If you view their POLICY on line it says they keep 50% of money regardless if any work was done if you terminate AFTER 30 days.
What they DO NOT say on-line is that the consumer MUST SIGN a GAG ORDER contract before any refund is given whether the contract is terminated before or after 30 days.
This Account Termination Agreement GAG ORDER forces the consumer to "agree to not engage in negative comments or slander regarding each other, including but not limited to complaints to the Better Business Bureau and any other public complaint forum. Client further agrees to keep the terms of this settlement confidential and not to disclose this settlement to or discuss it with other parties."
The contract further includes "Should there be any breach of the terms by either party, the offended party will be entailed to liquidated damages in the amount of $2500 for each breach of this agreement and the offended party is entitled to litigate this matter EXCLUSIVELY to the jurisdiction of the courts in the State of Utah, County of Utah, with the prevailing party entitled to an award of attorney's fees"
The consumer's refund is therefore held hostage unless he signs this sweet heart deal. And, most consumers after signing this will be terrified to contact their State Attorney Generals or File a complaint with the FTC for fear of being sued. Does filing a complaint with a State Attorney General or Federal Trade Commission violate this contract because a consumer says this NO GOOD company ripped me off in their complaint? NO ONE IS GOING TO TAKE THAT CHANCE to file a government complaint because most people cannot afford to go to Utah to fight a breach of silence agreement and if they don't show up, they automatically lose $2500 plus attorney fees. The State Attorney and FTC should FORCE the contract to say that consumers can still complain to GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS and list specifically who they can complain to.
The Better Business Bureau should BE ASHAMED for accepting HWS membership fees when they require consumers to sign a clause like this.
(Yes Folks, the BBB is a business which makes other businesses pay them fees to join). The BBB is a joke which is why this GAG ORDER contract mentions the BBB specifically and does NOT mention the state attorney or other legitimate government official complaint service like the FTC because most people ASSUME the BBB is part of the government WHICH IT IS NOT and Heritage Web Solutions hopes that consumers will assume that by OTHER AGENCIES this includes the State Attorneys and the FTC. Otherwise the HWS Gag Order would specifically state that this GAG ORDER does not stop a person from complaining to their Attorney Generals or FTC. Or, maybe this gag order really means that a person cannot contact them. Only a lawyer would know. Which is the point of this whole GAG ORDER-To silence the consumer by blackmailing them into signing a GAG Order to get their refund.
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