PRIVACY STATEMENT

We know that how we collect, use, exchange, and protect your information is important to you, and we value your trust. Our Privacy Policy outlines how we do this, in accordance with the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles. It covers:

Information we collect
How we use your information
Who we exchange your information with
How we keep your information secure
How you can access, update, and correct your information
How you can make a complaint about misuse of your information

About this policy

The Privacy Act 1988 requires entities bound by the Australian Privacy Principles to have a privacy policy. This privacy policy outlines the personal information handling practices of Newcastle Tech Guy ABN 34 587 184 433 (‘we’ or ‘us’).

This policy is written in simple language. The specific legal obligations of Newcastle Tech Guy when collecting and handling your personal information are outlined in the Privacy Act 1988 and in particular in the Australian Privacy Principles found in that Act. We will update this privacy policy when our information handling practices change.

Collection and storage of your personal information

Why do we collect your personal information?

If you are a customer, to provide you with IT repair and support services for your computer and peripheral devices, including collateral services. We always try to collect only the information we need for the particular services that you have asked us to provide to you!

If you are an applicant seeking employment or appointment as a contractor we can assess your suitability.

If you are an employee or contractor, for all purposes relevant to your employment or engagement with us.

What personal information do we collect and store?

The personal information we collect and store will depend on why you contact us and on which Newcastle Tech Guy services and products you order and/or subscribe to. The information may include:

your name and contact details, including your physical address, email address and telephone number(s);
your ABN;
your bank account and/or credit card details;
your employment history (which may include sensitive information), if you apply for a job with us;
other employment-related information, if you apply for a job with us; and
other information you may provide to us, e.g. through customer surveys.

How do we collect personal information?

Direct collection
There are quite a few ways we may seek information from you directly. We might collect your information when you fill out an electronic form on our website, sign up for our newsletter, enter one of our competitions, apply for a job with us, telephone us, send us an email, or complete a customer survey.

Social media
Some customers like to engage with us through social media channels. We may collect information about you when you interact with us through these channels.

Email lists
We collect your email address and, if you provide it, other contact details when you subscribe to our email lists. We only use this information to send you our newsletter, regular updates on Newcastle Tech Guy and our services, and to administer the lists.

Electronic forms
We use e-forms to enable you to lodge a complaint, application, or inquiry online via our website.

Collecting through our website and our use of cookies

Where our website allows you to make comments, give feedback, or communicate with us, we sometimes collect your email address and sometimes some other contact details. We may use your email address to respond to your comments, feedback, or communication.

We might also use cookies (small text files stored in your browser) and other techniques such as web beacons (small, clear picture files used to follow your movements on our website). These collect information that helps us understand how you use our online products and services and how we can make them more relevant to you. Third parties may also place cookies on your browser for targeted advertising purposes.

We may use a persistent cookie (a cookie that stays linked to your browser) to record your visits so we can recognise you if you visit our website again. It also lets us keep track of products or services you view so that, with your consent, we can send you news about them.

We also use cookies to measure traffic patterns, to determine which areas of our website have been visited, and to measure transaction patterns in the aggregate. This helps us research our user’s habits so that we can improve our online products and services. You can set your browser so your computer refuses cookies or lets you know each time a website tries to set a cookie.

We may log IP addresses (that is, the electronic addresses of computers connected to the internet) to analyse trends, administer the website, track user movements, and gather broad demographic information.

Indirect collection
In order for us to provide our services, we may collect personal information about you indirectly from third parties such as:

publicly available sources; or

your representative, such as an assistant or colleague, an adult relative, or a caregiver, who contacts us on your behalf.

How do we store/hold your personal information?
All your information is stored electronically and securely in our database and other secure information systems.

Anonymity

Where possible, we will allow you to interact with us anonymously or using a pseudonym.

For example, if you contact our Customer Service Team with a general question, you won’t be required to give your name.

However, for most of our services, we usually need your name and contact information and enough information about the particular matter to enable us to fairly and efficiently handle your inquiry, request, complaint, or application, or to act on your communication with us.

What if you don’t provide us with your personal information?

If you don’t provide your personal information to us, we may not be able to properly provide our service to you, administer your account, verify your identity, and/or let you know about other products and services that might be useful to you.

When will we notify you that we have received your information?

When we receive personal information from you directly, we’ll take reasonable steps to notify you how and why we collected your information, who we may disclose it to, and how you can access it, seek correction of it, or make a complaint.

Disclosure

Your privacy and the protection of your personal information is very important to us. We do not disclose your personal information to any other person, organisation, or entity except our contracted service providers.

Service providers

Newcastle Tech Guy uses a number of service providers to whom we disclose personal information only in order to provide our services to you. These include providers that host our website servers, manage our IT, and provide third-party specialist repair services to our customers.

Quality of your personal information

To ensure that the personal information we collect is accurate, up-to-date, and complete we do one or more of the following (where practicable and relevant):

record information in a consistent format;

Promptly add updated or new personal information to existing records; and/or

verify our contact lists to check their accuracy.

The accuracy of your information is of course largely dependent on what you provide us. To make sure we’ve got your most current and accurate details, please let us know when your information changes (e.g. if you change your name or move house).

Security of your personal information

The security of your personal information is a high priority for us. We take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, interference, and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Some of the ways we do this are:

confidentiality requirements of our employees;

security measures for access to our system;

other security measures in our system (including keeping a record or ‘audit trail’ of when someone has added, changed, or deleted personal information);

electronic security measures in our system like firewalls and data encryption; and

control of access to our office.

Accessing and correcting your personal information

You have the right to ask for access to personal information that we hold about you and ask that we correct that personal information. You can ask for access or correction by contacting us and we must respond within 30 days. If you ask, we must give you access to your personal information, and take reasonable steps to correct it if we consider it is incorrect, unless there is a law that allows or requires us not to.

We will ask you to verify your identity before we give you access to your information or correct it, and we will try to make the process as simple as possible. If we refuse to give you access to, or correct, your personal information, we must notify you in writing setting out the reasons why.

If we make a correction and we have disclosed the incorrect information to others, you can ask us to tell them about the correction. We must do so unless there is a valid reason not to.

If we refuse to correct your personal information, you can ask us to associate with it (for example, attach or link) a statement that you believe the information is incorrect and why.

How to make an inquiry or a complaint

If you have an inquiry or a complaint about how we handle your personal information, we want to hear from you. Please let us know about your concerns in one of the following ways:

submitting an electronic contact form via www.newcastletechguy.com

calling on 0487 517 882

emailing us at luke@newcastletechguy.com.au

We are committed to resolving your complaint and doing the right thing for our customers. Most complaints are resolved quickly, and you should hear from us within five business days.

If you still feel your issue hasn’t been resolved to your satisfaction, then you can raise your concern with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner:

online at: www.oaic.gov.au/privacy

by phone on: 1300 363 992

via email to: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

in writing to GPO Box 2999, Canberra, ACT 2601

fax on: +61 2 9284 9666.