What will I get from membership in WebAssured?

A third-party reference that helps you build business by telling buyers what you cannot always credibly say about yourself: "You're one of the good guys."

Our Business Background Report,^sm which gives buyers easy access to valuable information about your company and, in turn, the confidence to go ahead and buy from you.

The Online Purchase Protection^sm that guarantees you will deliver as promised, and in the event you don't, we will refund the buyers' money.

The WebAssured Seal of Assurance to display on your site and on your point-of-purchase page.

A link from our search engine to your site, which can drive more traffic your way.

The opportunity to display our "complaint button," which gives you and your customers immediate access to our automated dispute resolution (ADR) process. By providing this forum for customers who might otherwise remain "silently disgruntled," you have the opportunity to turn their dissatisfaction into future sales and loyalty.

With ADR, we filter out "chronic complainers" with unfounded or frivolous claims so you can devote more time to your valuable and profitable customers.

ADR gives you a systematic process and standardized communications that make tracking, handling and analyzing service issues easier.

The ability to display praise your customers have filed with us - one of the most compelling ways to convince new visitors of your integrity.

How will a WebAssured membership benefit me?
You will be able to demonstrate reliability and credibility to buyers who have never done business with you before by giving them instant access to information about your company and your customer service history. Currently, only about 60% of Internet users shop for goods and services online, and only 50% of those actually make purchases online. A major reason so many browsers are unwilling to buy is that they are unfamiliar with the online merchants, and uncomfortable with the online purchasing process. Membership in WebAssured helps eliminate these buying objections.

How does WebAssured help to eliminate buying objections?

We help you address buyers' reservations up front by providing them with important information about your company, your track record and a precise way to handle and resolve questions and concerns.

Your Business Background Report^sm gives browsers a means to get to know your business and its track record of serving other customers. Even without a "brick-and-mortar" presence, shoppers get concrete information that you are a legitimate and trustworthy business. Your buyers also gain access to a forum for voicing concerns over their transactions and offering you praise when you live up to their expectations.

Online Purchase Protection^sm guarantees your customers that they will get what they order from you, or we will refund their money directly! This eliminates one of the greatest fears that keeps many shoppers from placing an order in the first place.

By participating in WebAssured's third party authentication and verification system, you are able to tell your consumers what you can't always say by yourself: "You can trust me!" Simply put, when shoppers see the WebAssured seal on a website, they feel more confident. Shoppers who feel more confident will place more orders!

What are the requirements for membership?
WebAssured membership requires completion of the WebAssured membership application, adherence to the WebAssured membership agreement and Universal Standard of Ethics, payment of dues and prompt resolution of consumer complaints. Final approval is subject to review by a WebAssured staff member. Membership may be revoked at any time if the applicant commits unacceptable violations of ethical business practices.

What if my business is brand new?
Membership in a third party seal program is one of the most effective ways to communicate that you are trustworthy and committed to fair and ethical business practices. By agreeing to uphold a certain standard of ethics and disclose pertinent transactional information to your customers, you are making a public statement regarding your business ethics and your intentions.

How much does membership cost?
Dues are based on online revenues and vary depending on the size of your company. Companies with annual revenues of $1 million or less currently pay $180 each year. We represent a system of self-regulation - of the Internet, by the Internet, and for the Internet. Accordingly, we ask members of the electronic commerce community to support this system according to their ability to pay. Dues range from fifteen dollars a month for small companies to several thousand dollars a year for large corporations. To see our current schedule of Membership dues, click here.

How much work is involved in becoming WebAssured?
Becoming WebAssured is easy! Simply agree to our Membership Agreement and Universal Standard of Ethics, and complete the membership application. The application will take you less than ten minutes, and most sites receive an approval from us with the WebAssured link and seal within a few days.

What is Online Purchase Protection?
Online Purchase Protection is our guarantee to your buyers that when they buy goods and services from your site, what they order is what they will get. If they are unable to obtain a satisfactory conclusion to a transaction with a WebAssured member, we will refund their money directly. By registering for WebAssured membership, you grant the Company permission to verify your credit and trade references. Among other steps, WebAssured may review credit card charge-back history prior to activating your Online Purchase Protection^sm coverage. Online Purchase Protection^sm coverage is activated only after this review and a waiting period (generally six months) without any unresolved complaints are completed. New members are, therefore, advised that no coverage will be provided until references are verified and the waiting period has been met satisfactorily. The waiting period may be waived or shortened for new members with exceptionally strong credit references. WebAssured reserves the right to revoke or limit coverage if the member firm violates the membership terms.

How does WebAssured remain objective when it is supported by its member firms?
Our services are supported by the Internet community because they benefit the Internet community as a whole. By promoting increased consumer confidence in electronic commerce, all online merchants benefit. The dues we receive from member firms represent a sharing of the cost for providing this infrastructure, not a right to any special treatment. We do not endorse or persecute any Company - we merely provide the mechanism for consumers around the world to voice opinions and make informed decisions. We field complaints on all companies equally, non-members and members alike. We will revoke a Company's membership if they fail to abide by our standards. We do not accept paid advertising.

Annual dues paid by our members demonstrate the community's commitment to keeping the Internet free of government intervention, yet reliable and trustworthy in the minds of consumers.

How are consumer complaints handled and reported?
We do not report any complaint until the merchant has had at least two business days to respond. Only if a merchant has been unresponsive, or a consumer reports that the issue remains unresolved after our attempts to contact the merchant will the complaint appear in the dAtabase^sm.

What if a complaint is not legitimate?
Merchants who feel a complaint is unfounded have the chance to share their side of the story with us. A detailed outline of the AdDResS^sm process can be reviewed by clicking here. We realize that even the best of companies can't satisfy every customer every time. Complaints that are frivolous or unreasonable will not be reported to the public.

What is the "Watchlist"?
The WebAssured "Watchlist" is a list of companies that buyers should probably avoid. These companies have committed what WebAssured believes are egregious violations of ethical business practices.

How does a company end up on the "Watchlist"?
When it becomes apparent that a company blatantly disregards our Internet USE standards, we may place them on the Watchlist of companies to avoid. Companies listed here have committed what WebAssured believes to be unacceptable violations of ethical business practices.

Why do I need insurance?
By giving your buyers a way to recoup any losses associated with doing business on your website, you help increase consumer confidence. The Online Purchase Protection^sm program guarantees your customers that they will get what they order from you, or we will refund their money directly! This eliminates the fear that prevents many shoppers from placing an order in the first place.

How do I get the insurance?
Through your WebAssured membership. You receive an aggregate one million dollars of insurance coverage with a $200 per transaction cap, effectively guaranteeing your e-commerce customers that you will fulfill as promised. If you routinely sell high-ticket items, you may purchase additional coverage to raise your transaction cap.

How do I become a WebAssured member?
Complete the online application and agree to abide by our Membership Agreement and Universal Standard of Ethics. When you are approved, we will email you the WebAssured link and seal.