Introduction
This Privacy Policy applies to all users of our Website, which is used to access and purchase our products and services.
The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to set out how, why, and when Consultants (Pty) Ltd t/a Choose to Buy (“Choose to Buy”) uses your Personal Information to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPI”).
You must read this Privacy Policy together with our other Terms and Conditions, privacy notices or policies we may provide from time to time when we collect or use your Personal Information.
Further, please pay special attention to the clauses in this Privacy Policy that appear in similar text and style (i.e. bold) which:
- may limit the risk or liability of Choose to Buy
- may create risk or liability for the user.
- may compel the user to indemnify Choose to Buy
- serves as an acknowledgement, by the user, of a fact.
We respect your privacy and take the protection of Personal Information very seriously. We strive to deliver excellent service every time you shop with us, and to do this, we need to use some of your Personal Information. This Privacy Policy describes how we handle the Personal Information we collect about you and/or receive from you. By using our website, you agree to the processing of your Personal Information as set out in this Privacy Policy.
In this Privacy Policy, the terms “Personal Information” and “process/processing” bear the same meanings as set out in POPI.
“We”, “us”, or “our” refer to Consultants (Pty) Ltd. Choose to Buy.
“You” and “your” refer to every person that accesses or uses our Website also referred to as a user.
“registered user(s)” refers to anyone registered on our Website who has provided us with a unique email address and password as well as other Personal Information to order goods and services on our Website.
Age Permissions
IF YOU ARE BELOW THE AGE OF 18
If you are below the age of 18 years, you must always get permission from your parent or guardian before you use our Website or give us your Personal Information. We may check that your parent or guardian has given you such permission, for example by asking you to provide us with your parent’s or guardian’s contact details so we can contact them. We may also check that the contact details you have given us are correct and are the details of a person who is your parent or guardian. If we are not able to verify such permission or if a parent or guardian confirms that you do not have their permission, you may not use our Website.
Personal Information
Choose to Buy processes Personal Information in a manner that is reasonable, adequate, relevant, non-excessive, and purpose-specific. For users to access and use our Website we collect and process some Personal Information. When you become a registered user, we have to collect and process your Personal Information to render our services to you.
When you register to use our Website, we may collect the following Personal Information:
- name and surname.
- email address.
- physical address.
- gender.
- mobile phone number.
- online identifiers.
- date of birth.
- identification number.
Should your Personal Information change or you wish to amend and/or correct this Personal Information you can do this by updating your registered user information in your account profile.
You warrant that the information you have provided is accurate, current, true, and correct and that does not impersonate or misrepresent any person or entity or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with anyone or anything.
Information Processing
When you access our Website, whether or not you are a registered user, Choose to Buy processes some of your Personal Information. Depending on how you access and use our Website, we may receive:
log information, through online identifiers, including information on how, when, and for how long you use our Website and other services, the content you view, and search queries you submit.
information about the equipment you use to access or use our Website, including the type of device you are using, how you access our Website, your browser or operating system, and your Internet Protocol address.
the geographic location from which you accessed our Website, including your device’s global positioning system signal and information about nearby Wi-Fi networks and cell towers. We get this information when you use location-enabled services.
other information about you from third parties, such as social media.
Why Process Personal Information
WHY DO WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
We process the Personal Information we collect and receive to:
- identify you;
- verify your identity;
- create a user account for you; and/or
- enter into a contract with you.
As a registered user, we also process your Personal Information to:
fulfill our contractual obligations to you when you have ordered goods for us to deliver those goods and process returns.
provide you with information, products, or services you request from us.
communicate with you regarding our Website and provide you with information, products, or services, including billing, customer support, resolving complaints, and quality control.
notify you about changes to our Website, services, and products, terms and conditions, privacy policy or notices, and any other changes that impact our Website, services, and products.
send you information about competitions, products, or services that may interest you (unless you have opted out of receiving such information). Please note that you may also receive newsletters based on your interests, recent orders, and browsing behaviour. To unsubscribe from newsletters sent to you based on your recent orders and browsing behaviours, visit the Newsletter Subscriptions page under “My Account” or unsubscribe when receiving such a newsletter.
get feedback from you which we need to develop our products and services and grow our business.
comply with any legal or regulatory obligations such as tax or financial laws.
undertake research for statistical purposes. The research and statistics we get from this process do not include your Personal Information and cannot be linked to you, nor can you be identified from these statistics.
