This policy was last updated 26 August 2024
HEQS Wholesale Pty Limited (ABN: 618 350 388) (HEQS) is committed to the protection and privacy of any personal information that you may give us. We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles.
In this Privacy Policy, we explain how we handle your personal information. We try to be clear in our explanation, but if you have any questions after reading it, please contact our Data Privacy Officer.
'Personal Information' and 'Sensitive Information' have the same meaning as in the Privacy Act 1988. Personal information includes any information that can be used to personally identify you.
Personal information is used by HEQS to sell our goods and services, to improve our range, offerings, and employment opportunities. HEQS will link the personal information you provide across our digital services in order to provide you with a personalized experience.
We will also use your information to track your behavior on the HEQS website. This may include the products or pages you have viewed and/or the products in your online shopping cart. By doing this, we can provide a browsing experience that is relevant to you, provide stock availability, and, when you have provided consent, send you marketing communications or specific offers based on your interests or online behavior.
Sensitive information is collected by HEQS in specific situations such as employment background checks or to manage incidents like injuries. We will always securely handle and store this information when collected.
If we receive personal information that HEQS has not asked for or we decide is not reasonably needed, we will aim to de-identify or delete this information to protect your privacy.
You are able to create a profile which enables you to purchase HEQS products and services without having to provide your personal information every time you shop online or in-store with us.
If you have agreed, we will send you information about products, services, and offers that we think may be of interest to you. The methods of communication we offer are via email, SMS, phone calls, mobile applications, web, social media, or via post. If you have told us that you prefer a way of us contacting you, we will try to use that method wherever possible.
You can "opt-out" of marketing communications at any time by replying in the same way that you received the communication, updating your HEQS Account online, or by contacting the Data Privacy Officer (contact details below).
HEQS collects personal and sensitive information in the course of its everyday activities. HEQS will only collect such personal and sensitive information when necessary for one of our functions or activities.
Some examples of the types of information we collect include:
Personal information can be collected when you:
Use our services such as:
When using the HEQS website, we use 'cookies' to ensure that it acts as you'd expect. Cookies are small text files sent by us to your computer which we can refer to later. They can be eithersession' or 'persistent' cookies and may use either JavaScript or Flash. Cookies help us make your website experience smooth and as relevant to you as possible.
HEQS will sometimes share relevant information with other companies that need to carry out a service requested by you, i.e., furniture delivery, benchtop services, warranty issues, etc.
When we share your information, the other company is only allowed to use your information to carry out the service you have requested. They are required to follow the privacy laws and privacy guidelines and to take reasonable measures to ensure your personal information is secure.
HEQS does not sell personal information to any individuals, companies, or groups. Personal information we collect is only used for the purposes described in this privacy policy.
Personal and sensitive information is not disclosed to any other person except with your consent, at your direction, where we are required to by law, or to any person authorized by such law (this may include the police service, or government departments or regulators within Australia in connection with law enforcement activities).
Links to other companies' websites are provided to make things easier for you. If you use these links, you will leave the HEQS site. HEQS is not responsible for any of these sites, their content, or their usage of your personal information.
HEQS respects the right for you to deal with us without identifying yourself and understands that you don't have to give any information requested by us.
If you choose not to give us the information we have asked for, we will not be able to provide you with the goods or carry out services, particularly if the information is required by law.
Personal and sensitive information you provide is stored in both hard (i.e., paper-based) and soft formats (i.e., IT-based). Information is kept securely either on HEQS sites or on HEQS IT systems and is only accessible by authorized staff.
HEQS makes reasonable efforts to destroy or de-identify personal information that is no longer needed.
Your personal information is sent to other companies within our group (and their employees), our trusted third-party service providers, and our franchisor (and their employees) who provide data storage and processing services, based in Australia. Where this happens, HEQS takes reasonable measures to make sure your personal information is secured in a way that complies with strict privacy and security standards, both while being sent and when it reaches its destination. We are committed to ensuring your personal information is secure and protected from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure.
You have the right to request access to all personal information that HEQS has about you. Access may be refused as per the exceptions outlined in the Australian Privacy Principles.
HEQS makes reasonable efforts to destroy or de-identify personal information that is no longer needed.
HEQS's Data Privacy Officer should be contacted if you wish to access your information. HEQS will have to confirm your identity before allowing access to the information. Access will generally be granted within 30 days of a written request being received by the Data Privacy Officer. This information will be provided free of cost.
You can also access your personal information by editing your online membership profile.
If you become aware of any errors or missing information in your personal information once you have access, you should contact the Data Privacy Officer so that it can be corrected.
HEQS will only retain your personal information when there is a business purpose. This means that the retention periods will vary according to the type of information and the reason that we have the information in the first place. In some instances, the Terms & Conditions in applications for our products or services will detail how long the personal information you provide will be retained.
If you decide to engage with home delivery, click & collect, or other services in-store or online (as a guest) without a HEQS Account, the personal information you provide will only be kept for a period of 2 months.
HEQS will continue to use new technologies and improve the services and features we provide. As a result, this Privacy Policy is subject to change. If there are changes to this Privacy Policy, we will post them here or in other formats for you to view.
If your details change at any time, you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy, or you would like more information about the way HEQS manages your personal and sensitive information, you should contact the Privacy Officer.
HEQS has a Data Privacy Officer who you can contact to:
If you feel your privacy has been breached, please contact us using the contact details above, informing us of the circumstances and reasons for your complaint. We will review any complaints and respond to them within a reasonable period of time.
