Terms of Service

Effective date: August 26, 2026

1. Agreement to these Terms

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") are a binding agreement between you and Trusted Reference Check, LLC, a Virginia limited liability company ("Trusted Reference Check," "we," "us," or "our"). They govern all access to and use of trustedreferencecheck.org, our questionnaires and forms, and the services we may provide (collectively, the "Service").

By accessing the Service, submitting a questionnaire, checking a box that refers to these Terms, or engaging us, you accept these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

In these Terms, a "Reference" is a person from whom we may request written professional feedback; an "Authorizing Party" is the individual or organization that authorizes a reference check; and a "Client" is a party that engages us under a separate written agreement.

2. The Service

Trusted Reference Check provides a service through which written professional feedback may be requested, collected, documented, and furnished. We may attempt to contact an Authorizing Party's, a Client's, or a person's references, put questions to them, and record, store, process, compile, summarize, analyze, and deliver the resulting information, in whole or in part, in any form and by any means we consider appropriate. Our outreach is based on the information provided to us at the time of the request, including the identification of references and the authorization to proceed, and we may rely on that information in good faith without independent verification. Once we collect information from or about you, we may store, use, and disclose it in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

We may determine, modify, limit, or discontinue any aspect of the Service at any time, in our sole discretion, including the form, content, timing, and manner of any outreach, questionnaire, documentation, report, or delivery. We may accept, decline, cancel, or discontinue any check, account, or engagement, in whole or in part, at any time. Nothing in these Terms obligates us to contact any particular person, obtain any particular response, or deliver any particular result.

3. Scope of the Service; no advice; your decisions

The Service is limited to the collection and documentation of professional references. It does not include, and nothing in the Service or its outputs should be understood to provide, criminal record searches, credit checks, drug screening, identity verification, investigative services, or legal, employment, compliance, or other professional advice. We are not a recruiter, an employer, or a staffing agency. We take no position on, and make no recommendation about, any hiring or other decision. Any decision made in reliance on the Service or on any documented response is made solely by the party making it, at that party's own risk.

4. If you are a Reference

Participation is voluntary. You may decline any individual question — including by marking it "N/A" to indicate it is not applicable or not answered — stop at any point, or decline to participate at all. You may opt out of future contact at any time using the unsubscribe link in our email or by writing to [email protected].

Your statements are your own. You affirm that your answers are your own statements, made and submitted by you, and truthful to the best of your knowledge. You are solely responsible for the content of the statements you choose to make.

License. By submitting answers or any other material to us, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to record, store, reproduce, compile, summarize, analyze, adapt, and distribute that material in connection with the Service and the operation of our business.

Handling of your answers. Our collection, use, and disclosure of the information you provide, including your answers, are described in our Privacy Policy. The person being referenced has the right to request the information we hold about them, which includes your answers, and we provide it on that request.

No compensation; no relationship. We do not pay References, and participating creates no employment, agency, or other relationship with us.

5. Engagements, fees, and individual agreements

Service models and trade names. We may offer, advertise, market, and provide the Service, or any part of it, under different pricing and engagement models and under one or more trade or "doing business as" names registered to Trusted Reference Check, LLC, for advertising, operational, or other discretionary purposes. Services offered under a different trade name may be governed by separate terms of service and privacy policies applicable to that offering.

Individual agreements. We may enter into separate written agreements — including engagement letters, order forms, retainer arrangements, and master service agreements — with individual parties and organizations. The scope, fees, invoicing, term, and termination that apply to an engagement are those stated in the applicable written agreement between us and that party. If a separate written agreement conflicts with these Terms, that agreement controls as to its subject matter; these Terms otherwise continue to apply.

Fees. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, fees are invoiced in advance, are due as stated on the invoice, and are exclusive of applicable taxes, which are your responsibility. Fees pay for the performance of our services, which begins when we begin work, and not for any particular report, response, or result. Except where the law requires otherwise, fees are not refundable. We may suspend performance while any invoice remains unpaid.

Discretion. We handle engagements discreetly and may decline to confirm or deny the existence, nature, or details of any engagement to anyone outside it, except as described in our Privacy Policy or where disclosure is required by law.

Your responsibilities. You are responsible for ensuring that every check you request is authorized in writing by the person being referenced before we contact anyone, and for the accuracy of the names and contact details you give us.

Use of documented responses. Documented responses are furnished for your internal use only. You have no right to publish, redistribute, resell, or otherwise transfer them, in whole or in part, and you will limit access to them to persons with a need to know. You are solely responsible for the decisions you make, for any use you make of documented responses, and for your compliance with the laws that apply to you and to those decisions.

