Last updated June 2016
Introduction
This is the privacy and cookies policy for www.carbuyersguide.net and associated services both online and offline as well as through email communications that we send to you (together, the “Site”). The Site is operated by CarBuyersGuide.Net (“we”, “us” and “our”). “You” or a “user” refers to any individual who visits or otherwise uses the Site, you are accepting and agreeing to the practices outlined in this privacy and cookies policy.
For the purposes of the Irish Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003, as amended, we are the data processor.
We are committed to protecting your privacy online. We appreciate that you do not want the personal information you provide to us distributed indiscriminately and here we explain how we collect information, what we do with it and what controls you have. By using the Site, you consent to the collection and use of information in accordance with this privacy policy.
We reserve the right to change this privacy policy from time to time by changing it on the Site. This privacy policy was last updated on the date set out at the top of this policy.
Information we may collect from you
We may process the following information about you:
In addition to the foregoing, certain of the information that you provide will be forwarded to one or more financial institutions and will be used by them for the purposes of assessing the suitability for you of their finance products, potentially offering you a product or a quote. As part of this process, credit searches will be made with one or more credit reference agencies, including the Irish Credit Bureau (ICB), which will make a record of the search. Details of any agreement you enter into, and your conduct of that agreement, may be shared with the credit reference agencies, ICB and their members. Searches may also be carried out to verify your identity, and you may be contacted directly (including by telephone or otherwise) for the purposes of verifying certain the information. Credit scoring and other automated decision-making process may be used.
By accepting the Site’s terms, you certify that all information provided to the Site is complete and accurate, and you consent to the use and disclosure of this information for the purposes set out above. You acknowledge that the recipients of such information are authorised to contact you and to disclose any material misstatements of fact by you to their members and other relevant bodies.
Please note that you are under no obligation to provide any such information. However, if you should choose to withhold requested information, we may not be able to provide you with certain services available on the Site.
Non-Personally Identifiable Information
Other Information is any information that does not reveal your specific identity or does not directly relate to an identifiable individual. This might include, for instance, browser and device information; App usage data; information collected through cookies, pixel tags, and other technologies; demographic information and other information provided by you; or aggregated information. We use this information to facilitate our operation of the Site and for other purposes described below.
How we collect Information
We (and our service providers) may collect information in a variety of ways, including:
[We also uses web analytics services, which currently include [Google Analytics and [*]]. We also uses Google AdWords.]
[Google Analytics is a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to analyse how users use the Site. The information generated about Site usage (including your shortened IP address) is transmitted to Google. This information is used to evaluate visitors’ use of the Site, compile statistical reports on Site activity, and provide other services related to the Site and internet use. Google may also collect information about Site visitors’ use of other websites. For more information about Google Analytics, or to opt out of Google Analytics, please go to https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.]
[We uses Google AdWords remarketing service to advertise on third party websites (including Google) to previous visitors to our site. It could mean that we advertise to previous visitors who haven’t completed a task on our site, for example using the contact form to make an enquiry. This could be in the form of an advertisement on the Google search results page, or a site in the Google Display Network. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on someone’s past visits to our Site. Of course, any data collected will be used in accordance with our own privacy policy and Google’s privacy policy. You can set preferences for how Google advertises to you using the Google Ad Preferences page, and if you want to you can opt out of interest-based advertising entirely by cookie settings or permanently using a browser plugin.]
Cookie
When you interact with the Site, we try to make that experience simple and meaningful. When you visit the Site, our web server sends a cookie to your computer. Cookies are small pieces of information which are issued to your computer when you visit a website and which store and sometimes track information about your use of the Site. For example, cookies are used to personalise web search engines and to store shopping lists of items a user has selected while browsing through a virtual shopping mall. A number of cookies we use last only for the duration of your web session and expire when you close your browser. Other cookies are used to remember you when you return to the Site and will last for longer.
We use cookies to:
Most web browsers automatically accept cookies but, if you prefer, you can change your browser to prevent that or to notify you each time a cookie is set. You can also learn more about cookies by visiting www.allaboutcookies.org which includes additional useful information on cookies and how to block cookies using different types of browser. Please note, however, that by blocking or deleting cookies used on the Site, you may not be able to take full advantage of the Site.
Cookies used by us can be largely categorised as follows:
| Cookie type | Cookie purpose |
| Necessary | These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around websites and use the websites’ features, such as accessing secure websites or secure areas of websites. Without these cookies, services you have asked for, such as identifying you as being logged in to the Site throughout your visit, cannot be provided. |
| Functionality | These cookies allow the Site to remember choices you make (such as your preferred language) and provide enhanced, more personal features. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customise. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. Other examples include cookies that keep track of your progress when filling online application forms |
| Performance | These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. |
| Targeting Cookies | Targeting cookies remember individual websites you have visited and help us to present relevant and targeted online advertising to you. Targeting cookies may be placed on your machine when you visit the Site. When targeting cookies have been placed on your device, they can be recognised by subsequent websites you visit, and this allows those sites to present targeted advertising to you. While targeting cookies can track your visits around different websites, the information collected is anonymous. |
In addition to cookies, tracking Gifs and web beacons may be set by us or third parties in respect of your use of the Site. Web beacons support the delivery of cookies and help determine the number of times a page on the site has been viewed. Tracking Gifs are small image files within the content of the Site or the body of our reports so we or third parties can understand which parts of the Site are visited and whether particular content is of interest.
