Terms of Service
Welcome to Meratas.com, the website and online service (“Site”) of Meratas Inc. (“Meratas,” “Company”, we,” “our” or “us”). These Terms of Service explain the terms by which you may use our online services, website, mobile applications, and software provided on or in connection with the service and also govern any all communications with us via phone, email, text or otherwise (collectively the “Service” as further defined below). By accessing or using the Service through any direct or indirect means, you signify that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Terms of Service Agreement (“Agreement” or “Terms of Service”) and to the collection and use of your information as set forth in the Meratas Privacy Policy, whether or not you are a registered user of our Service. This Agreement applies to all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Service (“Users”).
Please read these terms carefully. If you do not agree to them you must not use the Site or Service.
By using this website, you are entering into a legal agreement to abide by the Terms of Service you see here, and you are agreeing that you have read and fully understand these Terms of Service. The following terms shall have the meanings listed below:
- Site: this website which is subject to the Terms of Service displayed.
- Meratas, Company, we, our, us: Meratas Inc.
- You or your means the person(s) using the Site and/or the Services, and any person(s) on whose behalf such person(s) are acting as an agent with respect to the Site and/or Services.
- Service: our online services, any services we may provide with respect to financial services you enter into with one of our Providers, website, mobile applications, and software provided on or in connection with the service, and any and all communications with us via phone, email, text or otherwise, whether directed to You or any Provider or other third party on your behalf.
- Agreement or Terms of Service: this document, together with Meratas’s Privacy Policy.
- Users: all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Service.
- Providers: any and all third parties with which Meratas provides opportunities for you to interact via the Service, such as companies offering financial or educational services in their own name or on behalf of a third party, including educational institutions, banks and lenders.
- Account Information: any information relating to financial accounts you maintain that Meratas collects from you or a third party in order to provide the Service to you
- Third-Party Accounts: financial or other accounts you maintain with companies other than Meratas.
- Login Details: usernames and passwords, or other methods of accessing your Meratas account or other third-party accounts.
This Agreement contains: A mandatory arbitration of disputes provision that requires the use of arbitration on an individual basis to resolve disputes, rather than jury trials or class actions (section 9); A consent to receive all legally required communications and disclosures from us electronically (section 4); and a consent to receive automated telephone calls and sms messages and recording of calls (section 3).
1. Your Use of Meratas’s Service
1.1. Eligibility
These Terms of Service are a legally binding contract; in order to use our Service you must be legally capable of entering into this contract.
You may use the Service only if you are a natural person (i.e., not a business or other corporate entity) and can form a binding contract with Meratas. Any use or access to the Service by anyone under the age of majority in the State in which they reside is strictly prohibited and in violation of this Agreement. You must act in compliance with this Agreement and all applicable local, state, national, and international laws, rules and regulations. You are prohibited from using the Service if you have previously been removed from the Service by Meratas.
1.2. Modifications to this Agreement
If there are changes to this Agreement, the date the changes are made will be posted at the top of the page and the posting date is the Effective Date of the revised Agreement. But, if there are significant changes, we will give you 30 days’ notice before the changes become effective.
We may make changes to these Terms of Service from time to time. If we make changes, we will post the changed Terms of Service on the Site and will indicate at the top of this page the date the Terms of Service was last revised. The revised version will be effective at the time we post it. If the revised version includes a substantial change, we will provide you with 30 days’ prior notice by posting notice of the change on the Site. You understand and agree that your continued use of the Service or the Site after we have made any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms of Service.
1.3. Your Consent to Collect and Transmit Your Requests and Information
In order for us to provide the Service to you, when you provide us information we will share that information with Providers to enable certain functionality on the Site or through the Service.
Your use of the Service and its features may require the collection and transmission of your personal information in order to provide you with the functionality of the Service. You authorize Meratas to transmit your information to Providers in order to provide you with features such as prequalified rates from Providers and/or other activities incidental to your entering into a financial transaction with our Providers. Meratas’s prequalification process is intended to provide you with preliminary information regarding potential options for a loan with one of our Providers. Meratas is not a lender and does not make credit decisions or employ its own credit criteria. A prequalification inquiry is not a form for credit. Meratas does not act on behalf of Providers nor does it facilitate applications of credit during its prequalification process.
1.4. Your Accounts and Account Information from Third-parties Integrated with our Service
In order to provide a more efficient Service, Meratas has partnered with third-party service providers to access information related to loans that you may currently have with financial institutions or providers (“Account Information” related to “Third-Party Accounts”). By entering your login details such as usernames and passwords “Login Details” for your Third-Party Accounts, our third-party service providers can access your Account Information and then provide it to Meratas so that certain fields on certain forms within the Service can be populated without you having to manually enter that information (“Auto-Population”). By entering your Login Details, you consent to third party service providers accessing your Third-Party Accounts and Auto-Populating your information within the Service so that Meratas can share the relevant information (i.e., loan details) with Providers. You represent, warrant, acknowledge and agree that you are solely responsible for the accuracy and content of your Account Information as accessed by third party providers as part of the Service. You acknowledge and agree that we have no control over the provision of third party service provider’s services in relation to Auto-Population, and have no liability whatsoever for any actions or inactions on the part of those third-party service providers resulting in your inability to use the Service to access your accounts, obtain data, download information or otherwise access the Service.
1.5. Credit Inquiries (“Pulling Your Credit”)
Soft credit inquiries: When you use our Service you are consenting to a soft credit pull of your credit report.
The below section describes some ways we may use that information from your credit report.
Hard credit inquiries: Meratas does not conduct hard credit inquiries. Certain Providers may perform hard credit inquiries, depending on the financial contract you apply for with them.
Your consent to a soft credit inquiry: When you create and maintain an Account or use the Service to request prequalified rates or to apply for a payment plan with one of our Providers, you provide written instructions in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other applicable law, for Meratas, Providers, and our respective agents to request, receive, and retain a copy of your consumer credit report and score from consumer credit reporting agencies (i.e., Experian, TransUnion and/or Equifax), on a recurring basis for so long as you maintain an Account. You can deactivate your Account at any time by contacting customer service and requesting that your account be deleted. If your Account remains inactive for 6 months or longer we may, at our discretion, deactivate your Meratas account.
How the credit report information is used: This credit report may be used for a variety of reasons which may include, but are not limited to the following: (i) verifying that the information you have provided is true and accurate, including the verification of your identity; (ii) assessing your credit history and credit score for the purpose of identifying products and/or services that you may be interested in or that you may prequalify for on an ongoing basis; and/or (iii) matching you with specific Providers, other third parties, and ours or their respective products, services, offers and/or promotions on an ongoing basis.
