We at Houston Web Services recognize your concerns regarding the collection and use of personal information, and we want our visitors to know that we have taken important steps to safeguard your privacy and security. This Privacy Policy describes the information that we collect about you, why we collect it, how we use it, the instances when we share it with third-parties and the measures we employ to protect such information and provide you with the safest and most secure shopping environment possible.
While this Privacy Policy applies primarily to our online practices, certain practices including, but not limited to the collection, use, and sharing of information with others, may be applicable and extend to our offline practices. By shopping on www.houstonwebservices.com, you agree to accept the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
INFORMATION WE COLLECT
Automatic Information: When you visit www.houstonwebservices.com, our servers attach a small text file, known as a “cookie” to your computer’s hard drive which automatically will collect and store non-personally identifiable information such as the name of the domain and host from which you access the Internet, the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer you are using, the browser software you use and your operating system, the date and time you access our web site, and the Internet address of the web site from which you linked directly to our web site, if any. This information collected by using a cookie is sometimes called “clickstream”. This is the only information collected unless you voluntarily provide information to us.
We use clickstream information, which we may share with our affiliates, licensees, trusted vendors or responsible outside companies, only as anonymous aggregate data to determine the number of visitors to our web site, to understand how visitors navigate our web site, to determine common traffic patterns, including what site the visitor came from, to ensure the web site is working properly and to improve the design and content of our web site. This aggregate information does not include individual names or personal information, so it does not identify you or anyone else. For further information regarding cookies and how to disable them, refer to “Our Use of Cookies” below.
Information you give us:
Whenever you shop on www.houstonwebservices.com, we may ask you to voluntarily provide certain personally identifiable information needed to better serve you and/or complete your transaction. This “Personal Information” may include: (i) Contact Data (such as your name, mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address and zip code); and (ii) Financial Data (such as your account or credit card number and billing address, if you use a credit or debit card).
From your transactions and other interactions with us, we obtain information concerning your personal preferences and the specific products or services you purchase or use.
We also may gather or receive information from other companies.
SECURING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND FINANCIAL DATA
Personal Information shared with us as part of your purchase activity is safeguarded by way of proven, industry standard processes. We use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to encrypt all transaction data, including your credit card number. Encryption is a way of scrambling data in a format that cannot be reassembled by unauthorized users. This data remains encrypted until it reaches our web server and we are ready to process your order, provided your browser supports SSL technology.
While we strive to protect your Personal Information, no data transmission over the Internet, including e-mail, can be guaranteed to be 100% secure against interception. Once we receive your transmission, we use our best effort to ensure its security on our systems, however, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or from our web site, and therefore you use our web site at your own risk. If your e-mail communication includes sensitive information such as passwords or your account, credit or debit card number, we strongly encourage you to contact us by mail or telephone so that one of our customer service associates can assist you.
OUR USE OF COOKIES
Our web site uses permanent cookies. A “cookie” is a small text file stored by your web browser on your computer’s hard disk for added functionality and for tracking web site usage and navigation. Cookies allow us to recognize who you are when you visit our web site by associating the cookie with other information you have voluntarily provided to us, this information is stored in our secured database. At no time is your Personal Information stored within one of our cookies.
We may also use session cookies to collect non-personally identifiable information, such as your IP address and the date and time of your visit to our web site, in order to measure the effectiveness of our online presence and improve the design and content of our web site.
Accepting cookies through your web browser is a personal choice. By modifying your browser preferences, you have the choice to accept all cookies, receive notice when a cookie is set, or to reject all cookies. You can still shop and make purchases from www.houstonwebservices.com even if you set your browser to reject cookies, however, we may not be able to provide you with as personalized a shopping experience.
USING THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:
- to complete your purchase transactions;
- to provide the services you request;
- to send you information on other offerings;
- to contact you about the status of your orders;
- to provide information concerning products you have purchased;
- to determine the effectiveness of our Internet presence and improve the functionality of our web site; and
- to improve our merchandise selections, customer service, and overall customer shopping experience.
INFORMATION WE SHARE WITH OTHERS
Further, we may employ other companies or individuals to provide certain services to us such as analyzing customer lists and data, providing marketing assistance, consulting or other services. These third-parties will have access to only the information needed to perform their functions and cannot use that information for any other purpose. Also, when you make a purchase via credit card, we forward your credit card information, name, billing address, telephone number and the amount of your purchase to your credit card company to verify and authorize the transaction. To ship and track your online purchases, we make your name and mailing address available to such companies as UPS, Federal Express and the U.S. Postal Service. We will NOT share your information with other people or non-affiliated companies, except in the limited circumstances described elsewhere in this Privacy Policy or with your consent.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Though we make every effort to preserve the privacy of Personal Information, we only disclose specific information with law enforcement or government officials upon request, in response to a court order, or when required by law to do so. We may also share information with companies assisting in fraud protection or investigation. We do not provide information to these agencies or companies for marketing or commercial purposes.
CHILDREN AND PRIVACY
We do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under the age of 13. Unless a parent or guardian consents in advance, the Company will not knowingly use information that a child provides to the Company for any direct marketing, advertising, selling or promotional purposes. Persons under the age of 17 should obtain their parents’ permission prior to submitting any Personal Information to us.
NOTICE TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS – Your California Privacy Rights
In addition to other rights described in this Privacy Policy, a California resident with whom we have an established business relationship and about whom we have disclosed the resident’s Personal Information to third-parties for the third-parties’ direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year, shall have the right, subject to certain exceptions and our offering you the choice not to have your information shared as described above, to receive the following information within thirty (30) days of receipt of the request:
- The categories of Personal Information disclosed to such third-parties during the immediately preceding calendar year;
- The names and addresses of such third-parties with whom such Personal Information was shared during the preceding calendar year; and
- If not apparent from the name, the nature of the business of such third-parties.
- You may also click the unsubscribe link on any e-mail communication you receive from us and follow the instructions on screen.
YOUR ACCOUNT
You are responsible for maintaining the accuracy and completeness of your Personal Information, as well as the confidentiality of your account and password and for restricting access to your computer. You can edit your Personal Information at any time by using your the Company password to access your account.
LINKS TO OTHER WEB SITES
Our web site may contain links to other web sites that we think you will enjoy, but which are not under our control. Please take note that we are not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of such other web sites. We encourage our visitors to be aware when they leave our web site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site they visit. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected on www.houstonwebservices.com.
PRIVACY STATEMENT CHANGES
We may, from time to time, make changes to our Privacy Policy and post those changes here.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you would like further information, or have any questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us.