Tuffaloy Products, Inc. Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 30th, 2020

Introduction

Tuffaloy Products, Inc. (“we”, “us”, or “Tuffaloy”) created this official privacy policy (the “Privacy Policy”) to set forth its privacy practices for <www.tuffaloy.net>, <https://www.tuffaloy.com/>, <https://www.howtoresistanceweld.info/>,and <https://www.cmwinc.com/>, including any content, functionality, and services offered through any of the foregoing (collectively, the “Website”). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through compliance with this policy.  By using the Website, you agree to all of the terms and conditions of the Privacy Policy. Please be sure to read this entire Privacy Policy before using the Website or submitting information to the Website. If you disagree with or do not accept any part of the Privacy Policy, do not use the Website or submit any information to the Website.

The Website is offered and made available only to users eighteen (18) years of age or older. If you are under the age of 18, you are not permitted to access or use the Website and must exit the Website immediately.

The Privacy Policy is a part of, and subject to, the Website’s Terms and Conditions of Use located at <https://www.tuffaloy.com/terms-of-use>. The Privacy Policy and the Terms and Conditions of Use are legally binding on all users of the Website.

The Privacy Policy describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the Website, and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.  The Privacy Policy details our commitment to your privacy, including:

  • the types of information we collect and how we collect this information;
  • how the we use and may disclose the information we collect;
  • the measures we take to secure and protect the information we collect;
  • how we secure and protect Personal Information; and
  • how you can contact us.

The Privacy Policy applies to information we collect: (a) on the Website; (b) in email and other electronic messages between you and the Website; and (c) through any mobile and desktop applications you download from the Website.

Subject to Section 4 of the Privacy Policy below, the Privacy Policy does not apply to information collected by: (a) Tuffaloy through any other means other than this Website, including on any other website owned or operated by Tuffaloy or its affiliates, or information collected offline; or (b) any third party including through any third-party application or content, including advertising, that may link to or be accessible from, or on, the Website.

1. Collecting Your Information

(a) Information You Voluntarily Provide

Some features of the Website offer you the opportunity to become a registered user of the Website. Your registration will give you full access to the Website. To become a registered user, you must create a user identification name and password (collectively, the “Login Information”) that you will use to access your registered account.

You may also access other features of the Website without becoming a registered user, including but not limited to the LiveChat tool, newsletter, and inquiry form.  In order to utilize some of these features, you may be asked to provide your email address, phone number, name, and any feedback or comments you may want to submit to us. 

The Website uses LiveChat, a web-based instant messaging feature, to communicate with you in live time when you visit the Website.  You can choose not to submit messages via the LiveChat feature, but if you choose to submit messages, LiveChat will have access to all personal information and content you submit, and Tuffaloy may have access to that same information.  To learn more about the way LiveChat uses your information, please visit LiveChat’s privacy policy at <https://www.livechat.com/legal/privacy-policy/>.

We also use MailChimp, a marketing automation service, to communicate with you by email if you choose to “opt-in” to our mailing list.  If you register for an account on the Website or sign up for our newsletter, the information you have provided to become a registered user, including your first and last name, date of birth, street address, city, state, zip code, email address, and telephone number, may be made available to MailChimp.  To learn more about the way MailChimp uses this information, please visit MailChimp’s privacy policy at <https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/>. 

We also collect other information you provide. This includes, but is not limited to, any comments, suggestions, or other information that you provide on, through, or relating to the Website, and/or that relates to Tuffaloy’s products or Tuffaloy. This also includes records and copies of correspondence, including contact information, that you generate if you contact us; responses to surveys that we may ask you to fill out for research and marketing purposes; and your search queries. 

From time to time, the Website will offer you the opportunity to participate in promotions, contests, challenges, or sweepstakes (collectively, “Promotions”). You may be required to enter additional personal information to enter a Promotion. Each Promotion the Website offers will have its own entry page, which will include a list of rules describing the requirements for the Promotion.

