Terms of Service
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Terms of Service

Updated: January 12, 2022

1. Introduction

Welcome to Pongo; tools and support for job search success provided by Pongo, LLC (also known as "Pongo", "we", "us", "Service", and "Site". This Terms of Service, together with our Privacy Policy and any other documents, contain mutual promises between you and us ("Agreement"). We would love to stop there but our lawyer told us we should include more details to protect both you and us. Speaking of you, for the purposes of this Agreement "you" refers to the person or entity reading this Agreement, surfing our Site, using our Service, or even thinking about using any of the above. This is a legally binding Agreement, which means it involves lawyers, legal rights, obligations, and remedies.

2. Description of Service

Pongo is an online service that provides job search related services including resume and letter creation; help with interviewing, salary negotiation, and job acceptance etiquette. Our Service is based online so you need to have a device that is connected to the Internet to use it.

3. Eligibility, Registration, Interaction with Third Parties

In order for you to sign up with us, you may be required to provide various information about yourself including but not limited to your name, email address, mailing address, zip code, credit card information, and telephone number. We will also ask you general questions about work history and background in order to provide our Service to you.

In addition to providing us with the above information, you must be at least eighteen years old to sign up for our service, or at least the age of contractual capacity that exists in your jurisdiction.

In addition, when interacting with our Site or our Service you agree to be a nice person, which includes but is not limited to the following rules:

  • You will not deceive us or anyone connected with the Service;
  • You will not use the site or the Service to engage in any illegal conduct, allude to or request any illegal services;
  • You will not harass and/or stalk any employee, member, or anyone connected with our Site or Service or behave in lewd or unprofessional conduct;
  • You will not post, submit, or convey any false, misleading, unlawful, defamatory, untruthful, inaccurate, obscene, invasive, threatening, harassing, inflammatory, or fraudulent content or information;
  • You will not Impersonate any person, entity, or company;
  • You will not give us any information about anyone who is under the age of 13;
  • You will not use us to "secret shop" other businesses;
  • You will not hack, crack, phish, SQL inject, install any code that is malicious or manipulates the site in any way, or otherwise compromise the security, safety, or privacy of our Site or our network, servers, member accounts, mobile numbers or access to the numbers, or the computers of our users;
  • You will not engage or solicit any other users to buy or sell products or services unless expressly authorized by the Site;
  • You will not share your login and password with anyone;
  • You will not run any script or other program which is designed to search, index, or aggregate the User Content or other information on our Site, unless we have given you our express written consent to do so, which we may revoke at any time;
  • Post anyone else's resume or use the Site on behalf of someone else;
  • Not use our Site as a recruitment platform unless authorized by us.

When using our Site or Service you, we may from time to time recommend third party services to assist you in your job search process and acquisition. We disclaim any and all liability for your interaction with these third parties and any reference or link to a third party is not meant to imply an endorsement, partnership, or association with that third party.

4. How it Works

We created personalized tools and guidance to take the mystery and confusion out of the entire job search process. Using our Service, you'll be able to write, edit, send, and store all your resumes and cover letters. You can also find new job listings, prepare for interviews, and get one-on-one support from certified experts. For a complete description of how Pongo works please check out our web site.

Subscriptions: With respect to subscriptions and fees for using our service we invite you to check out our Membership Options. We offer a free membership where you can "kick the tires" and explore our Service, but cannot print, download or email resumes or letters and cannot access expanded versions of Interview Tips.

Our Site's paid memberships are available either monthly or annually and are automatically charged on a recurring basis. We do not provide monthly reminder emails before billing and you must cancel your account to avoid recurring billing. Please be advised we will automatically charge your credit or debit card at the start of the billing period and at the start of each renewal period, unless you terminate or cancel your membership before the relevant renewal period begins. All fees are non-refundable. You can cancel our Service by contacting Customer Care at our telephone number published on our Site, from the "Cancel My Account" link in the Payment section of your My Account page, or by creating a Support Ticket using the "Email Us" link at the bottom of our Site. Note: When cancelling from your account, make sure you receive a Cancellation Confirmation Email (check your SPAM and Junk folders, too). If you DO NOT receive a Cancellation Confirmation Email, your service may not have been cancelled. Once an account is cancelled, your account enters an "maintenance" state, similar to our free membership service, where you can continue to edit your documents, but cannot download, print, or email.