Your consent to a hard credit inquiry when submitting an application for credit: When you submit an application for credit to a Provider, you provide written instructions in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other applicable law, for Providers or their respective agents to conduct a “hard credit inquiry”. Hard credit inquiries impact your credit score. Hard credit inquiries are required by creditors when you apply for credit. You are applying for credit (1) after you have received personalized, prequalified rates from a Provider for a student loan and/or student loan refinancing, (2) you select a loan product, (3) submit your request with the Provider and (4) other times when you choose to move forward with one or more Providers even though you were not presented with prequalified rates from the Provider(s).
1.6. Prequalified Rates
Meratas provides a platform that enables you to find prequalified rates from certain Providers. The following disclaimers relate to the prequalification process:
- Prequalified rates are potential options, not offers of credit: Meratas’s prequalification process is intended to provide Users with preliminary information regarding potential options for a loan with one of our lender partners (also referred to as a “Provider”). A prequalification inquiry is not an application for credit. All credit decisions, including loan approval, if any, are determined by Providers, in their sole discretion. Meratas makes no representations, warranties or guarantees about your eligibility for credit or for a particular loan. Meratas does not engage in negotiations with Providers nor can you receive lower rates from a Provider on Meratas than options that are publicly accessible.
- No guarantees: Meratas and Providers do not have prequalified rate information for all circumstances and may be unable to provide a prequalified rate in response to every inquiry. Additionally, receiving a prequalified rate does not guarantee that your chosen Provider will extend you an offer of credit. There are some Providers on the Meratas platform who do not participate in providing prequalified rates to Users; in these circumstances, you may be presented with the option to apply with these Providers directly.
- Displayed prequalified rates are indicative rates and are subject to change and/or withdrawal at any time: Rate information provided in response to a prequalification inquiry is not an offer of credit. The prequalified rates displayed are indicative rates and should be used for informational purposes only. Providers reserve the right to change or withdraw the prequalified rates at any time. Any rate(s) provided in response to a prequalification inquiry is/are based on the questions you answered and a soft credit inquiry (authorized by you) which are then applied to specific Provider standards. Such standards are determined at the sole discretion of the Provider(s) and may vary from one Provider to another.
- Post-prequalification process for obtaining an offer of credit from a Provider: Once you choose an option on your Meratas Dashboard, if you are provided options, you will be directed to the Provider’s website to complete your application with the Provider (including reading and consenting to their terms of use, their privacy policies, their relevant disclosures, the credit pull authorization and any other applicable documents). The Provider may then conduct a hard credit inquiry to further assess your creditworthiness according to the Provider’s criteria (as determined in their sole discretion). Then, actual loan terms, if any, that are available to you may be provided by the Provider. Providers may decide not to extend you credit if they determine that you do not meet the criteria used to present you the prequalified rate or any other applicable criteria bearing on your creditworthiness or other non-credit-based criteria. Providers reserve the right to approve or decline individual credit applications at their sole discretion;
- Rates are subject to change based on a number of factors which may include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in your personal credit circumstances; (ii) additional information you provide (or are unable to provide) to the Provider during the application process; and/or (iii) changes in APRs (e.g., there may be an increase in the rate index between the time you go through the prequalification process and the time you submit your application for the loan and/or your loan closes. Or, if the loan option is a variable rate loan, then the interest rate index used to set the APR is subject to increases or decreases at any time).
- Errors in information displayed or provided to you: Neither Meratas nor Providers assume responsibility for typographical or other errors or omissions in the information provided to you.
1.7. Federal Aid
With respect to student loans and student loan refinancing, keep in mind that Federal loans come with many benefits and protections such as deferment, forbearance and loan forgiveness programs which will be lost when refinancing into a private loan option or obtaining private student loans. While some private lenders offer some of these same benefits as Federal Aid, not all do. Therefore, it is your responsibility to review the Provider’s disclosures carefully before taking out a private loan. For more information on Federal student loans visit studentaid.ed.gov.
1.8. No Recommendations or Professional Advice
We are not providing you any advice or recommendations about any specific product or service.
We encourage you to seek advice from a licensed financial professional or other professional who may have more information about your specific financial needs and circumstances.
Nothing provided on the Site or through the Service should be construed or interpreted as professional advice or recommendations (i.e., we are not providing any financial, tax, or legal recommendations or advice or other professional advice). We are not liable to you for any advice provided to you by Providers or other third parties you may link to from our Site. We encourage you to consult a financial service provider, tax or legal professional to help you make any decisions associated with the use of the Service or the products and services provided by Providers.
1.9. Meratas Accounts
In order to use certain functionality of the Service, you must register for an account on our Site. The information you input must be truthful, accurate and complete at all times. If it is not, neither us nor the Provider can verify your identity or display to you products, services and content specific to you. You are only allowed one account, you need to keep it secure; do not share it with others.
When using our Service you may be required to establish an account (“Account”). You agree to the following requirements pertaining to the Account:
Your information must be accurate and current: You agree to provide true, accurate and complete information as prompted by the Service and all forms you access through the Service. You agree to update the information you provide through the Service in the event the information you provided changes in order to maintain its truthfulness, accuracy and completeness. Meratas makes no warranties or guarantees about the information you provide to us that gets passed on to Providers; such information is your responsibility. In the event your information is not true, accurate or complete, it may impact what products, services, or content (e.g., rates, quotes, offers) are presented to you through the Service.
Only one account: You may not register for more than one Account without express written permission from Meratas.
Account security: You must keep your Account password secure. We encourage and may require you to use “strong” passwords (passwords that use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols) with your Account. You must notify Meratas immediately of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your Account. Meratas will not be liable for any losses caused by any unauthorized use of your Account.
Verification of identity (Patriot Act Information Disclosure): To help the government fight identity theft, the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Meratas and Providers may obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account with us or them. You may be required to provide your Social Security Number, address, telephone number, date of birth and other important information that will allow Meratas, Providers and their respective agents to properly identify you. Meratas, Providers and ours and their respective agents may also ask to see your driver’s license or other identifying documentation to further assist in verifying your identity.
1.10. Additional Terms for the use of the Meratas Application for Mobile Devices
License to use the Meratas mobile application (“Meratas App”). You may download the Meratas App that operates on certain devices, such as mobile devices, from an “App Store” (such as Apple App Store or Google Play). All terms, agreements, limitations, and disclosures that apply to your use of the Meratas Site also apply to your use of the Meratas App. You are responsible for any data access or wireless or internet charges of your mobile device service provider. Meratas does not make any representation or warranty that all aspects of the Meratas site are rendered or operable on the Meratas App, and we do not warrant that the Meratas App will be compatible with your mobile device. You agree that your functional use of the Meratas App may be affected by or dependent on your wireless connection and speed or your wireless service provider. The functionality of the Meratas App could become disabled during times of poor connections or speeds from your wireless or internet service provider while conducting financial transactions.
