE, OR ANY OTHER MATERIALS OR SERVICES OFFERED BY THE COMPANY, YOU AGREE THAT TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW: ANY AND ALL DISPUTES, CLAIMS AND CAUSES OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR CONNECTED WITH THE COMPANY, WILL BE RESOLVED INDIVIDUALLY THROUGH BINDING ARBITRATION AS SET FORTH BELOW, WITHOUT RESORT TO ANY FORM OF CLASS ACTION.

Initial Dispute Resolution

The Company’s customer care team is available via the web to address any concerns you may have regarding the Website or any materials or services offered by the Company. Our customer care team is able to resolve most concerns quickly to your satisfaction. The parties shall use their best efforts through this customer care process to settle any dispute, claim, question, or disagreement and good faith negotiations, which shall be a condition to either party initiating a lawsuit or arbitration.

Binding Arbitration

If the parties do not reach an agreed upon solution within a period of 30 days from the time informal dispute resolution under the Initial Dispute Resolution provision above, then either party may initiate binding arbitration as the sole means to resolve claims, subject to the terms set forth below. Specifically, all claims arising out of or relating to these Terms of Use (including their formation, performance and breach), the parties’ relationship with each other and/or your use of the Website or any other services or materials offered by the Company, shall be finally settled by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in accordance with the provisions of its rules and the supplementary procedures for consumer related disputes, excluding any rules or procedures governing or permitting class actions. The arbitrator, and not any federal, state or local court or agency, shall have exclusive authority to resolve all disputes arising out of or relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability or formation of these Terms of Use, including, but not limited to any claim that all or any part of these Terms of Use are void or voidable, or whether a claim is subject to arbitration. The arbitrator shall be empowered to grant whatever relief would be available in a court under law or in equity. The arbitrator’s award shall be written, and binding on the parties and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction. The rules governing the arbitration may be accessed at www.adr.org. The arbitration rules also permit a party to recover attorney’s fees in certain cases. The parties understand that, absent this mandatory provision, they would have the right to sue in court and have a jury trial. They further understand that, in some instances, the costs of arbitration could exceed the costs of litigation and the right to discovery may be more limited in arbitration than in court.

Location

Arbitration will take place in Collin County, Texas.

Class Action Waiver

The parties further agree that any arbitration shall be conducted in their individual capacities only and not as a class action or other representative action, and the parties expressly waive their right to file a class action or seek relief on a class basis. YOU AND THE COMPANY AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. If any court or arbitrator determines that the class action waiver set forth in this paragraph is void or unenforceable for any reason or that an arbitration can proceed on a class basis, then the arbitration provision set forth above shall be deemed null and void in its entirety and the parties shall be deemed to have not agreed to arbitrate disputes.

Exception – Litigation of Intellectual Property and Small Claims Court Claims

Notwithstanding the parties’ decision to resolve all disputes through arbitration, either party may bring an action in state or federal court to protect its intellectual property rights (“intellectual property rights” means patents, copyrights, moral rights, trademarks, and trade secrets, but not privacy or publicity rights). Either party may also seek relief in a small claims court located in Collin County, Texas for disputes or claims within the scope of that court’s jurisdiction.

30-Day Right to Opt Out

You have the right to opt-out and not be bound by the arbitration and class action waiver provisions set forth above by sending written notice of your decision to opt-out to the following address: Hanna Financial Advisory Services LLC, 30-Day Right to Opt Out, 821 Limestone Drive, Prosper, Texas 75078. The notice must be sent within 30 days of your first use of the Website or any other services or materials offered by the Company, otherwise you shall be bound to arbitrate disputes in accordance with the terms of those paragraphs. If you opt-out of these arbitration provisions, the Company also will not be bound by them and the Company reserves the right to decline service and refund payments made as of the date of receipt of your notice.

Changes to this Section

The Company will provide 60-days’ notice of any changes to this section to your email address on file with the Company. Changes will become effective on the 60th day, and will apply prospectively only to any claims arising after the 60th day. For any dispute not subject to arbitration you and the Company agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of and venue in the state courts located in Collin County, Texas. You further agree to accept service of process by regular U.S. mail, and hereby waive any and all jurisdictional and venue defenses otherwise available. These Terms of Use, the relationship between you and the Company, and any issues and questions regarding the rights and obligations in connection with the website or any other services or materials offered by the Company shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Texas, U.S.A., without giving effect to conflict of laws provisions.

Limitation on Time to File Claims

ANY CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM YOU MAY HAVE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE OR THE WEBSITE MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES; OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM IS PERMANENTLY BARRED.

20. Waiver and Severability

No waiver by the Company of any term or condition set out in these Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or a waiver of any other term or condition, and any failure of the Company to assert a right or provision under these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of these Terms of Use is held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent such that the remaining provisions of the Terms of Use will continue in full force and effect.

21. Entire Agreement

The Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and other materials on this page constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the Website and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, regarding the Website.

22. Construction

All provisions of these terms of use shall be construed to the fullest extent permitted by law.

23. Your Comments and Concerns

This website is operated by HANNA ACCOUNTING SERVICES PLLC, 821 Limestone Drive, Prosper, Texas 75078 (the “Notice Address”). All notices of copyright infringement claims should be sent to the copyright agent designated in our Copyright Policy in the manner and by the means set out therein. All other feedback, comments, requests for technical support, and other communications relating to the Website should be directed to the Notice Email.

24. Non-Disparagement

You agree that you will not make any critical, negative or disparaging remarks about the Company, its shareholders, partners, attorneys, members, directors, officers, agents, employees or representatives, affiliated, successors, or predecessor companies, the goods or services it provides, including the SmarterGrads.com website and the goods and services contained therein, its business or employment practices, its executive leadership, strategies and or its business prospects.