6. Acceptable use

You agree not to: use the Service for any unlawful purpose; misrepresent your identity or authority, including requesting a check for a person who has not authorized it in writing; supply contact details you are not entitled to share; interfere with the operation of the Service or attempt to gain unauthorized access to it; harvest or scrape content or data from the Service; or use the Service to harass, defame, or harm any person. We may determine, in our sole discretion, whether any use violates this section and may act accordingly, with or without notice.

7. Intellectual property; submissions

The Service, including the content, design, and structure of our site, questionnaires, and question sets, belongs to us or our licensors and is protected by law. No right is granted to you except as expressly stated in these Terms. Any suggestion, idea, or feedback you send us may be used by us for any purpose without restriction, attribution, or compensation. Statements recorded in a documented response are the statements of the individual Reference who made them and are not statements, findings, or opinions of Trusted Reference Check.

8. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE AND ALL DOCUMENTED RESPONSES, REPORTS, AND OTHER OUTPUTS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS," "AS AVAILABLE," AND "WITH ALL FAULTS," WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATION, WARRANTY, OR GUARANTEE OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO ANY OUTPUT OF THE SERVICE, INCLUDING THAT ANY REFERENCE WILL RESPOND; THAT ANY RESPONSE IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE, OR TRUTHFUL; THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE; OR THAT ANY PARTICULAR OUTCOME WILL RESULT FROM USE OF THE SERVICE. WE DOCUMENT WHAT REFERENCES SAY; WE DO NOT VERIFY, ENDORSE, OR ADOPT IT.

9. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TRUSTED REFERENCE CHECK AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, GOODWILL, OPPORTUNITY, OR DATA, UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IF, NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, LIABILITY IS IMPOSED ON US, THEN TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID US FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM OR, IF YOU HAVE PAID US NOTHING, ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS. THESE LIMITS APPLY EVEN IF A REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITS; IN THOSE JURISDICTIONS, THESE PROVISIONS APPLY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THE LAW PERMITS.

10. Indemnification

You will protect, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Trusted Reference Check and its members, managers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or relating to: your breach of these Terms; any material you submit through the Service; your use of any documented response; any claim that a check you requested was not validly authorized; or your violation of any law or of any third party's rights.

11. Suspension and termination

We may deny, suspend, lock, terminate, or modify access to all or any part of the Service, decline or cancel any check, and close any account, at any time, with or without notice, in our sole discretion, including where we believe it necessary or appropriate to comply with law, to protect any person, to address a suspected violation of these Terms, or to manage legal, operational, or reputational risk. Your sole and exclusive remedy for dissatisfaction with the Service or these Terms is to stop using the Service; Clients may end an engagement as provided in the applicable written agreement. Sections 3 through 16 survive any termination to the extent applicable.

12. Dispute resolution; arbitration; class action waiver

Talk to us first. Before starting any formal proceeding, you agree to write to [email protected] describing the dispute and to give us sixty days to work toward an informal resolution with you.

Binding arbitration. Except as provided below, any dispute arising out of or relating to the Service or these Terms will be resolved by final and binding arbitration before a single arbitrator, administered by the American Arbitration Association under its applicable rules. The arbitration will be seated in the Commonwealth of Virginia and may be conducted remotely. The Federal Arbitration Act governs this section. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court with jurisdiction.

Exceptions. Either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court if it qualifies, and either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in court for infringement or misuse of intellectual property or confidential information.

Class action waiver. DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. YOU AND WE EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING, AND EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL, TO THE EXTENT THE LAW PERMITS.

Time to bring claims. To the extent the law permits, any claim arising out of or relating to the Service or these Terms must be commenced within one year after the claim accrues, or it is permanently barred.

13. Governing law and venue

These Terms, and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the Service, are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. For any matter not subject to arbitration, the state and federal courts located in Virginia have exclusive jurisdiction, and you consent to their jurisdiction and venue.

14. Text messages

We send text messages from one toll-free number and never for marketing. References: if the person who authorized a reference check supplied your mobile number, we may send you one text message on the day the request is due, and only if you have not responded or opted out by then. The email you receive first states this and links to an opt-out and to a way to tell us you are not the right person. Authorizing parties and clients: if you asked for text updates when placing an engagement, we send short updates about that engagement only. Message frequency varies; a typical engagement involves at most 1 text to each reference and 3 to 6 to the party who placed it. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to any text to opt out, or HELP for assistance, or write to [email protected].

15. Changes to these Terms

We may revise these Terms at any time, in our sole discretion. Changes take effect when posted to this page with a revised effective date. Your continued use of the Service after a change is posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

16. General

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any written engagement document, are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service and supersede any prior understandings. If any provision is found unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted and the remainder will remain in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. You may not assign these Terms without our written consent; we may assign them in connection with a reorganization, merger, sale of assets, or similar transaction. Neither party is liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond its reasonable control. These Terms create no rights in any third party. Notices to us must be sent to [email protected]; we may give notice by email to the address we hold for you or by posting to our site.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms: [email protected]