Under what circumstances related to offline mode disablement for Atwell Suites will FreedomPay not be responsible for system downtime?

According to Atwell Suites' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, FreedomPay bears no responsibility for system downtime under specific conditions related to offline mode. If offline mode is disabled, FreedomPay is not liable for downtime resulting from this disablement. Additionally, FreedomPay is not responsible for downtime caused by issues within the hotel's internal network or systems that lead to the systems going offline. In these scenarios, FreedomPay's service levels are considered unaffected by the downtime.

This disclaimer has significant implications for Atwell Suites franchisees. Disabling offline mode means the hotel will not be able to process credit card transactions if FreedomPay's gateway is offline or unavailable. If the franchisee chooses to disable offline mode, they assume the risk of system downtime caused by their own network issues without recourse to FreedomPay.

Furthermore, the FDD states that if offline mode is disabled, the Atwell Suites hotel will not be eligible for any refunds of fees, and FreedomPay's warranties are voided. This creates a trade-off where the franchisee must weigh the benefits of disabling offline mode against the potential loss of service and warranty coverage. It is crucial for franchisees to carefully assess their network infrastructure and reliability before making a decision that could impact their ability to process payments and receive support from FreedomPay.