Legal

Copyright © 2005, 2024 The Lones Group, Inc.; ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.

These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern how you may access and use the www.thelonesgroup.com website ("Site") and your responsibilities when doing so. Our Privacy Policy, below, explains how we may use any personal information shared by you. By accessing www.thelonesgroup.com, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy, so please take a moment to carefully review this document. If you are accessing this Site on behalf of an organization, then you agree to these Terms and the Privacy Policy on behalf of that organization. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use this Site.

Legal Notices

All legal inquiries and notices should be sent to:

The Lones Group, Inc.
2200 Cornwall Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225
United States of America

Pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 512(c). The Lones Group, Inc's designated Copyright Agent is:

Shauna Naf
360-527-8904
legal@thelonesgroup.com

Content and Intellectual Property

Any information or content shared on the Site is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult with an appropriate professional for any professional advice you need, for example, legal or accounting advice.

The Lones Group, Inc and its partners created the text, images, video, graphics, content, and materials ("Materials") available through this Site. All Materials are protected by all applicable copyright and trademark laws. The Lones Group, Inc. or the party credited owns the Materials, and all rights in the Materials are expressly reserved. Reproduction of any Materials is prohibited unless explicitly specified otherwise in written form.

Any graphics or content not owned by The Lones Group, Inc have been used by The Lones Group, Inc with permission or have been licensed to The Lones Group, Inc.

All branding and website designs are registered copyright © The Lones Group, Inc.

"The Lones Group, Inc." logo, trade dress and identifying brand materials are trademarks of The Lones Group, Inc.

Portraits of clients included with testimonials or in our portfolio are property of their depicted owners and are used with consent.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA")

The Lones Group, Inc respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects you to do the same. Per the DMCA, The Lones Group, Inc will respond expeditiously to claims of copyright infringement on the Site if submitted to The Lones Group, Inc's Copyright Agent as described below. Upon receipt of a notice alleging copyright infringement, The Lones Group, Inc will take whatever action it deems appropriate within its sole discretion, including removal of the allegedly infringing materials.

If you believe that your intellectual property rights have been violated by The Lones Group, Inc or by a third party who has uploaded materials to the Site, please provide the following information to The Lones Group, Inc's designated Copyright Agent listed below:

  1. A description of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property that you claim has been infringed;
  2. A description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the Site;
  3. An address, telephone number, and email address where The Lones Group, Inc can contact you and, if different, an email address where the alleged infringing party, if not The Lones Group, Inc, can contact you;
  4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner or other intellectual property rights owner, by its agent, or by law;
  5. A statement by you under penalty of perjury that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright or intellectual property owner or are authorized to act on the owner's behalf;
  6. Your electronic or physical signature.

The Lones Group, Inc may request additional information before removing any allegedly infringing material. In the event The Lones Group, Inc removes the allegedly infringing materials, The Lones Group, Inc will immediately notify the person responsible for posting such materials that The Lones Group, Inc removed or disabled access to the materials. The Lones Group, Inc may also provide the responsible person with your email address so that the person may respond to your allegations.

Third-Party Links

This Site includes links to websites that are not owned or operated by The Lones Group, Inc. These links are provided as a convenience and do not constitute The Lones Group, Inc's endorsement of the linked-to website or its owner. Please be aware that when you leave the Site that our Terms and Privacy Policy will no longer apply to your activities at Third Party websites. Third-party websites will likely have their own terms of use and privacy policy, which The Lones Group, Inc. has no control over.

Privacy Policy

We value and respect your privacy. Our database of client contact information is used to keep you informed about products, services, and events related to The Lones Group and its activities. We will not sell your contact information under any circumstance. With exceptions for the following situations, we will not release your contact information to third parties:

  1. We may release your information to legal authorities if compelled to as part of a legal investigation.
  2. Information that you provide on a sign-in/sign-out sheet for the purpose of certifying your presence at a clock hour class may be released to a state auditor upon the request of the Department of Licensing.
  3. If you participate in a class that we offer - online or offline - that includes an instructor who is not an employee of The Lones Group, then we may share your name, email address and phone number with that instructor. This is so that the instructor may contact you regarding the class, not for marketing or other non-curricular purposes.
  4. If you become subscribed to one of our weekly newsletters we will share your email address with our email delivery vendor for the sole purpose of delivering subscription-based emails to you from The Lones Group, Inc. For example, our weekly Zebra Report newsletter.

