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Please carefully read
these Standard Membership Rules for Specialty Merchandise Corporation (SMC),
which apply to all SMC members. If you do not wish to comply with these Rules,
you should immediately cancel your membership in accordance with Section 4 below. 1. Membership. Subject
to your compliance with these Rules and payment of the membership fees you
agreed to when joining SMC, you will have a membership with SMC including the
right to purchase merchandise from SMC. 2. Registration. You
agree to provide us with accurate and complete information, including your
legal name, street address, email address and telephone number. All information
will be subject to the standard SMC Privacy Policy. You warrant
that any credit card or bank account information you provide is accurate and
that you have the right to use the account. 3. Renewal Fees. You must timely pay
an annual renewal fee (which is currently $49.95) to keep your membership
active and to be eligible to receive updated catalogs, price lists and other
information available to SMC members. SMC may change prices or institute new
fees at any time. The renewal fee will be automatically charged on the 19th day
of your anniversary month, or the next business day thereafter, to the credit
card or bank account you have provided us, unless you inactivate or cancel your
membership WITHIN 30 DAYS in accordance with Section 4 below 5. Fees and Credits. You are responsible for all charges
incurred, including your initial membership fee in accordance with the payment
plan you agreed to when joining, your annual renewal fee, and payment for any
merchandise or materials you order from SMC. Payments made by electronic funds
transfer (EFT) will result in a hold on shipment or account status of
approximately seven to nine business days. Except as specifically provided in Section 4 above, all amounts paid to SMC are nonrefundable. Upon
suspension, cancellation, or termination of your membership any unused credits
or funds remaining in your account remain the property of SMC. 6. Special Account Credits Special Account Credits may be used
for merchandise and supplies only, are non-refundable, may not be used for
recurring fees or charges or to purchase gift cards or additional credits, and
expire one year from the date of issuance. 7. Suspension. If you fail to pay for any purchases from SMC, if
any fees or charges are due but unpaid to SMC or its affiliate eMerchantClub, or if your account is delinquent, SMC may
automatically apply any credits in your account to pay the balance due, or your
membership may be suspended or canceled at SMC's discretion. Your account may
be suspended if you become inactive or do not place at least one merchandise
order per year. If your account is suspended you may reactivate your account by
paying a reactivation fee (which is currently $74.95). 8. Termination. SMC may
immediately terminate your membership, if you breach any provision of these
Rules, engage in any prohibited activities or aid and abet anyone listed in a
Fraud Alert or if you fail to pay any fees or charges when due. SMC also
reserves the right to terminate any membership upon refund of the most recent
annual fee. If your membership is terminated for any reason other than
non-payment, you may not rejoin SMC, either directly or through another person.
The provisions of Sections 8 through 21 will survive suspension, termination or
cancellation. 9. Communication.
Throughout the course of your membership, SMC may contact you for
administrative and promotional reasons by mail, email or telephone, including
pre-recorded messages. You may be able to opt out of some of these
communication channels by calling Member Support, or in the case of email by
using the “opt out” function provided with each mailing. 10. Prohibited
Activities. You may not directly or indirectly (a) use the names SMC or
Specialty Merchandise in the conduct of your business, (b) infringe on any SMC
trade names, trademarks or copyrights, (c) contact or solicit other SMC
members, (d) use your SMC membership in any manner or for any purpose other
than selling SMC products, (e) distribute SMC products outside authorized sales
channels, (f) engage in any unlawful, unfair or deceptive business practice,
(g) fail to conduct your business in an honest and ethical manner, (h) engage
in any abusive, tortious or unprofessional language or conduct, (i) violate any
applicable law or regulation, (j) compete against SMC or its affiliates, (k) do
anything to harm SMC, its affiliates or other members, or degrade SMC's
goodwill or reputation, or (l) do business with any person who does any of the
foregoing or is listed in a Fraud Alert. 11. Compliance. You are
solely responsible for all aspects of operating your business. You agree to
comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, ordinances and
regulations in connection with the operation of your business and the sale and
marketing of our products. You agree to comply with any manufacturer’s
restrictions on the sale of their products. You agree to indemnify and defend
SMC from any claims or demands in connection with your negligence, misconduct
or violation of any laws. 12. Taxes. You are
solely responsible for calculating, collecting, withholding, reporting and
paying any and all applicable taxes, duties and levies, including without
limitation states and local sales and use taxes, and federal and state income
taxes. 13. Trademarks and
Copyrights. You may not use the names SMC® or Specialty Merchandise
Corporation®, the SMC logo or any other trademarks or trade names of
SMC or its affiliates, or any confusingly similar names, in any manner. You may
not use the name or likeness of any SMC spokesperson, employee or other member.
You may not copy or link to www.smcorp.com or any other
website of SMC or its affiliates. You may not copy or use any copyrighted text,
graphics, CD-ROM or online content of SMC or its affiliates. You may only copy
or use designated SMC product descriptions, product photographs, and .jpg files
on your website to advertise products you purchased from SMC for sale to your
customers, and not in any other manner or for any other purpose. You may not
delegate or authorize any other person do so, whether on your behalf or
otherwise. 14. Warranty Exclusion.
SMC IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES, COSTS OR DAMAGES ARISING DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIP, THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE OR THE 15. Damage Limitation.
OUR CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY AND ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO OR ARISING
OUT OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE MEMBERSHIP FEES
YOU HAVE PAID TO US WITHIN THE PRIOR YEAR. SMC AND ITS AFFILIATES SHALL IN NO
EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR LOST PROFITS,
EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND EVEN IF
ANY EXCLUSIVE REMEDY PROVIDED FOR IN THIS AGREEMENT FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL
PURPOSE. 16. Notice of Claims.
You will promptly notify us in writing if any third party makes any claim of
infringement of any copyright, trademark or patent. If in our judgment the sale
or use of any SMC products may be found to infringe the property rights of a
third party or presents a consumer safety hazard, we may, at our option,
require you to return the infringing products for a merchandise credit or
exchange. 17. No Agency. You
agree and acknowledge that you and SMC have an independent business
relationship. Nothing about your membership or provided for in these Rules
shall be deemed to create a partnership, franchise, joint venture or agency,
and neither party is the other's partner, franchisee, employee, agent or
representative. You will not state, imply or hold yourself out to anyone as
being associated, affiliated with or endorsed by SMC, and have no right to
obligate or bind SMC in any manner whatsoever. 18. Third-Parties.
These Rules are intended and agreed to be solely for the benefit of you and SMC
and its affiliates, and no other party shall accrue any benefit, claim or right
of any kind whatsoever hereunder. 19. Arbitration. Any
controversy, dispute or claim of any nature whatsoever arising out of, in
connection with or in relation to your SMC membership or these Rules, or
involving you and SMC, including the issue or arbitrability of any such claims,
will be resolved by binding arbitration before a retired judge at JAMS in 20. 21. Miscellaneous. If
one or more provisions of these Rules shall be held to be invalid, illegal, or
unenforceable, the validity, legality, and enforceability of the remaining
provisions shall not be construed as a waiver. Neither your membership, these
Rules, nor any of your rights or obligations thereunder may be assigned, transferred
or delegated to any third party without SMC's prior written consent. 22. Amendments. The
Rules may be revised or amended by SMC at any time in its sole discretion, by
posting the revised Rules at www.smcorp.com/rules and the
amended Rules will become effective 30 days after posting. No representative or
agent from SMC may modify or waive any of these Rules, except in writing signed
by the President of SMC. |