Terms and Conditions
Sycamore Telephone Company
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
This Agreement is between you as our Subscriber (“you”) and Sycamore Telephone Company (“STC” or “we”) and sets forth the terms and conditions under which you agree to use and we agree to provide service to you.
THIS IS A CONTRACT. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS DO NOT USE THE SERVICE AND CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY TO TERMINATE IT.
Term and Acceptance of Agreement; Agreement Terms Generally Included.
The term of this Agreement will be either month-to-month or for the term specified for the service(s) you select (the “Term”). The Term begins when STC accepts your application for service and ends when you or we terminate this Agreement as permitted herein.
Acceptance by you of this Agreement occurs upon the earlier of: (a) your acceptance of this Agreement electronically during an online order, registration or when installing the Software or the Equipment; (b) your use of the Service; or (c) your retention of the Software or Equipment we provide beyond thirty (30) days following delivery. If you change Service plans, your term and monthly rate may change (depending on the plan you select), but all other provisions of this Agreement will remain in effect unless otherwise noted.
This Agreement consists of the terms below, plus (a) the specific elements of your Service or Bundled Service plan (including the plan’s pricing, duration and applicable Early Termination Fee (“ETF”), all as described in the information made available to you when placing and confirming your order, which is incorporated herein by reference.
DEFINITIONS AND CHANGES TO SERVICE.
“Broadband Services” means DSL-based Internet services known as “High Speed Internet” (“HSI”).
“Bundled Service(s)” means a combination or “bundle” of a Broadband Service with one or more other eligible STC services.
“Content” means content provided by STC or its third party licensors or suppliers and accessible on the Service, including without limitation images, photographs, animations, video, audio, music, and text in any format.
“Equipment” means the modem, router and/or other equipment provided by STC for use with the Service.
“Service” means all STC’ dial-up, Broadband Service, Software, Equipment, Content, cable television, technical support, email, domain name server (“DNS”) and related services, and other products and services provided by STC under the pricing plan applicable to your Service. Service does not include stand alone voice telephony services offered under our tariff on file with the Ohio Public Utilities Commission (“Commission”).
REVISIONS TO THIS AGREEMENT.
From time to time we will make revisions to this Agreement and the policies relating to the Service. We will provide you with at least thirty (30) days notice prior to the effective date of any increases to the monthly price of your Service or Bundled Service plan (excluding other charges as detailed in this Agreement) or revisions to any other terms and conditions shall be effective on the date noted in the notification. By continuing to use the Service after revisions are effective, you accept and agree to abide by them.
AUTHORIZED USER, ACCOUNT USE, AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
You acknowledge that you are eighteen (18) years of age or older and that you have the legal authority to enter into this Agreement. You agree promptly to notify STC whenever your personal or billing information changes.
You are responsible for all use of your Service and account, whether by you or someone using your account with or without your permission, including all secondary or sub-accounts associated with your primary account, and to pay for all activity associated with your account. You agree to comply with all applicable laws, regulations and rules regarding your use of the Service and to only use the Service within the United States (unless otherwise permitted by this Agreement).
Restrictions on Use. The Service is a consumer grade service and is not designed for or intended to be used for any commercial purpose. You may not resell, re-provision or rent the Service, (either for a fee or without charge) or allow third parties to use the Service via wired, wireless or other means. For example, you may not provide Internet access to third parties through a wired or wireless connection or use the Service to facilitate public Internet access (such as through a Wi-Fi hotspot), use it for high volume purposes, or engage in similar activities that constitute such use (commercial or non-commercial). If you subscribe to a Broadband Service, you may connect multiple computers/devices within a single home to your modem and/or router to access the Service, but only through a single STC-issued IP address. You also may not exceed the bandwidth usage limitations that STC may establish from time to time for the Service, or use the Service to host any type of server. Violation of this section may result in bandwidth restrictions on your Service or suspension or termination of your Service.
Dial-Up Accounts. If you subscribe to Dial-up Service, your Service may be subject to log-off automatically and without notice if your account is idle for fifteen minutes. An account session may be deemed to be idle if there appears to be no interactive, human generated data received from your computer system within a prescribed amount of time. Use of automatic re-dialer, script or other programs for the purpose of avoiding inactivity disconnects is a violation of this Agreement. You may only use your account for one log-on session per connection type at a time and you may not use more than one IP address for each log-on session.
Broadband Accounts. Additional User IDs provided for Broadband customers’ email boxes may not be used as dial-up connections.
AVAILABILITY OF AND CHANGES TO SERVICE.
