Terms And Conditions

This is a legal agreement (“Agreement”) between you and The House of Letters, LLC, a New Jersey Corporation (“The House of Letters”), which may be contacted at The House of Letters, PO Box 104, Peck Slip, New York, New York 10272. By accessing the House of Letters U.S. web site, currently located at http://www.thehouseofletters.com (the “Site”), and using any of the Services (as defined below) accessible through the Site, you become a user and agree to, and are bound by, the terms and conditions of this Agreement for as long as you continue to use the Site or Services. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT USE THE SITE OR THE SERVICES. Your use of, or participation in, certain Services may be subject to additional terms, and such terms will be either listed in this Agreement or will be presented to you for your acceptance when you sign up to use such Services.

The House of Letters services consist of the following, without limitation: Workshops and classes, events, artist collaborations, domestic and international correspondence exchange, and an online shop. The House of Letters may offer additional services or revise any of the Services, at its discretion, and this Agreement will apply to all additional Services or revised Services. The House of Letters also reserves the right to cease offering any of the Services. The House of Letters is NOT a singles or matchmaking service.

This Agreement is subject to change by The House of Letters in its sole discretion at any time, with or without notice. Your continued use of this Site or the Services after the posting of revisions to this Agreement will constitute your acceptance of such revisions. Please consult the end of this Agreement to determine when the Agreement was last revised. The House of Letters reserves the right to make changes in the existing membership at any time, for any reason and without prior notice.

The House of Letters reserves the right to suspend or terminate, at its own discretion, a member’s account for violations of our rules, guidelines, or terms of use.

1. Eligibility.

  • Minimum Age. You must be at least 18 years old to use the Site (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, if it is older), and at least 18 years old to register for the Services.
  • Membership Account. By having a membership account in The House of Letters, you acknowledge that you meet our requirements for membership. As a member, you may have only one membership account. You may not open an alternate account if your membership is suspended or terminated for any reason. You may not sell, trade, or transfer a membership account to another person, nor may you accept or use an account that was sold, traded, or transferred to you. Accounts violating any of these conditions will be terminated.
  • Truthfulness. Your participation in The House of Letters assumes that all personal information you provide is truthful and accurate. Misleading or false information is sufficient reason to terminate your account.
  • Criminal History. By requesting to use or registering to use the Services offered by The House of Letters, you represent and warrant that you have never been convicted of a felony and/or are not required to register as a sex offender with any government entity. THE HOUSE OF LETTERS DOES NOT CURRENTLY CONDUCT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND SCREENINGS ON ITS MEMBERS. However, The House of Letters reserves the right to conduct any criminal background check, at any time and using available public records, to confirm your compliance with this subsection.
  • Correspondence Matching System Criteria. The Correspondence Matching Service requires your completion of the Registration Questionnaire, along with House of Letters’ ability to find good matches for you. Occasionally, The House of Letters matching system cannot identify high quality compatible matches for a given individual, in which case the Correspondence Matching Service cannot be provided.
  • Continued Eligibility. Should your circumstances change and you become ineligible, The House of Letters may discontinue your membership at its discretion. Your membership is based upon your continued eligibility, and you agree to notify The House of Letters as soon as possible upon any change in your eligibility.

2. Use of Site and Services.

As a user of the Site or a user registered to access any of the provided Services (a “Registered User”), you agree to the following:

