In the digital age, we’re asked to agree to the terms and conditions on a daily basis. Almost every website we click on nowadays asks us to confirm with their company’s privacy policy, but how many of us actually take the time to read the fine print? Research shows that only a minority does this.
However, people in this thread took their sweet time and read the terms and conditions they were presented with, and they’re glad they did, as they found some unexpected things written there. Scroll down to find their stories below, and don’t forget to share your own experiences so it motivates others to pay closer attention to what they’re agreeing to.
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#21
Found this quite a few years ago on chive:
"Anyone submitting photos to Us also agrees to name their first born son, or daughter, Leo and second born child, John. If you stop reproducing after the first child, you must agree to acquire a Panda Bear from China and name it John.
Resignation Media not only owns the rights to any photos you upload, but also owns the rights to your mom. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your mom, and any claims you or your family may have on her, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from Resignation Media. In the event your dad or your mom's parent(s) intervene and claim joint-ownership of your mom, Resignation Media reserves the right to b***h slap them and give all parties Justin Bieber haircuts. If, upon receiving your mom, she attempts to leave theCHIVE's kitchen, where she belongs, she too will be given a Justin Bieber haircut."
EDIT: this was about 6y ago & they have since changed it
"Anyone submitting photos to Us also agrees to name their first born son, or daughter, Leo and second born child, John. If you stop reproducing after the first child, you must agree to acquire a Panda Bear from China and name it John.
Resignation Media not only owns the rights to any photos you upload, but also owns the rights to your mom. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your mom, and any claims you or your family may have on her, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from Resignation Media. In the event your dad or your mom's parent(s) intervene and claim joint-ownership of your mom, Resignation Media reserves the right to b***h slap them and give all parties Justin Bieber haircuts. If, upon receiving your mom, she attempts to leave theCHIVE's kitchen, where she belongs, she too will be given a Justin Bieber haircut."
EDIT: this was about 6y ago & they have since changed it
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32points
#22
While buying a train ticket in Russia : "if the train breaks down, don't think of this as a way to get compensation. Consider it a part of the Russian experience.".
32points
#23
Buying my first car at a dealership too close to a Naval base. Never bought a car before. Had no idea what to do. Monthly payment is $250? That sounds sensible...
Sat down and read the contract much to the chagrin of the sales guy. Interest rate was 18%. I knew enough to walk away.
Sat down and read the contract much to the chagrin of the sales guy. Interest rate was 18%. I knew enough to walk away.
31points
#24
It was for a lottery arranged by my city. You would pay money to get in and win various prizes. On the terms and conditions it said they don't really have to give you any prizes.
31points
#25
DeviantArt's ToS is basically a contract allowing them to print, reproduce, and profit from your art (if they so choose) without needing your permission or consent.
Usually this takes the form of ads or contests, where they'll be used in public displays. If you post works that show a high level of technical skill, then you need to either sign it or use a big ol' watermark.
Usually this takes the form of ads or contests, where they'll be used in public displays. If you post works that show a high level of technical skill, then you need to either sign it or use a big ol' watermark.
30points
#26
If you want to take Huawei to court you have to take them to court in China.
What they don't tell you is that it's near impossible for a foreigner to win a court case in China.
What they don't tell you is that it's near impossible for a foreigner to win a court case in China.
27points
#27
The dev team of the videogame Factorio is explicit not responsible if you stay awake all night long playing Factorio and can't go to school / work in the morning.
27points
#28
Every picture you take on Snapchat is public domain.So, Snapchat can use your picture for whatever they want. You could be driving on the Highway and see your face on a billboard and have no rights to the picture.
Kinda funny people don't know this with all the nudes sent on there.
Kinda funny people don't know this with all the nudes sent on there.
27points
#29
I don't have a story myself, but I found [this article] about a man who won a $1000 giveaway that was hidden in the EULA of an app. The 3000 people who installed the program before him didn't bother to read it.
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26points
#30
Sony can sue you for literaly not updating your console software if you're connected to internet.
25points
#31
I remember a story years ago about this guy applying for a loan or credit card from his bank but asked to take the documents home and read over them and send them back a signed copy. He added clauses in the T&C’s that the bank had to pay him and if they wanted out of the contract they had to pay him some huge exit fee, signed the amended one and sent it back to them and they agreed to it without reading it. Not sure how true it is though.
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24points
#32
When we registered our Samsung front-loading washing machine online, the terms and conditions stipulated something along these lines:
"Use of detergents not recommended by the manufacturer may cause malfunctions not covered under warranty."
But there was no specific list of *recommended* detergents given, other than stating they had to be "High-efficiency (HE) laundry detergent.".
