Privacy Policy

ATS recognise the importance of protecting the privacy of all information provided by users of our websites, recipients of our email newsletters and all other customers of our products and services. 

We created this policy with a fundamental respect for our customers' right to privacy and to guide our relationships with our customers. 

This Privacy Policy covers Personal Information collected and used by ATS (including by ATS franchisees) in relation to any of the following:

• franchisees or prospective franchisees;
• customers;
• suppliers or prospective suppliers;
• independent contractors or any person who applies to become an employee or independent contractor; and
• employees, except where the use or disclosure is directly related to the relationship between us as employer and you as the past or present employee and relates to an “employee record” about you.

 

Information Collection and Use

ATS collects information from our customers, website users, and subscribers. In this section of our Privacy Statement, we describe the type of information we collect and how we use it to provide better services to our customers.

The type of information we may collect includes, but is not limited to:

• Information provided by you on the New Client Detail Form as updated from time to time;
• Information provided by you when you acquire goods or services from us or our franchisees such as, but not limited to, the number and type of assets at your premises, your name , your address, your email, and actual method of payment;
• Information you may provide from time to time through contact with us, our franchisees and/or that you provide on our website at www.appliancetaggingservices.com.au  and www.ats.com.au ; and
• Information regarding your payment preferences.

 

Registration

When attending our trade shows and other in-person events, using some of our websites and signing up for certain selected services, users must first register.  During registration, users are required to give their contact information (such as name, email address, mailing address and phone number).  For internal purposes, we use this information to communicate with users and provide requested services, and, for our website visitors, to provide a more personalised experience on our sites. 

We also may collect demographic information (such as job title and purchasing responsibilities, company information and professional certification). We use aggregate demographic information about our audience to improve our service, for marketing purposes and/or industry reporting purposes.

 

Emails

When you email us, we will record your e-mail address. We will only use your email address for the purpose for which you provided it. It will not be added to a mailing list unless you have specifically requested this, and we will not use your email address for any other purpose. We will not disclose your email address without your consent.

 

Email Newsletters

If users wish to subscribe to our email newsletters, we ask for contact information (such as name, email address and, occasionally, demographic information). We use this information in the same manner as we use contact information in the registration process described above.

Recipients of our newsletters can unsubscribe using the instructions listed at the end of the email newsletter.

 

Surveys and Contests

From time to time we invite website users and other customers to provide information via surveys or contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and the website user or other customer therefore has a choice whether to disclose requested contact information (such as name and mailing address) and demographic information (such as post code or job title).

In addition to the other uses set forth in this policy, contact information collected in connection with surveys and contests is used to notify the winners and award prizes and to monitor or improve the use of, and satisfaction with the website or other ATS product or service.

Subject to the given customer's preferences (as described in the "Permission" section following), such information also may be shared with third party sponsors of such surveys or contests.

 

Tell-A-Friend

If customers elect to use our referral service for informing a friend about our sites and services, we may ask them for the friend's name, job title and email address. ATS will store and use this information to send the friend an invitation.

This information may also be used to provide information about our company and related products and services. The friend may contact us as specified in the tell-a-friend message to request that no further communications be sent.

 

Communications with Us

We have features where our customers can submit information to us (such as our feedback forms). Where such submissions include requests for service, support or information, we may forward them to our franchisees, as needed, to best respond to the specific request.

In addition, we may retain emails and other information sent to us for our internal administrative purposes, and to help us to serve customers better.

Please note that letters to the editor, feedback and similar submissions may be made public.

 

Communications from Us: Service Updates, Special Offers

In order to best serve our customers, we may send updates that contain important information about our products and services. For example, we send new members a welcoming message, and verify password and username for our password-protected websites. We may also communicate with a customer to provide requested services and for account-related issues via email, phone or regular mail.

In addition to such service and product-essential messages, we offer our customers the option to receive information about our company, related products, services and special deals. Users, however, can choose not to receive these communications from us, as set forth in the "Permission" section following.

 

Automatic Data Collection

Our websites, newsletters and, from time to time, certain other products and services have features that automatically collect information from customers, to deliver content specific to customers' interests and to honor their preferences. This information assists us in creating products and services that will serve the needs of our customers.

For example, we use "cookies," a piece of data stored on the user's hard drive containing information about the user. Cookies benefit the user by requiring login only once, thereby saving time while on our website. If users reject the cookies, they may be limited in the use of some areas of our website. For example, the user may not be able to participate in contests.  Additionally, we may note some of the pages the user visits on our websites and via our email newsletters through the use of pixel tags (also called clear gifs) and web beacons. The use of cookies, pixels and web beacons enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our sites and via our email newsletters.

