Story 117
I can't express how thankful I am for the resources available through the Can't Buy My Silence website. I was talked into doing a water activity by a resort on my vacation. I was told it was safe and that "everybody does it." Staff persisted in encouraging me to do the activity. Towards the end of the trip, I tried it. The fear turned true and I was significantly injured by an animal during the activity. After some negotiating and the threat of handing it over to a lawyer, the resort offered to refund our trip, provide us another stay for free, and get money for expenses, IF I signed an NDA. They also said they would stop this activity at their resort. I was pleased with this resolution, but was concerned about the NDA.
Through my research, I found Can't Buy My Silence. The experience I had was traumatic. Very traumatic. In the NDA, we couldn't tell anyone. This felt shameful. This was NOT my fault. I was told by the resort I did everything "right" and didn't provoke this attack. I wanted to be able to talk about it with friends, family, and medical professionals. After research and discussions, I found sample wording I would want added to the NDA. I would agree not to post on social media, leave reviews about this experience, etc, but I could talk to people in my life about it.
Although I didn’t want to sign an NDA, I felt satisfied that I was able to rework with some of the terms that allowed me to still speak with the people in my life. With the resort ending this activity and the compensation, it was a deal we did not want to turn down. We felt we have protected other people, and with the refund, free trip, and expense amount being worth about $23,000, plus getting the vacation of our dreams again, we wanted to "make the deal.'"
Additionally, which is strange because I've never had an experience with an NDA before, I was put in a situation where I wanted to sign one again. Because of the knowledge I gained from the first experience, I was able to modify the NDA to keep my family and others safe.
I hope not to be in a situation where I'm considering signing an NDA again. What I learned from the Can't Buy My Silence website and resources is that most times, I don't want to sign an NDA because I may be able to get a settlement without it, and NDA's can be edited. They need to be read carefully to make sure you know what you're agreeing to and they CAN BE CHANGED!
