Terms of Service — 3RD ASCENT, LLC

Program and Brand

Program name: 3RD ASCENT, LLC Graduation Reminders. Brand / sender: 3RD ASCENT, LLC. 3RD ASCENT, LLC is the graduation company. Texts come from 3RD ASCENT, LLC, not from the school and not from Painless Graduation.

SMS and Text Messaging Terms

Painless Graduation is a software platform that provides SMS text messaging capabilities to graduation companies (our business customers). Offices use our platform to send and receive text messages with families (consumers). We act as a technology service provider, enabling offices to communicate with consumers on behalf of their businesses. This section governs the use of SMS messaging features.

Platform Role and Responsibilities

Painless Graduation operates as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. We provide the technology infrastructure that enables offices to:

Send text messages to families who have provided consent
Receive and respond to inbound text messages from families
Track and document customer consent for messaging
Manage opt-out requests and messaging preferences

We do not independently initiate messages to consumers. All messages are sent by offices to their own customers through our platform. We provide tools to help offices comply with messaging regulations and best practices.

Message Categories

The primary categories of SMS messages sent through Painless Graduation are:

Customer support — Responses to family inquiries and service requests
Graduation reminders — Dates, ordering windows, and shop open/close notices
Reservation and payment reminders — Remaining balances and payment status
Order updates — Order confirmations, status changes, and fulfillment notifications
Marketing / Promotional — Shop announcements and graduation-product offers (requires separate express marketing consent)

Any marketing or promotional messages are sent only when the recipient has provided express consent to receive such messages.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase.

Opt-In and Consent

Offices must obtain express consent from consumers before sending any text messages. Customer care consent and marketing consent are collected separately. Acceptable methods for obtaining consent include:

Web form checkbox opt-in — Consumer checks an unchecked-by-default checkbox on a website or landing page that includes clear SMS disclosure language. Customer care and marketing consent are presented as separate checkboxes.
Written consent — Consumer signs a paper form or written agreement that includes SMS disclosure language
Verbal consent documented in the app — Office representative reads a disclosure script over the phone and records the consumer's consent, noting the date, time, and scope
Customer-initiated inbound text — Consumer sends the first text message to the office's business number; the office may reply and follow up about that inquiry

Consent Rules

Customer Care / Transactional messages: may be sent only with the consumer's documented consent or in response to a consumer-initiated inbound text.
Marketing / Promotional messages: may be sent only with the consumer's express consent to receive marketing texts.
Purchased, rented, or scraped contact lists and unsolicited cold outreach are prohibited.
Imported contacts are not opted in by default. 3RD ASCENT, LLC must have documented consent before messaging.
The first outbound message should identify the graduation company and include opt-out instructions.

For example opt-in disclosure language, see our SMS Consent & Opt-In Policy page.

Imported Contacts and Default Consent

Imported contacts are not automatically opted in to SMS messaging. The default consent status for all new and imported contacts is "not consented." Offices must have documented proof of consent before messaging any imported students or contacts.

Painless Graduation provides tools to track consent status, consent method (web form, written, verbal, or customer-initiated), and the timestamp of when consent was recorded, enabling offices to maintain auditable consent records.

Marketing / Promotional Messages

Marketing/promotional messages are sent only to recipients who have provided express consent to receive marketing texts. Marketing consent is separate from customer care consent and is optional.

Recipients may opt out at any time by replying STOP. All STOP requests must be honored immediately. After opting out, no further messages of any kind will be sent to that recipient. Reply HELP for help.

Offices may not send promotional messages to contacts who have not opted in to marketing, including imported contacts and contacts from purchased or rented lists.