  • Exclusive Use. Your account is for your personal use only. You may not authorize others to use your account, and you may not assign or otherwise transfer your account to any other person or entity. You acknowledge that The House of Letters is not responsible for third party access to your account that results from theft or misappropriation of your user name and password. Businesses and other legal entities may not use The House of Letters for any purpose without our express consent.
  • No Liability for Intra-Membership Communications or Agreements. The House of Letters is not responsible for the content of any communications between members, including any statements, promises, agreements between members, etc. The House of Letters shall merely facilitate communications between members, and is not responsible for the content of same. If members enter into agreements with other members through The House of Letter’s Services or Site, The House of Letters will not become a contracting party to these agreements and The House of Letters cannot be held liable or accountable regarding any such agreements. The House of Letters reserves the right to terminate a membership based on the content of correspondence and communications, but accepts no liability for doing so, or for not screening any communication.
  • Geographic Limitations. The Site and Services are based in the United States, with potential international correspondence and potential sales from the online shop both local and international. You will only use the Services in a manner consistent with this Agreement and any and all applicable local, state, national and international laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, United States export control laws. By using the site and services, you acknowledge that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of any country which the United States has (i) embargoed goods, (ii) identified as a “Specially Designated National”, or (iii) placed on the Commerce Department’s Table of Deny Orders. Registration for, and use of, the Services are void where prohibited. To the extent that the Services are not legal in your jurisdiction, you may not use the Services. The Services may not be used where prohibited by law.
  • Information Submitted. You are solely responsible for, and assume all liability regarding, (i) the information and content you contribute to the Services; (ii) the information and content you post, transmit, publish, or otherwise make available (hereinafter “post”) through the Services; and (iii) your interactions with other Registered Users through the Services.
  • Risk Assumption and Precautions. You assume all risk when using the Services, including but not limited to all of the risks associated with any online or offline interactions with others. You agree to take all necessary precautions if you meet one or more persons through the Correspondence Matching Service, or at any events. In addition, you agree to review and follow the recommendations set forth in The House of Letters’ Safety Tips, which will be provided to you prior to entering the “Open Communication” phase with your matches in the Correspondence Matching Service.
  • No Guarantees. The House of Letters may not be able to provide matches for everyone seeking to use its services. Further, The House of Letters makes no guarantees as to the number or frequency of matches through the Correspondence Matching Service, or to such matches’ ability, desire or criteria to communicate with any user. You understand that The House of Letters makes no guarantees, either express or implied, regarding your ultimate compatibility and the conduct of individuals you meet or correspond with through the Correspondence Matching Service or in-person events.
  • Reporting of Violations. You will promptly report to The House of Letters any violation of the Agreement by others, including but not limited to, Registered Users.
  • Content Removal. The House of Letters reserves the right, but has no obligation, to monitor the information or material you submit to the Services or post in the public areas of the Services. The House of Letters will have the right to remove any such information or material that in its sole opinion violates, or may violate, any applicable law or the letter or spirit of this Agreement or upon the request of any third party.
  • Communication Restrictions. You agree you will not engage in any activity on the Site or through the Services that:
    • promotes racism, bigotry, hatred or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual;
    • is intended to or tends to harass, annoy, threaten or intimidate any other users of the Site or Services;
    • is defamatory, libelous, scandalous, unlawful, inaccurate, abusive, obscene, profane, offensive, sexually oriented, obscene or otherwise objectionable;
    • contains others’ copyrighted content (e.g., music, movies, videos, photographs, images, software, etc.) without obtaining permission first;
    • contains video, audio photographs, or images of another person without his or her permission (or in the case of a minor, the minor’s legal guardian);
    • promotes or enables illegal or unlawful activities, such as instructions on how to make or buy illegal weapons or drugs, violate someone’s privacy, harm or harass another person, obtain others’ identity information, create or disseminate computer viruses, or circumvent copy-protect devices;
    • is intended to defraud, swindle or deceive other users of the Services;
    • contains viruses, time bombs, trojan horses, cancelbots, worms or other harmful, or disruptive codes, components or devices;
    • promotes or solicits involvement in or support of a political platform, religion, cult, or sect;
    • disseminates another person’s personal information without his or her permission, or collects or solicits another person’s personal information for commercial or unlawful purposes;
    • is intended to annoy or interfere with others’ enjoyment of the Site or Services;
    • impersonates, or otherwise misrepresents affiliation, connection or association with any person or entity;
    • solicits gambling or engages in any gambling or similar activity;
    • uses scripts, bots or other automated technology to access the Site or Services;
    • uses the Site or Services for chain letter, junk mail or spam e-mails;
    • collects or solicits personal information about anyone under the age of 18; or
    • is in any way used for or in connection with spamming, spimming, phishing, trolling, or similar activities.
  • No False Information. You will not provide inaccurate, misleading or false information to The House of Letters or to any other user. If information provided to The House of Letters or another user subsequently becomes inaccurate, misleading or false, you will promptly notify The House of Letters of such change. Failure to do so may result in possible suspension or termination.
  • No Advertising or Commercial Solicitation. You will not advertise or solicit any user to buy or sell any products or services through the Site or Services. You may not transmit any chain letters, junk or spam e-mail to other users. Further, you will not use any information obtained from the Site or Services in order to contact, advertise to, solicit, or sell to any user without their prior explicit consent. If you breach the terms of this subsection and send or post unsolicited bulk email, “spam” or other unsolicited communications of any kind through the Services, you acknowledge that you will have caused substantial harm to The House of Letters, but that the amount of such harm would be extremely difficult to ascertain. As a reasonable estimation of such harm, you agree to pay The House of Letters $50 for each such unsolicited communication you send through the Services.
  • Unique and Bona Fide Profile. As a Registered User of the Correspondence Matching Service, you will create only one unique profile. In addition, your use of the Correspondence Matching Service must be for bona fide correspondence-seeking purposes in order to maintain the integrity of the Correspondence Matching Service (for example, you may not become a Registered User solely to compile a report of compatible correspondents in your area, or to write a school research paper). Not all registered users are available for matching. From time to time, The House of Letters may create test profiles in order to monitor the operation of the Services.
  • Selection of Profiles. From time to time, your profile may be selected to introduce you to specific compatible correspondence matches, in which case we may offer you a limited complimentary subscription (if you are not already a subscriber) in order to enable you to meet such specific correspondence matches. You will be under no obligation to accept such complimentary subscription or to meet with or communicate with the match(es) we may introduce to you.
  • No Harassment of The House of Letters Employees or Agents. You will not harass, annoy, intimidate or threaten any of The House of Letters employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of the Services to you.

