LEGAL

Terms of Service

Effective August 28, 2026 · Last updated August 28, 2026

1. Agreement

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you ("you" or "Customer") and Synergy Screening Solutions ("Synergy," "we," "us," or "our"), a Texas-based business. They govern your use of our website at https://synergyscreening.com (the "Site") and the services we offer (the "Services").

By using the Site, requesting a quote, booking an appointment, or receiving Services, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated here by reference. If you do not agree, do not use the Site or Services.

2. Who We Are and What We Do

Synergy Screening Solutions is a mobile specimen collection, verification, and training company serving Houston, Texas and surrounding areas, with clients throughout the United States.

Our Services include:

• DNA specimen collection (paternity, immigration, and related)
• Drug and alcohol specimen collection (DOT and non-DOT)
• FD-258 fingerprinting (digital and ink)
• Background screening facilitation
• In-person Form I-9 verification
• Mobile notary services (Texas)
• CPR / First Aid / AED training

Important limitation on what we are: We are a specimen collector and service provider. We are not:

• A clinical or forensic laboratory
• A consumer reporting agency ("CRA") under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
• A licensed healthcare provider or HIPAA covered entity
• A law firm or provider of legal advice
• A government agency

Specimens we collect are sent to accredited third-party laboratories for testing (LabCorp, Quest Diagnostics, and Endeavor Laboratories for DNA). Background reports are produced by our third-party, FCRA-compliant screening partner (a consumer reporting agency), which handles applicant consent, report generation, and delivery under its own FCRA process. For Form I-9 verification, Synergy acts as the employer's authorized representative under 8 CFR §274a.2; the completed Form I-9 is returned to the employer, who is the retention custodian. FD-258 fingerprint cards are handed to you at the appointment for you to submit to the requesting agency — we do not transmit them. Those third parties are responsible for testing, reporting, and record-keeping of the underlying results, and they operate under their own terms and privacy policies.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into contracts to use our Site and book Services. Services involving minors (e.g., paternity testing with a child, adoption fingerprints, foster-care screening) require an authorized parent, legal guardian, or court-authorized representative to schedule and provide consent.

4. Booking, Scheduling, and Confirmation

• Booking channel. Appointments are booked through our Site, our Zoho Bookings portal, phone, or email.
• Appointment window. We will confirm the location, date, and time of your appointment in writing (email or SMS). Please arrive on time and bring the identification and documentation listed in your confirmation.
• Mobile service. For mobile appointments, you must ensure a private, well-lit space suitable for the Service and, where applicable, access to a restroom (for drug testing collections). You are responsible for the safety of our staff on your premises.
• Identification. Government-issued photo ID is required for most Services. Failure to present acceptable ID may result in cancellation without refund.

5. Fees, Payment, and Invoicing

• Fees. Fees are quoted at the time of booking and may vary by Service, location, urgency, and any add-ons.
• Payment methods. We accept payments through Stripe (via Zoho Checkout), and ACH invoicing for approved business accounts.
• Payment timing.
  • Individual customers: payment is due at the time of booking or before the appointment begins.
  • Business/invoiced customers: payment is due within the terms shown on the invoice (Net 15 unless otherwise agreed).
• Late payments. Invoices unpaid after the due date may accrue a late fee of the lesser of 1.5% per month or the maximum allowed by Texas law. We may suspend Services to any account with a past-due balance.
• Taxes. Fees are exclusive of any taxes, which you are responsible for as applicable.
• Third-party fees. Laboratory fees, CRA fees, agency fees, and other third-party charges may be billed separately or included in your quote — this will be disclosed at booking.

