Qponus, operator of the website qponus.com, is committed to protecting our users' privacy. This statement is meant to inform our users of how we define, gather and use personally identifiable information. PDM will take reasonable steps to protect user privacy consistent with the guidelines set forth in this policy and the applicable laws.
A. What is Personal Information?Personal information is information that identifies an individual or is directly associated with a specific person or entity such as a name, address, telephone number, email address, credit card number, or information about activities which can be directly linked to that person, such as his or her purchases. In all circumstances, other than a choice to opt-out (see Choice below), reference in this policy statement to "you" or "your" also includes your spouse and others added onto your membership by you. Reference in this statement to "information you provide" includes information provided by you, your spouse or others added on.
Our definition of personal information does not include "aggregate" information. Aggregate information is data we collect about a group or category of products, services or website visitors, from which individual identities have been removed. In other words, information about how you use a service may be collected and combined with information about how others use the same service, but no personal information will be included in the resulting data. Likewise, information about the products you purchase may be collected and combined with information about the products purchased by others. Aggregate data helps us understand trends and Members' needs so that we can better consider new products and services, and tailor existing products and services to Members' desires.
B. Collection of Personal InformationWe collect the personal information that you provide us, such as when you:
We may automatically collect some information when you visit our website, such as your computer's network address and operating system, the site from which you linked to us, your site activity and the time and date of your visit and purchases. This information may be collected through the use of "cookies" (see Online Specifics below). In either case, this policy statement governs this information.
C. Use of Personal Information by PDMThe personal information we collect is generally used to process your requests or transactions, provide you with high-quality service, tell you about opportunities we think will be of interest, and understand your needs so that we can serve you better. For example, we may use your telephone number, your email or your postal address to: (i) communicate opportunities and programs. We also may use personal information we collect to provide you with promotional information, which is information we believe will add value to your membership, such as coupon savings booklets or promotions ("Promotional Information"). If you prefer not to receive Promotional Information from us, we make it easy for you to let us know. You may contact us at any time to decline Promotional Information (see Choice below).
D. Sharing of Personal InformationWe do not sell, share or disclose personal information to third parties without your prior consent, except in the limited circumstances described below:
1. Order Fulfillment
We may provide to a third party information that is necessary to fulfill an order you have placed with us. For example, if you pay by a credit
card, your card number and sales transaction information are passed on to the card processor and/or issuer (including their service providers
such as fraud verification services). However, we give suppliers, and others involved in the commerce distribution chain only the information
needed to provide you the products or services you order, such as shipping and/or billing address, email address, telephone number and product
orders. Moreover, we require them to keep the information confidential and not to use it for other purposes. We are not responsible for any
additional information you provide directly to these parties, and we encourage you to become familiar with their practices before disclosing
information directly to them.
2. Merchant Coupons
We offer special discounts and coupons to our users that are provided by third parties ("Merchant Coupons"). If you purchase a Merchant
Coupon, information you provide will be shared directly with the third parties who will be providing the requested products, offerings or
services.
We are not responsible for any additional information you provide directly to these parties, and we encourage you to become familiar with their privacy and security practices and policies before disclosing information to them. If you provide additional information to third parties, they, subject to applicable laws and their privacy policies, may share with us the information you provided and information about your use of the services. In some cases, these third parties may require as a condition of providing services to you that you authorize them to share information with us. If we terminate our relationship with a third party, information you provided to them may be returned to us, and we may provide that information to a new third party offering the same or similar services.
E. Other Uses and DisclosuresIn addition, we may use or disclose personal information in the good faith belief that we are lawfully authorized to do so, or that doing so is reasonably necessary to protect you, to comply with legal process or authorities, to respond to any claims, or to protect the rights, property or personal safety of PDM, our Members, our employees or the public. Information about our users, including personal information, may be disclosed or transferred as part of, or during negotiations of, any merger or sale of company assets or acquisition.
F. Protection of Personal and Credit Card InformationWe have adopted security measures in an effort to protect personal information from loss, misuse or alteration while it is under our control. We use technical, contractual, administrative and physical measures in an effort to protect against unauthorized access. Personal information we collect is stored electronically and may be combined with other user information.
We collect, process and maintain payment information, including credit card information, in compliance with the data security rules adopted by credit card companies such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
Further, when you enter personal information online, that information is encrypted using a security protocol called SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which encrypts all information prior to transmitting it over the Internet.
Online account information is accessible only by using a password. To protect the confidentiality of personal information in your online account, you must keep your password confidential. You are responsible for all uses of www.qponus.com by anyone using your password. If others have access to your computer or email, they may be able to find your password and obtain information about you (such as your credit card number), or change information in your user profile. You should not use an email account operated by an employer because many employers have the legal right to view your email or online accounts. Please advise us immediately at help@qponus.com if you believe your password has been misused.
G. ChoiceWe give you the opportunity to opt-out of receiving promotional emails, you can: (a) click the provided "unsubscribe" link in any promotional email to unsubscribe; (b) email us at help@qponus.com; (c) write us at: Customer Service, P.O. Box 9317, Boston, MA 02114; or (d) access "My Account" if you are a registered user of qponus.com, and check the opt-out box. If you have more than one email address, you will need to specifically opt-out for each email address.
H. Online Specifics 1. What Are Cookies and Are You Required to Accept Them?
Cookies are small files that are stored on your computer. At qponus.com, we use cookies to help optimize your shopping experience. For
example, we use cookies to better display pages according to your browser type. qponus.com does not store in cookies any personal information
about you.
While cookies are optional for browsing qponus.com, they are required for registering, logging on, shopping or adding items to your cart. If you wish to purchase items or set up an account on qponus.com, you will need to accept a qponus.com cookie.
2. Use of the qponus.com Web Site by Children
We encourage parents to take an active interest in their children's use of the Internet. We do not intend to collect information from children
who are under 18 years of age. If you are under 18, you should not provide information on the qponus.com Website and should ask your parent to
do so for you.
3. Online Links to Other Web Sites
Our website includes links to the websites of third parties. Any personal information you provide on the linked pages is provided directly to
that third party and is subject to that third party's privacy policy. Except as described above, we are not responsible for the content or
privacy and security practices and policies of websites to which we link. Links from our site to third parties or to other sites are provided
for your convenience. We encourage you to learn about their privacy and security practices and policies before providing them with personal
information.
4. Updating, Reviewing or Correcting Online Personal Information
You may update, review or correct your online account information at any time online by accessing your password-protected registration page
via the "My Account" area of the Web site. You also may email us at help@qponus.com.
5. Retention of Information we Collect Online
Information we automatically collect as a result of your online activity is generally not retained in a personally identifiable form, or if
the information is personally identifiable, we retain it only long enough for us to perform studies and analyses related to our website. The
exception would be information we need in order to investigate fraud or problems associated with particular transactions or events.
If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy statement or would like to contact us for any reason, you can do the following:
1. Email us at help@qponus.com;
We reserve the right to change this privacy statement at any time, but will alert you that changes have been made by indicating at the bottom of the privacy statement the date it was last updated. We encourage you to review our privacy statement to make sure you understand how information you provide will be used.
Updated 8 June 2009