3. Proprietary Rights.

  • Ownership of Proprietary Information. You hereby acknowledge and agree that The House of Letters is the owner of highly valuable proprietary information, including without limitation, the Correspondence Matching System, compatibility profiles, and questionnaires (collectively, “Confidential Information”). The House of Letters owns and hereby retains all proprietary rights in the Services and the Site, including but not limited to, all Confidential Information.
  • No Use of Confidential Information. You will not post, copy, modify, transmit, disclose, show in public, create any derivative works from, distribute, make commercial use of, or reproduce in any way any (i) Confidential Information or (ii) other copyrighted material, trademarks, or other proprietary information accessible via the Services, without first obtaining the prior written consent of the owner of such proprietary rights.
  • No use of Name or Logo. You will not use The House of Letters name or logo for any purpose, event or promotion without the express consent of The House of Letters.
  • No Copying of Web Pages or Content. You may not copy web pages or content within the site without the express consent of The House of Letters. You may not distribute, display or publish in any form, electronic or print, any content from the Site or names of the members without express consent of The House of Letters. You may not share, transmit or sell any content on the Site with anyone who is not a member of The House of Letters.
  • Other Users’ Information. Other Registered Users may post copyrighted information, which has copyright protection whether or not it is identified as copyrighted. You agree that you will not copy, modify, publish, transmit, distribute, perform, display, commercially use, or sell any of T House of Letters or third party proprietary information available via the Services or the Site.. The House of Letters assumes no liability for the posting or distributing of copyright material without the House of Letter’s knowledge. You are representing to The House of Letters that you are the author and/or owner of any such postings or publications and agree to hold The House of Letters harmless, indemnify the same, and agree to be responsible for any legal costs and/or damages incurred by The House of Letters as a result of your posting or submitting any material which is not your own.
  • License to Posted Content. By posting information or content to any profile pages or public area of the website, or by written public communication to another, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to The House of Letters and its users, an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, fully-paid, worldwide license to use, reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such information and content, and to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such information and content, and to grant and authorize sub-licenses of the foregoing. From time to time, we may create, test or implement new features or programs on the Site (e.g., rating of user photos or profiles by other users) in which you may voluntarily choose to participate, in accordance with the additional terms and conditions of such features or programs. By your voluntary participation in such features or programs, you grant us the rights stated in this subsection in connection with the additional terms and conditions (if any) of such features or programs.

4. User Information.

  • Privacy Statement. For information about the collection and possible use of information and material provided by you, please click on The House of Letters’ Privacy Statement located on the Site. By using the Site or the Services, you are consenting to the terms of The House of Letters’ Privacy Statement.
  • No Contact Information. You agree that you will not post any e-mail addresses, personal website addresses or any other contact information or correspondence from an individual from whom The House of Letters has provided a Correspondence Match, without the express written consent of both the individual and The House of Letters.
  • Disclosure By Law. You acknowledge and agree that The House of Letters may disclose information you provide if required to do so by law, at the request of a third party, or if we, in our sole discretion, believe that disclosure is reasonable to (1) comply with the law, requests or orders from law enforcement, or any legal process (whether or not such disclosure is required by applicable law); (2) protect or defend House of Letters’, or a third party’s, rights or property; or (3) protect someone’s health or safety, such as when harm or violence against any person (including the user) is threatened.
  • Disclosure to Protect Abuse Victims. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or the Privacy Statement,The House of Letters reserves the right, but has no obligation, to disclose any information that you submit to the Services or Site, if in its sole opinion, The House of Letters suspects or has reason to suspect, that the information involves a party who may be the victim of abuse in any form. Abuse may include, without limitation, elder abuse, child abuse, spousal abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. Information may be disclosed to authorities that The House of Letters, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate to handle such disclosure. Appropriate authorities may include, without limitation, law enforcement agencies, child protection agencies, or court officials. You hereby acknowledge and agree that The House of Letters is permitted to make such disclosure.
  • Use of Anonymous Information for Research. By using the Services, you agree to allow The House of Letters to anonymously use the information from you and your experiences through the Services to continue The House of Letters’ research into successful Correspondence Matches and to improve the Services. This research, conducted by psychologists and behavior research scientists and other professionals, may be published in academic journals. However, all of your responses will be anonymous, and we will not publish research containing your personal identifying information.

5. Links to Third-Party Web Sites / Dealings with Advertisers and Sponsors.

The Services may contain links to web sites of third-parties, including without limitation, advertisers, which are not under the control of The House of Letters, and The House of Letters is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such web sites. The House of Letters provides these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply that House of Letters endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content on such third-party web sites. Your correspondence or business dealings with, or participation in promotions of, advertisers or sweepstakes sponsors found on or through the Services (including payment and delivery of related goods or services, any personal information or opt-in contact information voluntarily given to advertisers and sweepstake sponsors, and any other terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings) are solely between you and such advertiser or sweepstakes sponsor. You agree that The House of Letters will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such dealings, including the sharing of the information you supply to The House of Letters with advertisers or sweepstakes sponsors, or as the result of the presence of such advertisers on the Services. Please visit our Privacy Statement to learn more about how we use your information.

