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Terms of use

For use of this website (referred to as the "Site") and communications with and through this website (referred to as the “Services”)

All of the content that appears on the Hearing Directory (www.hearingdirectory.ca) Site including without limitation all designs, illustrations, icons, photographs, video clips and written materials, as well as the compilation of the website and other materials, are the exclusive property owned by Hearing Directory. The Site does provide email, chat and telephone-based Services that help to facilitate visitors navigate hearing loss and hearing aid information on the Site and/or find a hearing clinic in their area. By using the Site and/or Services, you agree to these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree to all Terms and Conditions, do not use this Site and/or Services.

If you have or think you may be having a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.

Call your doctor or 911 immediately for all medical emergencies. Hearing Directory does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, products, procedures, opinions or other information found on the Site and/or Services. Use of the Site and/or Services is solely at your own risk.

The Site and Services do not provide medical or audiology advice

The content, such as text, graphics, images, information obtained from links, licensors and other material ("content") contained on the Site are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Site. The Site cannot and does not provide personal advice. The opinions expressed are for informational purposes only and are not to be considered by you, or anyone, as appropriate or professional or diagnostic of your condition or situation. We strongly urge you to personally speak with your physician or another licensed healthcare practitioner to determine how the information on the Site pertains to you, if at all.

The content about hearing clinics on the Site is not intended as a recommendation, referral or endorsement of any particular provider. Clinics are not employees or agents of Hearing Directory. Clinics are included from the provider databases of our corporate partners, HearingLife Canada and Oticon Canada. Reviews and ratings of clinics are user-submitted (see policies below) and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of Hearing Directory. Any and all provided information about a clinic is subject to change. Verify the accuracy of any clinic information provided on the Site directly with the clinic.

Services provided do not include the provision of medical or audiology advice and therefore should not be considered as any type of healthcare being provided to the user. The Services are for informational purposes only; they are not intended as a recommendation, referral or endorsement of any particular provider, device or procedure.

You use the Site content and Services at your own risk

When using the Site and/or Services, information is transmitted over media that are beyond the control and jurisdiction of Hearing Directory and its suppliers. Accordingly, Hearing Directory assumes no liability for or relating to the delay, failure, interruption or corruption of any data or other information transmitted in connection with the use of the Site and/or Services.

The Site and Services are provided "AS IS," “WITH ALL FAULTS” and “AS AVAILABLE.” Hearing Directory makes no guarantees or promises regarding the accuracy, reliability, completeness or timeliness of the content, information, software, text, graphics, links or communications on the Site or through its Services.

In no event shall Hearing Directory, its licensors, its suppliers or any third parties be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, incidental and consequential damages, personal injury or wrongful death, lost profits or damages resulting from lost data or business interruption) resulting from the use or inability to use the Site and/or Services, whether based on warranty, contract, tort or any other legal theory, and whether or not Hearing Directory is advised of the possibility of such damages.

Use of Site or Services

Do not misuse our Site or Services. Do not interfere with our Site or Services or try to access them using a method other than the interface and the instructions that we provide. Do not send automated queries of any sort to our system without express permission in advance from Hearing Directory. Sending automated queries consumes resources and can potentially degrade the performance of our Site and/or Services. You may use our Site or Services only as permitted by law, including applicable export and re-export control laws and regulations. We may suspend or stop providing our Site or Services to you if you do not comply with our terms or policies or if we are investigating suspected misconduct.

Use of content

In many cases, it's not necessary to contact us for permission to use our content. Please read the following guidelines. For questions or reprint situations not covered here, please contact Hearing Directory.

Hard-copy use of text-based article content

Individuals and organizations may reproduce our content in a printed form for the purpose of health fairs, clinic newsletters and other educational events, as long as Hearing Directory is clearly credited as the source. Please include at the bottom of the printed materials, “Reprinted with permission from www.hearingdirectory.ca.”

Web use of text-based article content

Individuals and organizations may reproduce text content from Hearing Directory on a website or blog with permission by citing us in the following way:

  • Include a canonical link in the header back to the original URL of the Hearing Directory article.
  • Add a line at the bottom of the article that states, “Reprinted with permission. Copyright Hearing Directory (www.hearingdirectory.ca). Original article: [Link to URL of original article].”
  • Legal action will be taken if we find a website has breached our copyright by posting one of our articles in its entirety without permission for commercial purposes.

Hard-copy or web use of text-based review content

Hearing Directory is not the final copyright holder for text-based reviews posted in the "Find a clinic" section of the website. This right is held by each user who created a review and granted Hearing Directory permission to publish the review on the Site. Do not reproduce text-based review content without permission. Unauthorized reproductions of text-based reviews from the Hearing Directory site without the consent of the review submitter and/or Hearing Directory may violate copyright law and the Hearing Directory terms of use.

Graphics, photos and other non-text media

With the exception of infographic images, it is important to note that Hearing Directory may or may not be the final copyright holder for images, videos, photographs or artwork featured on the website. Reprinting or republishing of these items is not expressly given. Please contact Hearing Directory to obtain information and permission for re-use of non-text media from the site.

