Rating Policy

Rating Policy - October 20th, 2015

TruckDown Info International, Inc. ("TruckDown") utilizes a Vendor Rating system, which allows Users to rate the service that they receive from a Vendor, in accordance with a Policy developed by TruckDown specifically for this purpose. Ratings are User driven, and TruckDown believes that both Users and Vendors will benefit from this system. As Ratings of Vendors are received by TruckDown and are utilized by TruckDown to produce Quality Rating Scores for those Vendors, Users will be able to use these Ratings to determine which Vendor to contact to provide a particular service. Vendors that are already providing outstanding service should receive very positive Ratings, which should drive more business their way.

The premise for the Vendor Rating Policy is that a Shared Rating and corresponding Feedback by a User are to relate to a specific service provided by a Vendor to that User.

TruckDown provide the ability to share a rating with the vendor being rated. This helps to provide feedback directly to the person or people that matter … the owner of the listing in question. In order to respect the privacy of TruckDown user’s, TruckDown does not require a rating to be shared with the listing in which case the personal information and comment entered remains private to the user who entered the rating.

TruckDown recommends that for shared ratings, Rating Feedback be written by Users as if they were sitting across from the Vendor discussing a specific service event. Vendors are encouraged to respect the opinions of their customers and accept a Rating even if they disagree with it. If the rating is shared with the vendor, then the rating comments along with the name, phone number, and email address of the user who entered the rating is communicated with the vendor being rated.

If a user chooses not to share a rating, then TruckDown still provides the vendor with an opportunity to attempt to contact the user who submitted the rating through the TruckDown system. This process will send a template email to the user from TruckDown letting them know that the vendor would like to be contacted along with the vendors contact information. At no point is the personal information of user who entered the rating shared with the vendor. Vendors can only request to be contacted from the user once for each rating they receive.

The following outlines TruckDown’s Policy with respect to Vendor Ratings:

  1. A “Rating” consists of a 0.5 to 5 Rating scale (with 0.5 being the lowest and 5 being the highest), and must include User Feedback related to a specific transaction between a Vendor and a User.
  2. Ratings must include a comment stating the reason for the rating being assigned.
  3. Only Users with an active TruckDown account (ie a registered User) can provide Ratings. Users must be logged in to provide Ratings.
  4. All Users have the option to share their Rating and related comments with the applicable Vendor (a “Shared Rating”) or keep their comments unshared (an “Unshared Rating”).
  5. A Shared Rating and its supporting Feedback is sent directly to the Vendor and/or the Vendor authorized recipients by email or fax and (subject to item 6) is NOT pre-screened by TruckDown. Shared Rating submissions to Vendors will include the User’s telephone number and email address.
  6. TruckDown reserves the right to screen all Ratings, as well as supporting Feedback in the case of Shared Ratings, as part of our quality assurance processes.
  7. Shared Rating Feedback is only visible online to the User who provided that Feedback and the Vendor who is the subject of that Feedback.
  8. Quality Rating Scores are calculated and assigned by TruckDown to Vendor listings based on cumulative Shared and Unshared Ratings provided by registered Users (as per item 10). Quality Rating Scores ARE visible to ALL Users as part of the listing display. Rating dates and categories are only visible to logged in Users.
  9. Unshared Rating related comments are only visible to the User or User Group that provided them.
  10. Vendor listings with positive Quality Rating Scores may become eligible for TruckDown Preferred™ status. TruckDown Preferred™ status is calculated by TruckDown based on all Ratings provided by registered Users (including previous Shared Ratings, as per item 10) and is indicated by a display feature added to the listing.
  11. TruckDown does NOT endorse any Vendor, either through its Quality Rating Scores or through its TruckDown Preferred™ status. The Scores and status are calculated based on User provided Ratings and as such are subject to change without notice.
  12. Users found to be abusing their accounts through inappropriate use of the Rating system may have their account access terminated by TruckDown.
  13. Vendors that attempt to improve their Quality Rating Scores through false or contrived Ratings may have their listings removed by TruckDown.
  14. Users can only assign one Rating per Vendor listing, but Users may change the Rating and associated Feedback as often as they choose to. Users can also change any of their Ratings from Shared to Unshared, and vice versa.
  15. Vendors can request to be contacted by a user that has submitted either a shared or unshared rating on their listing. Vendors can only submit one request for contact per rating received. The request generates a template email that will be sent to the user in question and cannot be edited by the vendor. The personal information of the user that submitted the rating is not shared when requesting a contact. TruckDown takes no responsibility for ensuring requests for contact are answered and does not get involved in any disputes between vendors and TruckDown users.
  16. TruckDown strongly encourages Vendors to deal directly with their customers with respect to Ratings and related incidents. In the event a Vendor disputes a Shared Rating and wants TruckDown to remove that Rating, there is a dispute form that can be completed online and submitted to TruckDown for review. TruckDown will remove a Shared Rating if one or more of the following conditions exist:
    1. No supporting Feedback was provided with the Shared Rating.
    2. Inappropriate language (ie: swearing).
    3. Inappropriate sexual references.
    4. Racial slurs.
    5. Ratings assigned in cases where no actual transaction between the User and the Vendor took place within the past 12 months, unless TruckDown is made aware of other information that explains why this is the case and is satisfied that, in such circumstances, the Rating should not be removed.
    6. Vendor self rates its listing(s) or rates other Vendor listings.
    7. Rating Feedback includes a script or link of any kind.
    8. Rating Feedback refers to a previous incident or experience of a different User.
    9. Rating Feedback includes political or religious comments not related to a specific transaction.
    10. User that provided the Rating cannot be contacted.
    11. User account that the Rating originates from contains invalid, missing or misleading contact information.
    12. Vendor sells business and is no longer involved in business in any way.
    13. Rating has been falsified or contrived in any manner whatsoever.
  17. Notwithstanding item 16, TruckDown reserves the right to remove any Rating at any time if TruckDown in its sole discretion considers such removal to be appropriate.