Ashling Partner Standards

Ashling connects businesses, venues, professionals, hosts, event providers and organizations with the communities we serve through Ashling Events, Paper Lantern Social Club, Smitten Singles, Forever Smitten and other Ashling brands.

We want people to have confidence in the businesses and professionals they discover through us. These standards outline what we expect from every Ashling Partner.

Business information

Partners must accurately represent their business, services and qualifications.

• Keep business information, services, pricing and offers accurate and current.
• Only claim credentials, certifications, licenses and professional affiliations you actually hold.
• Do not fabricate reviews, testimonials, results or customer experiences.
• Do not make claims about your services or results that you cannot support.
• Provide verification of credentials, certifications or licenses when requested by Ashling.
• Tell us if information that was important to your approval changes.

Professional conduct

Partners are expected to treat customers, participants, Ashling staff and other partners professionally and respectfully.

• Harassment, discrimination, threats, intimidation, hate speech and unwanted sexual behavior are not permitted.
• Respect personal and professional boundaries.
• Respect a person's decision to decline an offer, service or further communication.
• Do not repeatedly contact or pressure someone who has indicated they are not interested.
• Do not use an Ashling event, community or partner relationship to target or take advantage of participants.

These standards apply to interactions resulting from an Ashling event, referral, promotion, partner connection or brand, whether the interaction takes place online or in person.

Customer information and privacy

Information obtained through Ashling should only be used for the purpose for which it was provided.

Partners may not:

• Scrape, copy or collect Ashling participant or member information without authorization.
• Sell or share customer information without appropriate permission.
• Add someone to an unrelated marketing list simply because they attended an Ashling event or interacted with an Ashling brand.
• Use information obtained through Ashling for unsolicited personal contact.

Partners are responsible for following applicable privacy, marketing and communications laws.

Advertising and promotions

Events, deals, services, resources and other content submitted to Ashling must accurately represent what is being offered.

Partners must:

• Clearly disclose important restrictions, eligibility requirements and additional costs.
• Honor active offers according to the terms submitted.
• Accurately represent pricing and availability.
• Identify the actual business or professional providing the service when it may not otherwise be clear.

Partners may not:

• Advertise one product or service primarily as a way to sell something substantially different.
• Use misleading pricing, fabricated scarcity or deceptive claims.
• Submit promotions that redirect customers to products or services that are not permitted on Ashling.
• Use Ashling promotions primarily to collect leads without providing the advertised offer or experience.

Use of Ashling brands

Participation in the Ashling Partner network does not mean Ashling endorses every product, service, statement or activity of a partner.

Partners may not:

• Claim Ashling has endorsed, certified, sponsored or guaranteed their business unless specifically authorized.
• Represent themselves as an Ashling employee or representative when they are an independent partner.
• Use Ashling names, logos or other brand materials in an unauthorized way.
• Misrepresent an Ashling accreditation, approval, training or other designation.

Any Ashling designation must be represented accurately and may only be used while it remains current.

Professional services

Partners offering professional or specialized services must accurately represent their qualifications and the scope of their work.

• Required professional licenses must remain current.
• Credentials, education, certifications and training must be represented accurately.
• Partners may not present themselves as licensed clinicians, attorneys, financial professionals or other regulated professionals unless appropriately qualified.
• Partners should not guarantee health, financial, legal, relationship or other outcomes that cannot reasonably be guaranteed.
• Professionals are expected to work within the scope of their qualifications.

Ashling may require additional verification before approving or promoting certain professional services.

Dating and relationship services

Dating and relationship professionals are subject to additional review because they may work directly with members of the Smitten Singles and Forever Smitten communities.

• Coaches must disclose relevant certifications and the organization that issued them.
• Dating and relationship professionals may be asked to provide additional information about their training and services.
• Matchmakers and businesses providing matchmaking services require additional review before being promoted through Ashling brands.
• Approval as an Ashling Partner does not make a professional an Ashling employee, representative or Smitten matchmaker.

Ashling may establish additional requirements for these professionals as our programs and partner relationships develop.

Hosts and event providers

Partners responsible for events or experiences must accurately represent what participants should expect.

• Provide the event, activity or service substantially as advertised.
• Treat participants professionally and respectfully.
• Follow applicable laws and venue requirements.
• Communicate cancellations and significant changes promptly.
• Follow Ashling event standards when providing services for an Ashling event.
• Only represent yourself as Ashling-trained, accredited or approved when you have received that designation and it remains current.

Restricted business categories

Some businesses and services require additional review before they can participate or be promoted across Ashling brands.

These may include:

• Alcohol-related businesses or promotions
• Cannabis or vaping businesses
• Gambling
• Adult nightlife
• Health-related services or claims
• Financial services
• Legal services
• Matchmaking
• Dating and relationship coaching
• Other regulated businesses, products or services

Approval may be limited to certain Ashling brands, audiences, content or promotional opportunities.

Partners remain responsible for applicable licensing, age restrictions, disclosures and legal requirements.

Prohibited business categories and content

Ashling does not accept partners, advertising, promotions, events or other content primarily involving:

• Political candidates, campaigns or political parties
• PACs and political fundraising
• Election-related activity
• Political advocacy or lobbying
• Multi-level marketing (MLM) or network marketing businesses
• Business opportunities primarily based on recruiting additional sellers, building a downline or selling participation in the opportunity
• Pyramid schemes
• Illegal products or services
• Weapons
• Sexual services or sexually explicit businesses
• Hate or extremist organizations or content
• Fraud, scams or deceptive business practices

Ashling may decline a specific event, promotion, offer or piece of content even when the underlying business is otherwise eligible to participate.

Complaints and review

A complaint does not automatically mean a partner has violated these standards. Ashling may review concerns involving interactions that originated through our brands, events, promotions or partner network.

During a review:

• Ashling may request information from the partner or other people involved.
• Partners are expected to cooperate reasonably with the review.
• We may remove or pause content while a concern is being reviewed when appropriate.
• We will consider the circumstances and available information before determining what action to take.

Serious misconduct, repeated complaints, providing false information during a review or an ongoing pattern of conduct that does not meet these standards may result in promotional access being restricted, content being removed or the partner relationship being ended.

Partner responsibility

Ashling Partners are independent businesses and professionals. Partners remain responsible for their own products, services, employees, contractors, business practices and legal obligations.

Ashling cannot guarantee every experience with an independent partner. We can establish standards for participation, review concerns when they arise and determine who has access to the communities and opportunities provided through our brands.

These standards are intended to keep the Ashling partner network useful, professional and trustworthy for the partners and people who participate in it.