6. Cancellations, Rescheduling, No-Shows, and Refunds

• Cancellation window. You may cancel or reschedule at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled appointment.
• Late cancellation / no-show. Cancellations within 24 hours of the appointment or no-shows may be charged up to 100% of the appointment fee to cover reserved staff time and travel.
• Weekend, holiday, and after-hours appointments. These are non-refundable within 48 hours of the scheduled time due to premium scheduling.
• Refund eligibility. Once a specimen has been collected, paperwork has been submitted, or a service has been rendered, that portion of the fee is non-refundable. If the laboratory or CRA cannot process the specimen or complete the report for reasons within our reasonable control, we will offer a re-collection or a full refund of the collection fee at our discretion.
• Requesting a refund. Send refund requests to info@synergyscreening.com with your appointment details.

7. Chain of Custody and Regulated Procedures

For chain-of-custody Services, you agree to:

• Provide truthful, accurate identification and information
• Follow all instructions from our collector before, during, and after the collection
• Not tamper with, adulterate, substitute, or otherwise interfere with any specimen or document
• Sign the chain-of-custody paperwork acknowledging the specimen you provided

Tampering, adulteration, refusal, or providing false information may: result in the Service being terminated without refund; be reported to the requesting employer, agency, or laboratory; be documented as a refusal-to-test under DOT rules (49 CFR Part 40) or other applicable rules; and expose you to civil or criminal liability.

For DOT drug and alcohol testing, we follow 49 CFR Part 40. For immigration DNA collections, we follow the protocols of our AABB-accredited partner, Endeavor Laboratories. For Form I-9 verification, we act as the employer's authorized representative under 8 CFR §274a.2 and follow USCIS Section 2 procedures. The completed Form I-9 is returned to the employer, who is responsible for retention under IRCA. For notarization, we follow Texas Government Code Chapter 406. For fingerprinting, we complete FD-258 cards to the specifications of the receiving agency and hand them to you — you are responsible for submitting them.

8. Test Results, Reports, and Reliance

• We do not generate test results. All laboratory results are produced by the testing laboratory and delivered by the laboratory (or its portal) to you, the requesting party, or your designated recipient.
• We do not generate background reports. All consumer reports are produced by our third-party, FCRA-compliant screening partner and delivered under the partner's process and its own FCRA disclosures. Our partner emails applicants a secure link to complete the required consent, authorization, and personal information directly with them. If you need the name and contact details of our current screening partner to exercise your rights under the FCRA (including your right to a copy of your file, to dispute information, or to request the sources of information), contact us at privacy@synergyscreening.com and we will provide them.
• Timing. We cannot guarantee the timing of results or reports; those are controlled by the lab, CRA, or agency.
• Accuracy. While we exercise reasonable care in specimen collection and paperwork, we do not warrant the accuracy of underlying test results or reports produced by third parties. Disputes about results should be directed to the laboratory or CRA that produced them.
• No medical advice. Nothing on the Site or provided during a Service constitutes medical, legal, employment, or immigration advice. Consult a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

9. Your Representations and Warranties

By using the Site or Services, you represent and warrant that:

• All information you provide is truthful, accurate, and complete
• You have the legal right to request the Service (including, where required, appropriate consent from any other person whose information or specimen is involved)
• You will comply with all applicable laws, including any consent requirements for DNA testing, background checks, or drug testing under federal, state, and local law
• If you are booking a Service on behalf of a company or another person, you have authority to do so and to bind that party to these Terms
• If you are an employer or third party requesting Services on an individual, you will comply with FCRA, state background-check laws, ADA, GINA, and any other applicable laws when using the results

10. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to:

• Use the Site or Services for any unlawful purpose, or in violation of these Terms or our Privacy Policy
• Impersonate any person, misrepresent your identity, or misrepresent the identity of a specimen donor
• Attempt to access parts of the Site or Services you are not authorized to access
• Interfere with, disrupt, or overburden the Site or its infrastructure
• Introduce malware or use automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access the Site, except for well-behaved public search engine crawlers
• Copy, distribute, resell, or create derivative works of the Site's content without our written permission
• Use results, reports, or documentation we facilitate for any purpose prohibited by law (including using consumer reports for a "permissible purpose" other than what was represented at booking)

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site and Services for any violation of these Terms.