Retention & Restrictions
We keep your Personal Information for as long as:
we need it to provide our Website, products or services to you.
it is required or allowed by law and is in line with our internal retention policies.
it is necessary to uphold the contract between you and us.
you have agreed to us keeping your Personal Information subject to your request for us to stop processing your Personal Information.
We will retain your Personal Information for as long as is necessary to achieve the purpose for which this information was collected or subsequently processed. If your Personal Information is used for more than one purpose, we will retain it until the purpose with the latest period expires but we will stop using it for the purpose with a shorter period once that period expires.
By accessing and using the Platform, you consent to us retaining records of your Personal Information for no longer than may be necessary to achieve the purpose for which the information was initially collected or subsequently processed.
Cookies
Consultants (Pty) Ltd t/a Choose to Buy (“we,” “our,” “us”) operates the website https://choosetobuy.co.za (the “Site”). This Cookie Policy explains how we use cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our Site. By using our Site, you agree to the use of cookies as outlined in this policy.
When you access and use our Website we may use various technological tools to improve your experience on our websites through the use of cookies and/or user tracking.
Cookies are small text files placed on the device that you use to access our Website. These files do not contain your Personal Information but allow us to associate you with a particular device. Many websites use cookies and we use cookies to:
make our Website more user-friendly.
personalise your interactions with our Website, tailor our services and Website to your interests and needs, and ensure they work on your device.
provide advertising that is relevant to you, limit the number of times you see the same advertisement and measure the effectiveness of the advertisements on our Website and other websites, based on your online activities such as the websites and apps you use or content you view, and information we have about you.
Send opt-in marketing communication if you are not a registered user.
We will not use your Personal Information for any other purpose without your permission.
By accessing and using the Platform, you consent to our use of cookies.
Types of Cookies
- Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They allow you to navigate the Site and use its features, such as accessing secure areas. Without these cookies, some services you request, such as account logins or shopping cart usage, cannot be provided. - Performance & Analytics Cookies
These cookies collect information about how visitors use our Site, such as the pages they visit most frequently and any error messages received. This data helps us improve the performance of the Site. The information collected is aggregated and anonymous. - Functional Cookies
These cookies allow our Site to remember choices you make, such as your username, language, or region, to provide a more personalized experience. They can also be used to remember changes you’ve made to text size, fonts, or other customizable elements of the website. - Advertising & Targeting Cookies
These cookies are used to deliver ads that are more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an ad and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. They may be set by third-party advertising networks with our permission.
Third-Party Cookies
In some cases, third parties may set cookies on our Site to provide services or functions, such as analytics, social media integration, and advertising. These third-party services can recognize your device when you visit our Site and other websites.
Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our Site. Google Analytics cookies collect data on website usage, which is used to compile reports and help us improve our Site. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by visiting Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Manage Cookies
You can manage or delete cookies by adjusting your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:
Block cookies
Delete cookies after each session
Delete cookies from specific websites
Set your browser to notify you when cookies are being used
Please note that blocking or disabling some cookies may impact the functionality of the Site, and you may not be able to access all parts of the website.
Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. We encourage you to review this page periodically for any updates.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about our Cookie Policy or how we use cookies, please contact us at:
Consultants (Pty) Ltd t/a Choose to Buy
Email: hello@choosetobuy.co.za
OPT Out of Direct Marketing
You have the right to request us not to contact you for purposes of direct marketing by any form of electronic communication such as automatic calling machines, email and/or SMS notifications by “opting out” of any direct marketing communications we may send to you.
Who Else Gets to Process Your Personal Information
We do not sell your Personal Information to third parties for their marketing or any other purposes.
