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YOUR PRIVACY

 

Japanese Quality Whisky Society (“JQWS”,“we”, “us” or “our”) is totally committed to protecting the privacy of our site visitors and customers. We fully appreciate and respect the importance of privacy on the Internet.

Collection of personal information

“Personal information” is basically information or an opinion that can identify you.

The personal information we may ask for includes:

  • information that identifies you, such as your name, address and date of birth;
  • your delivery address;
  • your email address;
  • your telephone number; and
  • you debit/credit card details.

We also collect information about visitors to this Website using cookies and code embedded in this Website, as described in the “What are cookies?” and “Site Statistics” sections of this policy.

Generally, if we do ask you for personal information, we will endeavour to say which information we require and which information is optional.

Use of personal information

We may use your personal information for the following marketing communications:

  • Sending newsletters
  • Promotional offers
  • Other types of marketing communications

 

We usually collect personal information from you so that we can provide you with the goods you want. We may also use personal information for other reasons, including:

  • updating you on our latest products, news and special offers (unless you tell us not to – which you can do at any time); and conducting appropriate anti-fraud checks (this is done only to confirm your identity – a credit check is not performed and your credit rating is unaffected).
  • If you don’t provide some of the personal information we ask for (e.g. your name and address), we may be unable to provide you with the goods you want.

Disclosure of personal information

We will provide personal information about our customers to third parties outside our group companies. These third parties usually help us in providing goods and services to you, and include:

  • – couriers (who we arrange to deliver goods to you on our behalf);
  • – organisations who carry out credit, fraud and other security checks.

Where your information is stored and sent overseas

We keep most of the personal information we hold in Australia. Our website is hosted in Sydney, and our own business database is held on a server we rent in Melbourne, with encrypted backup copies in Sydney. Some of the service providers we use to run our business store or handle personal information outside Australia. They include the providers of our accounting and stock software, email and office software, email marketing, online advertising and social media, product reviews, online and in-person payments, meeting notes, workflow tools and the artificial intelligence (AI) services our staff use, as well as our freight forwarder and our suppliers overseas. The countries where this is likely to happen include the United States, New Zealand, Japan, India and countries in the European Union. Some providers also use cloud servers in other countries, so this list gives examples and may not be complete. We take reasonable steps, including contracts and encryption, to protect personal information we send overseas, and we remain responsible for it under the Privacy Act 1988. Information held overseas may be subject to the laws of that country, which may require it to be disclosed to authorities there. If you have a question about this, contact us at sales@JQWS.com.au.

Communication & Marketing

If you have made a purchase from our store we may occasionally update you on our latest products, news and special offers via e-mail, post & telephone. You will also be given the opportunity to receive such communications from us and selected third parties when you become a member of Japanese Quality Whisky Society.

All JQWS members have the option to opt-out of receiving marketing communications from us. You can do this via the link provided at the bottom of any of our marketing emails.

What are Cookies?

A cookie is a small information file that is sent to your computer and is stored on your hard drive. If you have registered with us then your computer will store an identifying cookie which will save you time each time you re-visit Japanese Quality Whisky Society, by remembering your email address for you. You can change the settings on your browser to prevent cookies being stored on your computer without your explicit consent. The Website will work with cookies disabled, but you will need to manually sign in each time you visit the Website.

We will not sell your name, address, e-mail address, credit card information or personal information to any third party without your permission, but we cannot be responsible or held liable for the actions of third party sites from which you may have linked and been directed to the Japanese Quality Whisky Society.

Site statistics and advertising

We use tools from Meta, Google and Klaviyo on our website to understand how it is used, to measure and improve our advertising, and to personalise our emails. Information collected through these tools can include personal information.

Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

We use tools from Meta Platforms, Inc., the company that runs Facebook and Instagram. The tools are the Meta pixel, a small piece of code on our website, and the Meta Conversions API, which sends similar information from our website’s server directly to Meta.

When you use our website, these tools may send Meta:

  • the pages and products you look at, items you add to your cart, when you start checkout, and what you buy (including the order value);
  • your IP address, browser and device details, and the page you came from;
  • identifiers stored in cookies on your device, including Meta’s own cookie; and
  • when you place an order or create an account, your email address and phone number. These details are turned into scrambled code (called “hashing”) before they are sent, but Meta can still match them to a Facebook or Instagram account you have.

We use this information to see which of our Facebook and Instagram ads lead to visits and sales, to show our ads to people who have visited our website or bought from us, and to help Meta show our ads to adults who are likely to be interested in our products. Meta also uses this information for its own purposes under its own privacy policy, at facebook.com/privacy/policy, and may combine it with other information it holds about you.

Google (Google Analytics and Google Ads)

We use Google Analytics and the Google Ads tag, provided by Google LLC. They may collect the pages you view, how you reached our website, your IP address, browser and device details, and identifiers stored in cookies. We use them to produce statistics about how our website is used, to measure which of our Google ads lead to visits and sales, and to show our ads to people who have visited our website. If you are signed in to a Google account, Google may link this activity to your account. When you place an order, the details sent to Google may include your email address or phone number in scrambled (hashed) form. Google uses this information under its own privacy policy, at policies.google.com/privacy.

Klaviyo (our email marketing service)

Klaviyo, Inc. provides our email marketing and our sign-up forms, and its code on our website sets a cookie. If you have subscribed to our emails, placed an order, or clicked a link in one of our emails, Klaviyo can link the pages and products you view on our website to your email address. We use this to send you emails that are more relevant to you, such as a reminder about items left in your cart.

What we don’t do

We do not send these companies your payment card details, and we do not sell your personal information.

Your choices

  • Cookies: you can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or use your browser’s private or tracking-protection mode. Our website will still work, but you may need to sign in each time.
  • Meta’s settings: if you have a Facebook or Instagram account, open Accounts Center, choose “Your information and permissions”, then “Your activity off Meta technologies”. There you can see, clear or disconnect activity that businesses like us share with Meta. You can also manage the ads you see under “Ad preferences” in Accounts Center.
  • Google’s settings: you can stop Google Analytics from collecting your visits by installing Google’s opt-out browser add-on (tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout). You can manage the ads Google shows you, and turn off personalised ads, at My Ad Center (myadcenter.google.com).
  • Emails and Klaviyo: you can unsubscribe from our marketing emails using the link at the bottom of any of them. Clearing or blocking cookies stops Klaviyo linking your browsing to your email address on that browser.
  • Ask us: email sales@JQWS.com.au and ask us to stop using your details for advertising on Facebook, Instagram or Google. We will do this free of charge, within a reasonable time.

Where these companies handle your information

Meta Platforms, Inc., Google LLC and Klaviyo, Inc. are based in the United States. For people in Europe, Meta’s services are provided by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited and Google’s by Google Ireland Limited. These companies also store and process information in other countries. See “Where your information is stored and sent overseas” above.

Contacting us

We are always pleased to hear from our customers (even if it is a complaint!). We are always grateful for any time you spend providing us with the knowledge we need to ensure our customers are completely satisfied – we want you to return to the site and to recommend us to your friends and family. If you have any questions or feedback about this statement, or if you would like us to stop processing your information, please do not hesitate to contact us at sales@JQWS.com.au