Worcester County Trusted Partner Program Agreement

Effective Date: Upon Enrollment

Worcester County Trusted (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is a brand owned and operated by Worcester County News LLC, a limited liability company.

All references to “Worcester County Trusted” throughout these Terms refer to its operation under Worcester County News LLC.

Welcome to Worcester County Trusted. These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your participation in our Trusted Partner Program (“Program”).

By enrolling in the Worcester County Trusted Partner Program, you (“Member”) agree to the following terms and conditions:

1. 

Program Overview

As a Trusted Partner, you will receive:

An exclusive listing in the Worcester County Trusted Partner Directory (one business per profession)

A custom feature article on WorcesterCountyNews.com

A Trusted Partner Badge to use on your website and marketing materials

Organic promotion and paid advertising, including on social media, TV, and online placements

Search engine optimization benefits through high-authority backlinks

2. 

Eligibility Requirements

To maintain eligibility, you must:

Be in business for a minimum of 2 years

Hold and maintain a 4.0-star rating or higher on at least one major review platform (e.g. Google, Facebook)

Demonstrate professionalism, integrity, and a commitment to the local community

Worcester County News reserves the right to review, update, or refine eligibility requirements at any time.

3. 

Auto-Renewal & Billing Terms

All memberships (quarterly and yearly) automatically renew unless canceled at least five (5) business days before the next billing date. Business days are defined as Monday through Friday, excluding public holidays.

By enrolling, you authorize Worcester County News to charge your selected payment method for each renewal period. No partial refunds will be issued once a billing cycle has started.

3.1 Content, Image & Likeness Consent

By enrolling in the Worcester County Trusted Partner Program, the Member represents and warrants that they have obtained all necessary permissions, consents, and rights from any individual (including employees, contractors, representatives, or others) appearing in any video, photo, audio recording, live stream, testimonial, or other media (“Content”) provided to, created for, or used by Worcester County Trusted and its affiliates for marketing, promotional, and commercial purposes.

The Member further agrees that:

a. All individuals visible in any such Content supplied by the Member have agreed to the use of their image, likeness, voice, performance, and any other personally identifiable representation (“Likeness”) for promotional, advertising, and marketing activities across all media now known or hereafter devised.

b. Member shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Worcester County Trusted, its owners, agents, officers, employees, affiliates, successors, and assigns from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to any claim by any third party (including any person appearing in Content) relating to the use of such Content and/or Likeness.

c. If at any time an individual appearing in Content objects to its use, Member agrees to promptly notify Worcester County Trusted and assist, at Member’s expense if required, in remediating the issue, including by removing, editing, or replacing the Content as necessary. Worcester County Trusted reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to remove, edit, or discontinue use of any Content at any time without liability.
The permissions and consents granted under this section shall survive termination of the Member’s participation in the Program.

4. 

Membership Review and Accountability

If your public rating falls below 4.0 stars, your directory profile will be temporarily greyed out, and you will have:

30 days to restore your rating to 4.0 or higher

An additional 30-day grace period, if needed

If the rating is not corrected within 60 days, Worcester County News reserves the right to remove your business from the Trusted Partner Program without refund.

5. 

Removal from the Program

We reserve the right to suspend or remove any member from the Program at our sole discretion, particularly if the business:

Falls out of compliance with the program requirements

Damages public trust

Misuses the badge or Worcester County News branding

Engages in deceptive practices

Worcester County News is committed to maintaining the integrity of this endorsement for the benefit of all businesses and consumers.

6. 

Refunds, Billing Disputes & Account Delinquency

All purchases are final, and payments are non-refundable. Clients agree to contact Worcester County News directly to address any billing questions or service concerns prior to initiating any payment dispute.

If a chargeback or payment dispute is initiated for charges that were validly authorized and processed under these Terms & Conditions, the associated account may be classified as delinquent. Delinquent accounts may be subject to additional administrative processing and, where permitted by law, may be referred to a third-party agency for further handling, including recovery of any outstanding balance and applicable costs.

Any promotional, discounted, or reduced pricing offered at the time of enrollment is conditional. Upon initiation of a chargeback or payment dispute, all such promotional or discounted pricing shall be immediately void.

Worcester County News reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to suspend, restrict, or terminate access to its platform or services following any chargeback or dispute, regardless of the outcome.

If Worcester County News elects, in its sole discretion, to continue or reinstate services after a chargeback or dispute, such continuation or reinstatement shall be treated as a new enrollment and shall require:

Payment at the full, non-discounted retail price in effect at the time of reinstatement; and

Reimbursement of any chargeback fees, administrative costs, or payment processor fees incurred by Worcester County News, as permitted by law.

Worcester County News reserves the right to document and verify all service delivery, communications, and account activity for purposes of dispute resolution, compliance review, compliance auditing, and account enforcement, as allowed by applicable law.

7. 

Badge & Branding Use

As an active Trusted Partner, you are authorized to display:

The official “Worcester County News Trusted Partner” badge

The label “Endorsed by Worcester County News”

If your membership ends for any reason, you must:

Immediately discontinue use of the badge

Remove all digital and print materials referring to Worcester County News endorsement

Refrain from publicly representing yourself as a Trusted Partner

Misuse or continued use after removal may result in legal consequences, including cease-and-desist action.

8. 

Limitation of Liability

Worcester County News makes no guarantees regarding increased traffic, leads, or revenue. This is a visibility and brand authority program, not a performance-based guarantee. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from participation.

9. 

Jurisdiction & Governing Law

This Agreement shall be governed and interpreted under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, regardless of where the business owner resides or where the business is incorporated.

10. 

Agreement to Terms

By checking the box and completing your purchase, you confirm that:

You have read, understood, and agree to all the terms outlined above

You are authorized to bind the business to this agreement

You acknowledge Worcester County News’ right to update this agreement as needed