6. Disclaimer of Warranty.

  • No Warranties. THIS SECTION WILL APPLY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. THE HOUSE OF LETTERS PROVIDES THE SERVICES ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS AND GRANTS NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES OR THE SITE (INCLUDING ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN), INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT OF PROPRIETY RIGHTS. THE HOUSE OF LETTERS DOES NOT WARRANT THAT YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, SITE, OR STORE WILL BE SECURE, UNINTERRUPTED, ALWAYS AVAILABLE, ERROR-FREE OR WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, OR THAT ANY DEFECTS IN THE SERVICES WILL BE CORRECTED. THE HOUSE OF LETTERS DISCLAIMS LIABILITY FOR, AND NO WARRANTY IS MADE WITH RESPECT TO, THE CONNECTIVITY AND AVAILABILITY OF THE SERVICES, SITE OR STORE.
  • Third Party Content. The House of Letters disclaims any and all responsibility and liability for the conduct of any member. Opinions, advice, statements, offers, or other information or content made available through the Services, but not directly by The House of Letters, are those of their respective authors, and should not necessarily be relied upon. Such authors are solely responsible for such content. THE HOUSE OF LETTERS DOES NOT: (i) GUARANTEE THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR USEFULNESS OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SERVICES, SITE, OR STORE OR (ii) ADOPT, ENDORSE OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY OPINION, ADVICE, OR STATEMENT MADE BY ANY PARTY OTHER THAN HOUSE OF LETTERS. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE HOUSE OF LETTERS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM ANYONE’S RELIANCE ON INFORMATION OR OTHER CONTENT POSTED ON THE SERVICES, SITE, OR STORE, OR TRANSMITTED TO OR BY ANY USERS. You agree that your use of The House of Letters is entirely at your own risk You further agree that The House of Letters is not responsible for any harm, injury or damages that may occur at a function or course offered or contributed to by The House of Letters off-site, and that any such harm, injury or damage shall be limited to the owner and/or tenant of such premises and that The House of Letters shall not be liable for personal injury that occurs at a third party’s location that is related to such premises or the conduct of individuals outside of the control of The House of Letters at such third party location. You further agree that The House of Letters’ sole liability for any on-line purchases shall be limited to the amount paid for such transaction, and The House of Letters is not liable or responsible for any damages sustained by the purchaser or end user of any items purchased from the on-line store, including injury from the use of sharp writing implements and other objects, damages from ink stains, including but not limited to damage to property, materials, or documents as a result of any claimed defects or uses of such ink, etc.
  • Beta Features. From time to time, The House of Letters may offer new “beta” features or tools with which its users may experiment on the Services. Such features or tools are offered solely for experimental purposes and without any warranty of any kind, and may be modified or discontinued at The House of Letter’s sole discretion. The provisions of this Disclaimer of Warranty section apply with full force to such features or tools.

7. Limitation of Liability.

  • Incidental Damages and Aggregate Liability. IN NO EVENT WILL THE HOUSE OF LETTERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FROM RELIANCE ON THE HOUSE OF LETTERS SERVICES, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA OR PROGRAMS, SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS AND PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES, EVEN IF THE HOUSE OF LETTERS KNOWS OR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FROM THE INTERRUPTION, SUSPENSION, OR TERMINATION OF THE HOUSE OF LETTERS’ WEBSITE (INCLUDING SUCH DAMAGES INCURRED BY THIRD PARTIES). UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL THE HOUSE OF LETTERS’ AGGREGATE LIABILITY, IN ANY FORM OF ACTION WHATSOEVER IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE USE OF THE SERVICES OR THE SITE, EXCEED THE PRICE PAID BY YOU FOR YOUR ACCOUNT, OR, IF YOU HAVE NOT PAID HOUSE OF LETTERS FOR THE USE OF ANY SERVICES, THE AMOUNT OF $25.00 OR ITS EQUIVALENT.
  • No Liability for non-The House of Letters Actions. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE HOUSE OF LETTERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, WHETHER DIRECT, INDIRECT, GENERAL, SPECIAL, COMPENSATORY, CONSEQUENTIAL, AND/OR INCIDENTAL, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE CONDUCT OF YOU OR ANYONE ELSE IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF THE SERVICES, SITE OR STORE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, BODILY INJURY, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, AND/OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES RESULTING FROM COMMUNICATIONS OR MEETINGS WITH OTHER REGISTERED USERS OF THE SERVICES. THIS INCLUDES ANY CLAIMS, LOSSES OR DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE CONDUCT OF USERS WHO HAVE REGISTERED UNDER FALSE PRETENSES OR WHO ATTEMPT TO DEFRAUD OR HARM YOU.
  • No Liability for Off-Site Functions. The House of Letters is not responsible for any harm, injury or damages that may occur at a function or course offered or contributed to by The House of Letters off-site, and that any such harm, injury or damage shall be limited to the owner and/or tenant of such premises and that The House of Letters shall not be liable for personal injury that occurs at a third party’s location that is related to such premises or the conduct of individuals outside of the control of The House of Letters at such third party location.
  • Liability of OnLine Store Limited to Purchase Price Paid. The House of Letters’ sole liability for any online purchases shall be limited to the amount paid for such transaction, and The House of Letters is not liable or responsible for any damages sustained by the purchaser or end user of any items purchased from the online store, including injury from the use of sharp writing implements and other objects, damages from ink stains, including but not limited to damage to property, materials, or documents as a result of any claimed defects or uses of such ink, etc.
  • Information Verification. House of Letters and its contractors may use various ways of verifying information that users have provided. However, none of those ways are perfect, and you agree that The House of Letters and its contractors will have no liability to you arising from any incorrectly verified information.