For our internal purposes, we gather date, time, browser type, navigation history and IP address of all visitors to our websites. This information does not contain anything that can identify users personally. We use this information for our internal security audit log, trend analysis and system administration, and to gather broad demographic information about our user base for aggregate use.

We may combine demographic information supplied by a customer at registration with website usage data to provide general profiles, in aggregate non-personally identifiable form, about our customers and their preferences in the content of the site and advertising. We may share this composite information with our advertisers and business affiliates to help them better understand our services.

 

With whom your Information is Shared

We do not share personally identifiable information with other companies; apart from those acting as our agents in providing our product(s)/service(s), and which agree to use it only for that purpose and to keep the information secure and confidential. Also, our parent, subsidiary and affiliate companies, entities into which our company may be merged, or entities to which any of our assets, products, sites or operations may be transferred, will be able to use personal information.

We will also disclose information we maintain when required to do so by law, for example, in response to a court order or a subpoena or other legal obligation, in response to a law enforcement agency's request, or in special cases when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) our rights or property. Users should also be aware that courts of law might have the authority under certain circumstances to permit personal information to be shared or transferred to third parties without permission.

We may share aggregate information, which is not personally identifiable, with others. This information may include usage and demographic data, but it will not include personal information.

 

Permission

Our customers are given the opportunity to choose whether to receive information from us not directly related to the product or service for which they registered (or which they otherwise agreed to receive). Customers can go to our "Feedback" page at any time, at http://www.appliancetaggingservices.com/contact to change their preferences.

Please note that we will endeavor to implement your permission requests within a reasonable time, although for a time you may continue to receive mailings, etc., transmitted based on information released prior to the implementation of your request.

In addition, please note that even after such request is implemented, you will continue to receive information directly related to the product or service for which you registered (or which you otherwise agreed to receive), so you are always kept informed.

 

Security

We use reasonable precautions to protect our customers' personal information and to store it securely. Sensitive information that is transmitted to us online is encrypted and is transmitted to us securely. In addition, access to all of our customers' information, not just the sensitive information mentioned above, is restricted. Only franchisees and employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, an accounts clerk or a customer service representative) are granted access to personally identifiable information.

You should note, however, “perfect security” does not exist on the internet and there are risks associated with the transmission of information over the internet. While we and our franchisees strive to protect your personal information, we and our franchisees cannot ensure the security of any information that you transmit to us over the internet and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we take all reasonable steps to ensure that your information is secure on our systems.

Also, due to technical limitations, we cannot ensure that all of your private communications and other personal information will never be disclosed in ways not otherwise described in this Privacy Policy. For example, we may be forced to disclose information to the government or third parties to comply with our legal obligations. Other parties may intercept or access transmissions or private communications without our consent and outside our control. As such we cannot and do not guarantee that your personal information or private communications will always remain private.

Finally, the servers on which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

 

Links

Our websites contain links to other sites. ATS is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of other such sites.   We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each website to which we may link that may collect personally identifiable information.

 

Children

ATS websites are not directed at individuals less than 13 years of age, and ATS does not intend to collect any personally identifiable information from such individuals.

 

Accessing or Updating your Personal Information

You may access and update your personal information at any time in the following ways:

• by calling us on 1300 287 669; or
• by emailing us on office@ats.com.au; or
• by writing to ATS, PO Box 4066, Patterson VIC 3204; or
• by facsimile: 1300 795 287.

We will provide you with access to your personal information held by us except to the extent that:

• providing access would pose a serious or imminent threat to the life or health of any individual or unreasonably impact upon the privacy of other individuals;
• the request is frivolous or vexatious;
• the information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings between us and you and the information would not be accessible by the process of discovery in those proceedings;
• the access would prejudice negotiations between us and you;
• providing access would be unlawful; or
• denying access is required or authorised by or under law.

 

If access is denied the reasons for denying access will be explained and where appropriate we may consider whether the use of mutually agreed intermediaries would allow sufficient access to meet the needs of both parties. We reserve the right to charge a nominal fee to cover retrieval costs in the event of a complex and comprehensive request for access.

If you have any questions or require feedback about this policy, please contact our Privacy Officer, Sarah Allen on 1300 287 669 or sarah@ats.com.au.

 

Changes to our Privacy Policy

From time to time we may update our privacy notice. All changes will be announced on our website and we will provide at least 30 days’ notice of any such changes. If you are concerned about how your information is used you should check our website periodically or contact us to discuss any changes.

 

Ainslie Allen, Managing Director