 (b) Information We Passively Collect; Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Cookies and Google Analytics

The Website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”) to help analyze how users use the Website. Google Analytics uses “cookies” and other tracking technology to collect aggregate data (“Aggregate Data”) from your visits to the Website. Cookies are text files the Website places in your computer’s browser to store your preferences. Cookies do not cause damage to your computer system or files. Only the website that transferred a particular cookie to you can read, modify, or delete such cookie. Your browser should allow you to delete existing cookies, decline cookies, or give you the choice of declining or accepting cookies. Your personal information will not be extracted from the cookies. To learn more about the privacy policy of Google Analytics, refer to Google’s Policies available at: <https://policies.google.com/>. Use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on located at <https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout > to prevent analytics information from being sent to Google Analytics. We store any Aggregate Data we collect from you in aggregate form. We are not able to identify any particular user or individual from the Aggregate Data. We use the Aggregate Data we collect in a variety of ways, including but not limited to keeping count of your return visits to the Website, accumulating and reporting aggregate statistical information regarding the Website, and determining which features users prefer.

You can find more information about how we use cookies by reviewing our Cookie Policy at: <https://www.tuffaloy.com/cookies

LiveChat

As provided above, the Website uses LiveChat so that we or our service providers may communicate with you via instant messaging.  LiveChat uses some passive tracking tools to collect information about how you and other users interact with the LiveChat feature.  Again, LiveChat’s privacy policy can be accessed at <https://www.livechat.com/legal/privacy-policy/>.

MailChimp

As also provided above, the Website uses MailChimp so that we may communicate with you by email.  MailChimp uses some passive tracking tools, like web beacons (defined below), to collect information about how you and other users interact with Tuffaloy’s emails.  Again, MailChimp’s privacy policy can be accessed at <https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/>. 

Multiview

The Website also uses Multiview, a digital marketing service that helps us advertise through search engine retargeting.  Multiview uses certain web technologies (explained in more detail below) including cookies, web beacons, clear gifs, and pixels to provide its services.  These cookies and other technologies do not identify you personally, but provide technical and behavioral information such as the IP address, device type, browser type, and device identifier used to visit the Website, the date and time of your visit, the pages you view, the websites you visited before and after visiting the Website, which emails and advertisements you have been served and how you interacted with them, what kinds of web searches you have made, and (where permitted by your device) your location data.  To learn more about Multiview’s privacy policy, refer to the link available at < https://www.multiview.com/privacy-policy/

Other Tracking Technologies

In addition to the specific service provider tools described above, we may also use automatically-collected information that help us to customize the Website to match our users’ individual interests and recognize returning users, estimate the number of website-users and their usage patterns, and increase the speed of our users’ searches.  We may use the below tools to collect this data:

  • “Pixel tags,” “web beacons,” “clear GIFs,” or similar means (collectively, “Pixel Tags”). We use these small electronic files to compile aggregate statistics about Website usage and response rates. Pixel Tags allow us to count the number of users who have visited certain pages of the Website, to deliver branded services, and to help us determine the effectiveness of its promotional or advertising campaigns as well as the effectiveness of the Website itself. When Pixel Tags are used in HTML-formatted email messages, they can tell the sender whether and when the email has been opened.
  • Referrers and your Internet Protocol (IP) Address. Referrers are small files containing information your web browser passes to our web server that references the URL which you used to access the Website. Your IP address is the number used by computers on the network to identify your computer so that you can receive data.
  • Environmental variables. Environmental variables include, but are not limited to, the domain from which you access the Internet, the time you accessed the Website, the type of web browser, operating system, and platform your computer uses, the Internet address of the previous website you visited before entering the Website, the names of the pages you visit while at the Website, and the next Internet website you visit after leaving the Website.

Do Not Track

At this time, the Website does not respond to web browser “do not track” signals. We may add this functionality in the future, and if we do, we will update this Privacy Policy to let you know.