8. Indemnification.

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless The House of Letters, its officers, directors, employees, agents and third parties, for any losses, costs, claims, damages (actual and consequential), suits, judgments, liabilities and expenses (including litigation costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees) relating to or arising out of (a) your use of or inability to use the Site, Store, or Services, (b) any user postings made by you, (c) your violation of any terms of this Agreement or your violation of any rights of a third party, or (d) your violation of any applicable laws, rules or regulations. The House of Letters reserves the right, at its own cost, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, in which event you will fully cooperate with The House of Letters in asserting any available defenses.

9. Communication and Privacy.

We may use your email address to send you messages notifying you of important changes to the Services or special offers. Further, we may contact you by telephone if you voluntarily provide us with your telephone number, in order to communicate with you regarding the Services. If you do not want to receive such email messages or telephone calls (including at any wireless number you may have voluntarily provided us), please refer to our Privacy Statement to review your options.

10. Term and Termination.

This Agreement will become effective upon your acceptance of the Agreement, by your use of the Site or the Services and will remain in effect in perpetuity unless terminated hereunder. Either you or The House of Letters may terminate your account at any time, for any reason or no reason, without explanation or penalty, effective upon sending written notice to the other party. The House of Letters reserves the right to immediately suspend or terminate your access to The House of Letters’ website or to any of The House of Letters’ Services, without notice, for any reason or no reason. We also reserve the right to remove your account information or data from our Services and any other records at any time at our sole discretion. Our proprietary rights, disclaimer of warranties, indemnities, limitations of liability and other provisions of these terms and conditions continue in the event your membership is terminated. We will not be liable to you or any third-party for the termination of your member account. If your account is terminated, you may not reenter The House of Letter’s website of Services without our express permission. In the event your access to any of the Services or Site is suspended due to the breach of this Agreement, you agree that all fees then paid to The House of Letters by you will be nonrefundable and all outstanding or pending payments will immediately be due. You may terminate your account by following the steps in the applicable section under “Cancellations” below, or by sending a notice of cancellation to: The House of Letters, LLC, Attn: Cancellations, PO Box 104, Peck Slip, New York, New York 10272, USA. Following any termination of any Registered User’s use of the Correspondence Matching Service, The House of Letters reserves the right to send a notice thereof to other Registered Users which whom you have corresponded.

11. Cancellations.

  • Cancellation At Any Time With No Refund. Except as otherwise stated in this section, you may cancel your registration or subscription to any Services at any time during the term of such registration or subscription or any renewal period by sending such request in writing to The House of Letters, LLC, PO Box 104, Peck Slip, New York, New York 10272. In such case, your subscription will terminate at the end of the subscription term for which you have paid, and you will not receive any refund for any unused days of such subscription term.
  • Cancellation As a Result of Death or Disability.If by reason of death or disability you are unable to receive all Correspondence Matching Services for which you contracted, you or your estate may elect to be relieved of the obligation to make payments for services other than those received before death or the onset of disability, except as provided in subsection (iii).
    • If you have prepaid any amount for the Correspondence Matching Service, so much of the amount prepaid that is allocable to services that you have not received will be promptly refunded to you or your representative.
    • “Disability” means a condition which precludes you from physically using the Correspondence Matching Service during the term of disability and the condition is verified in writing by a physician designated and remunerated by you. Written verification from the physician must be presented to The House of Letters.
    • If the physician determines that the duration of the disability will be less than six (6) months, The House of Letters may extend the term of the Correspondence Matching Services contract for a period of six (6) months at no additional charge to you in lieu of cancellation.

12.RENEWALS.

In order to provide continuous service, The House of Letters automatically renews all paid subscriptions for the Services on the date such subscriptions expire. Such renewals are generally for the same duration as the original subscription term (for example, a 1-month subscription will renew on a monthly basis, a 3-month subscription will renew on a 3-month basis, and so on), except for annual subscriptions which will renew on a monthly basis after expiration of the annual period. In addition, we sometimes offer special promotions that have renewal periods of different duration than the original subscription term. We always communicate renewal periods to you upon confirmation of your subscription and in the body of any special promotions that have renewal periods of different duration than the original subscription term. By entering into this Agreement, you acknowledge that your account will be subject to the above-described automatic renewals. In all cases, if you do not wish your account to renew automatically, please follow the directions set out under “Cancellation At Any Time With No Refund” above.

13. General Provisions.

  • Controlling Law and Jurisdiction. You agree that New Jersey law (without giving effect to its conflicts of law principles) will govern this Agreement, the Site and the Services and that any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Site or the Services will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal and state courts in the State of New Jersey. You acknowledge and agree that any violation of this Agreement may cause The House of Letters irreparable harm, and therefore agree that The House of Letters will be entitled to seek extraordinary relief in court, including but not limited to temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions and permanent injunctions without the necessity of posting a bond or other security, in addition to and without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that The House of Letters may have for a breach of this Agreement.
  • Miscellaneous. This Agreement, which you accept upon registration for the Services, the Privacy Statement located on the Site, and any applicable payment, renewal, Additional Services terms, comprise the entire agreement between you and The House of Letters regarding the use of this Service, superseding any prior agreements between you and House of Letters related to your use of this Site or Services (including, but not limited to, any prior versions of this Agreement). The FAQ’s found on the Services are for informational purposes only and are not deemed to be part of this Agreement. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the Agreement will survive termination of your registration to the Service. The failure of The House of Letters to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid, the remainder of this Agreement will continue in full force and effect. Regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to the use of the Site or this Agreement must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred. The section titles in this Agreement are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect.