Service and Bandwidth Availability and Speed. The Service you select may not be available in all areas or at the rates, speeds, or bandwidth generally marketed, and some locations may not qualify for the Service even if initial testing showed that your line was qualified. We will provision qualified HSI lines at the maximum line rate available to your location based on our standard line qualification procedures, unless you have selected a level of service with a lower maximum line rate. Bandwidth is provided on a per-line (not a per-device) basis. The bandwidth available to each device connected to the network will vary depending upon the number, type and configuration of devices using the Service and the type of use (e.g., streaming media), among other factors. The speed of the Service will vary based on network or Internet congestion, your computer configuration, your use of TV video on demand service, the condition of your telephone line and the wiring inside your location, among other factors. We and our suppliers reserve the right, at any time, with or without prior notice to you, to restrict or suspend the Service to perform maintenance activities and to maintain session control.
Changes to your local voice telephony service. If you change your local telephone company or discontinue your local telephone service, we may in our discretion either terminate your Service or continue to provide Broadband Service without local STC voice service at the then-current rates, terms and conditions applicable to your new Service plan and you agree to pay any new or higher monthly fee that may apply to your new Service plan. If we elect to terminate your Service under this Section 5.2, then we reserve the right to charge any early termination fees and to apply the Equipment return terms under Section 7.
PRICING; BILLING; CHANGES TO SERVICE PLANS AND PAYMENT.
Prices and Fees; Billing. You agree to pay the fees applicable to your Service or Bundled Service, either on a monthly or prepaid basis, as applicable, and to pay: a) applicable taxes, b) surcharges, c) recovery fees, d) telephone charges, e) activation fees, f) installation fees, g) set-up fees, h) equipment charges, i) ETFs, and j) other recurring and nonrecurring charges associated with the Service plan you have selected. The taxes, fees and other charges detailed in a)-d) above may vary on a monthly basis. Surcharges and recovery fees are not taxes and are not required by law, but are set by STC and may change. You also agree to pay any additional charges or fees applied to your account, including interest and charges due to insufficient credit or insufficient funds. Non-recurring charges such as set up, activation and installation fees, and equipment charges, will be included in your first bill. Monthly Service and Bundled Service recurring charges will be billed one month in advance; any usage charges will be billed in arrears. Pre-paid pricing plans for Additional Services will be billed in advance. Based on your election and subject to our approval, STC or its agent will bill you directly, or bill your charge card or local STC telephone bill (where available). IF YOU ELECT TO BE BILLED ON YOUR STC PHONE BILL, BY USING THE SERVICES YOU AGREE TO HAVE ALL SERVICE CHARGES INCLUDED ON YOUR PHONE BILL. IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO A BUNDLED SERVICE PLAN, THEN ALL OF THE SERVICES INCLUDED IN THE BUNDLED SERVICE PLAN MUST BE BILLED ON YOUR STC PHONE BILL. If you enroll in STC’s Paperless Billing program (where offered), you agree to view and pay your bill electronically each month and to promptly update your e-mail address with STC if it changes. You will no longer receive a paper bill. Instead, each month you will receive an e-mail notifying you that your bill is available online for viewing and payment. You must continue to pay your paper bill until you receive your first e-mail notification that your bill is available online. If your electronic payment is rejected for any reason, STC may charge a return item fee (where permissible), cancel your enrollment in the Paperless Billing program and resume sending you paper bills. Billing for Dial-up Service will automatically begin upon registration of your account. Billing for Broadband Services will automatically begin on the date provisioning of your Broadband Service is complete (“Service Ready Date”). Billing for Additional Services will begin on your Service Ready Date if you are also ordering a new Broadband Service. Otherwise, billing for Additional Services will begin upon submission of your order, unless otherwise noted. We may, at our election, waive any fees or charges. If you cancel any component of a Bundled Services plan, the monthly charges for the remaining services on your account will automatically convert to the applicable existing, non-discounted month-to-month service rate.
Plans with Minimum Terms. If you choose a Service or Bundled Services plan with a minimum term commitment, you agree to maintain your Service for the term of that plan (a “Term Plan”). For Broadband Services, your Term Plan begins on the later of: (a) the date you change your existing Broadband Service plan to a Term Plan; or (b) your Service Ready Date; for Bundled Services, your Term Plan begins once all Bundled Services have been provisioned. You will begin receiving any discount associated with a Bundled Services plan once all Bundled Services have been provisioned. At the end of any Term Plan you may be given the option to select a new Term Plan. If you do not select a new Term Plan, your Service will automatically convert to a month-to-month Service plan at a monthly fee that may be higher than your current rate. If you select a new Term Plan, the terms of that plan will apply.