We do not provide refunds for months where the service was not used or extend free months of service when the service was not used due to lack of cancellation.

Should we receive a chargeback from our Merchant Provider stating that you disputed a monthly or annual charge(s) and you did not cancel your Pongo Membership per our Terms of Service, we reserve the right to permanently disable your Pongo Membership. If you wish to reinstate your membership, you must reimburse Pongo, LLC for the transaction amount(s) that were refunded to you by your bank, plus chargeback fees we were assessed by our Merchant Provider (currently $20.00 per chargeback). Should you choose to reimburse Pongo and reinstate your Pongo membership, and then file chargebacks again at a future date, you will no longer have an option to be granted access to your account.

Should we receive a pre-arbitration notice stating that you disputed a monthly or annual charge(s) and you did not cancel your Pongo Membership per our Terms of Service, your membership will be permanently disabled and you will not have an option to reimburse us or be granted access to your account.

We also offer the option for you to have resumes or cover letters written by professional resume writers. Please know that we sometimes contract with professional third party resume writers that will interact directly with both you and our Customer Care Specialists. Resumes are provided via email in a Microsoft Word document.

An annual subscription for our Service includes a free resume critique by our Customer Care Specialists. Please know that this critique is not a professionally written resume, but rather it is a personalized review based on specific best practices used in resume writing.

Terms: We do not require your credit card up front for our free membership option, but we will need it if you decide to commit to a monthly or annual membership or a professional resume.

You may cancel at any time. If there is time remaining on a monthly subscription, you will have the ability to download, print, or email your documents for the remainder of the subscription. If you cancel your subscription, your information, including your profile and all documents, is saved indefinitely.

The site is available to all job seekers, worldwide, who are in compliance and agree to the terms of this Agreement. We only process transactions in U.S. dollars and our accepted modes of payment currently include credit and debit card transactions.

Additional Notes: We are not a hiring agency. We have no control over the hiring decisions of others, so we are not responsible if you do not obtain the job you want.

5. Privacy

You can probably understand that our Service requires you to give information. Please know that you should only provide information if you are ok with the consequences of your information being available in an online environment. We understand privacy is a sensitive matter, particularly when dealing with work history and other aspects related to the job search process. As such, we invite you to also review our Privacy Policy, which is published at our Site.

6. Intellectual Property

We own trademark rights in words, logos and images including, but not limited to, "Pongo" and "Prepare to Get Hired!". Accordingly you may not use our trademark(s), trade dress, or copyrighted content, or copy the look and feel of our web site or its design, without our explicit, written consent. Copying the look and feel of our web site includes using similar phrases or the layout offline and online. You agree that this paragraph goes beyond the governing law on intellectual property law, and includes prohibitions on any competition that violates the provisions of this paragraph.

Since we are passionate about creating happy customers and an awesome user experience, you agree that by using our Service you allow us to use your likeness or story, including your experience with our Site. Please know that we will not use your name unless you have given us permission. We may post this, along with any business logo or content ("works") and you are hereby providing us a revocable, sublicensable, royalty free, perpetual license to use, display, and distribute such works both for commercial and non-commercial purposes.

7. DMCA Notices

We take copyright infringement very seriously. If you believe that your copyright has been infringed, please send us a message, which contains:

  • Your name
  • The name of the party whose copyright has been infringed, if different from your name
  • The name and description of the work that is being infringed
  • The location on our web site of the infringing copy
  • A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted work described above is not authorized by the copyright owner (or by a third party who is legally entitled to do so on behalf of the copyright owner) and is not otherwise permitted by law.
  • A statement that you swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information contained in this notification is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or have an exclusive right in law to bring infringement proceedings with respect to its use.

You must sign this notification and send it to our Copyright Agent at: 168 East Main Street, Northborough, MA 01532.

8. Representations & Warranties

While we may have certain responsibilities connected with our Service those responsibilities are limited. We may terminate any relationship we have, without notice, and without any compensation for any loss.