14. Digital Millennium Copyright Act Notice.

If you believe that your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement and is accessible on this Site, please notify The House of Letters’ copyright agent, as set forth in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA). For your complaint to be valid under the DMCA, you must provide the following information in writing:

1. An electronic or physical signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner;

2. Identification of the copyrighted work that you claim is being infringed;

3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and where it is located on the Site;

4. Information reasonably sufficient to permit The House of Letters to contact you, such as your address, telephone number, and e-mail address;

5. 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; and

6. 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:

Designated Copyright Agent
House of Letters, LLC
PO Box 104, Peck Slip, New York, New York 10272

Email: copyright@thehouseofletters.com
(only DMCA notices will be accepted at this email address. All other inquiries or requests will be discarded)

15. Copyright and Trademarks: The House of Letters LLC owns and retains all rights in The House of Letters website and service, which contain proprietary and confidential information that is protected by applicable intellectual property and other laws. “The House of Letters” and “www.thehouseofletters.com” are trademarks of The House of Letters LLC. All content on www.thehouseofletters.com is copyright The House of Letters LLC.

16. Revision Date.

This Agreement was last revised on February 9, 2012.

PRIVACY STATEMENT

  • What Information We Collect
  • How We Collect and Use Information
  • Disclosure of Your Information to Third Parties
  • Third-Party Advertising
  • Security
  • Visiting our Site from Outside the United States
  • Contacting the Website
  • Acceptance of Privacy Statement

What Information We Collect

The types of information that we collect fall under two general categories: personally identifiable information (PII) and non-personally identifiable information (non-PII). PII consists of any information which can be used to specifically identify you as an individual, whereas non-PII consists of aggregate information or any information that does not reveal your identity. The following sections describe how your PII and non-PII are collected by us, and how we use such information.

How We Collect and Use Information

  • Log Files. Any time you visit our Site, our servers automatically gather information from your browser (such as your IP addresses, browser type, Internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks) to analyze trends, administer the site, prevent fraud, track visitor movement in the aggregate, and gather broad demographic information. For example, we may log your IP address for system administration purposes. IP addresses are logged to track a user’s session. This gives us an idea of which parts of our site users are visiting. We do not share the log files externally.
  • Cookies. We use “cookies” to keep track of some types of information while you are visiting our Site or using our Services. Cookies are very small files placed on your computer, and they allow us to count the number of visitors to our website and distinguish repeat visitors from new visitors. They also allow us to save user preferences and track user trends. We rely on cookies for the proper operation of our website; therefore if your browser is set to reject all cookies, the website will not function properly. Users who refuse cookies assume all responsibility for any resulting loss of functionality. We do not link the cookies to any PII.
  • Web Beacons. “Web beacons” (also known as “clear gifs” and “pixel tags”) are small transparent graphic images that are often used in conjunction with cookies in order to further personalize our website for our users and to collect a limited set of information about our visitors. We may also use web beacons in e-mail communications in order to understand the behavior of our customers. We do not link the web beacons to any PII.
  • Information About You. When you register for any of our Services, we collect a wide variety of information about you, e.g., for our Correspondence Matching Service you provide us with answers to our proprietary questionnaire, and we use your answers to build a personality profile for you and to properly match you with others. Your individual responses to the questions about yourself in our questionnaire will be held strictly confidential, while other non-PII about yourself (such as first name, occupation, height, etc.) will be used to build your “My Profile.” Finally, for interactive content and community services such as Advice where you may choose to have a public profile, we may display your information to other community members and visitors.
  • Purchase Information. To process purchases, we may require your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and credit card information. Such information is used primarily to process your order or as otherwise described herein. Credit card transactions are processed through industry standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and/or strong encryption (3DES) by a third party, which only uses your information for that purpose.
  • E-mails and Telephone Calls. We require an e-mail address from you when you register for our Services. We use your e-mail for both transactional (e.g., order confirmation, refund and renewal processing, notifying of matches for our Correspondence Matching Service) and promotional purposes (e.g., newsletters, new product offerings, special discounts, event notifications, special third-party offers) purposes. E-mail messages we send you may contain code that enables our database to track your usage of the e-mails, including whether the e-mail was opened and what links (if any) were clicked. If you would rather not receive promotional e-mails from us, please see the section below labeled “Choice/Opt-Out.” We reserve the right to send you certain communications relating to The House of Letters Services, such as service announcements and administrative messages, without offering you the opportunity to opt out of receiving them. We may also contact you by telephone or text message (including contact to any wireless number you may provide to us) solely in connection with The House of Letter’s Services. If you would rather not receive telephone calls or text messages from us, you may change or delete your number from your account preferences page(s), or ask to be removed from our contact list if you receive a call or text message from us. We fully comply with the requirements of the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act.
  • Demographic Data. Demographic data is also collected at our site. We use this data to tailor our visitors’ experience at our site, showing them content that we think they might be interested in, displaying the content according to their preferences. Some of this information may be shared with advertisers on a non-personally identifiable basis.
  • Online Survey Data. We may periodically conduct voluntary member surveys. We encourage our members to participate in such surveys because they provide us with important information regarding the improvement of our Services. You may also volunteer for certain surveys that we may offer to our users. Any additional rules regarding the conduct of such surveys will be disclosed to you prior to your participation. We do not link the survey responses to any PII, and all responses are anonymous.
  • Use for Research. In addition to the uses outlined above, by using our Site, you agree to allow us to anonymously use the information from you and your experiences to continue our research into successful relationships. This research, conducted by psychologists and behavior research scientists, may be published in academic journals. However, all of your responses will be kept anonymous, and no PII will be published.

