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The
Service
This
Certification Award Program is a membership network
of International websites which adhere to strict
privacy and safe shopping practices laid down by
Local Trader The certificate is reassuring and
makes visitors feel comfortable with using a Local
Trader
certified and ongoingly monitored website, which
will also result in increased sales for Local
Trader members.
We
offer neutral, trusted, third party verification of
website privacy and safe shopping practices,
including complaint mediation, to insure a quality
and safe experience for every visitor.
NOTE:
This service INCLUDES full complaint mediation,
unlike other sites which merely check that you have
a privacy policy in place and let you display a
seal on your site. Such seal programs are
worthless.
Who
may apply
This
stage of the program is aimed at commercial sites
only. We define a site as being commercial when
such is offering a product or service in exchange
for remuneration. This includes sites inviting
donations.
This
award program is aimed at small businesses, similar
in size to traders in your local area, and your
annual turnover should not exceed one million US
dollars.
You
will need to ensure your web content is not on the
prohibited
content list
and will comply with the terms
& conditions.
Requirements
In
order to apply for a seal, you must be able to
fulfil all of the next five
requirements:
1.)
The Local Trader
certified
award program is an online web-based facility
for webmasters and online sellers and requires
that you own and maintain a website.
2.)
You must ensure that your contact details,
including your email, remains up to date and
valid.
3.)
You must publish your privacy policy and place a
link to it underneath every form from where you
are collecting user data.
4.)
You must sign an electronic acceptance form to
confirm that you will adhere to the Local Trader
Code
of Practice
for the duration of your LocalTrader
membership.
5.)
You must sign an electronic acceptance form to
confirm that you have read and agree to the
Local Trader Terms and Conditions for the
duration of your Local Trader
membership.
The
Joining Procedure
Membership
is issued to a website. Multiple sites by the same
owner require separate memberships and
fees.
In
order to be considered for membership of the Local
Trader Certified Award Program, you must be able to
fulfil all five (5) requirements listed above.
Complete the Local Trader membership
applications
form
and pay your registration
and membership fee.
Subject
to conditions, we will accept your application on
the basis that it would satisfy our strict
criteria, and will initially issue you with the
Local Trader seal with a three (3) star rating, as
well as instructions for displaying it on your
website.
The
conditions dictate that a Local Trader operator
will visit your site after your application has
been processed, which may be several days after you
submitted your application, and this operator will
perform checks to verify your authenticity and that
you are conforming to the Local Trader code of
practice. These checks are made, based on a
checklist and are answered as either Yes or
No.
The
Local Trader Gold Star Rating system has been
developed to employ the use of an algorithm based
on point scoring. Every Yes or No answer to the
operator's checklist will add to a total score, and
the member's star rating will be awarded based on
this score. At no time does any human operator make
the decision on how many stars to award a
member.
When
the Local Trader Gold Star Rating has been assigned
to a new member, a confirmation email will be sent
to the member confirming his/hers acceptance into
the program and the star rating assigned to their
website. If the final calculated star rating ranks
lower than the three (3) stars issued during the
initial application, guidelines and advice will be
included with this acceptance email, to assist the
new member in rapidly regaining the three (3) star
rating. Also, if the system has calculated that
based on your score, you should be awarded four (4)
stars instead of the three stars initially awarded,
you do not need to do anything as your seal will
automatically be changed to display your four (4)
star rating.
Five
(5) star ratings cannot initially be awarded, but
are achievable after periods of unblemished
membership.
Maintaining
your Gold Star Rating or gaining extra
stars
Members
are rated up to five (5) stars. A five star rating
is achievable after periods of unblemished
membership. In other words, not a single complaint
has been filed against a member over a given period
of time, whilst also passing every site check over
the same period of time.
Members
have the opportunity to gain stars by vigorously
adhering to the Local
Trader
code
of practice and avoiding complaints being filed.
Star ratings are reviewed automatically, based on
an algorithm using point scoring over a period of
time. The system is fully computerised without any
human intervention.
Situations
which you must avoid
Six
or more verified and authenticated complaints filed
against a member within one calendar month, will
result in the loss of one (1) star. Three or more
open issues remaining unanswered or without any
correspondence from a member after 30 days of
original notification, will result in the loss of
one (1) star. It is the responsibility of each
member to ensure that his contact details,
particularly his/her email address, are correct and
up to date at all times.
Unresolved
disputes can cause revocation of membership.
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