Pre-paid Service Plans for Additional Services. You may be given the option to select a pre-paid service plan for Additional Services (“Prepaid Service Plan”) which will begin on the later of: (a) the date of your order, or (b) the date you change to the Prepaid Service Plan. There will be no refunds for Prepaid Service Plans. At the end of any Prepaid Service Plan, you may be given the option to select a new Prepaid Service Plan. If you do not select a new Prepaid Service Plan, your Service will automatically convert to the then-current month-to-month rate for the Additional Service.
Money Back Guarantee. If we provide a money back guarantee (“MBG”) for your Service, it will begin on your Service Ready Date. During this MBG period you may cancel your Service and receive a full refund of all monthly, one-time and equipment charges paid to STC (provided you return all Equipment in good working condition). If you fail to return the Equipment, an unreturned Equipment fee will apply. ETFs will not apply to Service terminated within the MBG period. The MBG does not apply to customers who change between or renew bundle, monthly, term or other pricing plans. The MBG is limited to one per Subscriber per Service type per Service address.
Discontinuation of Service for Nonpayment. We may discontinue your Service without notice if Service charges on your telephone bill or charge card are refused for any reason, or if you fail to make payment when due or to provide us with a new charge card expiration date before the existing date expires. If you fail to make payment when due, we may convert your Bundled Service package to a basic service account subject to future suspension and termination pursuant to applicable Commission Rules and Regulations. Thereafter, if you fail to make payments sufficient to pay the basic service charges in the Bundled Service package, we may suspend and terminate your basic service for nonpayment pursuant to the Commission’s Rules and Regulations.
If your service is suspended for nonpayment, you must pay all past due amounts in order to have service restored, and you may be also be required to pay a fee for the restoration of service.
Late Fees. If any portion of your bill is not paid by the due date, STC may charge you a late fee on unpaid balances and may also terminate or suspend your Service without notice. If STC uses a collection agency or legal action to recover monies due, you agree to reimburse us for all expenses we incur to recover such monies, including attorneys’ fees.
Local Telephone, Toll and Long Distance Charges. STC IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CHARGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, LONG DISTANCE AND METERED LOCAL OR TOLL CHARGES INCURRED WHEN YOU ACCESS THE SERVICE. YOU SHOULD CHECK WITH THE LOCAL PHONE COMPANY TO DETERMINE WHETHER A DIAL-UP NUMBER YOU HAVE SELECTED IS A LOCAL CALL FROM YOUR LOCATION AND WHETHER ANY CHARGES APPLY. STC DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT ANY DIAL-UP ACCESS NUMBERS WE PROVIDE WILL BE A LOCAL CALL FROM YOUR LOCATION. ADDITIONAL CHARGES, WHICH MAY BE SUBSTANTIAL, APPLY TO REMOTE DIAL UP ACCESS, WHICH IS AVAILABLE FROM CERTAIN LOCATIONS ONLY.
Limitation on Special Pricing Promotions. You may only take advantage of one special pricing promotion during any consecutive twelve (12)-month period. Eligibility for promotional offers may be contingent upon payment of all outstanding STC charges.
Refundable Deposit. We may require that you provide us with a refundable deposit, which will be specified at the time of your order (“Subscriber Deposit”). We may also require an additional deposit after activation of the Service if you fail to pay any amounts when due. Within ninety (90) days after termination of your Service, we will return your Subscriber Deposit, less any unpaid amounts due on your account, including any amounts owed for unreturned or damaged Equipment. Amounts held on deposit will not accrue interest except as required by law.
Credit Related Matters We may evaluate your credit history before modifying or providing you Service. In order to establish an account with us and/or obtain or modify Service, we may obtain a report from a consumer credit agency or exchange information with our affiliates in connection with determining your creditworthiness. If you fail to pay your bill, we may submit a negative credit report to a credit reporting agency, which will negatively affect your credit report.
TERMINATION OR SUSPENSION OF SERVICE.
Termination of Service.
Subscribers with Month-to-Month Accounts. If you are a month-to-month Service customer, either you or STC may terminate this Agreement any time by giving notice to the other as set forth in this Agreement. Termination by you will be effective upon your notice to us. Activation or set-up fees paid at the initiation of your Service, if any, are not refundable, except during any applicable 30-day MBG period.