Information Collection, Use and Deletion

The Lones Group, Inc collects personal information such as your name, email address, and zip code when you register with us, when you use our products or services, when you visit our websites, and when you enter contests and promotions.

Upon registering with us, you are no longer anonymous to us. We collect information about your transactions with us. We automatically receive and record information on our server logs about your browsing session while you are present at our website, including your IP address, and the pages, products, and services which you request to view.

The Lones Group, Inc uses information collected for the following general purposes: to customize the advertising and content you see, to fulfill your requests for products and services, to improve our products and services, to contact you, and to conduct research.

Should you provide your email address to The Lones Group, Inc., for example, by registering for access to Club Zebra, subscribing to The Zebra Report newsletter or elsewhere through the Site, then you agree that The Lones Group, Inc. may send emails to you about a variety of subjects, such as updates to the Site or The Lones Group's products, services, events and programs. By providing your email address to The Lones Group, Inc you consent to receiving these emails from The Lones Group, Inc. You will have the option of unsubscribing from The Lones Group, Inc.'s email list(s) through a link included in every email.

You can request that your account be converted to "do not contact" status by contacting us. If there is no outstanding balance on your account, you will receive a confirmation that we have converted your account to "do not contact" status. If your account carries a balance, you will continue receiving communications until such date as your account is paid in full. Some of your account information may be kept on file for a certain period of time for the purposes of archiving your past use of our products and services and to help ensure that your "do not contact" status remains in force.

Cookie Policy

A Cookie is a small, text-only piece of information that a website transfers to your computer or other web-browsing equipment for record-keeping purposes. Cookies allow the Site to remember important information that will make your use of the Site more convenient. For example, allowing you to log in to restricted areas of the Site. Certain cookies will be used by the Site regardless of whether or not you are logged in to your account. Like most websites, we use cookes for a variety of purposes in order to improve your online experience. This includes analytics, marketing, referral tracking and storing your preferences. This includes the use of third-party cookies issued by Facebook and Google. Cookies are temporary and you may selectively disable or delete cookies issued by the Site at your discretion. However, please be aware that disabling or deleting cookies issued by The Lones Group, Inc may interfere with your ability to access paid services, to log in to restricted sections of the website, and your use of the Site.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

This policy may be updated as needed. In the event we make significant changes to the way we treat personal information, we will send a notice to the primary email address specified in your The Lones Group, Inc account or we will place a prominent notice on this site.

Members Only Access

Some portions of the Site may only be accessed by members of specific services offered by The Lones Group, Inc. Examples include, but are not limited to Club Zebra Pro membership and coaching members. When you are a member of a service that provides member only access, you will be required to register for that access. The Lones Group, Inc. may perform this registration on your behalf. You will have a username and password. You are responsible for your username and password, and the activities that occur on the Site under your username and password, so please be careful with how you store and share that information.

You are responsible for providing The Lones Group, Inc with accurate and complete registration information, including updating such information as it changes.

Club Zebra Subscriptions

Club Zebra is a resource center for real estate agents, with both complimentary access and paid subscription options. Regardless of the program level you are participating in, the use of any Club Zebra materials is limited to Club members only. You may not reproduce or share Club Zebra materials you access with your membership.

Interruptions to your Club Zebra PRO membership due to late payments, or cancellation of your Club Zebra PRO membership may result in a loss of access to archived Club articles, webinars, and other content found in the Club Zebra archives and the Vault, even should you re-subscribe at a later date. To request a grace period to resolve payment issues and avoid this complication, please contact us.

Client Content Distribution Policy

The Lones Group creates client content in the form of articles, Industry Update infographs, and Did You Know abbreviated articles for the purpose of being used by you in distribution to your clients. When you use client content, you do not need to attribute Denise Lones or The Lones Group as the original author. All eligible client content is marked with the green content icon shown here: . Any content without this mark is not client content and therefore not eligible for distribution in any form without prior written permission from The Lones Group, Inc.