By using the Meratas App, you agree to the following terms:
- The Meratas App is licensed, not sold, to you by Meratas Inc. for use strictly in accordance with the Terms of Use. Upon downloading the Meratas App, Meratas grants you a personal, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable limited license to install and use the Meratas App on your mobile device to access and use the Services for your personal, non-commercial use and display strictly in accordance with this license, your Account Agreements, these Terms of Use and any applicable Usage Rules (the “License”).
- You agree that you will not (i) decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, attempt to derive the source code of, or decrypt the Meratas App; (ii) make any modification, adaptation, improvement, enhancement, translation, copy or derivative work from the Meratas App; (iii) violate any applicable laws, rules or regulations in connection with your access or use of the Meratas App; (iv) remove, alter or obscure any proprietary notice (including any notice of copyright or trademark) of Meratas or its affiliates, partners, suppliers or the licensors of the Meratas App; or (iv) create, design, engineer or use any “bot” or other technology in connection with the Meratas App.
- You acknowledge and agree that the Meratas App and all copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights associated therewith are owned by Meratas or its affiliates, agents or licensors, as applicable. All rights, title and interest in and to the Meratas App are reserved by Meratas and its affiliates, agents or licensors, as applicable. All trademarks (including logos, service marks, trade names and icons), copyrights, patents, trade secrets, content, publicity rights and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) are proprietary to Meratas, its affiliates, agents or licensors. You may not remove any proprietary notices, including, but not limited to, copyright and trademark notices, from the Meratas App or alter, obscure or modify such notices in any way. Except as expressly stated in this license, you are not granted any intellectual property rights in or to the Meratas App by implication, estoppel or other legal theory, and all rights in and to the Application not expressly granted in this License are hereby reserved and retained by Meratas.
- You acknowledge and agree that, in the event of a third-party claim that the application infringes any third party’s intellectual property rights caused by or arising out of your use of the Meratas App, you (and not Meratas or any third-party mobile device service provider or app venue) shall be solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of any intellectual property infringement claim or suit, any third-party claims or any other harm or damages caused by, arising out of or resulting from your use of or access to the Meratas App. You hereby release Meratas and its employees, officers, directors, affiliates, agents and licensors from any and all liability caused by, arising out of or resulting from your use of the Meratas App or the services, including from product liability claims or any claim that the Meratas App fails to conform to any legal or regulatory requirement. You will, however, promptly notify Meratas in writing of any such claim.
- If you believe that material on our Meratas App violates your copyright, please notify us at help@meratas.com. Meratas will respond to all copyright infringement notices that it receives and respond appropriately by removing infringing material if necessary. If a member repeatedly infringes upon copyrights, his or her account may be subject to termination at Meratas’s discretion
You may not rent, lease, lend, sublicense or transfer the Application, this License or any of the rights granted hereunder. Any attempted transfer in contravention of this provision shall be null and void and of no force or effect.
Specific additional terms and conditions
If you use the following Service, the terms below apply to you in addition to the General Terms and Conditions above:
Connected Accounts: Meratas offers products and services that allow you to “connect” or “link” external accounts. You agree to the following terms and conditions when you connect an account at another institution:
- If you elect to connect or link any such account at another institution, we refer to it as a “Connected Account.”
- Meratas will obtain your account information. If you elect to connect an external account to Meratas, Meratas will obtain information from the Connected Accounts. The specific information Meratas obtains may vary by institution and account type. You should assume Meratas will obtain from the account any information that is available to you.
Use of Connected Information. If you elect to connect an account through any Meratas service, Meratas may use the information from the connected account for any purpose permitted by Meratas’s Privacy Policies, including use of the information to identify products and services that may be of interest to you, sharing information with affiliated companies to offer products and services to you, and identifying if you would be likely to be eligible for certain products and services.
Use of Google Services. Meratas uses Google Maps features and content to improve your experience. By using Meratas, you are bound by Google’s Terms of Service. Use of Google Maps features and content is subject to the then-current versions of the: (1) Google Maps/Google Earth Additional Terms of Service and (2) Google Privacy Policy.
To obtain information from Connected Account, Meratas Acts as Your Agent. If you elect to connect an external account to Meratas, Meratas will connect to the account and obtain information at your direction and as your agent. Meratas does not warrant that the information obtained from the external account is accurate, complete, or non-infringing.
2. Change to Service; Prohibited Activities
We can terminate the Service, aspects of the Service or your use of the Service at any time.
There are certain rules that you must follow when using the Service; some examples of what is prohibited are provided in this section.
We may, without prior notice, change the Service; stop providing the Service or features to you or to Users generally; or create usage limits for the Service. We may permanently or temporarily terminate or suspend your access to the Service without notice and liability for any reason, including if in our sole determination that you violated any provision of this Agreement, or for no reason.
While we may terminate your use of the Service at any time, for any reason, the following are specific activities that are prohibited when using the Service:
Advertising and commercial solicitation: You will not advertise or solicit any User to buy or sell any products or services except as expressly permitted by the Services and this Agreement. Further, you will not use any information obtained from the Service in order to advertise to, solicit, or sell any products or services to any User without their prior explicit consent.
No harassment: You will not harass, annoy, intimidate or threaten any User(s) or Meratas employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Service to you.
No impersonation: You will not impersonate another person or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity, conduct fraud, hide or attempt to hide your identity.
Technological use: You will not engage in:
- copying, distributing, or disclosing any part of the Service in any medium, including without limitation by any automated or non-automated “scraping”;
- using any automated system, including without limitation “robots,” “spiders,” “offline readers,” etc., to access the Service in a manner that sends more request messages to the Meratas servers than a human can reasonably produce in the same period of time by using a conventional on-line web browser;
- transmitting spam, chain letters, or other unsolicited email;
- taking any action that imposes, or may impose at our sole discretion an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure;
- uploading invalid data, viruses, worms, or other software agents through the Service;
- collecting or harvesting any personally identifiable information, including account names, from the Service;
- interfering with the proper working of the Service;
- accessing any content on the Service through any technology or means other than those provided or authorized by the Service;
- use data provided by us for any competing uses or purposes;
- frame the Site, utilize framing techniques to enclose any Content or other proprietary information, place pop-up windows over this Site’s pages, or otherwise affect the display of this Site’s pages; or
- bypassing the measures we may use to prevent or restrict access to the Service, including without limitation features that prevent or restrict use or copying of any content or enforce limitations on use of the Service or the content therein.
3. Your Consent to Telephone Calls, Recording of Telephone Calls, SMS Messages and Push Notifications/Alerts
- By using our Service you agree to receive calls and SMS messages from us and our Providers, including telemarketing calls, auto-dialed calls and texts and pre-recorded voice messages; you have the option to opt-out (but if you opt-out you may miss out on products, services, promotions, etc.)