Subscribers with Term Plans; Early Termination Fee. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT, IF YOUR BROADBAND SERVICE OR ANY COMPONENT OF A BUNDLED SERVICE PLAN IS TERMINATED BY YOU OR BY US AS A RESULT OF VIOLATION BY YOU OF THIS AGREEMENT BEFORE COMPLETING YOUR TERM PLAN, THEN YOU AGREE TO PAY STC THE ETF SET FORTH IN THE PRICING PLAN YOU HAVE CHOSEN. If you terminate Service at your location, your existing Term Plan cannot be carried over to a new Service location.
Termination and/or Suspension by STC. STC reserves the right to change, limit, terminate, modify or temporarily or permanently cease providing the Service or any part of it with or without prior notice if we elect to change the Service or a part thereof or if you violate the terms of this Agreement. If STC terminates your Service under this Section, you must immediately stop using the Service and you will be responsible for the applicable fees and/or Equipment charges. IF THE TERMINATION IS A RESULT OF VIOLATION BY YOU OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, YOU ALSO SHALL BE LIABLE TO PAY THE ETF. If STC terminates or ceases to offer service to your location, you shall not be liable to pay the ETF. If your Service is reconnected, a reconnection fee may apply.
Deletion of Data upon Termination. YOU AGREE THAT IF YOUR SERVICE IS TERMINATED FOR ANY REASON, STC HAS THE RIGHT TO IMMEDIATELY DELETE ALL DATA, FILES AND OTHER INFORMATION (INCLUDING EMAILS, ADDRESS BOOK AND WEB STORAGE CONTENT) STORED IN OR FOR YOUR ACCOUNT WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE TO YOU.
Return of Equipment upon Termination. If your HSI Service is terminated for any reason prior to the end of the first year of service and you received Equipment at no charge from STC, you must return the Equipment to STC or you will be charged for the Equipment. If your Internet service is terminated for any reason prior to the end of the third year of service and you received Equipment at no charge from STC, you must return the Equipment to STC or you will be charged for the Equipment. Failure to return any Equipment you received at no charge from STC, or returning Equipment in a damaged condition (subject only to reasonable wear and tear), will result in the imposition of an Equipment fee that may be substantial.
LIMITATIONS ON USE OF THE SERVICE.
You acknowledge and agree that STC: (a) is not responsible for invalid destinations, transmission errors, or the corruption of your data; and (b) does not guarantee your ability to access all websites, servers or other facilities or that the Service is secure or will meet your needs.
You acknowledge that the Service will allow access to information which may be sexually explicit, obscene or offensive, or otherwise unsuitable for children. You agree that the supervision of use of the Service by children is your responsibility and that STC is not responsible for access by you or any other users to objectionable or offensive content. STC STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THE USE OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CONTENT FILTERING SOFTWARE.
You agree that STC assumes no responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, quality completeness, usefulness or value of any Content, advice or opinions contained in any emails, message boards, chat rooms or community services, STC Websites or in any other public services or social networks, and that STC does not endorse any advice or opinion contained therein, whether or not STC provides such service(s). STC does not monitor or control such services, although we reserve the right to do so.
You represent that when you transmit, upload, post or submit any content, images or data using the Service you have the legal right to do so and that your use of such data or content does not violate the copyright or trademark laws or any other third party rights.
Websites linked to or from the Service are not reviewed, controlled, or examined by STC and you acknowledge and agree that STC is not responsible for any losses you incur or claims you may have against the owner of third party websites. The inclusion of any linked websites or content from the Service, including websites or content advertised on the Service, does not imply endorsement of them by STC.
If you choose to access the STC Web Sites from locations outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and you are responsible for compliance with all applicable local use controls, laws and regulations, including those relating to the transmission of technical data exported from or imported to the United States or the country in which you reside. STC makes no representation that materials on the STC Web Sites are appropriate or available for use in locations outside the United States and accessing them from territories where their contents are illegal is prohibited.
WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE SERVICE SUPPLIED HEREUNDER IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” OR “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITH ALL FAULTS. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SPECIFICALLY SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT AND AS OTHERWISE SPECIFICALLY SET FORTH IN ANY MANUFACTURER WARRANTY FOR ANY EQUIPMENT PROVIDED BY STC (BUT ONLY IF SUCH WARRANTY IS INCLUDED WITH SUCH EQUIPMENT), STC (AND ITS OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, PARENT, SUBSIDIARIES, AND AFFILIATES) (COLLECTIVELY THE “STC PARTIES”), ITS THIRD PARTY LICENSORS, PROVIDERS AND SUPPLIERS, DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS FOR THE SERVICE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, NON-INTERFERENCE, TITLE, COMPATIBILITY OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS, COMPATIBILITY OF SOFTWARE PROGRAMS, INTEGRATION, AND THOSE ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF TRADE, OR ARISING UNDER STATUTE. ALSO, THERE IS NO WARRANTY OF WORKMANLIKE EFFORT OR LACK OF NEGLIGENCE. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION GIVEN BY STC OR ITS REPRESENTATIVES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY WITH RESPECT TO ADVICE PROVIDED.
