Privacy Notice

What information do we collect and why?

When you order, we need to know your name, e-mail address, delivery address, credit or debit card number and expiry date. This allows us to process and fulfil your orders and to notify you of your order status. We also ask for your telephone number which enables us to contact you urgently if there is a problem with your order. For some international deliveries this number may be given to our couriers.

When you enter a competition or other promotional feature, we may ask for your name, address and e-mail address so we can administer the contest and notify winners.

We personalise your shopping experience by using your purchases to shape our recommendations about the products that might be of interest to you. We also monitor customer traffic patterns and site usage to help us develop the design and layout of the store.

We may also use the information we collect to occasionally notify you about important functionality changes to the Website, new Carbonology.com services and special offers we think you'll find valuable. Should you not wish to receive this type of information, you will be able to express this desire by clicking on the appropriate button or checkbox when first asked to respond to the issue or by sending an e-mail to info@carbonology.com.

How to keep your personal information up to date

If you would like to revise the information provided to us, or feel that what we currently have on record is incorrect, you may update the information by sending an e-mail to info@carbonology.com specifying the changes you require.

How does Carbonology.com protect customer information?

Providing you a secure online experience is one of Carbonology.com's highest priorities. We recognise that your privacy and security are of the utmost importance and have devoted a great deal of effort to ensure that your personal information is safeguarded.

Please take a moment to read about the steps that we have taken to protect your information and make your online transmissions safer. We also invite you to review the ways that you can take to protect yourself further.

We hope that once you understand the measures we employ and the steps you can take to protect yourself, you'll be confident about the security of your transactions and personal information shared with Carbonology.com.

1. Positive identification

The Carbonology.com website is registered with site identification authorities to enable your browser to confirm Carbonology.com's identity before any transmission is sent. With this technology:

• The identity of our site is automatically confirmed behind the scenes prior to the transmission of any customer information requested to complete an online order.
• Your data reaches your intended target or your browser notifies you (prior to your sending any personal information) that the potential receiving site looks suspicious and should be avoided.

2. Data Encryption

When you place orders or access your account information, we use a secure server. The secure server software (SSL) encrypts all information you input before it is sent to us, making it extremely difficult to read even if it is wrongly intercepted. Furthermore, as required by the UK Data Protection Acts of 1984 and 1998, we follow strict security procedures in the storage and disclosure of information which you have given us, to prevent unauthorised access. Our security procedures mean that we may occasionally request proof of identity before we are able to disclose sensitive information to you.

How to help protect yourself further

If you use a security-enabled browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4 or later, or Netscape Navigator version 4.0 or later), paying attention to two browser features will decrease the chances for the unintended or fraudulent use of your personal information:

1. Browser security settings Your browser security preference settings are your first line of defence in stopping the theft or unwanted viewing of confidential, personal information. The most popular browsers offer you the ability to receive an alert or notification if any of the following occurs or is about to occur:

• changing between secure and nonsecure transmission modes
• receiving an invalid site identification for the site to which you are about to transmit
• sending a transmission over an "open" or unsecured connection

Check the settings of your browser security features to see all the checks that are possible and those that are currently in place.

2. Browser security signals (1) The URL identifying the page will always begin with "https://" versus the normal "http://". (2) A security symbol to indicate operation in a mode that supports secure transmissions:

• A "closed lock" icon is present in the bottom right corner of your Microsoft Internet Explorer browser screen
• An "unbroken key" icon appears in the lower left corner of the Netscape Navigator browser screen

With these security measures in place, you can also feel confident that every credit card transaction you make on our site is safe and secure.

What about "cookies"?

When you visit our website, we place a text file called a "cookie" in the browser directory of your computer's hard drive. A cookie is a small piece of information that a website can store on your web browser and later retrieve. The cookie cannot be read by any website other than the one that set up the cookie.

Our cookies do not contain any personally identifying information, but they do enable us to provide features such as storing items in your shopping basket. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually change your browser to prevent that. Without a cookie, you will not be able to use most of the features in our store, including placing items in your shopping basket and purchasing them.

We do NOT use cookies to examine your surfing behavior before or after leaving our website.

Will Carbonology.com disclose the information it collects to outside parties?

Carbonology.com does not sell, trade or rent your personal information to others. We may choose to do so in the future with trustworthy third parties, but you can tell us not to by sending an e-mail message with 'do not resell' in the subject line to info@carbonology.com. Also, Carbonology.com may provide aggregate statistics about our customers, sales, traffic patterns and related site information to reputable third-party vendors, but these statistics will include no personally identifying information.

Should a situation arise where we are required by law or legal process to provide information about a customer, we will co-operate fully and supply the requested details.

In summary

We are committed to protecting your privacy. We use the information we collect on the site to make shopping at Carbonology.com possible and to enhance your overall shopping experience. We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information to others. We may choose to do so in the future with trustworthy third parties, but you can tell us not to by sending an e-mail message with 'do not resell' in the subject line to info@carbonology.com. If you never want to receive any announcements or special offers from us, please send an e-mail message with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line to info@carbonology.com to change your preferences.

Your consent

By using our website, you consent to the collection and use of this information by Carbonology.com. If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances we disclose it.

Please note that the information you enter will be transferred outside the European Economic Area for the purposes of processing by Carbonology.com. By providing any personal details on the website, you consent to this transfer. Your personal information may also be used by us to occasionally notify you about important functionality changes to our website, new Carbonology.com services and special offers we think you'll find valuable. If you would rather not receive this information, please send a blank e-mail to info@carbonology.com.

Tell us what you think

Carbonology.com welcomes your questions and comments about privacy. Please send e-mail to info@carbonology.com.