- Your mobile service provider may charge you for calls/messaging according to your plan and Meratas and/or Providers are not responsible for those charges.
- You agree to keep your contact information up-to-date, including your telephone number(s).
- The calls you make to us and the calls we make to you may be monitored and/or recorded.
- Your contact information will be shared with Providers (e.g., for enrollment purposes or when you choose a loan product with a specific lender partner, they will need to contact you to complete the transaction you commenced).
3.1. Consent to receive telephone calls, SMS messages and other messages/alerts
You acknowledge that by voluntarily providing your telephone number(s) to Meratas, you authorize us and our Providers (which includes, for the purposes of this Section 3 and of Section 4, our and our Provider’s agents and representatives) to contact you using automatic telephone dialing systems, artificial or pre-recorded voice message systems and automated text messaging systems in order to provide you with information regarding your Account, promotional offers, any transaction with us and with our Providers, and/or your relationship with Meratas. You agree to receive such calls and text messages even if you cancel your account or terminate your relationship with us or our Providers, except if you opt out, as provided below. You expressly authorize us and our Providers to make such contacts using any telephone numbers (including wireless, landline and VOIP numbers) you have supplied or will supply to us or our Providers in connection with your Account. You understand that anyone with access to your telephone may listen to or read the messages we leave or send you. You agree that we will have no liability in connection with third parties accessing your telephone. Consent to receive promotional automated marketing calls/texts is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services or obtaining a loan. Calls or text messages to you may be made by or on behalf of Meratas or our Providers even if your telephone number is registered on any state or federal Do Not Call list.
You acknowledge that alerts sent via SMS may not be delivered if your carrier does not support short code communications, if your mobile phone is not in range of a transmission site, or if network capacity is not available or insufficient at a particular time. Additionally, you acknowledge that factors beyond the control of your wireless carrier may interfere with message delivery, including your equipment, terrain, proximity to buildings, foliage, and weather. You understand that your wireless carrier does not guarantee that alerts will be delivered and will not be liable for delayed or undelivered messages. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider.
You may select for Meratas to send you messages called “Alerts” by text or phone. Alerts may be delayed or prevented by factor(s) affecting your internet/phone provider or other relevant entities. Meratas is not liable for losses or damages arising from non-delivery, delayed delivery, or the erroneous delivery of any Alert, or inaccurate Alert content. You are responsible for your use or reliance on the contents of any Alert for any purposes. The information in any Alert may be subject to certain delays. Each Alert may not be encrypted and may include your name and information pertaining to your account(s). Meratas may terminate your use of Alerts at any time without notice. You may choose to discontinue receiving Alerts by updating your Meratas App Notifications preferences.
3.2. Sharing your phone number with Providers
You understand and agree that we may share your telephone number with Providers and/or their respective agents who may require further information prior to providing a response to your submission of information through the Service or to contact you regarding a product or service.
3.3. The phone numbers you provide
You represent and warrant that you are the owner and/or primary user of any phone number you provide to us. Should any of your telephone numbers change, you agree to notify us before the change goes into effect by email and/or updating your account profile. You agree to indemnify, defend and hold us and our Providers harmless from and against any and all claims, losses, liability, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from failure to update your contact information (including your telephone number), your voluntary provision of a telephone number that is not your own, and/or your violation of any federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance.
3.4. Charges from your telephone provider
You understand that your cellular or mobile telephone provider may charge you fees for calls that we or our Providers make or texts that we or our Providers send to you according to the type of plan you carry, and you agree that we will have no responsibility or liability whatsoever for such fees.
3.5. Opt-Out
At any time, you may withdraw your consent to receive (1) automated telephone calls; (2) automated SMS messages, and/or (3) telemarketing calls. You must (i) provide us with written notice revoking your consent; (ii) in that written notice, you must include your full name, mailing address, email address used to contact you, and the specific phone number(s) for which you are revoking consent; and (iii) send this written notice to Meratas Inc., 317 West Ave., #113343, Stamford CT, 06902 (Attn: Opt-Out).
For all questions about the services provided by this short code, you can send an email to help@meratas.com or call at (860) 935-6906. If you have any questions regarding privacy, please read our privacy policy at https://meratas.com/privacy-policy/
To stop receiving automated telephone calls, automated SMS messages and/or telemarketing calls from our Providers, you must follow their procedures on their respective websites.
Please note that if you opt out of automated calls, we and our Providers reserve the right to make non-automated calls to you relating to your account, any transaction, or your relationship with us. Your obligations under this Section shall survive termination of these Terms of Service. If you have any questions about opting out, please contact us via email at help@meratas.com or by calling Customer Success at (860) 935-6906.
3.6. Call Recording and Monitoring
Calls to and from Meratas and its Providers (or third parties acting on behalf of Meratas or its Providers) may be recorded or monitored for quality assurance, customer service, training and/or risk management purposes. You agree to such monitoring and recording unless you expressly inform the agent at the outset of the conversation that you do not want the call to be monitored or recorded.
4. Your Consent to Electronic Communications
Electronic Communications Delivery Policy (E-SIGN Policy)
Since we are an Internet-based company, in order to use our Service you must agree to receive all important information from us and our Providers electronically (by us posting it on our Site or us or our Providers sending you an email), instead of receiving paper copies in the mail.
The information in this section lets you know what technology you need to be able to view, save and/or print the Communications we send you, and that by using the Service you are agreeing that you have these technological capabilities. This section also lets you know that you must keep your contact information up-to-date.
You also have the right to opt-out of receiving Communications from us and our Providers electronically, but if you do you may not be able to use our Service.
4.1. Electronic Delivery of Communications
You agree and consent to receive electronically all non-telephonic communications, agreements, documents, notices and disclosures (collectively, “Communications”) that we or our Providers provide in connection with your use of the Service. Communications include, but are not limited to:
- Agreements and Policies (e.g., the Meratas Terms of Service and Privacy Policy), including updates to these agreements or policies;
- Federal and State tax statements we or our Providers are required to make available to you, if applicable;
- Loan Product or other Product-related Disclosures such as Application Disclosures.
We will provide these Communications to you by posting them on the Meratas.com website through your user portal and/or by emailing them to you at the email address listed in your Meratas profile.
4.2. Hardware and Software Requirements
In order to access and retain electronic Communications, you will need the following computer hardware and software:
- a computer with an Internet connection;
- a current web browser that includes 128-bit encryption (e.g. Internet Explorer 11 or newer, Safari 9.0.3 or newer, Firefox v. 56 or newer, Chrome V. 60 or newer) with cookies enabled;
- Adobe Acrobat Reader 11 or newer to open documents in .pdf format;
- a valid email address (your primary email address on file with Meratas);
- sufficient storage space to save past Communications or an installed printer to print them.