Information sharing
We may disclose aggregate statistics about visitors to the Site, customers and sales in order to describe our services to prospective partners, advertisers, sponsors and other reputable third parties and for other lawful purposes, but these statistics will include no personally identifiable information.
We may also disclose your personal information to any of our affiliates, or to our agents or contractors who assist us in providing the services we offer through the Site, processing transactions, fulfilling requests for information, receiving and sending communications, updating marketing lists, analysing data, providing support services or in other tasks, from time to time. Our agents and contractors will only use your information to the extent necessary to perform their functions.
Where you consent, we may share your information with other related parties and any entity who is under common control. In the event that we undergo re-organisation or are sold to a third party, you agree that any personal information we hold about you may be transferred to that re-organised entity or third party.
We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by applicable law, lawful government requests or if we believe that such action is necessary to prevent fraud or cyber-crime to operate our systems properly or to protect the Site, or the rights, property or personal safety of us or any person.
We may provide links to third-party websites as part of the services we provide on this Site. We are not responsible for the content of external websites, or for their privacy policies.
We reserve the right to transfer information (including your personal data) to a third party in the event of a sale, merger, liquidation, receivership or transfer of all or substantially all of our assets or any of our subsidiaries provided that the third party agrees to adhere to similar terms to this privacy policy.
External links
The Site may, from time to time, contain links to external sites. We are not responsible for the privacy policies or the content of such sites.
Payment processing
Payment details you provide will be encrypted using secure sockets layer (SSL) technology before they are submitted to us over the internet. Payments made on the Site are made through our payment gateway provider, Stripe (“Stripe”). You will be providing credit or debit card information directly to Stripe which operates a secure server to process payment details, encrypting your credit/debit card information and authorising payment. Information which you supply to Stripe is not within our control and is subject to Stripe’s own privacy policy and terms and conditions.
Security
We place great importance on the security of all personally identifiable information associated with our users. We have security measures in place to attempt to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of personal information under our control. For example, our security and privacy policies are periodically reviewed and enhanced as necessary and only authorised personnel have access to personal information. Whilst we cannot ensure or guarantee that loss, misuse or alteration of information will never occur, we use all reasonable efforts to prevent it.
You should bear in mind that submission of information over the internet is never entirely secure. We cannot guarantee the security of information you submit via the Site whilst it is in transit over the internet and any such submission is at your own risk.
It is advisable to close your browser when you have finished your user session to help ensure others do not access your personal information if you use a shared computer or a computer in a public place.
Storage of your information
Information that you submit via the Site is sent to and stored on secure servers controlled by Hosting Ireland, Deltona House, Six Cross Roads Business Park, Waterford, Ireland. Information submitted by you may also be transferred by us to our other offices and/or to the third parties mentioned in the circumstances described above (see Information sharing), which may be situated outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and may be processed by staff operating outside the EEA. The countries concerned may not have similar data protection laws to the EEA. Where we transfer your information we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your privacy rights continue to be protected. By submitting information via the Site, you agree to this storing, processing and/or transfer.
Data transfers
When you complete our registration forms or use our services, we may transfer your information to processors outside the European Economic Area but will do so with appropriate measures and controls in place to protect that information in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
When you give us information about another person, you confirm that they have appointed you to act for them and agreed to the transfer of their information abroad.
Your rights
You have a legal right under the Irish Data Protection Act 1988 as amended by the Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003 to a copy of all the personal information about you held by us. On request, we will provide you with a copy of this information subject to a fee not exceeding the permitted statutory maximum. You also have a right to correct any errors in that information. As mentioned above, you have a right to prevent the use of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
More information on data privacy rights is available directly from the Irish Data Protection commissioner.
You may inform us of any changes in your personal data, and in accordance with our obligations under the data protection legislation we will update or delete your personal data accordingly. To find out what personal data we hold in respect of you or to have your personal data updated, amended or removed from our database, please contact us at ray AT carbuyersguide.net.
Contacting us
Please submit any questions, concerns or comments you have about this privacy policy or any requests concerning your personal data by email to ray AT carbuyersguide.net.
We will take any privacy complaint seriously and any complaint will be assessed by an appropriate person with the aim of resolving any issue in a timely and efficient manner. We request that you cooperate with us during this process and provide us with any relevant information that we may need.
We may change this policy at any time. Please refer to the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page to find out when this policy has been last amended.