We may provide or make your Personal Information available to:
our team to enable them to assist us in interacting with you via our Website for the marketing, ordering or delivery of goods and Subscriptions where applicable.
law enforcement, government officials, fraud detection agencies or other third parties when the disclosure of Personal Information is necessary or appropriate in connection with an investigation of fraud, intellectual property infringements, or other activity that is illegal or may expose us to legal liability or financial loss, to report or support the investigation into suspected illegal activity.
third parties (such as a potential purchaser and its professional advisors) in the event of any reorganisation, merger, consolation, sale, joint venture, or other disposition of any or all of our assets.
our service providers (under contract with us) who help with parts of our business operations (fraud prevention, marketing, public relations, technology services etc). However, our contracts dictate that these service providers may only use your Personal Information in connection with the services they perform for us and not for their own benefit or any other purpose, and must treat such information as confidential information.
our suppliers in order for them to liaise directly with you regarding any goods you have purchased, for them to comply with their regulatory obligations (for instance TV license reporting), or for any other purpose which may require their involvement.
Choose to Buy in order for us to send you once-off opt-in direct marketing communications.
Sending Your Personal Information Outside South Africa
We may transfer certain Personal Information outside the geographic borders of South Africa to service providers for purposes set out above (Why we process your Personal Information?), including for data storage and back-up purposes to ensure the integrity of our systems.
When we transfer your Personal Information outside of the geographic borders of South Africa, we will ensure that we do so in accordance with the requirements for lawful transfer outside of South Africa as set out in POPI.
By accessing and using our Website, you consent to us transferring your Personal Information outside of South Africa as set out in POPI.
Securing Your Personal Information
We secure the integrity and confidentiality of your Personal Information in our possession or under our control by taking appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures to prevent loss of, damage to or unauthorised destruction of Personal Information; and unlawful access to or processing of Personal Information.
In order to implement and maintain such measures, we have in place policies, controls and related processes, which are reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Our policies, controls and procedures cover for example:
- physical, technical and network security.
- access controls and monitoring of access.
- secure storage, destruction and encryption of records of Personal Information.
- Personal Information breach reporting and remediation.
- by way of written agreements, imposition of security and confidentiality obligations on third parties (based within or outside the borders of South Africa) who process Personal Information as part of rendering services to us.
Should you disclose your Personal Information to any third party other than Choose to Buy, or if a third party unlawfully acquires your Personal Information elsewhere, Choose to Buy shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from or suffered by you as a result of the disclosure or unlawful acquisition elsewhere (as the case may be) of such Personal Information. This is because we do not regulate or control how that third party uses your Personal Information. You should always ensure that you read the privacy policy of any third party.
Know Your Rights
Having provided adequate proof of your identity, you have the right to:
view, correct, object and/or amend your Personal Information we process. Please note that as a registered user, you can do this through your user account for the Personal Information reflected therein.
request a record or description of your Personal Information. Choose to Buy may charge a fee to provide you with this record of your Personal Information. Where requests to access and amend your Personal Information are manifestly unfounded, excessive or repetitive Choose to Buy may charge an additional administrative fee or refuse the request.
request to have your Personal Information corrected, destroyed or deleted. Please note that you can stop being a registered user by cancelling your account. In this instance Choose to Buy will only retain your Personal Information subject to any legislative requirement and/or our internal retention policy.
us complying with your requests upon receipt unless we have a credible reason why we cannot comply.
us indicating where if we cannot agree whether to correct or delete your Personal Information as requested, that a correction or deletion was requested but was not made.
inform you if reasonably practicable, should we change your Personal Information and this has an impact on decisions about you.
notify you of the action taken by us because of your request.
notify you of unauthorised access to your Personal Information.
provide you with reasonable evidence of our compliance with our obligations under this Privacy Policy on reasonable notice and request.
Submit a complaint to the Information Regulator.
As a registered user, you can exercise all your rights set out above in terms of POPIA.
As any other user, you can exercise all your rights as set out above by referring to our process set out in our PAIA Manual.
How to Lodge a Complaint with the Information Regulator
If you have any complaints about this Privacy Policy or our compliance with this Privacy Policy you can lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.
The contact details of the Information Regulator are available on its website at: https://justice.gov.za/inforeg/
This version of the Privacy Policy replaces any preceding privacy policy provisions on our website. We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy. When you use our Website the version of the Privacy Policy posted on this page applies to you.
For more information about this Privacy Policy, please email us at hello@choosetobuy.co.za