By using the Service you are giving your consent to, and you are confirming that you have access to the necessary equipment and are able to receive, open, and print or download a copy of any Communications for your records. You may print or save a copy of these Communications for your records as they may not be accessible online at a later date.
4.3. Additional Mobile Technology Requirements
If you are accessing the Service and the Communications electronically via a mobile device (such as a smartphone, tablet, and the like), in addition to the above requirements you must make sure that you have software on your mobile device that allows you to print and save the Communications presented to you. These applications can be found for most mobile devices in the device’s respective “app store”. If you do not have these capabilities on your mobile device, please access the Service through a device that provides these capabilities.
4.4. How to Withdraw Your Consent
You may withdraw your consent to receive Communications electronically by writing to us at “Attn: Electronic Communications Delivery Policy, 317 West Ave., #113343, Stamford CT, 06902, or by contacting us via the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of the Meratas.com website. If you fail to provide your consent or if you withdraw your consent to receive Communications electronically, Meratas and its Providers reserve the right, within our or their discretion and at our or their election, to either deny your use of the Service or restrict, close or deactivate your Account, or charge you additional fees for paper copies.
If, after you consent to receive Communications electronically, you would like a paper copy of a Communication we previously sent you, you may request a copy within 180 days of the date we provided the Communication to you by contacting us as described above. We will send your paper copy to you by U.S. mail. In order for us to send you paper copies, you must have a current street address on file as your physical address in your Meratas profile. If you request paper copies, you understand and agree that Meratas may charge you a Records Request Fee of up to $5 for each Communication.
4.5. Updating your contact information
It is your responsibility to keep your email address up to date so that Meratas can communicate with you electronically. You understand and agree that if Meratas sends you an electronic Communication but you do not receive it because your email address on file is incorrect, out of date, blocked by your service provider, or you are otherwise unable to receive electronic Communications, Meratas will be deemed to have provided the Communication to you.
Please note that if you use a spam filter that blocks or re-routes emails from senders not listed in your email address book, you must add Meratas to your email address book so that you will be able to receive the Communications we send to you.
You can update your email address or street address at any time by logging into the Meratas website or mobile application and selecting “Account Settings”. If your email address becomes invalid such that electronic Communications sent to you by Meratas are returned, Meratas may deem your Account to be inactive, and you will not be able to transact any activity using your Account until we receive a valid, working email address from you.
5. User Content Requirements and Intellectual Property Rights
We want you to provide feedback about the Site, Providers, products and services. In order to display, share and otherwise make that information you share with us useful, you grant us the rights to “Use” that information, including, editing it, reproducing it, displaying it, etc. (5.1).
We also want to make sure the platform is safe and useful to others, and therefore you must agree to certain rules about the content you provide (5.2; 5.3). If you violate these rules, there are certain ramifications (5.4; 5.5).
All of your ideas are appreciated (with a sincere thank you in advance, but not with monetary compensation or other type of compensation) (5.6).
We also have limits on what you can do with the information that is on our Site (5.8). But, if you believe we, or someone else, is violating your rights in any specific content, we do have a way you can request that we take that information off our Site (5.9).
Meratas is excited to provide you with a transparent web service that allows you an opportunity to compare financial products so that you can make the right decisions to meet your specific needs. As part of that transparency, we encourage all users to provide their constructive feedback about their experiences with Meratas and Providers. Your experiences, the good, as well as the bad, will provide other users with insightful information so that they can make better financial decisions. But keep in mind that any time you use the Site or Services, you agree to our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy, including these terms related to content provided by you. Please make sure to always be respectful of others, and comply with the law and our terms of service and policies.
We encourage all users to provide their constructive feedback about their experiences with Meratas and Providers. Your experiences, the good, as well as the bad, will provide other users with insightful information so that they can make better financial decisions. But keep in mind that any time you use the Site or Services, you agree to our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy, including these terms related to content provided by you. Please make sure to always be respectful of others, comply with the law and our terms of service and policies.
Before posting or providing any content, please review these requirements carefully:
5.1. You grant us a license to the content you post
You own and are solely responsible for any content including testimonials, images, text, audio or other materials that you submit (“User Content”). By submitting User Content, you grant Us or our sub-licensee or assignees a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual (or for the duration of any copyright or other rights in such content), irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable (through multiple tiers) right to use, reproduce, distribute, create derivative works from, publicly perform, display, store, or publish in any way, in any media known now or in the future (“Use”).
You grant Us or our sub-licensee or assignees the right to use your name or image in association with your User Content, if we so choose.
Further, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, you waive your moral rights in the content and promise not to assert such rights against Us, our sub-licensees or assignees.
5.2. Your representations and warranties about the User Content
You represent and warrant that the User Content you provide (a) is owned by you or you control all necessary rights to it; (b) does not violate, misappropriate or infringe on the rights of any third-party including intellectual property rights, privacy rights or publicity rights; (c) is accurate, not obscene, false, libelous or defamatory; and (d) will not cause injury to any person, entity or system.
5.3. You agree that you will not do any of the following:
- You agree that you will not post any private information about yourself or others (e.g., telephone numbers, addresses, email addresses, account numbers, etc.)
- You agree not to post any false, deceptive or misleading information
- You agree not to post any content that encourages “gaming” or “churning” of another party’s products or services
- You agree that you will not post SPAM (i.e., advertising, commercial materials or content, solicitations or promotional materials)
- You agree that you will not post anything disrespectful, illegal or in violation of our Terms of Service and policies (e.g., unlawful, harmful, abusive, racially or ethnically offensive, discriminatory, defamatory, infringing, invasive of personal privacy or publicity rights, harassing, humiliating to other people (publicly or otherwise), libelous, threatening, profane, or otherwise objectionable)
- You agree that you will not create a risk of loss or damage to any person or property
5.4. Your obligations if you violate (or someone accuses you of violating) their rights with respect to the content you provide.
You will indemnify and hold Meratas harmless for any and all claims resulting from your User Content.
5.5. Monitoring, editing or removing your User Content
Meratas has the right but not the obligation to monitor, edit or remove the User Content you provide, for any reason, or no reason. Any User Content you provide is non-confidential and Meratas will not be liable for its use or disclosure.
5.6. No compensation for your ideas, content, suggestions, submissions etc.
If you submit ideas, suggestions, documents, and/or proposals (“Ideas”) to Meratas, you do so voluntarily and with no expectation of confidentiality. By submitting Ideas, you grant us ownership of the Ideas to use for any purpose, in any way, in any media now known or in the future and throughout the universe without any obligation or payment. You understand that Meratas may have something similar to the Ideas under consideration or in development.
5.7. Responses to your User Content
The comments or responses that Meratas posts under its official account are not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any Provider unless specifically stated otherwise in the response. Please keep in mind that the Provider has no obligation to monitor any of the comments, questions or reviews posted (yours or ours), and is therefore not responsible to ensure that your posts and/or questions are answered.