Disclosure of Your Information to Third Parties

  • Disclosure By Law. You acknowledge and agree that we may disclose information you provide if required to do so by law, at the request of a third party, or if we, in our sole discretion, believe that disclosure is reasonable to (1) comply with the law, requests or orders from law enforcement, or any legal process (whether or not such disclosure is required by applicable law); (2) protect or defend The House of Letter’s, or a third party’s, rights or property; or (3) protect someone’s health or safety, such as when harm or violence against any person (including you) is threatened.
  • Disclosure to Protect Abuse Victims. Notwithstanding any other provision of this privacy statement or our Terms and Conditions of Service, we reserve the right, but have no obligation, to disclose any information that you submit to the services, if in our sole opinion, we suspect or have reason to suspect, that the information involves a party who may be the victim of abuse in any form. Abuse may include, without limitation, elder abuse, child abuse, spousal abuse, neglect, or domestic violence. Information may be disclosed to authorities that we, in our sole discretion, deem appropriate to handle such disclosure. Appropriate authorities may include, without limitation, law enforcement agencies, child protection agencies, or court officials. You hereby acknowledge and agree that we are permitted to make such disclosure.
  • Disclosure to Trusted Third Parties By Us. We may share your non-PII with third parties, but not in a manner that would reveal your identity. We may share your PII, sometimes in conjunction with your non-PII, with service providers that may be associated with us to perform functions on our behalf. E.g., outsourced customer care agents or technology assistants may need access to your information to perform services for you. Your information will be treated as private and confidential by such service providers and not used for any other purpose than we authorize. In addition, from time to time, we may share PII (such as e-mail or mailing address) about our user base with carefully selected third parties, so they can offer goods and services that we believe may be of interest to our users. If you do not wish to receive offers from our trusted partners, you can change your e-mail preferences at any time by following the steps outlined in the “Choice/Opt-Out” section below.
  • Information Transferred As a Result of Sale of Business. As we develop our business, we may buy or sell assets and, depending on the transaction, your PII may be one of the transferred assets. In the event that we are acquired by another company, your PII may be part of the assets transferred to the acquiring party. If this occurs, you will be notified if there are any material changes to the way your PII is collected or used.

Third-Party Advertising

We may use third-party advertising agencies or other service providers to serve ads on our Site on behalf of The House of Letters or third-party advertisers (e.g., retailers of goods or services). These companies may employ cookies and web beacons to measure advertising effectiveness. Any information that these third parties collect via cookies and web beacons is completely anonymous. Some of these third-party advertising agencies may be members of the Network Advertising Initiative, which offers you the option to opt out of ad targeting from its member agencies by following the procedures listed here.

We will only share your information with third parties in the ways defined in this privacy statement.

Security

We have extensive security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information stored in our database. These measures include the use of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and/or strong encryption (3DES) technology during credit card transactions and administrative access to site data, as well as other proprietary security measures which are applied to all repositories and transfers of user information. We will exercise reasonable care in providing secure transmission of information between your computer and our servers, but given that no information transmitted over the Internet can be guaranteed 100% secure, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information transmitted to us over the Internet and hence accept no liability for any unintentional disclosure.

Links to or Access from Other Sites

You may be able to access your account or content of your account from third party sites, such as social networking sites, by way of various applications. The privacy policies and practices of such sites in connection with information you disclose on such sites may differ from the practices The House of Letters’ has set forth in this privacy statement. You should review their policies and practices to ensure that the privacy of the information you submit on their site does not conflict with and is consistent with how you wish your information to be treated. Such sites may also place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personal information from you. We are not responsible for the privacy policies or practices or the content of any other websites that may provide access to, or be linked to or from, this site, including that of any social networking sites and third-party advertisers whose offerings require you to navigate away from our site.

Visiting our websites from outside the United States

This Privacy Policy is intended to cover collection of information on our website from residents of the United States. If you are visiting our website from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated. By using our services, you understand that your information may be transferred to our facilities and those third parties with whom we share it as described in this privacy policy.

Contacting the Website

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with The House of Letter’s Site, you can contact:

Site Administrator
The House of Letters,
PO Box 104
Peck Slip
New York, New York 10272.

