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Privacy & Security Policy

We consider the law, good industry practice and fairness in all circumstances.

This statement outlines the company policy of Australian Pole Fitness Studios Pty Ltd (also known as APFS and APFS Group), trading as The North Pole Shoppe, TearAid Australia, Lupit Pole Australia, Ready Money Australia and NPS Online (“we”, “our”) on how we manage any personal information that we may hold about you. 

You trust us with your personal data, and we have the required controls in place to secure that data.

Our policy is to respect the confidentiality of information and the *privacy of individuals. We are bound by and comply with the National Privacy Principles contained in the Privacy Act 1988 and the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).   

We review our Privacy & Security Policy Statement from time to time to consider new laws and technology, changes to our operations, practices, and to make sure it remains appropriate to the changing environment. The most current APFS Privacy Policy Statement will govern any information we hold.

*Further information on Privacy is available on the website of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) 

Why do we collect personal information?

Our business is to understand and meet your needs. We use the information you have provided to us to deliver, improve, update, and enhance the services we provide to you.

Collecting personal information also allows us to meet and comply with our legal obligations and detect and prevent fraud and abuse.

What information do we collect?

Much of what you consider personal data is provided to us by you when you:

  • create an account or purchase our products and services e.g., billing information, shipping information, address, email, phone number
  • request telephone assistance from our client services support team (We may record information when you contact us, including customer service requests and notes or details explaining what your asked and how we responded to your requests)
  • complete contact forms or request newsletters or other information from us via email or
  • participate in contests and surveys or otherwise participate in activities that might require information from you

We also use cookies to identify interactions on our website. (More information on cookies is provided further down this page)

How do we use this information and to whom may we disclose it?

While we may send marketing material to you from time to time that we think may be useful to you, we are conscious of the need to respect your privacy.

Unless we inform you otherwise, we use the personal information we hold for establishing and reviewing your ongoing needs, enhancing customer service and product options, and providing you with ongoing information or opportunities that we believe may be relevant to you.

Depending on the product or service concerned and restrictions on sensitive information, this means that personal information may be disclosed to:

  • other areas within the APFS Group

  • service providers and specialist advisers to APFS who have been contracted to provide APFS with administrative or other services

  • regulatory authorities as agreed or authorised by law

  • credit reporting or reference agencies

  • anyone authorised by an individual, as specified by that individual or the contract

We require that organisations who handle or obtain personal information as service providers to APFS acknowledge the confidentiality of this information, undertake to respect any individual's right to privacy, and comply with the National Privacy Principles and this Policy.

Sensitive information is subject to greater restrictions

Some personal information may be considered 'sensitive'.

Law restricts the way we use Australian Business Numbers (ABN) and information received from a credit-reporting agency about an individual.

It is our policy that if we should hold any sensitive information that it be used and disclosed only for the purposes for which it was provided, unless you agree otherwise, or if the use or disclosure of this information is allowed and or required by law. 

Management of personal information

Staff handling personal information is trained to respect the confidentiality of your information and the privacy of individuals. We regard breaches of your privacy very seriously and we will impose appropriate penalties, including dismissal where required.

Our Privacy Officer ensures that our management of your personal information is in accordance with this statement and the Privacy Act.

How do we store personal information? 

Safeguarding the privacy of your information is important to us, whether you interact with us personally, by phone, mail, over the internet or other electronic medium. We hold personal information in a combination of secure computer storage facilities and paper-based files and other records and take steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.

We may need to maintain records for a significant period. However, when we consider information is no longer needed, we will remove any details that will identify you or we will securely destroy the records.

What security measures are in place?

We want you to feel safe and secure when purchasing goods from us online. For this reason, we have applied for and have been issued with an Extended Validation Secure Socket Layer Certificate (EV SSL). 

We have been issued with an EV SSL Certificate by a Certificate Authority (CA) who has performed an extensive verification and validation of this company and its officeholders.

The EV SSL certificate is identified and confirmed when you see our Company's Name (AU) together with the Padlock icon in the URL; it serves as a confirmation of our trustworthiness in dealing with our customers' personal information and our dedication to online security. 

How do we keep personal information accurate and up to date?

We try to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate and up to date. We realise that this information can change e.g. changes of address and other personal circumstances. If you call us on 1800 739 933, we can update your customer information over the phone, or you can personally update your information by logging into your account at thenorthpoleshoppe.com.au

You have the right to check what personal information we hold about you

Under the Privacy Act 1988, you have the right to obtain a copy of any personal information we hold about you and to advise us of any perceived inaccuracy. The Act does set out some exceptions to this.

To make a request, you will need to complete an application form verifying your identity and specifying what information you require. Application forms are available by contacting the Privacy Officer by phone on 1800 739 933 or email Privacy Officer or by writing to:

Privacy Officer 

Australian Pole Fitness Studios Pty Ltd

PO Box 526

Garbutt East QLD 4814

We will acknowledge your request within 14 days and respond promptly. 

How do we handle complaints?

If you consider that any action by APFS or any of its subsidiaries breaches this Privacy Policy Statement or the National Privacy Principles or otherwise does not respect your privacy, you can make a complaint. Your complaint will be attended to promptly.