5.8. Our Proprietary Rights
Except for your User Content, the Service and all materials therein or transferred thereby, including, without limitation, software, images, text, graphics, illustrations, logos, patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, photographs, audio, videos, music, and User Content belonging to other Users (the “Meratas Content”), and all Intellectual Property Rights related thereto, are the exclusive property of Meratas and its licensors (including other Users who post User Content to the Service). Except as explicitly provided herein, nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to create a license in or under any such Intellectual Property Rights, and you agree not to sell, license, rent, modify, distribute, copy, reproduce, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, publish, adapt, edit or create derivative works from any Meratas Content. Use of the Meratas Content for any purpose not expressly permitted by this Agreement is strictly prohibited. Use of any Meratas Content as part of a link to or from any site is prohibited unless establishment of such link is approved in advance by Meratas in writing.
5.9. DMCA Notice
Since we respect artist and content owner rights, it is Meratas’s policy to respond to alleged infringement notices that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (“DMCA”).
If you believe that your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement and is accessible via the Service, please notify Meratas’s copyright agent as set forth in the DMCA. For your complaint to be valid under the DMCA, you must provide the following information in writing:
- An electronic or physical signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner;
- Identification of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
- Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and where it is located on the Site (e.g., a URL);
- Information reasonably sufficient to permit Meratas to contact you, such as your address, telephone number, and, email address;
- A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or law;
- A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information is accurate, and that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner.
The above information must be submitted to the following DMCA Agent:
Attn: DMCA Notice
Meratas Inc.
Address: 317 West Ave., #113343, Stamford CT, 06902
Email: help@meratas.com
Under Federal Law, if you knowingly misrepresent that online material is infringing, you may be subject to criminal prosecution for perjury and civil penalties, including monetary damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.
Please note that this procedure is exclusively for notifying Meratas and its affiliates that your copyrighted material has been infringed. The preceding requirements are intended to comply with Meratas’s rights and obligations under the DMCA, including 17 U.S.C. §512(c), but do not constitute legal advice. It may be advisable to contact an attorney regarding your rights and obligations under the DMCA and other applicable laws.
Export Control. You may not use or otherwise export or re-export the mobile Application except as authorized by United States law and the laws of the jurisdiction(s) in which the Application was obtained. You represent and warrant that you are not: (i) located in any country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a “terrorist supporting” country, or (ii) listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties including the Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Department of Commerce Denied Persons List or Entity List. You also agree that you will not use the Application for any purposes prohibited by United States law.
6. Privacy and Security
When you use our Service you agree to our Privacy Policy; please read it carefully so you know how we collect, use, share, and secure your information.
We care about the privacy and security of our Users. You understand that by using the Services you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personally identifiable information and aggregate data as set forth in our Privacy Policy, and to have your personally identifiable information collected, used, transferred to, and processed, as contemplated by our Privacy Policy.
7. Indemnity
We have set forth the rules for using the Service, including your responsibilities and obligations in this Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. If you violate any of these terms and you get into legal trouble for them, or it results in legal trouble for us, you are legally responsible for any of the ramifications, not us.
You agree that you will be personally liable for your use of the Service. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Meratas and its subsidiaries, officers, directors, agents and employees, Providers (and their officers, directors, agents and employees), from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees) arising from: (i) your use of and access to the Service, including any data or content transmitted or received by you; (ii) your violation of any term of this Agreement, including without limitation your breach of any of the representations and warranties; (iii) your violation of any third party right, including without limitation any right of privacy or intellectual property rights; (iv) your violation of any applicable law, rule or regulation; (v) any claim or damages that arise as a result of any of your User Content or any User Content that is submitted via your Account; or (vi) any other party’s access and use of the Service with your unique username, password or other security code. Meratas reserves the right but not the obligation, at our expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, and in such case, you agree to cooperate with our defense of such claim.
8. Disclaimer of warranties and guarantees; limitation of liability
The service is provided “as is” and on an “as available” basis. to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the service is provided without warranties or guarantees of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to, (i) implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, quiet enjoyment or non-infringement; or (ii) any warranties arising out of course of dealing, usage or trade. You understand and agree that nothing related to the service constitutes investment, legal, and/or other professional advice.
Except in jurisdictions where such provisions are restricted, in no event will Meratas, its subsidiaries, or Providers or their respective agents, directors, or employees, be liable to you or any third party for any direct, indirect, consequential, exemplary, incidental, special or punitive damages, including for any lost profits or lost data arising from your use of the service or any of the site content or other materials on or accessed through the site, even if Meratas is aware or has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, to the extent permitted by applicable law, Meratas’s liability to you for any cause whatsoever, and regardless of the form of the action, will at all times be limited to the amount paid, if any, by you to Meratas for the service or $100, whichever is greater. For the avoidance of doubt, any monies collected by Meratas for delivery to (or on behalf of) the Provider to whom you owe a financial obligation, shall not be considered an amount paid “to Meratas” for the purpose of the preceding sentence.
Certain federal and state laws do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages or limitations on implied warranties. If these laws apply to you, some or all of the above disclaimers, exclusions or limitations may not apply to you, and you may have additional rights.
The following in no way limits the preceding disclaimers of guarantees or warranties and limitation of liabilities, but shall serve as examples of what is disclaimed/limited:
8.1. Assumption of risk:
You assume all risk and any and all damages associated with your use of the service. Any content downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of the service is downloaded at your own risk and you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from such download or your use of the service. Meratas is not liable or responsible for any personal injury or property damage, of any nature whatsoever, resulting from your access to or use of the site or service.
8.2. Service availability:
Meratas does not guarantee the continuous operation or access to the service and assumes no liability or responsibility for (i) any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from the service; (ii) any unauthorized access to or use of our servers and/or any and all personal information stored therein; (iii) user content or the defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of any third party; (iv) any bugs, viruses, trojan horses, or the like that may be transmitted to or through the service by any third-party; (v) that the site or service will be available at any particular time or location, uninterrupted or secure or free of viruses or other harmful components; and/or (vi) that any defects or errors will be corrected.
8.3. No guarantee of accuracy or reliability:
Meratas does not guarantee and assumes no liability or responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of any errors, mistakes or other inaccuracies in the information, content or materials made available through the service. It is your responsibility to confirm the accuracy of the information displayed on the site or provided through the service directly with the providers.
8.4. Informational purposes only; no recommendations or advice:
The content, information and services are provided for informational purposes only. All financial decisions made by you are your responsibility and you should consult a financial adviser who understands and knows your specific financial circumstances before making any financial decisions. Nothing on the site should be interpreted as a financial recommendation for you.