Your use of client content requires you to observe the following distribution policy:

  1. You may only distribute client content to a limited and specific database of clients and prospects. For example, your monthly print-mailer list or an email distribution list.
  2. You may not allow a third party to publish client content in your name. For example: a magazine, company newsletter, or a newspaper or industry journal.
  3. You may not make client content available for general release a way that allows for anonymous consumption. For example: a website, a blog, an online forum, or a leaflet left at a place of business.

Client content labeled "Blog Content" is the sole exception to the above rules; these articles may be published on your personal blog and can be released for general and anonymous consumption.

Branding Services

The Lones Group, Inc. is a provider of branding services and may be contracted to undertake branding services on your behalf. The following terms, included here under the heading of Branding Services, are referred to by your branding services contract. These terms are included, in entirety, as a fully enforceable and executable part of your branding contract. Your signed branding service contract indicates your explicit and contractual agreement with the following Branding Services terms:

Responsibility for Review

It is the Client's responsibility to review all materials for inaccuracies and to include all logos, disclaimers, designations, and details needed to accurately represent Client. The Lones Group recommends that Client elicit assistance in performing this review, preferably by Client's managing broker who can verify that all companyand MLS items are represented correctly. Client is advised to print all marketing materials for final review and approval and not to rely on screen images, and is advised to print materials for final review and approval. Client shall communicate project approval to The Lones Group in writing, which shall constitute final approval and Client's consent for The Lones Group to create Client's editable templates.

Retention of Certain Rights

All concepts, artwork, specifications and other visual presentation material shall remain the property of The Lones Group, which it may use for purposes that include (without limitation) publication, exhibition, or other promotional purposes. Client is granted and exclusive right to use the materials created by The Lones Group. Client may not share their brand, or any single or combined elements of their brand, with another business without express written consent from The Lones Group, Inc.. Client shall be responsible for conforming to any and all license agreements, and shall hold The Lones Group harmless from any violations performed, regardless of Client's intent.

Fees

In the event Client's payment cannot be processed through no fault of The Lones Group and the check must be reprocessed, a $35 NSF (Non-Sufficient Funds) Fee will be charged to the Client. Any payment which is not received by the due date shall be considered late, and shall be assessed a $35 Late Fee for each month that the payment is not received. Example: Client's payment is due August 1st. Client's credit card is rejected for the payment, but is successfully reprocessed on Auguest 3rd. Client's account will be charged a $35 Late Fee. Clients may pay their account balance at any time without penalties for prepayment. If paying by check, it must arrive at The Lones Group on or before the due date in order to avoid a Late Fee.

Account Past Due

The Lones Group will stop all project work in the event Client's payments are in arrears by 60 days. Client agrees to cease using marketing materials created by The Lones Group, as well as any materials on which client's brand is featured, including any website or blog created by The Lones Group, until client's account is current and no monies are past due.

Mediation

In the event of a performance dispute arising from this agreement the parties agree the first point of recourse shall be mediation via a third-party negotiator in the jurisdiction of Whatcom County with each party bearing 50% of the costs of mediation. Mediators must be registered with the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center. Mediation is not an avenue for resolding a dispute arising from Client's inability or refusal to pay.

Jurisdiction

In the event of a dispute arising from this agreement that cannot be settled through the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center the parties agree to take the dispute to the court system geographically closest to The Lones Group or assigned representative of The Lones Group that can hear the type of case required to resolve the dispute.

Legal Fees

In the Event of a dispute arising from this agreement to the The Lones Group's performance, each party shall be responsible for their attorney's fees. In the event of a dispute arising from Client's inability or refusal to pay, all fees associated witht he collection of unpaid debt will be the responsibility of the client.

Licensed Real Estate School

This school (S1462) is licensed and approved under RCW 18.85 by the State of Washington. All inquiries regarding this and any other real estate school may be made to the Washington State Department of Licensing, PO Box 9021, Olympia, WA 98507. Denise Lones is a licensed real estate instructor (I1642) in the State of Washington.

Clock Hour Sign-In and Sign-Out Policy

The Lones Group school has a policy of requiring signatures both at the beginning and the end of the clock hour session. In the event a signature is missing and the school administrators (or the event coordinator in approved cases) can attest as witnesses that the student was there for the entire session, The Lones Group may send an Attestation of Attendance form to the student for student signature. This signed form along with the witness statement will be included in the clock hour records. In the event this form is processed after the clock hour certificates for the class have been sent out, there is a $25 fee to process the certificate.

