Privacy Policy

Purchasing Power Plus is committed to safeguarding your privacy when you use our web site and services Site and believes that it is important for you to fully understand how your personal information will be treated as you make full use of our many offerings.

Overview

This Privacy Policy (hereinafter “Policy”) governs your use of Purchasing Power Plus, which is available under the domain name www.PurchasingPowerPlus.com (the “Site”).   This Policy describes the information we collect from you and what may happen to that information.  For example, this Policy will let you know what information we collect from you; how your information is used; who is collecting your information; with whom your information may be shared; what options are available to you regarding collection, use, and distribution of your information; how you may use other users’ information; the types of security precautions in place to protect against loss, misuse, or alteration of your information; how Purchasing Power Plus protects children’s privacy; and other important information about your online privacy.

Please note that we review our privacy practices from time to time, and that our practices are subject to change.  We ask that you periodically review this page to ensure continuing familiarity with the most current version of our Privacy Policy.  All amended terms shall be automatically effective after they are posted on the Site.

Purchasing Power Plus is based in the United States and you acknowledge that the information we collect is governed by U.S. law.  By accessing our Site and providing information to us, you consent to the processing, transfer, and storage of information in and to the United States, where you may not have the same rights and protections as you do under your local law. By visiting the Site, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy.  If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use or access the Site.

What Personally Identifiable Information does Purchasing Power Plus collect?

The primary purpose of collecting information from you is to allow you to create an account, become a member of Purchasing Power Plus either as a retail member or a vendor, provide content and information through our Site, interact with other members of our Site, and to provide you with a personalized experience.  We will only collect information about you that we consider necessary to achieve this purpose.

Generally, Purchasing Power Plus collects information in several ways.  Some information is gathered when you become a member and create an account on our Site.  This includes contact names, company name, email address, phone number, and mailing address. Where possible, we indicate which fields are required and which fields are optional.  We also collect personal information when you report a problem, either through the Site’s email, direct mail, or via telephone.  We may also ask for personal information at other times, including, but not limited to, when you make a purchase or payments through Purchasing Power Plus.  If you contact Purchasing Power Plus, we may keep a record of that correspondence.

Wherever Purchasing Power Plus collects personal information we make an effort to include a link to this Privacy Policy on that page.

What are “cookies” and how does Purchasing Power Plus use them?

Data collection devices, such as “cookies,” are used to store, and sometimes track, information about you.  Generally, these cookies help provide personalized services and promote trust and safety.  A cookie is a small file containing a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and placed on your computer’s hard drive to assist us in providing our services.  All pages on the Site where you are prompted to sign in or that are customizable may require that you accept cookies.  Cookies are only read by the server that placed them and are unable to execute any code or virus.  Most cookies are “session cookies” and are automatically deleted from your hard drive at the end of a session.  More specifically, we may use cookies to:

• Remind us of who you are when you sign in and to access your account information in order to deliver to you a more personalized service;
• Measure your visiting patterns in the aggregate. Aggregate data (data gathered across all user accounts) may be gathered in a non-personally identifiable form to build higher quality, more useful online services by performing statistical analyses of the collective characteristics and behavior of our visitors, such as how long and how often users view certain pages;
• Storing information you may want to retrieve and view on a regular basis, such as your provided listing information;
• Better personalize the content that you and other users will see on our Site; and
• Collect IP addresses for system administration.

Third party service providers that we utilize and link to may use their own cookies or other similar devices.  We do not control the use of cookies by third parties. Third-party cookies are covered by the third parties’ privacy policy.

What are IP Addresses and how does Purchasing Power Plus use them?

When your web browser requests a web page from another computer on the Internet, such as Purchasing Power Plus.com, it automatically gives that computer the address where it should send the information. This is called your computer’s “IP address.” (IP stands for “Internet protocol.”) For many users accessing the Internet, the IP address will be different every time you log on.  We record the IP Addresses that access Purchasing Power Plus.com along with related information such as your browser type and operating system. This information helps us, in part, learn about the geographical distribution of our website visitors and the technology they use to access our site so that we can improve our Site.

How does Purchasing Power Plus use my information?

Purchasing Power Plus uses your information to provide you with a customized browsing experience, information about our membership benefits, and information about our vendor partners and their offerings.  We also may use your personal information to process orders, communicate with you by email, resolve disputes; troubleshoot problems; respond to your inquiries; detect and protect against error, fraud, or other criminal activity; and enforce our Terms of Service Agreement.

Who is collecting information?

When you are using the Site and are asked for personal information, you are sharing that information with Purchasing Power Plus alone, unless we specifically state otherwise.  If you create an account as a Vendor then other Site Users will be able to see your posted information and may communicate with you.  If you create an account as a Retail Member then we do share certain information with our Vendors so they may offer you products that may be of interest to you.

Please be advised that third party Web sites that have links on our Site may collect personally identifiable information about you through and on their Web site if you view and/or click on the links.  The information practices of those Web sites linked to Purchasing Power Plus are not covered by this privacy statement.

With whom does Purchasing Power Plus share my information?