OK. WE KNOW THIS IS GOING TO COME ACROSS AS LOUD, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THIS SECTION AS IT RELATES TO LIMITATIONS ON YOUR RIGHTS. YOU ASSUME TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND RISK FOR YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND THE USE OF ANY SERVICE, OR PARTICIPATION IN ANY OF OUR RELATED SERVICES PONGO PROVIDES THE SITE AND RELATED INFORMATION "AS IS" AND ON AN "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, AND WE DO NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER (I.E. EXPRESS, IMPLIED, TITLE, NONINFRINGEMENT) THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR SITE, SERVICE, OR ANY SERVICE PROVIDER THAT USES OUR PLATFORM, OR ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH THE SITE, OR VIA THIRD PARTY INTERACTIONS, INCLUDING YOUR FAILURE TO GET A JOB, AND PONGO IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND FOR ANY REASON.

IN REFERENCE TO THE ABOVE SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, YOUR FAILURE TO GET A JOB BY USING OUR SERVICE, YOUR PRIVACY HAVING BEEN INVADED BY SOMEONE COMPROMISING OUR SITE OR VIEWING YOUR RESUME ONLINE, OR THE ACCURACY OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED. THE SOLE REMEDY IN ANY OF THESE CASES IS TO STOP USING OUR SERVICE.

IF YOU, OR THE ENTITY YOU REPRESENT, ARE A LOCATED IN A JURISDICTION THAT REQUIRES A SPECIFIC STATEMENT REGARDING RELEASE THEN THE FOLLOWING APPLIES. FOR EXAMPLE, CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS MUST, AS A CONDITION OF THIS AGREEMENT, WAIVE THE APPLICABILITY OF CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE SECTION 1542, WHICH STATES, "A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR." YOU HEREBY WAIVE THIS SECTION OF THE CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE. YOU HEREBY WAIVE ANY SIMILAR PROVISION IN LAW, REGULATION, OR CODE THAT HAS THE SAME INTENT OR EFFECT AS THE AFOREMENTIONED RELEASE.

9. Indemnity

You agree to compensate us, defend us, and tell everyone (including judges, lawyers, the press) that we are not liable for something you did that is connected to this Agreement in any way. This means if you breach this Agreement you should expect a formal letter from us advising that you'll be paying our legal bills as well as compensation for related costs and damages that are caused to us.

10. Choice of Law

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws in force in the State of Massachusetts.

11. Forum of Dispute

You agree that any dispute arising from or relating to this Agreement will be heard solely by a court of competent jurisdiction in the State of Massachusetts in around about or within the general vicinity of Northborough.

If you bring a dispute in a manner other than in accordance with this section, you agree that we may move to have the case dismissed, and that you will be responsible for our reasonable attorneys' fees, court costs, and disbursements.

The prevailing party in any lawsuit will be entitled to their reasonable attorneys' fees and costs.

12. Force Majeure

You agree that we are not responsible to you for anything that we may otherwise be responsible for, if it is the result of events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, acts of God, war, insurrection, riots, terrorism, crime, labor shortages (including lawful and unlawful strikes), embargoes, postal disruption, communication disruption, failure or shortage of infrastructure, shortage of materials, or any other event beyond our control.

13. Severability

In the event that a provision of this Agreement is found to be unlawful or otherwise unenforceable, the Agreement will remain in force as though it had been entered into without that unlawful or unenforceable provision being included in it.

14. Assignment

You may not assign your rights and/or obligations under this Agreement to any other party without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and/or obligations under this Agreement to any other party at our discretion.

15. Affiliations & Credits

To make our services the best they can be, we form partnerships with some pretty cool companies that have developed awesome technology. Those companies include but are not limited to:

  • Adobe
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Digicert
  • Microsoft
  • SendGrid
  • Snap Engage
  • Solid Documents Limited (a PDFTron company)
  • Trustwave

By agreeing to and adhering to our Terms of Service, you also agree to the abide by the license agreements pursuant to these third parties, including but not limited to the following: You will not reverse-compile or decompile, analyze, reverse-engineer, reverse-assemble or disassemble, unlock or otherwise attempt to discover the source code or underlying algorithms of the Software or attempt to do any of the foregoing in relation to the Object Code of the Software and will not modify, adapt, translate or create any derivative works of the Software or merge the Software into any other software.

PDF technology powered by Solid Documents Limited (a PDFTron company) 2001-2022, and distributed by Pongo, LLC under license. All rights reserved.

16. Miscellaneous

We may amend this Agreement from time to time. When we amend this Agreement, we will notify you and request that you agree to the amendments. You may refuse to agree to the amendments, but if you do, you must immediately cease using our web site and our service. If this Agreement is translated into any other language the original English version will prevail.

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