Lost Clock Hour Certificates

When we receive a request to reissue a clock hour certificate we are required to ensure that all requirements for that certificate have been satisfied, including your original sign-in and sign-out signatures for the certified event, pursuant to state laws that govern our real estate school and its right to issue continuing education credit. This requires us to expend time on your behalf. In the event you require a replacement clock hour certificate or need us to undertake research on your behalf relative to your clock hour certificate(s), you will be assessed a record retrieval fee for researching course certification. The record retrieval fee is $25 for an individual course certificate or $50 for multiple course certificates. This fee is payable prior to us undertaking the research or reissuing your clock hour certificate.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Physical Products

Any return request must be received by The Lones Group within or upon 90 days of the original purchase date. Determination of eligibility and remedy for all returns is performed at the sole discretion of The Lones Group unless otherwise noted. Read below for additional applicable product warranty notices. The following rules apply to all purchases of physical products.

Damaged or Defective Product: Products damaged in transit or physically defective by fault of production may be returned for a replacement, store credit or refund.

Unopened Product: An unopened product has an unbroken seal. Unopened product is eligible for return for replacement, store credit or refund as chosen by you, our client. Refunds for returned unopened product may be charged a 15% restocking fee. All unopened product returns must be in saleable condition, in their original packaging, with an intact seal.

Opened Product: A product whose seal has been broken is considered an opened product. Opened products are only eligible for replacement or store credit if the product is defective.

Products Accompanied by Downloadable Content: If your purchase of is accompanied by downloadable content and you have accessed that content prior to resolution of your return request, then your purchase is only eligible for replacement or store credit.

 

Downloadable Products

You may request a refund of any downloadable product within 90 days of purchase, provided you have not accessed or downloaded the product. You may receive either a different product of equal value, store credit, or a full refund at the discretion of The Lones Group. Any refund provided for a downloadable product which has clock hours associated with it automatically revokes your eligibility for any continuing education or clock hour credit associated with that product.

 

Event Registration and Clock Hour Fees

Fees associated with event registration and clock hour (continuing education) credits are eligible for refund before ten days prior to the event date. A 10% or $10 administrative fee, whichever is greater, is assessed on all refunds for all such fees. Alternatively, before ten days prior to the event date, you may choose to apply your purchase towards another class at no penalty.

 

Subscriptions

Refunds are not provided for subscriptions. Trial or "introductory rate" subscriptions may be terminated at any time before the end of the trial/introductory period. All other subscriptions must be canceled in writing, at least 30 days before the proposed cancellation date or through your online account. Written requests for subscription cancellations must be mailed to:

The Lones Group
2200 Cornwall Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225
Attn: Subscriptions

Written requests may also be emailed to support@thelonesgroup.com or submitted via FAX at 360-527-8907.

Your subscription may be bound by additional terms as defined by a contract for the product or service. Please refer to your individual contract.

 

Work Orders

Work orders includes change orders on existing contracts, website maintenance, piece work, and design work done in addition to any original Branding scope of work. All work orders are initiated through a work order payment authorization. Work order terms are in addition to the original contracted service and include the following terms unless specifically stated otherwise on the payment authorization. Work order agreements cannot be cancelled for any reason except as allowed by state law. Work order deliverables are made within or upon 10 business days from time of payment OR upon receipt from the client of materials and content necessary to execute the work order, whichever occurs last. In the event that the client does not provide materials, feedback or content necessary to complete the work order, the work order will be held in abeyance until requests made upon the client for said items are satisfied. All work orders are scheduled, or rescheduled from abeyance, on a first come first served basis. Please let us know if you require a faster response, additional rush-fees may apply.

 

Services

Terms of cancellation and refund are defined by the contract for the service. Please refer to your individual contract. Without limitation, services include Business Analysis, Mastery, website development, printing services, follow-up services, coaching, Club Zebra, personality assessments, templates and tools, seminar hosts and sponsorships, and branding services.

Physical & Downloadable Product Warranty

The Lones Group, Inc warrants that, for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase (as evidenced by your order date): (i) when used with the recommended software (Microsoft™ Publisher, Microsoft™ Word, or Microsoft™ Excel), the files and content will perform correctly; and (ii) if physical media is provided, the physical media on which the files and content is furnished will be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use.

