Code of Conduct
Please find below our network Code of Conduct, which includes our Terms & Conditions. It is imperative that all SFN Members abide by the following, in order to safeguard their membership. If you have any questions, please contact Head Office.
PAYMENTS
- SFN cannot be held responsible and does not accept any financial liability for commercial and/or financial obligations which are not met by (a) SFN member(s).
- Payment terms must be mutually agreed between SFN Members, prior to the commencement of services.
- SFN Members will be made aware of any defaulting Members on the Default Notification System.
MEMBERSHIP
- SFN Members must respond to all sales lead requests and communications within 24 hours.
- SFN Members must make payments, both to one another and to SFN Head Office, within the agreed terms.
- Unresolved Member Disputes should be brought to SFN Head Office’s attention; any subsequent arbitration must be accepted by both parties.
- SFN Members are expected to attend alternate physical Annual Meetings as a minimum.
- SFN reserves the right to use any photographs/video footage taken at our events for our sales and marketing, without express permission from those included within the photographs/video footage. This includes photographs/video footage shared with us via email/WhatsApp.
- SFN Members cannot promote offices in countries without official SFN Membership in that region.
- SFN Members are obliged to offer fresh business to fellow SFN partners.
- All Members must respect the nature of confidentiality involved in all dealings.
- SFN Members must communicate in a professional and polite manner in all network dealings with fellow members and with SFN Head Office.
- All written and verbal communication within the network - including emails, phone calls, voicemails, text messages, WhatsApp messages and similar - must be in accordance with the point above, and considered appropriate and acceptable within the spirit of the network.
- All materials, content, and intellectual property, including but not limited to text, images, graphics, logos, audio, video, and software, made available on Specialist Freight Networks’ website, publications, or other platforms, are protected by copyright laws and owned by the Owner unless otherwise stated.
- Any kind of discrimination, for example on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity or religion, is unacceptable.
MEMBER MEETINGS
Member Meetings are held annually. For new members, attendance to the next (i.e. soonest) meeting is a condition of membership approval. Payment for membership + meeting fees is therefore required to join the network. For current members, attendance to every other meeting (i.e. once every two years) is the minimum requirement and a condition of renewal. Payment for the next meeting is therefore required with the renewal fees, for those who did not attend the previous year's event.
Meeting fees are non-refundable and non-creditable, for any reason, after the given cut-off date (when all payments are sent to suppliers and venues). This cut-off date is made clear on the members' website and in the email sent with the meeting invoice. It can also be confirmed by Head Office at any time. If notice is given on or before the cut-off date, meeting fees can be credited to the following year's event. No refunds can be given. All credits are at the Managing Director's discretion.
Members requiring a visa to attend the Annual Meeting are strongly advised to apply well in advance of the cut-off date, in order to confirm their attendance and make payment once the visa is granted. Again, no refunds can be given after the cut-off date if payment is made and the visa is then not granted.
If events outside of the control of either the network or the member causes cancellation of attendance after the cut-off date, no refunds or credits can be given, in accordance with Force Majeure*.
SFN Head Office is not responsible for any related costs incurred by members attending Annual Meetings, including but not limited to: flight costs, hotel/accommodation costs, visa costs, transfers, tours or activities. Members must check cancellation policies/Ts&Cs related to any such bookings and are responsible for contacting the concerned parties directly for assistance, in the case of amendments or cancellations.
*Force Majeure: The performance of this agreement in whole or in part is subject to events or occurrences beyond the control of either party, including acts of God, natural disasters (but not limited to, earthquake, hurricane, flood, fire or other casualty taking), epidemic or pandemic warnings, strikes, lockouts or other labor or materials dispute, civil commotion, riot, mob violence, insurrection, malicious mischief, sabotage, rebellion, act of public enemy, war, terrorism, civil disorder, governmental regulations or advisories, curtailment of communications, economic conditions adversely affecting the industry or profession represented by the organization, curtailment of transportation service of facilities any or all of which prevent or unreasonably delay the meeting attendees or any other situation making it inadvisable, commercially impractical, illegal or impossible to hold the meeting. Either party may terminate, suspend or partially perform its obligations under the agreement without liability for one or more of the foregoing reasons by written notice to the other.
TERMINATION
SFN Membership will be terminated for the following reasons:
- A Member is unable to provide a satisfactory standard of service in their specialised niche.
- A Member is shown to be unable to make payments on time, either to SFN Head Office or to other members.
- A Member has been reported and listed on an industry blacklist/debtors’ list, e.g. Freight Dead Beats or FDRS, since joining the network, and is not able to provide sufficient evidence in order that they be removed.
- SFN Head Office receives a notice of resignation.
- The SFN Code of Conduct has not been adhered to (e.g. a member fails to attend at least one in two meetings).
- A member has sent any form of communication deemed by Head Office to be impolite, unprofessional, misleading, discriminatory, inflammatory or otherwise not in keeping with the spirit of the network.
- This includes emails, phone calls and WhatsApp messages, both direct, and in the dedicated SFN WhatsApp Group (SFN Head Office reserve the right to remove any members deemed in breach of this point, from the network mailing lists or WhatsApp Group).
- A Member is actively associated with a company, group or association which the SFN Managing Director believes is in direct competition with SFN.
- If a Member is deemed not to be working within the true spirit of SFN.
- If a Member and/or any of its employees and/or representatives have any involvement with arms embargoes and the movement of banned goods, in accordance with UN, EU, US and UK ARMS EMBARGOES AND TRADE CONTROL RESTRICTIONS
- If a Member opens an office / trading address in a sanctioned country (according to the sanction list under RBS policy).
- The SFN Managing Director has the authority to terminate Membership at her discretion.
SFN Head Office will endeavour to resolve disputes wherever possible and appropriate, before terminating membership. Where appropriate, notice of temporary suspension of membership will be given to the member concerned before termination (for example when no response has been received regarding a dispute or late payment). If the dispute is subsequently resolved in what is deemed a reasonable timeframe, suspension will be lifted and membership reinstated. Decisions regarding suspension, as with termination, are at the discretion of the SFN Managing Director.
In the event of expulsion, due to non-compliance of the SFN Code of Conduct, fees will not be refunded.
Members may leave SFN at any time. Fees will not be refunded.
Members must refrain from using the SFN logo, photos from any SFN event showing our logo, and any mention of SFN membership, on their website, marketing materials, email signatures and elsewhere, once membership is discontinued/terminated.
The SFN Managing Director may add to the SFN Code of Conduct at any time.
PRIVACY POLICY
Please click here to view our current: privacy policy. Note that if we are full in Specialist Freight Networks, should our sister networks have space, we will share your details with www.worldfreightnetwork.com and/or www.internationalfreightnetwork.com.
GOVERNING LAW
The Membership Rules, Code of Conduct, your use of the website www.specialistfreightnetworks.com and any other associated information are governed by the Laws of England.
By using www.specialistfreightnetworks.com you submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.
You irrevocably agree that the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute which may arise out of, under, or in connection with the Membership Rules, Code of Conduct, your use of the website www.specialistfreightnetworks.com and any other information.