Terms and conditions of use

What's this all about?

What you're reading now is basically everything you need to know if you're going to use the Little Black Book. It's all fairly straightforward - so please have a read before you sign up.

The Little Black Book

The Little Black Book is a community forum owned and run by first direct, which is in turn a division of HSBC Bank plc. So when we say "first direct", that's who we're talking about. And when we say "we" we mean "first direct" as well. Just so we're clear.

When you register with the Little Black Book and any time you use it, you're basically agreeing that you will be subject to these terms and conditions. If you don't agree, then you shouldn't register in the first place. And you have to be at least 18 years old to register. Before you get excited, that's to do with the fact that it's an open forum (so people can write anything) rather than because of "adult content" or whatever it is they're calling it these days.

Your Personal Information

When you register and use the service, or whenever you email us, you may be supplying us with what's called "personal information". We use this to administer the site, send you passwords, contact you about postings and generally keep in touch with you. If you like, you can see and update your personal information whenever you like by going into the "profile" section of the Little Black Book. To update your email address you will need to log on to first direct Internet Banking or call us on 08456 100 100.

Bear in mind that if the email address we hold for you is a shared or work address then others may have access to your password. If that's the case, you should probably change it when you first use the site.

But don't worry - we promise not to sell your contact details to marketing companies. We'll only use your information for our own marketing purposes if you've agreed and you can ask us not to at any time.

You can find out more about what first direct does with personal information and how we safeguard your privacy by reading our privacy policy. You can see our privacy policy here:

Moderation of content

The information, opinions, ratings and advice which are posted on the Little Black Book are the opinions, ratings and advice of the users, not first direct and first direct is not responsible for them. We don't write or publish any of the content itself, and we don't monitor or moderate it before it's posted. But we obviously keep an eye on the site, and we can and will remove content that we think is unsuitable or which violates any of these terms and conditions whenever we think it's necessary. We can also reinstate any content or material whenever we need to.

And while we're generally happy to let our users get on with it, we do reserve the right to decide what content is used, where it's posted, and how it's managed. If we think it's necessary for any reason we may withdraw your right of access to the Little Black Book and do whatever we need to block your access and ability to use or post content to it without owing any liability to you.

Remember, this is the internet - so there are a lot of different opinions and bits of advice out there, and we don't vouch for the accuracy of any of the information and recommendations that might appear on the Little Black Book. For example - if you're using the "A true professional" category, remember that just because someone claims to be a professional, it doesn't necessarily mean they are one - so please use common sense when it comes to seeking advice or relying on information. It might sound obvious, but always do a bit of research and at least get a second opinion.

And to keep things fair, we may at any time remove ratings from a contribution if we think a single user has added multiple ratings to a single recommendation.

Use of the Little Black Book

The Little Black Book is meant to be helpful for everyone. So you can only use the Little Black Book to post comments, messages, ratings and material that are appropriate. You should not:

defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten, impersonate any person or entity or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy or intellectual property rights where applicable) of others anywhere in the world that those rights may exist;
publish, post, distribute or disseminate any material which is obscene, indecent, unlawful or otherwise objectionable;
publish content that could be judged to be equivalent to commercial advertising, or in any way use the Little Black Book to promote your own business or the business of those close to you;
advertise or offer to sell any goods or services, or conduct or forward surveys, contests or chain letters;
publish any content or make any endorsements relating to the financial services industry either in general or about specific providers, their products, services or staff;
post content in a language other than English;
contribute content with the intention of committing or promoting an illegal act;
post any content that reveals any personal information about yourself or any other living individual (for example an e-mail address, telephone number or postal address). If you do post such content then you grant your consent, and confirm that you have obtained the consent of any such other living individual, to disclose this information on the Little Black Book and to the transfer (by it's display in the Little Black Book) of such personal information outside of the European Economic Area;
upload files or content that contain software or other material protected by intellectual property rights (or by rights of confidentiality, where applicable) unless you own or control such rights or have obtained all necessary consents from the owner of such rights;
upload files that contain viruses, corrupted files, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of first direct's or any other party's computer(s);
post content or upload files which contain a hypertext link to a web site operated by a third party, which contains any content or material that is obscene, indecent, unlawful or otherwise objectionable or content or material that violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy or intellectual property rights where applicable) of others anywhere in the world that those rights may exist;
delete any author attributions, legal notices or proprietary designations or labels in any file that is uploaded;
falsify the origin or source of any content or other material (including (without limitation) software contained in a file that is uploaded);
download any file posted by another user of the Little Black Book that you know, or reasonably should know, cannot be legally distributed in such manner;
rate any recommendation in the Little Black Book more than once.

License to use material

When you post content on the Little Black Book you will be granting first direct what's called a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty free (that means we don't have to pay you) world-wide licence to use it. This includes reproducing, modifying, adapting, translating, publishing, distributing and displaying it and doing so in any format. If you're worried about giving us the rights to use your stuff, basically don't submit or post any content or materials.

Links to third party websites

You might find links to other websites in postings on the Little Black Book. Since these are controlled and maintained by other people, rather than first direct, we're not responsible for what you might find there - and any such links shouldn't be seen as an endorsement of any kind. You should only add a link yourself, if you have the consent of the website owner in question to do so and when you do you will be guaranteeing its suitability for the intended audience - so think before you post!

Unacceptable content

If you come across any content in the Little Black Book which you think is breaching these terms, or someone else's legal rights or is unacceptable in any way you should tell us about it straight away by clicking on the 'Something wrong with this?' button next to the recommendation in question. We take copyright, trade mark, defamation and other laws very seriously.

Try and include as much detail as possible, including a copy of the posting and where you found it. If you can, please explain why you think the posting is objectionable, and which aspect of the terms and conditions it violates. Finally, make sure you provide us with your contact details, so we can get in touch if we need more information.

We'll investigate immediately and take appropriate action - which may include removing the posting or banning the offending user.

You agree that first direct may access, preserve, and disclose your account information and any content posted by you in order to: (a) comply with any legal process; (b) enforce these terms and conditions of use; (c) respond to claims that any content posted on the Little Black Book violates the rights of third parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of first direct, other users of this website and the public.

Modifications to terms and conditions

We may want to change these terms in the future and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Any such change in terms and conditions will be effective as soon as it's published on this web page. You should check the terms and conditions every now and again to ensure that you are aware of and are complying with the current version.

Governing law

The interpretation, construction, effect and enforceability of these terms and conditions will be governed by English Law, and you and first direct agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts for the determination of disputes.

Complaints

The Little Black Book is for everyone, and we want everyone to enjoy it. So if you aren't happy with something let us know. To make a formal complaint, you can either email us at feedback@firstdirect.com or send a signed written letter of complaint to:

first direct
Marketing - Little Black Book
40 Wakefield Road
Leeds
LS98 1FD

Once we've got as much information as we need, we'll consider the complaint and take appropriate action, letting you know as soon as we've reached a decision.

Important Information

first direct is a division of HSBC Bank plc. HSBC Bank plc is incorporated in England and Wales and established at 8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ which is its Registered Office. HSBC Bank plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and is registered in the Financial Services Authority register with the following Registration Number: 114216.

HSBC Bank plc's registered VAT number is GB 365684514 and its Company Register Number is 14259. You can view the FSA registry at www.fsa.gov.uk/register. HSBC Bank plc is a member of the Financial Ombudsman Scheme and subscribes to the Banking Code which may be accessed at www.bankingcode.org.uk. Should you wish to contact first direct please refer to the Contact Us menu which can be found on the top of each page of the Little Black Book.