If applicable law requires any warranties with respect to any software, all such warranties are limited in duration to ninety (90) days from the date of delivery.

No oral or written information or advice given by The Lones Group, Inc, its agents or employees shall create a warranty or in any way increase the scope of any warranty provided herein.

Your exclusive remedy under the preceding is to alert The Lones Group, Inc, with a description of the problem. Provided that any noncompliance with the above warranty is reported in writing to The Lones Group, Inc no more than ninety (90) days following purchase by you, The Lones Group, Inc will use reasonable commercial efforts to supply you with replacement files and content, provide a replacement for defective media, or refund to you your purchase price for the product in full or at a prorated amount, at its option. The Lones Group, Inc shall have no responsibility if the files and content have been altered in any way, if the files and content have been damaged by misuse, accident, abuse, modification or misapplication, or if the failure arises out of misuse of the recommended software. Any such misuse, accident, abuse, modification or misapplication of the files and content will void the warranty above. This remedy is the sole and exclusive remedy available to you for breach of express or implied warranties with respect to the purchased product and its associated files, content and related documentation.

Limitations of Liability

The Lones Group, Inc shall not be liable to you or any third party for any indirect, special, incidental, punitive, cover or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, damages for an inability to use equipment or access data, loss of business, loss of profits, business interruption or the like), arising out of the use of, or inability to use any Lones Group products or services and based on any theory of liability including breach of contract, breach of warranty, tort (including negligence), product liability or otherwise, even if The Lones Group, Inc or its agents or employees have been advised of the possibility of such damages and even if a remedy set forth herein is found to have failed of its essential purpose.

No agency, partnership, joint venture, or employment is created as a result of these Terms.

Third-Party Vendors

At its discretion, The Lones Group, Inc may advertise or offer products or services from third-party vendors ("Third-Party") on the Site. If you choose to purchase any product or service, or enter into any promotion offered by a Third-Party, the terms of that purchase or promotion are between you and the Third-Party. The Lones Group, Inc does not make any representation or warranty about Third-Party products, services or promotions available through the Site. The Lones Group, Inc. disclaims all liability for any losses or damages stemming from any purchase offered by a Third-Party vendor.

Termination

You may stop using the Site at any time. The Lones Group, Inc may suspend or terminate the Site at any time at The Lones Group, Inc's discretion and without notice. The Lones Group, Inc may also terminate, limit or suspend your access to the Site for any reason at any time and without notice. For example, The Lones Group, Inc may terminate your access to this Site for reasons including, but not limited to:

  • Non-compliance with these Terms of Use
  • Repeat infringement of third-party intellectual property rights
  • Balance of payments owed and past-due

International Visitors

The Lones Group welcomes visitors to the Site from across the world. The Lones Group, Inc's operations are, however, located in the United States and its policies and procedures based on United States law. If you are located outside of the United States, you consent to the transfer, storage, protection and processing of your information, such as registration information or email addresses, in the United States in a manner that conforms exclusively and solely with United States law. You agree to waive any legal rights provided by the country from which you access this website with regard to data protection and privacy law and to be governed by applicable United States protection and privacy law for any data collected, stored, processed, created, or transferred to or from this website. Additionally, if you are accessing the Site from a country embargoed by the United States, you agree to not engage in any commercial activities, including financial transactions, using or through the Site.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without reference to conflicts of laws. Regardless of your location, any disputes that arise under these Terms will be litigated before a court in Whatom County, Washington State.

Durability and Assignment of Rights

The Lones Group, Inc's or your failure to exercise any right provided for in these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of any rights under these Terms. If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, such unenforceability will not affect the validity of the remaining provisions. You may not assign any of your rights under these Terms. The Lones Group, Inc may assign its rights under these Terms in whole or in part at any time without your consent.

Modifications

The Lones Group, Inc may modify these Terms from time to time. Any modifications to the Terms will be effective once posted to the Site. If you access or use the Site after the Terms have been modified, your continued access and use will constitute acceptance of all modifications.

Suggestions & Customer Care

We care very much about our clients and visitors and we strongly believe that our reputation relies on their goodwill. We take seriously any comments and concerns you may have. If you have suggestions you would like to share, questions or require customer care, please contact us by phone at 360-527-8904 or by email at support@thelonesgroup.com.