To make a complaint, please telephone us on 1800 739 933, or email Complaints or write to:

Privacy Officer

Australian Pole Fitness Studios Pty Ltd

PO Box 526

Garbutt East QLD 4814

If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Telephone Number(s):

Hotline: 1300 363 992

Direct: +61 2 9284 9749

Fax No: +61 2 9284 9666

Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

Postal Address:

GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001

GPO Box 2999 Canberra ACT 2601

How to contact us

If you want to make a general enquiry about our Privacy Policy, change your personal information or obtain an application for gaining access to your personal information please telephone us on 1800 739 933 or +617 4725 2244 (outside Australia), email to Privacy Officer or write to:

The Privacy Officer

PO Box 526

Garbutt East QLD 4814 

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We will post any Privacy Policy changes on this page and, if the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice (including, for certain services, email notification of Privacy Policy changes). 

Privacy Web Supplement

This statement outlines some privacy issues specific to our websites.

Interactive Tools

When you use the interactive tools on our websites, we may collect the personal information that you enter.

What is a Cookie and how do we use Cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of text stored on your computer to help us determine the type of browser and settings you are using, where you have been on the web site, when you return to the web site, where you came from, and to ensure your information is secure. The purpose of this information is to provide you with a more relevant and effective experience on our web site, including presenting web pages according to your needs or preferences.

We use cookies to give you access to certain pages of the website without having to log in each time you visit. We may also use independent external service providers to track the traffic and usage on the web site.

Cookies are frequently used on many websites on the internet, and you can choose if and how a cookie will be accepted by changing your preferences and options in your browser. You may not be able to access some parts of our website if you choose to disable the cookie acceptance in your browser, particularly the secure parts of the website. We therefore recommend that you enable cookie acceptance to gain benefit from all the services and information provided on the website.

If you want to learn more about cookies, please read Lifewire's informative article on "What are Cookies on a Computer"

Technology Improvements

We are constantly striving to improve functionality on this site through technology changes. This may mean a change to the way in which personal information is collected or used. The impact of any technology changes which may affect your privacy will be notified in this Supplement at the time of the change.

Links to Third Party Websites

Our website may contain links to external third-party websites that may benefit you.

External websites should contain their own privacy & security statements and we recommend that you review them when using their websites.

Please note however, that third party websites are not covered by our Privacy & Security Policy and these sites are not subject to our Privacy and Security Standards and Procedures.

Survey Collection Policy

Occasionally we may conduct surveys to help us find new and better ways to improve our delivery of products and services to you.

We may contact you via email, phone, SMS, or direct mail.

If we call you, our Caller ID is 07 4725 2244 

Your feedback is important to us and if you share your thoughts, your feedback will be analysed and reported unidentified. Personal information will always be handled in line with our Privacy Policy.

For any enquiries relating to our surveys call 1800 739 933

Solicited Communication Only

We are bound by and comply with the Spam Act 2003 and the Spam Regulations 2021.

We have not, do not, nor will ever subscribe to electronic mailing lists created by address-harvesting software to contact you.

You provide us with both your express and inferred permission to receive messages from us by filling in a form, ticking a box on our website(s), and/or calling us on the phone.

When placing an online order with us you have knowingly and directly provided us with your name, address details (physical, postal, and electronic - 'email'), and contact phone number(s).

1. Having placed an online order with us you will receive the following electronic communications directly from us:

  • Confirmation of the order you have placed with us online or over the phone
  • Confirmation of the payment received and an invoice with respect to the order placed 
  • Confirmation of the Tracking Number for that order being prepared for shipping
  • Confirmation that your order was entered in the monthly Customer Care Program draw for a gift ranging in price from $20 to $60

2. The month following the placement of you order you may receive the following electronic communication directly from us:

  • Acknowledgement that you are the winner of Customer Care Program gift and the Tracking Number for that gift, or
  • Announcement of the winner of the monthly draw

3. Other times where we may need to contact you by electronic communication or by phone:

  • Advising of a delay in processing your order
  • Advising of a delay in shipping your order
  • Advising of a backorder shipment and Tracking Number

4. Through our association with RewardCamp, and while you retain an active online account at The North Pole Shoppe, points are issued on the value of each order you place (excluding GST and shipping charges). Points are transferred to your online account as Store Credit. Monthly statements are generated and emailed to you direct from RewardCamp on our behalf once your points exceed $5.00 in Store Credit.

Store Credits do not accrue interest, nor can they be redeemed for cash. They can be used to discount future orders, providing the order value exceeds five times the value of the Store Credit. In other words, a $25.00 Store Credit can be used to discount an order exceeding $125.00 (excluding GST and shipping charges).

You may opt out of our Customer Care Program at any time by contacting us at rewards@thenorthpoleshoppe.com.au or calling us on 1800 739 933.

5. Promotional material is restricted to New Customers Only. Flyers and/or brochures included with your First Order serve to provide you with information about other products offered by us which, may be of personal interest; shared with others; or disposed of through public and/or private recycling service providers.

5.1 All promotional and packaging material received from us which has resulted from an order being placed either on the website or over the phone with a customer service operator, should be recycled to keep it out of landfill. Paper and cardboard can be recycled in local council collections bins, or through paper and cardboard recycling service providers. Bubble wrapping, polyethylene courier bags, LDPE, Ziplock, and cellophane bags may also be recycled.

5.2 Our corporate responsibility extends to supporting and promoting the principles of a circular economy, together with the Australian manufacturing partners Replas, Close the Loop, and Plastic Forests, who convert material into a range of recycled consumer products. 

6. Writing Reviews - Like it - Love it - Share it

At The North Pole Shoppe we encourage our customers to write reviews on the products they purchase.

Writing Guidelines

  • Keep your review focused on the product
  • Avoid writing about customer service, contact us instead if you have issues requiring immediate attention
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information - such as your full name 

 

Updated as of June 11th 2023