We collect personal information from our customers during the regular course of business. This page answers some of your most frequently asked questions, and lets you know exactly how we’re protecting the information you entrust to us.What personal information do you collect about me?
We collect the following information about you:
- Name
- Email Address
- Mailing Address
And any other personally identifiable information provided to us through forums. When you visit our web site, we also collect:
- information about your computer, including your IP address, the type of operating system and browser you use, and your computer’s location
- what pages you visit on our site and what links you click on
- what other sites you’ve visited recently
- How do we use this information?
- The main reasons we collect personal information from you are:
- to complete a sale or transaction with you
- to verify your credit, if necessary
- to place special orders on your behalf
- to deliver products directly to you
- to limit the possibility of fraud when we process your returns
If it’s a necessary part of any of these transactions, we may disclose your information to another company. For eg., when you apply for credit, we pass on your personal information to a credit reporting agency so we can complete a credit check. We also pass on your name and address to a courier company to complete a delivery.
We also use your personal information for other, secondary reasons, including:
- customer service
- marketing
- to administer a loyalty program
- as part of a warranty program
We will also disclose your personal information if we are required by law to do so.
How do you get my consent?
When you provide us with personal information to complete a transaction, verify your credit, place an order, arrange for a delivery or return a purchase, we assume you consent to our collecting it and using it for that specific reason only.
If we ask you for personal information for a secondary reason, like marketing, we will either ask you directly for your consent or provide you with an opportunity to say no. Saying no is called ‘opting out.’ By opting out, you can tell us not to collect the information and/or not to share it with other companies.
Contact us to opt-out.
How do I get more information?
Our staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have about your personal information. If you would like more information about our policies, or you would like to see exactly what personal information we have about you in our records, or if you wish to register a complaint, please contact us.
Alberta Mortgage Centre is committed to protecting the privacy of its donors, volunteers, employees, and other stakeholders.
We value the trust of those we deal with and of the public, and we recognize that maintaining this trust requires us to be transparent and accountable in maintaining the confidentially of the personal information that you choose to share with us. This privacy policy statement outlines the principles that Alberta Mortgage Centre applies in order to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of your personal information.
DefinitionsPersonal information – is information that is recorded in any form, both fact and opinion, and that can be used to distinguish, identify, or contact a specific individual. It does not include business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses, and telephone numbers as published in telephone directories.
Donor – is any individual or organization that contributes funds to Alberta Mortgage Centre.
Employee – This policy’s definition of employee includes a volunteer. Hence, this pertains to both paid and volunteer workers for Alberta Mortgage Centre.
Safeguards
We will protect personal information with safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
Our safeguards will protect personal information against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification, regardless of the format in which the information is held. We will make our employees and volunteers aware of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of personal information, and we will exercise care in the disposal or destruction of personal information to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to the information.
Our methods of protection will include physical measures (for example, locked filing cabinets and restricted access to offices), organizational measures (for example limiting access on a “need-to-know” basis), and technological measures (for example, the use of passwords and encryption).
Openness Concerning Policies and Practices
We will make readily available to donors and employees specific information about our policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.
The information we will make available will include: how to gain access to personal information; the type of personal information held by us, including a general account of its use; general information concerning our policies; what personal information is made available to other United Ways or a donor’s designated agencies; and how to contact our Privacy Officer.
Individual Access
Upon written request, we will inform an individual of the existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information and we will give the individual access to that personal information. An individual can challenge the accuracy and completeness of his or her personal information and have it amended as appropriate.
We will respond to an individual’s written request within a reasonable time (generally within 30 days). We will assist any individual who informs us that they need assistance in preparing a request. We may require an individual to provide sufficient information to permit us to provide an account of the existence, use, and disclosure of personal information.
While our response will typically be provided at no cost, depending on the nature of the request and the amount of information involved, we reserve the right to impose a cost.
In these circumstances, we will inform the individual of the approximate cost to provide the response and request direction from the individual on whether or not to proceed with the request. Requested information will be provided or made available in a form that is generally understandable. Where possible, we will indicate the source of the information.In providing an account of third parties to which we may have disclosed personal information about an individual, we will attempt to be as specific as possible.
If an individual successfully demonstrates the inaccuracy or incompleteness of personal information, we will amend the information as required. If a challenge is not resolved to the satisfaction of the individual, we will record the substance of the unresolved challenge. Where appropriate the amended information or the existence of the unresolved challenge, as the case may be, will be transmitted to third parties having access to the information in question.
In certain situations, we may refuse a request or not be able to provide access to all the personal information we hold about an individual. Exceptions to the access requirement will be limited and specific, as permitted or required by law. Where permitted, the reasons for denying access will be provided to the individual upon request.
Recourse
Any individual can address a challenge concerning our compliance with any of the Privacy Principles to our Privacy Officer.
We will investigate all written complaints. If we find a complaint to be justified, we will take all appropriate measures, including, if necessary, amending our policies and practices.