8.5. No warranties regarding providers or other third parties:
Meratas makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees, express or implied, regarding any provider or other third-party, including those that are hyperlinked to or from our site or services. Meratas expressly disclaims all liability and responsibility associated with providers’ or other third-parties’ sites, informational materials, products or services including but not limited to offers, prequalified rates, or quotes. You understand and agree that this agreement, Meratas’s Privacy Policy and other Meratas Terms and Policies do not apply to your use of providers’ or other third-parties’ websites. Meratas is not a party to any transaction between you and a Provider or other third-party. You acknowledge, understand and agree that all transactions related to the products or services from or with any provider or other third party, including but not limited to, payment terms, purchase terms, rates, quotes, warranties, guarantees, maintenance and delivery are agreed to solely between you and provider or other third-party whether or not such transaction was commenced on our site or using our service and you expressly relieve Meratas from any and all liability arising from your use of any provider or third-party sites, products or services. Meratas does not endorse any particular provider or other third-party.
8.6. We assume no liability for the relationship and interactions between you and a Provider or other third party:
We do not guarantee that any provider will approve your request for credit, provide you an offer of credit or otherwise provide you their product or service. If the provider does offer you a product or service, or approves your request, we do not guarantee that the terms, rates or offer, if any, are the best terms or lowest terms available in the market or from that provider. We are not a party to the dealing, contracting, or fulfillment of any of provider’s product or services. We are under no obligation to verify or monitor, and do not guarantee, any information given to us by users, or displayed to you on our site from providers or other third parties. Any correspondence you have with providers, as well as provider’s terms of use, policies, disclosures, products, services or otherwise are solely between you and the provider and we assume no liability, obligation or responsibility with respect thereto. We do not accept any offer on your behalf. Accepting offers is solely your responsibility.
9. Legal Disputes
This Sections lays out how all disputes are required to be handled between you and us (e.g., notice, costs, etc.)
You agree to arbitrate any all disputes you may have (or, if the dispute qualifies, in small claims court on a non-class action basis); there is an opt-out procedure (9.7).
You waive your right to a trial by jury.
You can only bring an individual action against us, not a class action.
PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY. IT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS AND WILL HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON HOW CLAIMS YOU AND MERATAS HAVE AGAINST EACH OTHER ARE RESOLVED.
You and Meratas agree that any claim or dispute at law or equity that has arisen, or may arise, between you and Meratas that relates in any way to or arises out of this or previous versions of the Agreement, your use of or access to the Service, will be resolved in accordance with the provisions set forth in this Legal Disputes Section.
9.1. Dispute resolution
For any dispute with Meratas, you agree to first contact us at help@meratas.com and attempt to resolve the dispute with us informally. In the unlikely event that Meratas has not been able to resolve a dispute it has with you after attempting to do so informally, we each agree to resolve any claim, dispute, or controversy (excluding any Meratas claims for injunctive or other equitable relief) arising out of or in connection with or relating to this Agreement, or the breach or alleged breach thereof (collectively, “Claims”), by binding arbitration by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under the Commercial Arbitration Rules and Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes then in effect for the AAA, except as provided herein. Nothing in this Section 10 shall prevent either party from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief from the courts as necessary to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation, or violation of that party’s data security, Intellectual Property Rights, or other proprietary rights.
Alternatively, you or we may assert your or our claims in small claims court, if such claims qualify and so long as the matter remains in such court and advances only on an individual (non-class, non-representative) basis.
The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement to Arbitrate.
9.2. Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief
You and Meratas agree that each of us may bring claims against the other only on an individual basis and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, or representative or private attorney general action or proceeding. Unless both you and Meratas agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate or join more than one person’s or party’s claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a consolidated, representative, class, or private attorney general action or proceeding. also, the arbitrator may award relief (including monetary, injunctive, and declaratory relief) only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief necessitated by that party’s individual claim(s). Any relief awarded cannot affect other users.
9.3. Arbitration Procedures
Overview: Arbitration is more informal than a lawsuit in court. Arbitration uses a neutral arbitrator instead of a judge or jury, and court review of an arbitration award is very limited. However, an arbitrator can award the same damages and relief on an individual basis that a court can award to an individual. An arbitrator should apply the terms of the Agreement as a court would. All issues are for the arbitrator to decide, except that issues relating to arbitrability, the scope or enforceability of this Agreement to Arbitrate, or the interpretation of Section 9.2 of this Agreement to Arbitrate (“Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief”), shall be for a court of competent jurisdiction to decide.
Rules and Procedures: The arbitration will be conducted by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its rules and procedures, including the AAA’s Consumer Arbitration Rules (as applicable), as modified by this Agreement to Arbitrate. The AAA’s rules are available at www.adr.org or by calling the AAA at 1-800-778-7879. The use of the word “arbitrator” in this provision shall not be construed to prohibit more than one arbitrator from presiding over an arbitration; rather, the AAA’s rules will govern the number of arbitrators that may preside over an arbitration conducted under this Agreement to Arbitrate.
Notice: A party who intends to seek arbitration must first send to the other, by certified mail, a completed form Notice of Dispute (“Notice”). The Notice to Meratas should be sent to Meratas Inc., Attn: Legal and Compliance Department, Re: Notice of Dispute, 317 West Ave., #113343, Stamford CT, 06902. Meratas will send any Notice to you to the physical address we have on file associated with your Account; it is your responsibility to keep your physical address up to date. All information called for in the Notice must be provided, including a description of the nature and basis of the claims the party is asserting and the relief sought.
Post-Notice Initiation of Proceedings: If you and Meratas are unable to resolve the claims described in the Notice within 30 days after the Notice is sent, you or Meratas may initiate arbitration proceedings. A form for initiating arbitration proceedings is available on the AAA’s site at www.adr.org. In addition to filing this form with the AAA in accordance with its rules and procedures, the party initiating the arbitration must mail a copy of the completed form to the opposing party. You may send a copy to Meratas at the following address: Meratas Inc. Attn: Legal and Compliance Department, 317 West Ave., #113343, Stamford CT, 06902. In the event Meratas initiates an arbitration against you, it will send a copy of the completed form to the physical address we have on file associated with your Account. Any settlement offer made by you or Meratas shall not be disclosed to the arbitrator.
Arbitration Location: The arbitration hearing shall be held in the county in which you reside or at another mutually agreed location. If the value of the relief sought is $15,000 or less, you or Meratas may elect to have the arbitration conducted by telephone or based solely on written submissions, which election shall be binding on you and Meratas subject to the arbitrator’s discretion to require an in-person hearing, if the circumstances warrant. In cases where an in-person hearing is held, you and/or Meratas may attend by telephone, unless the arbitrator requires otherwise.