All content on the Site is protected by copyright by Canada and foreign laws. Title to the content remains with Hearing Directory or its licensors. Any use of the content not expressly permitted here is a breach of these Terms and Conditions and may violate copyright, trademark and other laws. Content and written features may change without notice. All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by Hearing Directory and its licensors.

User submissions

You agree that you will not upload or transmit any communications or content of any type that infringe or violate any rights of any party. By submitting communications or content to any part of this Site, you agree that such submission is non-confidential for all purposes. If you make any such submission, you automatically grant (or warrant) that the owner of such content has expressly granted to Hearing Directory, a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, create derivative works from, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute, perform and display the communication or content in any media or medium, or any form, format or forum now known or hereafter developed.

Reviews

The Site seeks honest and descriptive user submitted reviews about consumer experiences at hearing centers across the country. These consumer reviews are posted on the clinic profile pages for which they are submitted.

Hearing Directory earns consumer trust by posting all hearing clinic reviews received, both positive and negative, that meet publishing criteria. Businesses listed on the Site cannot screen out, alter or remove negative reviews.

Submitting a review

All forms of clinic review submittals are intended for use by individuals who have visited a particular clinic and wish to share their experience with other visitors to the Site. They are also intended to be submitted by reviewers who are not affiliated in any way with the establishment they are reviewing.

All reviews submitted to the Site will be examined by a staff member before being published. Reviews are generally posted within 1-3 business days of submission.

Clinics are notified via email when a new review of their clinic is received and given an opportunity to write a response to be published with that review.

Review policies

A complete first and last name are required for review submission, however, only the first name and last initial will be published.

The Site reserves the right to choose not to publish any review deemed inappropriate for the following reasons:

  • Any review that appears to be spam
  • Any review that is potentially libelous
  • Any review submitted without the reviewer’s name
  • Any review with an obviously fake name
  • Any review that appears to violate the privacy of an individual
  • Any review that appears to have been submitted in error
  • Any review that appears to be a duplicate of a previously published review
  • Any review containing language considered inappropriate for the Site, including, but not limited to, foul language, threats, harassment, lewdness and hate speech
  • Any review that appears to be written by a current or former clinic owner, employee or competitor
  • Any review that appears to be faked or falsified
  • Any review with a star rating that is inconsistent with the written comments
  • Any review that is too brief to describe the experience in a way that justifies the star rating
  • Any review that appears to have been given in exchange for goods, services or monetary compensation

The Site reserves the right to remove the following from an otherwise compliant review:

  • any inappropriate text as described above
  • any pricing or branding information for specific hearing aids
  • any competitor names
  • any patient names other than the review writer
  • any reference to specific audiologists for clinics in certain provinces in order to maintain compliance with licensure regulations

In addition to being a violation of our reviews guidelines and an unethical practice, submitting fraudulent reviews is also prohibited by law in many jurisdictions.

For more information about the user-submitted content on the Site, please review the privacy policy.

Public areas

If you use one of the areas of the Site that permit you and others to post communications ("Public Areas"), you are solely responsible for your own communications, the consequences of posting those communications and your reliance on any communications found in the Public Areas. Hearing Directory is not responsible for the consequences of any communications in the Public Areas. In cases where you feel threatened or believe someone else is in danger, you should contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.

In consideration of being allowed to use the Public Areas, you agree that the following actions shall constitute a material breach of these Terms and Conditions and you will not use a Public Area for any purpose in violation of local, provincial, national or international laws; you will not post material that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others or on the privacy or publicity rights of others; you will not post material that is unlawful, obscene, defamatory, threatening, harassing, abusive, slanderous, hateful or embarrassing to any other person or entity; you will not post advertisements or solicitations of business; post chain letters or pyramid schemes; you will not impersonate others; distribute viruses or other harmful computer code; harvest or otherwise collect information about others (including email addresses, without their consent); you will not allow other persons or entity to use your identification for posting or viewing comments; post the same note more than once or "spamming" and you will not engage in any conduct that restricts or inhibits any other person from using or enjoying the Public Area or the Site.

Advertisements and links to other sites

Hearing Directory does not endorse the content on any third-party websites. Hearing Directory cannot be and is not responsible for the content of linked third-party sites, sites framed within the Site or third-party advertisements, and does not make any representations regarding their content or accuracy. Use of third-party websites is at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such sites.

Indemnification

By using the Site and/or Services, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold Hearing Directory, its officers, directors, authors, employees, agents, licensors, corporate partners, advisors, advisory board and suppliers, harmless from and against any claims, actions or demands, liabilities and settlements including without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, resulting from or alleged to result from any problem related to the Site and/or Services.

You also expressly agree that exclusive jurisdiction for any dispute with Hearing Directory, or in any way relating to your use of the Site and/or Services, resides in the courts of the Province of Ontario and you further agree and expressly consent to the exercise of personal jurisdiction in the courts of the Province of Ontario in connection with any such dispute including any claim.

Complete agreement

Except as expressly provided in a particular "legal notice" on the Site and/or Services, these Terms and Conditions constitute the entire agreement between you and Hearing Directory.

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