 

2. Using and Sharing Your Information

We may use and/or disclose your information (including your Personal Information) as follows:

(a) Our Business Purposes. We may use your information for the our everyday business purposes such as to (1) provide services to you including through our subsidiaries and affiliates, (2) communicate updates, promotions, or news about us, our products, or events through e-mail or direct mail, (3) market our products and services, (4) monitor and conduct reviews of our products and offers, (5) help us improve our current products or develop new products, (6) collect demographic and geographic information about the users of the Website and its products, (7) communicate administrative or legislative related information, and (8) fulfill any other purpose for which you provide the information.

(b) Service Providers. From time to time, we may employ companies and individuals to perform certain services on our behalf (such as advertising and marketing, consulting, legal, or other services). These third-party service providers may have access to your information, but only to the extent required to perform their assigned roles, and they may not use your information for any other reason.

(c) Promotions. In the event you enter a Promotion offered through the Website which requires you to provide information, Tuffaloy reserves the right to share this information with any third party sponsors of the Promotion or otherwise in accordance with the rules applicable to such Promotion. Thus, we encourage you to read the rules of each Promotion thoroughly before entering a Promotion. Insofar as the rules of a Promotion conflict with this Privacy Policy, the rules of such Promotion shall apply.

(d) Business Transactions. We reserve the right to transfer any information collected, including personal information, in the event of a transfer of ownership, assets, securities, or bankruptcy involving Tuffaloy and in connection with our business transactions such as buying or selling subsidiaries or engaging in joint ventures with third parties; provided, however, we will use reasonable efforts to direct the transferee to use any transferred information, including personal information, in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy.

(e) Compliance with Law. We may release information about you if we believe such a release is necessary to comply with the law or in response to a subpoena or other legal process including any government or regulatory request. We also reserve the right to collect and share any information we deem necessary to investigate or take action in connection with suspected fraud, illegal activities, possible harm to persons or property, or as otherwise required or permitted by the law.

(f) Subsidiaries and Affiliates; Third Parties. We may disclose your information to Tuffaloy’s subsidiaries and affiliates. Further, to the extent you have consented or not opted out, we may release your information to third parties to market their products or services to you. We require these third parties to keep your information confidential and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them. 

(g) Compliance with Terms and Conditions of Use. We may disclose Personal Information in order to enforce our Terms and Conditions of Use and any other agreements.

 

3. Your Responsibilities and Choices

(a) Confidentiality and Accuracy

Access to the Personal Information you provided to the Website may be accessible for a limited period of time from the point of collection.  It is your responsibility to provide current, complete, truthful, and accurate information, and to keep such information up to date.  Tuffaloy cannot and will not be responsible for any liability or other problems that may arise from your failure to enter current, complete, truthful, and/or accurate information, or your failure to update such information. You are solely responsible for maintaining the strict confidentiality of your Login Information (as defined and further addressed in the Terms and Conditions of Use), if applicable, and for any charges, costs, expenses, damages, liabilities, and losses Tuffaloy may suffer as a result of your failure to do so. You, not Tuffaloy, are solely responsible and liable for your activity, behavior, use, and conduct on the Website or any other activity or conduct in connection with the Website. Any submission of information by you does not guarantee that we will permit you to use any or all of the features or functions of the Website.

(b) Communicating with You; Opt-Outs; Attempted Fraud

We may contact users who have entered Personal Information in connection with the Website. You may “opt out” of receiving marketing and promotional emails by following the opt-out procedure described in each email we send. However, even if you opt out of receiving marketing and promotional emails, we may continue to email you for administrative or informational purposes, including follow-up messages regarding any content you have submitted to the Website.

You may also set your internet browser to disable or refuse some or all browser cookies, to alert you when cookies are being set, and to delete some or all cookies once received.  However, if you disable or refuse cookies, some parts of the Website may not function properly.  You can find more information about how we use cookies by reviewing our Cookie Policy at: <    >.

Tuffaloy does not and will not send you emails asking you to provide or confirm sensitive Personal Information. A technique known as “phishing” attempts to steal personal identity data and financial account credentials from consumers. “Phishers” use “spoofed” emails to lead consumers to sham websites which trick recipients into divulging Personal Information including credit card numbers, account usernames, passwords, and social security numbers. If you receive such an email communication purporting to be from Tuffaloy, please forward it immediately to .