Arbitrator Decision; Final and Binding: The arbitrator will decide the substance of all claims in accordance with applicable law, including recognized principles of equity, and will honor all claims of privilege recognized by law. The arbitrator shall not be bound by rulings in prior arbitrations involving different users, but is bound by rulings in prior arbitrations involving the same Meratas user to the extent required by applicable law. The arbitrator’s award shall be final and binding and judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.
9.4. Costs of Arbitration
Payment of all filing, administration and arbitrator fees will be governed by the AAA’s rules, unless otherwise stated in this Agreement to Arbitrate. If (a) you willfully fail to comply with the Notice of Dispute requirement discussed above, or (b) in the event the arbitrator determines the claim(s) you assert in the arbitration to be frivolous, you agree to reimburse Meratas for all fees associated with the arbitration paid by Meratas.
9.5. Severability
With the exception of any of the provisions in Section 9.2 of this Agreement to Arbitrate (“Prohibition of Class and Representative Actions and Non-Individualized Relief”), if an arbitrator or court decides that any part of this Agreement to Arbitrate is invalid or unenforceable, the other parts of this Agreement to Arbitrate shall still apply.
9.6. Waiver of Jury Trial and Class Action
You and we agree that, by entering into this agreement, the parties are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate in a class action. You and we acknowledge that arbitration will limit our legal rights, including the right to participate in a class action, the right to a jury trial, the right to conduct full discovery, and the right to appeal (except as permitted in paragraph (e) or under the federal arbitration act).
9.7. Opt-Out Procedure
If you are a new Meratas user, you can choose to reject this agreement to arbitrate (“opt-out”) by mailing us a written opt-out notice (“opt-out notice”). The opt-out notice must be postmarked no later than 30 days after the date you accept the user agreement for the first time (i.e., you accept the user agreement when you use the Meratas website, www.Meratas.com). You must mail the opt-out notice to Meratas Inc., attn: Legal and Compliance Department, re: opt-out notice, 317 West Ave., #113343, Stamford CT, 06902.
Your Opt-Out Notice must include the following information: your name, address (including street address, city, state and zip code), and the email address associated with your Account. You must manually sign the Opt-Out Notice for it to be effective. This procedure is the only way you can opt out of the Agreement to Arbitrate. If you opt out of the Agreement to Arbitrate, all other parts of the Agreement and its Legal Disputes Section will continue to apply to you. Opting out of this Agreement to Arbitrate has no effect on any previous, other, or future arbitration agreements that you may have with us.
9.8. Future Amendments to the Agreement to Arbitrate
Notwithstanding any provision in the Agreement to the contrary, you and we agree that if we make any amendment to this Agreement to Arbitrate (other than an amendment to any notice address or site link provided herein) in the future, that amendment shall not apply to any claim that was filed in a legal proceeding against Meratas prior to the effective date of the amendment. The amendment shall apply to all other disputes or claims governed by the Agreement to Arbitrate that have arisen or may arise between you and Meratas.
9.9. Judicial Forum for Legal Disputes
You agree that: (i) the Service shall be deemed solely based in the State of Connecticut, USA; and (ii) the Service shall be deemed a passive one that does not give rise to personal jurisdiction over Meratas, either specific or general, in jurisdictions other than Connecticut. This Agreement shall be governed by the internal substantive laws of the State of Connecticut, without regard to principles of conflict of law.
Unless you and we agree otherwise, in the event that the Agreement to Arbitrate above is found not to apply to you or to a particular claim or dispute, either as a result of your decision to opt out of the Agreement to Arbitrate or as a result of a decision by the arbitrator or a court order, you agree that any claim or dispute that has arisen or may arise between you and Meratas must be resolved exclusively by a state or federal court located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. You and Meratas agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of the courts located within Fairfield County, Connecticut for the purpose of litigating all such claims or disputes. You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located in Fairfield County, Connecticut for any actions for which we retain the right to seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation or violation of our copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights.
10. General
10.1. Monitoring of Our Services and Disclosure for Administrative and Legal Reasons:
We may access, use, preserve, transfer or disclose, at any time and without notice to you, any information (including Personal Information as defined in our Privacy Policy) as reasonably necessary to: (1) comply with any applicable law, regulation, subpoena, or legal process, or respond to any governmental request or cooperate with law enforcement, if we believe such action is required or permitted by law; (2) enforce the Agreement, including to investigate potential violations; (3) protect the safety, integrity, rights, or security of our users, our Services or equipment, or any third party; or (4) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security, or technical issues related to our Service or the services of our Providers or other third-parties.
10.2. Assignment.
This Agreement, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred or assigned by you, but may be assigned by Meratas without restriction. Any attempted transfer or assignment in violation hereof shall be null and void.
10.3. Entire Agreement.
This Agreement, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies linked to in this Agreement, constitute the entire and exclusive understanding and agreement between you and Meratas regarding your use of and access to the Service, and except as expressly permitted above may only be amended by a written agreement signed by authorized representatives of the parties. Meratas may offer promotions from time to time. While promotions are subject to these Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy, there may be additional terms and conditions governing those promotions.
10.4. Severability
If any provision of this Agreement is deemed invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall be given effect to the greatest extent possible and shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect.
10.5. No Waiver
No waiver of any term of this Agreement shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term, and Meratas’s failure to assert any right or provision under this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
10.6. Headings
Headings are for reference purposes only and do not limit the scope or extent of such Section.
10.7. Survival
The following Sections survive any termination of this Agreement: Disclaimer of Warranties; Limitation of Liability; Release, Indemnity, Legal Disputes, and General.
10.8. No Agency or Joint Venture
Neither this Agreement nor the use of the Service shall be construed as creating or implying any relationship of agency, franchise, partnership or joint venture between you and Meratas, except and solely to the extent expressly stated herein.
10.9. Provider and Other Third-Party Terms
The Service may contain links to third-party and Provider websites, advertisers, services, or special offers that are not owned or controlled by Meratas. Meratas does not assume any responsibility for any third-party sites, information, materials, products, or services.
In some instances, Providers require that Meratas’s Users agree to be bound by some additional Terms of Service that are specific to particular products or services (“Provider Terms”). In the event of any conflict between the Provider Terms and Meratas’s Terms of Service related to the Service, Meratas’s Terms of Service govern and control.
When you link to Provider or other third-party sites you do so at your own risk and you should be aware that our terms and policies do not govern, except to the extent expressly provided for herein. You should always review the third-party’s applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any site to which you navigate from the Site.
10.10. Contact
Please contact us at help@meratas.com with any questions regarding this Agreement.
Notice to California Residents: Under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, you may contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 N. Market Blvd., Suite S-202, Sacramento, California 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210 in order to resolve a complaint regarding the service or to receive further information regarding use of the service.
Copy/Save Agreement: You agree to print or save a copy of this Agreement for your records and you agree and acknowledge that you can access, receive and retain all Disclosures electronically sent via email or posted on the Site.