Acceptance of Privacy Statement

Your use of our Site and/or Services, including any dispute concerning privacy, is subject to this privacy statement and the applicable Terms and Conditions of Service. BY USING OUR WEBSITE, YOU ARE ACCEPTING THE PRACTICES SET OUT IN THIS PRIVACY STATEMENT AND THE APPLICABLE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE.

If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes to this privacy statement page and any other places we deem appropriate so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. We reserve the right to modify this privacy statement at any time, so please review it frequently. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here, or by other means, such as e-mail, at our discretion.

Your continued use of any portion of our website following posting of the updated privacy statement will constitute your acceptance of the changes.

SAFETY TIPS

When interacting with fellow citizens in the real world, by correspondence, or online, please utilize your sound judgment and instinct to protect your safety. There is no substitution for acting with caution when communicating with someone you are just getting to know. Here are some useful tips to safely navigate any relationship, especially one that begins online.

1. Always Use Your Best Judgment

While The House of Letters routinely monitors account activity and investigates all complaints of unusual, inappropriate or falsified accounts, The House of Letters does not conduct criminal background checks at the time an account is registered. As with any personal interaction, keep in mind it is always possible for people to misrepresent themselves. Assessing a correspondence match’s truthfulness and honesty is ultimately your responsibility. Trust your instincts and remember that you have control over the situation. If you’re talking to someone online or by phone and they say things that raise your suspicions, consider ending the conversation. If you are out at an event and you feel uncomfortable, please leave. If you are uncomfortable with someone to whom you are corresponding, consider no further correspondence with that person, and advise personnel at The House of Letters.

Also, be aware of these common red flags when you are getting to know someone new. Watch out for someone who:

  • Claims to be from the U.S. but is currently living, working, or traveling abroad.
  • Asks for money, goods or any similar type of assistance.
  • Ask for help to assist with personal transactions (depositing funds, shipping merchandise, etc).
  • Reports a sudden personal crisis and pressures you to provide financial assistance. Be especially wary if the person’s demands become increasingly aggressive.
  • Asks inappropriate questions.
  • Requests your home or work address under some sort of guise.
  • Tells inconsistent or grandiose stories.
  • Gives vague answers to specific questions.
  • Urges you to compromise your principles.
  • Claims that your introduction was “destiny” or “fate,” especially early in communication.
  • Disappears suddenly from the site then reappears under a different name.

If a correspondence match does any of the above activities or makes you suspicious in any other way, please report this as a Correspondence Match Concern by emailing info@thehouseofletters.com so that we can explore the matter.

2. NEVER Share Financial Information or Certain Personal Information

  • NEVER give out your credit card number or bank information.
  • NEVER share your Social Security Number, mother’s maiden name, or other private information that can be used to access your financial information.
  • NEVER send money to someone you meet online, especially by wire transfer.

3. Protect Your Account

When accessing your account from a public or shared computer, use caution and be aware of your surroundings so that others are not able to view or record your password or other personal information.

4. Be Cautious When Sharing Personal Information

We strongly encourage you to be cautious when sharing personal information that could reveal your identity Never include your last name, email address, home address, telephone number, place of work or any other identifying information in your Internet profile or initial email messages. Once you have given out personal information, you cannot take it back!

5. Do Your Own Research

While we make best efforts and utilize a variety of screening technologies and resources, such as screening our U.S. subscribers against public sex offender registries in the United States, it is important to remember that such screenings are inherently limited. Registries can be incomplete or inaccurate, and states and jurisdictions differ as to what type of crime must be registered on their registries and what types of crimes get removed. Many crimes often go unreported and perpetrators are not always convicted. Relying solely on screening can provide a false sense of security, so we strongly recommend that you follow the rest of the Safety Tips regardless of any screenings that we may perform. When it comes to your personal safety, you are in ultimate control.

Regardless of the connection you feel with any of your correspondence matches, we encourage you to do your own research before meeting in person. This can include typing your correspondence match’s name into a search engine, contacting your state or local municipalities to obtain public information, or using a paid service to obtain a full background report. Above all else, use common sense. Pay attention to the details someone shares with you. If you find anything that does not seem to add up, follow your intuition and stop communicating with that person.

6. Use Caution When Deciding to Click on Any URL Link

We understand that a correspondence match may share a URL link to a favorite website or article as part of the “get-to-know-you” initial correspondence communication process. However, as a general practice, you should always use good judgment and be cautious when deciding to click on any URL links. Use of these links to access other Internet sites is at your own risk.

7. Report Concerns about a Correspondence Match to The House of Letters

The House of Letters works hard to close accounts of individuals who misrepresent who they are on our site, and we take member complaints seriously. If you have concerns about a particular correspondence match, please do not hesitate to contact us so that appropriate steps can be taken to keep The House of Letters safe. Email your concerns to: info@thehouseofletters.com

If The House of Letters closes an account for suspect activity, inappropriate behavior or falsified identity, you may be notified via email to discontinue communicating with the match in question. We strongly encourage all of our members to review emails received from The House of Letters to ensure this communication is received promptly.

We hope these guidelines will help to make your experience with The House of Letters a success, and that you will once again find the lost art of elegant communication and correspondence.