For Graduation Companies (Business Customers) Using SMS Features

As an office using Painless Graduation's SMS messaging features to communicate with families, you agree to:

Obtain Proper Consent: You must obtain express written, verbal, or electronic consent from families before sending any text messages. Consent must be documented and verifiable.
Provide Clear Disclosure: When obtaining consent, you must clearly disclose the purpose of messages, expected frequency, that message and data rates may apply, that consent is not a condition of purchase, and how to opt out (reply STOP).
Honor Opt-Out Requests: You must immediately honor all opt-out requests. Our platform automatically processes STOP requests, but you must not attempt to circumvent these protections. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
No Spam or Unsolicited Messages: You must not send spam, unsolicited messages, or messages to purchased/rented contact lists.
No Cold Outreach: You may not send messages to recipients obtained through purchased lists, scraped data, or unsolicited cold outreach.
Prohibited Content: You may not use SMS features to send content related to sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, tobacco, or any other prohibited carrier content.
Comply With Laws: You must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), CAN-SPAM Act, and all carrier guidelines and requirements.
Message Content Responsibility: You are solely responsible for the content, accuracy, and timing of messages sent through your account.
Maintain Records: You must maintain records of customer consent that can be provided upon request.

Violation of these terms may result in suspension or termination of your SMS messaging capabilities or your entire account. We may also suspend or terminate messaging access if required by carriers or our messaging providers.

For Consumers (End Customers) Receiving Text Messages

When you provide your phone number and consent to receive text messages from a graduation company that uses the Painless Graduation platform, you acknowledge and agree to the following:

Consent: By providing your phone number and agreeing to receive texts, you consent to receive text messages from the graduation company regarding graduation dates, orders, reservations, or payment status.
Message Types: Messages may include customer support responses, graduation reminders, reservation and payment reminders, and order updates. Marketing/promotional messages are sent only with your separate express consent.
Message Frequency: Message frequency varies based on your interactions with the graduation company and the status of your order.
Costs: Message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier and wireless plan. You are responsible for any charges from your carrier.
Opt-Out: You may opt out of receiving text messages at any time. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. You will receive a confirmation and no further messages will be sent.
Help: Reply HELP for help. You may also contact support@3rdascent.com for assistance.
Not Required: Consent is not a condition of purchase. You are not required to consent to SMS messaging to purchase any goods or services from the graduation company.
Privacy: Your phone number will not be sold, rented, or shared with third parties for marketing purposes. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Opting Out of Text Messages

Customers may opt out of receiving text messages at any time by:

Replying STOP, CANCEL, END, QUIT, UNSUBSCRIBE, OPTOUT, or STOPALL to any text message
Contacting the graduation company directly to request removal from their messaging list
Contacting us at support@3rdascent.com

Opt-out requests are processed immediately and automatically. After opting out, customers will receive a one-time confirmation message and no further messages will be sent from that graduation company. Customers may reply START or YES to resubscribe.

Upon receiving your opt-out request, you will receive a single confirmation message: "You have successfully been unsubscribed. You will not receive any more messages from this number. Reply START to resubscribe."

To resubscribe, reply START, YES, SUBSCRIBE, or OPTIN.

Help and Support

Reply HELP for help. Customers may reply HELP or INFO to any text message to receive information about the messaging service, including how to opt out and contact information. You may also contact us at support@3rdascent.com.

Supported Carriers

Messaging is intended for recipients located in the United States. Text messaging is available on most major U.S. mobile carriers including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and others. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. Message delivery is subject to effective transmission from your network operator.

Program Operator / Contact

This messaging program is operated by 3RD ASCENT, LLC (the message sender). Painless Graduation provides the technology platform and does not independently initiate messages to consumers.

For help, reply HELP to any message or email support@3rdascent.com.

Disclaimer

Painless Graduation provides the messaging platform but is not responsible for the content of messages sent by 3RD ASCENT, LLC. 3RD ASCENT, LLC is an independent business responsible for their own communications and compliance with applicable laws. If you have concerns about messages received from 3RD ASCENT, LLC, contact support@3rdascent.com.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this page or our data practices, please contact:

3RD ASCENT, LLC
Email: support@3rdascent.com
https://3rdascent.com
Subject Line: Terms of Service Inquiry