STC DOES NOT WARRANT OR GUARANTEE THAT SERVICE CAN BE PROVISIONED TO YOUR LOCATION, OR THAT PROVISIONING WILL OCCUR ACCORDING TO A SPECIFIED SCHEDULE, EVEN IF STC HAS ACCEPTED YOUR ORDER FOR SERVICE. THE PROVISIONING OF SERVICE IS SUBJECT TO NETWORK AVAILABILITY, CIRCUIT AVAILABILITY, LOOP LENGTH, THE CONDITION OF YOUR TELEPHONE LINE AND WIRING INSIDE YOUR LOCATION, AND YOUR COMPUTER/DEVICE CONFIGURATION AND CAPABILITIES, AMONG OTHER FACTORS. IN THE EVENT YOUR LINE IS NOT PROVISIONED FOR ANY REASON, NEITHER YOU NOR STC SHALL HAVE ANY DUTIES OR OBLIGATIONS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT (OTHER THAN YOUR OBLIGATION TO RETURN ANY STC-PROVIDED EQUIPMENT).
STC DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE OR EQUIPMENT PROVIDED BY STC WILL PERFORM AT A PARTICULAR SPEED, BANDWIDTH OR DATA THROUGHPUT RATE, OR WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES, WORMS, DISABLING CODE OR CONDITIONS, OR THE LIKE.
INDEMNIFICATION.
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless STC from and against all liabilities, costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ and experts’ fees, related to or arising from your use of the Service (or the use of your Service by anyone else), (a) in violation of applicable laws, regulations or this Agreement; (b) to access the Internet or to transmit or post any message, information, software, images or other materials via the Internet; (c) in any manner that harms any person or results in the personal injury or death of any person or in damage to or loss of any tangible or intangible (including data) property; or (d) claims for infringement of any intellectual property rights arising from or in connection with use of the Service.
NOTICES.
Notices required under this Agreement by you must be provided to us at:
104 E. 7th Street
Sycamore, OH 44882-9409
Notice by STC to you (including notice of changes to this Agreement under Section 3) shall be deemed given when: (a) transmitted to your primary email address; or (b) mailed via the US mail or hand-delivered to your address on file with us.
GENERAL PROVISIONS.
All obligations of the parties under this Agreement, which, by their nature, would continue beyond the termination of this Agreement, including without limitation, those relating to Limitation of Liability and Indemnification, shall survive such termination.
STC will not be liable for delays, damages or failures in performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control, including, but not limited to, acts of a governmental body, acts of God, acts of third parties, fires, floods, strikes, work slow-downs or other labor-related activity, or an inability to obtain necessary equipment or services.
You may not assign or otherwise transfer this Agreement, or your rights or obligations under it, in whole or in part, to any other person. Any attempt to do so shall be void. We may freely assign all or any part of this Agreement with or without notice and you agree to make all subsequent payments as directed.
Except as otherwise required by law, you and STC agree that the substantive laws of the Ohio, without reference to its principles of conflicts of laws, will be applied to govern, construe and enforce all of the rights and duties of the parties arising from or relating in any way to the subject matter of this Agreement.
STC failure at any time to insist upon strict compliance with any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be construed to be a waiver of such terms in the future. If any provision of this Agreement is determined to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and the unenforceable portion shall be construed as nearly as possible to reflect the original intentions of the parties.
This Agreement, including all policies referred to herein and posted on the STC’s website, constitutes the entire agreement between you and STC with respect to the subject matter hereto and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous agreements whether written or oral. No changes by you to this Agreement shall be effective unless agreed to in a writing signed by an authorized person at STC.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
Sycamore Telephone Company is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Statement sets forth our current privacy practices with regard to the information we collect when you or your computer interact with our website. By accessing Sycamore Telephone Company, www.syctelco.com, you acknowledge and fully understand SycamoreTelephone Company’s Privacy Statement and freely consent to the information collection and use practices described in this Website Privacy Statement.
REFUND POLICY
For any refund related questions, please contact us at: (419) 927-6012 or stc@syctelco.com
Effective: October 1, 2012.