 

4. Third-Party Websites and Social Interactions

The Website may provide links to third-party websites. These websites operate independently from Tuffaloy and may have their own privacy policies or statements. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party website or resource before using it. You accept sole responsibility for and assume all risk arising from your use of any such websites or resources.

Additionally, the Website may permit or encourage interactions among you, the Website, and/or a third-party website or service (each, a “Social Interaction”). Examples of Social Interactions may include services or technology that enable you to “like” or “share” content from the Website on or with third-party websites and/or services; to transmit content to the Website from a third-party website or service; to otherwise connect the Website to a third-party website or service; or to register for an account, login, and/or view content associated with Tuffaloy, the Website, and/or one or more third parties through social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn (each, a “Social Network”).

If you choose to use Social Interactions, information you post or provide access to may be publicly displayed on the Website or by the owner or operator of the applicable Social Network you are using. Similarly, if you post information on a Social Network that references the Website (e.g., by mentioning the Website or any of Tuffaloy’s related Social Network accounts, “tagging” Tuffaloy or any of its related Social Network accounts on a Social Network post or other kind of Social Interaction, or using a hashtag associated with the Website, Tuffaloy, or any of its related Social Network accounts in a tweet or status update), your post may be published on the Website in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the terms of use/privacy policy of the applicable Social Network.  Also, both Tuffaloy and the owner or operator of the applicable Social Network you are using may have access to certain information about you and your use of the Website and the applicable Social Network.  In addition, we may receive information about you in connection with other users’ use of Social Interactions (e.g., we may learn that you are a “friend” or “connection” of the third party or receive other information about you that the other user enables us to receive).

By registering with or logging onto a Social Network, you may be allowing the Website and such Social Network to access your information and you may be agreeing to such Social Network’s terms of use and/or privacy policy. We may receive information from a Social Network to enable you to connect with us, view our content, and/or augment your experience with an applicable Social Interaction. Any information that we collect from your Social Network account(s) may depend on the privacy settings you have with such Social Network.

The information we collect in connection with Social Interactions is subject to this Privacy Policy. The information collected and stored by the owner or operator of an applicable Social Network in connection with Social Interactions may be subject to such Social Network’s terms of use, privacy policies, and/or data security practices and procedures.

 

5. Protection of Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade any Personal Information you provide to us, nor does it disclose any such Personal Information to any third parties outside Tuffaloy except as specified under this Privacy Policy and except in those specific instances when a user gives us specific permission to do so. We do not sell, lease, or rent any email lists to third parties.

We use firewalls and physical controls to maintain security and confidentiality on the Website to protect against unauthorized disclosures, use, alteration, or destruction of the information you provide to the Website. We limit access to the databases containing Personal Information to our key personnel. However, the security of your Personal Information also depends on you.  For example, to the extent we have provided you, or you have chosen, a password and/or username to access the Website, you are responsible for keeping this information confidential.  Please do not share your password or username with anyone.  We cannot guarantee the security of Personal Information, and, therefore, any transmission of Personal Information is at your own risk.  We also cannot guarantee that information you provide to us over the Internet will not be intercepted.

 

6. Persons Under the Age of 18

The Website is not intended for persons under the age of eighteen (18). Any person under the age of eighteen (18) who accesses or uses the Website is in violation of the Terms and Conditions of Use.  No one under the age of eighteen (18) may provide any information to or on the Website. If you are under the age of eighteen (18), do not use or provide any information on the Website or on or through any of its features, register on the Website, use any interactive or public comment features of the Website, or provide any information about yourself to us. We will not knowingly collect information via the Website from persons in this age group and will take prompt steps to delete any such information.  If we learn we have collected or received personal information from any person under the age of eighteen (18), we will delete that information.  If you believe we might have information from or about any person under the age of eighteen (18), please contact us immediately at privacypolicy@tuffaloy.com.