Purchasing Power Plus will not disclose your personally identifiable information unless we have your permission or under special circumstances, such as those described below.

Third-Party Service Providers: We may employ other trusted companies to perform functions on our behalf. Examples include hosting product and Vendor information, processing credit card payments, order fulfillment, sending e-mail, analyzing data, and providing marketing assistance. Those trusted third party service providers have access only to personal information needed to perform their functions, but may not use it for other purposes.

External Service Providers: Separate products and services in our marketplace are offered by Vendors that use our Site, also known as external service providers.  If you choose to use the services of these external service providers, disclose information to these parties, and/or grant them permission to collect information about you their privacy policy governs the use of your information.  When you inquire about or accept the offer of a Vendor or another user of the Site, Purchasing Power Plus may share your information with that external services provider so that they may complete your request.

When the Law Requires it:  If we receive a subpoena, court order, or other legal process that requires that we disclose information about a user, or if we believe in good faith that the law requires it, we must comply with it and will disclose the required information.

Business Transaction: Purchasing Power Plus reserves the right to transfer any and all information that we collect from visitors, or that we otherwise collect concerning or in connection with the Site, to a third party in the event of a sale or other transfer of assets or of any portion of our business. In the event we enter a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, your personally identifiable information may be among the assets transferred.

Other: We may disclose account information where we have reason to believe that disclosing the information is necessary to identify, contact, or bring legal action against someone who may be violating Purchasing Power Plus’s policies as specified in the Privacy Policy or Terms of Service Agreement, violating state or federal law, or may be causing injury to or interference with (either intentionally or unintentionally) Purchasing Power Plus’s rights or property, other Site users, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities.  Purchasing Power Plus may disclose or access account information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it and for administrative and other purposes that we deem necessary to maintain and improve our services.

We cannot ensure that all of your private communications and other personal information will never be disclosed in ways not otherwise described in this Policy.  For example, we may be forced to disclose information to the government or third parties under certain circumstances, third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, or users may abuse or misuse your personal information that they unlawfully collect from the Site.  We use industry standard practices to protect your privacy, however, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information or private communications will always remain private.

What are my choices regarding collection, use, and distribution of my information?

If you choose to create an account on the Site, use the content and tools provided on the Site, or make a purchase, you will need to disclose certain information as specified above.  Purchasing Power Plus will send you email upon registration with the Site.  Purchasing Power Plus  may also send you email from time to time, including but not limited to our email newsletters, emails for specials or offers offered by Vendors through the Site, and receipts for purchases made on the Site.  Users may contact us to request removal of their personally identifiable information.

How may I use other users’ information?

You agree to only use other user’s information for the purpose for which it was provided to you. You agree to comply with all applicable local laws and rules regarding online conduct and privacy, as well as content.  Specifically, but not as a limitation, you agree to comply with all applicable laws regarding transmission of technical and personal data exported from the United States or the country in which you reside.

Spam.  We do not tolerate spam.  You are not licensed to add a Purchasing Power Plus user or Vendor to your mail (email or physical mail) list without his or her affirmative consent. Such actions will also result in you being in violation of the Purchasing Power Plus Terms of Service Agreement and subject to legal action and liability for any financial loss incurred by Purchasing Power Plus.

What security precautions are in place to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of my information?

Whenever Purchasing Power Plus handles your personal information, we take steps to ensure that your information is treated securely and in accordance with the relevant Terms of Agreement and this Policy.  We use procedural and mechanical safeguards to protect your personal information against loss or theft as well as unauthorized access and disclosure to protect your privacy, including encryption.  Unfortunately, however, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.  We cannot, therefore, warrant or ensure the security of any information you transmit to us or from our online products or services, and you do so at your own risk.  Once we receive your transmission, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems.

As a user of the Purchasing Power Plus Site, your Purchasing Power Plus account information is password protected so that only you have access to this personal information.  We recommend that you do not disclose your password to anyone.  Purchasing Power Plus will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or unsolicited email.  If you choose to share your User ID and password or your personal information with third parties, you are responsible for all actions taken with your account and therefore you should review that third party’s privacy policy.  If you lose control of your password, you may lose substantial control over your personal information and may be subject to legally binding actions taken on your behalf.  Therefore, if your password has been compromised for any reason, you should immediately change your password.

How are children’s privacy protected?

Persons under the age of 18 are not authorized to use the Site. Persons under the age of 18 are prohibited from submitting any personal information to us.  We do not share personal information about users under the age of 13 with third parties and we do not sell or rent personal information about any of our users, regardless of age.

Additional Information

Any questions regarding this statement should be directed to memberteam@purchasingpowerplus.com.

This Policy is the sole authorized statement of Purchasing Power Plus’s practices with respect to the online collection of personally identifiable information and the usage of such information.  Any summaries of this Policy generated by third party software or otherwise shall have no legal effect, are in no way binding upon Purchasing Power Plus, shall not be relied upon in substitute for this Policy, and neither supersede nor modify this Policy.

Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your passwords and/or account information.  Please be careful and responsible.