11. Intellectual Property

• Our content. The Site, including its text, graphics, logos, images, and layouts, is owned by Synergy Screening Solutions or its licensors and is protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws. Except as expressly permitted, you may not reproduce or distribute Site content.
• Your content. You retain ownership of any information you submit through the Site or provide during a Service. By submitting information, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, store, process, and transmit it as needed to provide the Services and operate our business, consistent with our Privacy Policy.
• Feedback. If you send us feedback or suggestions, we may use them without obligation.

12. Third-Party Services and Links

The Site may link to or integrate with third-party services (e.g., Zoho Bookings, Stripe, Google Maps, laboratory portals, social media). We do not control these third parties and are not responsible for their content, policies, or practices. Your use of a third-party service is governed by that third party's terms and privacy policy.

Our Site also uses analytics and advertising technologies — specifically Google Analytics 4 and the Meta Pixel — which load only after you consent through our cookie banner. Your consent choice is stored for 12 months, and we honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

13. Disclaimers

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SITE AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, TITLE, ACCURACY, OR AVAILABILITY.

We do not warrant that:

• The Site will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
• Test results, background reports, or other third-party outputs will be accurate, timely, or fit for any particular purpose
• The Services will meet any specific outcome you expect (for example, a specific hiring decision, a specific legal outcome, or a specific immigration determination)

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain disclaimers, so some may not apply to you.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

• Excluded damages. We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, lost opportunities, or lost employment or immigration outcomes, even if we were advised of the possibility.
• Cap. Our total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the Site or Services will not exceed the greater of (a) the fees you paid to us for the specific Service giving rise to the claim in the 12 months before the event, or (b) US $500.
• What the cap does not cover. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under Texas law, including for gross negligence, willful misconduct, or fraud.

Third-party services. We are not liable for the acts or omissions of laboratories, CRAs, payment processors, hosting providers, government agencies, or any other third party. Your recourse for issues with third-party outputs (test results, consumer reports, etc.) is with that third party.

15. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Synergy Screening Solutions and its owners, employees, and contractors from and against any claim, loss, liability, damage, cost, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your breach of these Terms or our Privacy Policy
• Your misuse of the Site or Services
• Any information you submitted that is false, misleading, or unauthorized
• Your use of test results or reports in violation of applicable law (including FCRA, ADA, GINA, EEO laws, or state background-check laws)
• Your infringement of any third-party right

16. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

• Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflicts-of-law rules.
• Informal resolution first. Before filing any legal action, please contact us at info@synergyscreening.com so we can try to resolve the dispute directly. We will attempt to respond within 30 days.
• Venue. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Harris County, Texas, and both you and Synergy consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in those courts.
• Jury trial waiver. To the extent permitted by law, you and Synergy each waive the right to a jury trial.
• Class action waiver. You and Synergy each agree that any dispute will be brought individually, not as a class, collective, or representative action.
• Time limit. Any claim must be filed within one (1) year after the cause of action arises, or it is permanently barred, except where a shorter period is required by law.

17. Electronic Communications and Signatures

By using the Site or Services, you consent to receive electronic communications from us (email, SMS if you opt in, and in-app notifications). You agree that electronic signatures, contracts, or other records satisfy any legal requirement that these communications be in writing.

18. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will change the "Last Updated" date and, for material changes, notify you by posting a notice on the Site or emailing recent customers. Your continued use of the Site or Services after the effective date of updated Terms constitutes acceptance.

19. Termination

You may stop using the Site and Services at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site and Services, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated these Terms, if required by law, or to protect our business or others. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution.

20. General

• Entire agreement. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any written agreement or invoice we sign with you, are the entire agreement between you and Synergy regarding the Site and Services.
• Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of our right to do so later.
• Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without our consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
• Force majeure. We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, severe weather, pandemics, labor disputes, government actions, utility outages, or third-party service failures.
• Headings. Section headings are for convenience and do not affect interpretation.