25. Privacy Policy

The Company respects your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with this Privacy Policy (this “policy”). This policy describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the Website and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

This policy applies to information we collect:

• On this Website.
• In email, text, and other electronic messages between you and this Website.
• Through mobile and desktop applications you download from this Website, which provide dedicated non-browser-based interaction between you and this Website.
• When you interact with our advertising and applications on third-party websites and services, if those applications or advertising include links to this policy.

It does not apply to information collected by:

• Us offline or through any other means, including on any other website operated by Company or any third party (including our affiliates and subsidiaries); or
• Any third party (including our affiliates and subsidiaries), including through any application or content (including advertising) that may link to or be accessible from or on the Website.

Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you agree to this privacy policy. This policy may change from time to time (see Changes to Our Privacy Policy). Your continued use of this Website after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.

Children under 15

Our Website is not intended for children under 15 years of age. No one under age 15 may provide any personal information to or on the Website. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 15. If you are under 15, do not use or provide any information on this Website or through any of its features, register on the Website, make any purchases through the Website, use any of the interactive or public comment features of this Website, or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or user name you may use. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 15 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 15, please contact us at the Notice Email. California residents under 15 years of age may have additional rights regarding the collection and sale of their personal information. Please see Your California Privacy Rights for more information.

Information We Collect About You and How We Collect It

We collect several types of information from and about users of our Website, including information:

• By which you may be personally identified, such as name, age, state of residency, e-mail address, or any other identifier by which you may be contacted online or offline (“personal information”);
• That is about you but individually does not identify you; and/or
• About your internet connection, the equipment you use to access our Website, and usage details.

We collect this information:

• Directly from you when you provide it to us.
• Automatically as you navigate through the site. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and/or other tracking technologies.
• From third parties, for example, our business partners.

Information You Provide to Us

The information we collect on or through our Website may include:

• Information that you provide by filling in forms on our Website. This includes information provided at the time of registering to use our Website, subscribing to our service, posting material, or requesting further services. We may also ask you for information when you enter a promotion sponsored by us, and when you report a problem with our Website.
• Records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses), if you contact us.
• Details of transactions you carry out through our Website and of the fulfillment of your orders. You may be required to provide financial information before placing an order through our Website.
• Your search queries on the Website.

You also may provide information to be published or displayed (hereinafter,“posted”) on public areas of the Website, or transmitted to other users of the Website or third parties (collectively,“User Contributions”). Your User Contributions are posted on and transmitted to others at your own risk. Please be aware that no security measures are perfect or impenetrable. Additionally, we cannot control the actions of other users of the Website with whom you may choose to share your User Contributions. Therefore, we cannot and do not guarantee that your User Contributions will not be viewed by unauthorized persons.

Information We Collect through Automatic Data Collection Technologies

As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we may use automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns, including:

• Details of your visits to our Website, including traffic data, location data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Website.
• Information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type.

The information we collect helps us to improve our Website and to deliver a better and more personalized service, including by enabling us to

• Estimate our audience size and usage patterns.
• Store information about your preferences, allowing us to customize our Website according to your individual interests.
• Speed up your searches.
• Recognize you when you return to our Website.

The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include:

• Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website.
• Web Beacons. Pages of our the Website and our e-mails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of certain website content and verifying system and server integrity).

Third-Party Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

Some applications, on the Website are served by third-parties, including content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies alone or in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies to collect information about you when you use our website. The information they collect may be associated with your personal information or they may collect information, including personal information, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. We do not control these third parties’ tracking technologies or how they may be used.

How We Use Your Information

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information:

• To present our Website and its contents to you.
• To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us.
• To fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it.
• To provide you with notices about your account/subscription, including expiration and renewal notices.
• To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts entered into between you and us, including for billing and collection.
• To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it.
• To allow you to participate in interactive features on our Website.
• In any other way we may describe when you provide the information.
• For any other purpose with your consent.

We may also use your information to contact you about our own goods and services that may be of interest to you. For more information, see Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information.

Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction. We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy:

• To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business and who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
• To a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of the Company’s or a parent entity’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by the Company about our Website users is among the assets transferred.
• To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it.
• For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.
• With your consent.

We may also disclose your personal information:

• To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request.
• To enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes.
• If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our customers, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Choices about How We Use and Disclose Your Information

We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information:

• Tracking Technologies and Advertising. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent.If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this site may then be inaccessible or not function properly.
• Promotional Offers from the Company. If we have sent you a promotional email, you may send us a return email asking to be omitted from future email distributions. This opt out does not apply to information provided to the Company as a result of a product purchase, warranty registration, product service experience or other transactions.

Accessing and Correcting Your Information

You can review and change your personal information by logging into the Website and visiting your account profile page. You may also send us an email at the Notice Email to request access to, correct or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We cannot delete your personal information except by also deleting your user account. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect. California residents may have additional personal information rights and choices. Please see Your California Privacy Rights for more information.

Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, California law may provide you with additional rights regarding our use of your personal information. To learn more about your California privacy rights, visit https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa. California’s “Shine the Light” law (Civil Code Section § 1798.83) permits users of our App that are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please send an email to the Notice Email or write us at the Notice Address.

Data Security

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information. We do not capture or transmit any payment information within SmarterGrads and we work with Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant payment providers who handle the collection or transmission of this sensitive information such as a credit or debit card number to protect your information. However, no website, mobile application, or system is completely secure or “hacker proof.” You are also responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect your personal information against unauthorized disclosure or misuse. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy

It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users’ personal information, we will notify you on this page. The date the privacy policy was last revised is identified at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date active and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes.

Contact Information

To ask questions or comment about this privacy policy and our privacy practices, contact us at the Notice Address or the Notice Email.