 

7. Our Rights

We reserve the right to deny access and use of the Website to any user of any services, features, or functions of the Website if there is a question regarding the identity of the user.

 

8. Changes to this Privacy Policy

The Internet is constantly changing, as is the nature of our Internet business operations, so we will likely need to change this Privacy Policy from time to time.  We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this Privacy Policy at any time by updating this posting without advance notice to you. Our posting an amended version of the Privacy Policy on the Website will serve as notice to you of that amendment.  Therefore, you should check the Website frequently for updates.  Your continued access to or use of the Website and/or our services will be subject to the revised Privacy Policy.  If you disagree with the revised Privacy Policy, you may cancel our services and refrain from access and use of the Website. However, if at any point we decide to use your Personal Information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify you and you will be given a choice as to whether we may use this information in the new manner.

 

9. For California Residents Only: Your Privacy Rights

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 requires certain California businesses to disclose, upon a customer’s written request, (a) a list of the kinds of Personal Information that the business has disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year, and (b) the names and addresses of all of the third parties that received Personal Information from the business for direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. Businesses must respond to such requests within thirty (30) days, but they are only obligated to respond to one request from a customer in a calendar year.

If you are a current customer in California, you may request this disclosure by sending an e-mail request to privacyrights@tuffaloy.com listing your name, address, and e-mail address. You must also specifically indicate the nature of your request by including the following language or language substantially similar to it: “I request that you send me your third-party information sharing disclosures as required by California Civil Code Section 1798.83.” As Tuffaloy maintains websites for many products, please also specify which product website you are writing in reference to. Alternatively, you may mail your request to the following address:

Tuffaloy Products, Inc.

1400 South Batesville Road

Greer, SC 29650, USA

 

10. For Those Subject to General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”)

Tuffaloy collects Personal Data, as set out in Sections 1(a) and 1(b) of the Privacy Policy, for legitimate purposes as set out in Section 2 of the Privacy Policy and related to human resources; business safety/security; managing audit and compliance matters; managing day-to-day business relationships; processing payments; expenses and reimbursements; and to continue improving our customers’ experience.  For the purposes of this section, “Personal Data” means any information, including Personal Information and Aggregate Data, relating to an identified or identifiable natural person; an identifiable person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural or social identity and includes information, that (i) relates to an identified or identifiable customer or other individual subject to the GDPR; (ii) can be linked to that customer or individual subject to the GDPR; (iii) is transferred to Tuffaloy in the U.S. from the European Economic Area or Switzerland, and (iv) is recorded in any form.  Additionally, for the purposes of this section, “Processed” is defined as any action that is performed on Personal Data, whether in whole or in part by automated means, such as collecting, modifying, using, disclosing, or deleting such data.

Tuffaloy stores your information for an indefinite period, and you have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not your Personal Data is being Processed.  You may contact us, as set forth below, and request access to your Personal Data, correction and/or completion of your Personal Data, erasure or transfer of your Personal Data, the purpose your Personal Data serves, that your Personal Data not be used for the aforementioned purposes, the types of Personal Data being Processed, and/or the recipients of your Personal Data.  Finally, you may also ask us to send you a copy of all of your Personal Data as maintained in our possession.  We will also provide, at your request, a copy of your Personal Data as being Processed.  However, to the extent you request additional copies, we may charge a reasonable fee based on our costs.

Additionally, you have the right to receive the Personal Data that has been collected by Tuffaloy in a structured, commonly-used, machine-readable format.  Moreover, you have the right to transmit this Personal Data to another contact at another company. 

Please contact us at privacyrights@tuffaloy.com with any questions or concerns about your Personal Data.  If access to your Personal Data, as set out above, is denied, you have the right to be informed about the reasons for denial.  In addition, you may contact your country’s regulatory body or supervisory authority.

 

11. How to Contact Us

If you have any questions, requests, or concerns related to this Privacy Policy, you may contact us by emailing us at privacyrights@tuffaloy.com or by writing to us at the following address:

Tuffaloy Products, Inc.

1400 South Batesville Road

Greer, SC 29650, USA