"Use of detergents not recommended by the manufacturer may cause malfunctions not covered under warranty."
But there was no specific list of *recommended* detergents given, other than stating they had to be "High-efficiency (HE) laundry detergent.".
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24points
#33
I was s****d and downloaded a mobile game some years ago and decided to read the terms and conditions. It was like 20 pages and mostly had to do with privacy and micro transaction stuff. In the back half a paragraph was the lyrics to ToTos Africa.
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22points
#34
After reading through all the comments here, I see no one has mentioned how useful this tip can be-
If you're downloading some shady software, scroll through the entire ToS and find any check boxes, then uncheck them.
Usually for things like this, that's how various programs and malware will end up being downloaded without you understanding how, which is what will usually happen with people who are especially young or especially old. There will be something written in there like "You agree that you would like to install MegaSuperSaverSearchPlus to your PC and set it as your default search engine" with a pre-checked box next to it, leading to a lot of easily avoided problems.
So yeah, scroll through and uncheck boxes when you're downloading something weird. You dont even need to read the terms, just be aware what could be tucked away inside them.
If you're downloading some shady software, scroll through the entire ToS and find any check boxes, then uncheck them.
Usually for things like this, that's how various programs and malware will end up being downloaded without you understanding how, which is what will usually happen with people who are especially young or especially old. There will be something written in there like "You agree that you would like to install MegaSuperSaverSearchPlus to your PC and set it as your default search engine" with a pre-checked box next to it, leading to a lot of easily avoided problems.
So yeah, scroll through and uncheck boxes when you're downloading something weird. You dont even need to read the terms, just be aware what could be tucked away inside them.
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22points
#35
There was a story contest from a theme park where your story could be published...
...but any story submitted would automatically be owned by the company and could not be used by you or others.
So they could:
1. Throw your story in the trash and you still wouldn't legally own it anymore and can't publish it somewhere else
2. They own your story so they can make money out of it without paying you a dime
3. They were not obligated to credit you as the writer other than mentioning it somewhere in the first publishing - after that it was fair game
4. They were allowed to alter your story as they saw fit without consulting you
I wasn't the only one who noticed, it was soon pointed out on social media. There wasn't really a backlash, but I didn't submit a story.
...but any story submitted would automatically be owned by the company and could not be used by you or others.
So they could:
1. Throw your story in the trash and you still wouldn't legally own it anymore and can't publish it somewhere else
2. They own your story so they can make money out of it without paying you a dime
3. They were not obligated to credit you as the writer other than mentioning it somewhere in the first publishing - after that it was fair game
4. They were allowed to alter your story as they saw fit without consulting you
I wasn't the only one who noticed, it was soon pointed out on social media. There wasn't really a backlash, but I didn't submit a story.
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21points
#36
I remember reading the Samsung terms and the conditions, they basically have full control over your phone, they can limit anything on your phone, you do not own it when you have a Samsung account on your Samsung phone.
It was one of the ways they pushed out the note 7, by disabling the battery from charging up to 100% they kinda forced you to get a new one.
I'm going to make a rant about this f****d up company.
It was one of the ways they pushed out the note 7, by disabling the battery from charging up to 100% they kinda forced you to get a new one.
I'm going to make a rant about this f****d up company.
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19points
#37
I read the detailed rules of a poker room once. When they described the bad beat jackpot (a promotion where if you have a once in a lifetime hand and still lose, you win a jackpot for being so unlucky), the example they gave had 5 kings in it, 3 kings in the board and 2 in the hand. (For those unfamiliar, there are 4 kings in a deck). I pointed it out and the manager laughed and said I was the first person to ever catch that.
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19points
#38
I know at some point Comcast was not responsible if it k*lled you.
Haven't looked at it in years though (used to work for them so you get to learn the terms pretty quickly).
Haven't looked at it in years though (used to work for them so you get to learn the terms pretty quickly).
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18points
#39
Id sell my soul for a donut...
"Your soul is the legal property of Marge Simpson & not the devil's".
"Your soul is the legal property of Marge Simpson & not the devil's".
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17points
#40
It wasn't actually me, it was the manager I was interning with.
He told me about how it was important to read *everything*, even the terms and conditions.
When you go to an iPhone's license page (or something else, I don't remember), it says that they won't take any responsibility to any shock you received from the phone if it were 5 mm away from you, unless you had something blocking it from your skin, like clothes, or a pocket protector.
He told me about how it was important to read *everything*, even the terms and conditions.
When you go to an iPhone's license page (or something else, I don't remember), it says that they won't take any responsibility to any shock you received from the phone if it were 5 mm away from you, unless you had something blocking it from your skin, like clothes, or a pocket protector.
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16points