Privacy policy

Commitment to privacy

At H&W we value the relationship we have with our customers and Web-site visitors, and we are committed to responsible information-handling practices. We take the privacy of our customers very seriously and want you to feel comfortable with your visit to our Web site. We also want you to be fully informed about how any information we may gather about you or your company is used. Therefore, this Privacy policy discloses the privacy practices for our Web site (www.hwcs.com).

The information H&W collects

Because H&W wants to demonstrate its commitment to your privacy, it wants to make sure you are aware of the following information it may collect when you browse www.hwcs.com:

Personally identifiable information of yours which you provide directly, such as your name and e-mail address, is collected through the Web site when you register or make an online request, or at any H&W interactive message board
The Web pages your Internet browser visits when browsing the H&W Web site
Click-through information related to H&W marketing activities
Aggregate data, such as the number of hits per week or per Web page

Each of these items is addressed below. If you feel that H&W is not abiding by its posted Privacy policy, please contact H&W by e-mail at webtrack@hwcs.com or by phone at 1-208-377-0336.

The way H&W uses information

H&W is the sole owner of the information collected on this site. We at H&W will not sell, share, or rent this information. H&W collects information from its users at several different points on its Web site. H&W uses information collected online in the following ways:

Registration

In order to use certain features of this Web site, a user must first complete an online registration form. During registration, a user is required to give his or her contact information (such as name and e-mail address). H&W will not request more information than is reasonably necessary to provide requested information or services. H&W assumes all information will be true, accurate, current, nonmisleading, consistent, and relevant. This information is used to contact users about the products or services on our site for which they have expressed an interest. Information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of this site, sales, marketing, and customer relationship management.

We currently track in a database every login. We currently also track every download, if you are logged in, for the entire session. For some registration, e-mail, and use data you provide, we may direct you to particular Web pages, customize the Web pages you see, or otherwise increase the relevance of the information you receive. For information you provide online, including actions or clicks from hyperlinks and subscriptions, we use the information to customize future communications and Web pages in accordance with communication preferences you have established with H&W. For information you provide directly, such as through ordering information or e-mail messages, we use the information to respond to your orders and requests. Information about Web pages visited, page hits per week, and the like is used internally to improve the design of our Web pages. H&W may use third-party storage or service-provider companies to perform some functions including the processing of data. Such companies are under a duty of confidentiality to H&W.

Public forums

This site may make chat rooms, forums, message boards, feedback forms, Web logs ("blogs"), news groups, and/or other public messaging forums available to its users. Please remember that any information disclosed in these areas becomes public information and you should exercise caution when deciding to disclose your personal information.

Cookies

A cookie is a small packet of data a Web site uses to hold information. Some uses for cookies are user authentication, user preferences, tracking, and shopping cart contents. A cookie is not software and cannot be executed as code or deliver viruses. A user does not have to accept a cookie delivered from a Web site. However, disabling a cookie may prevent some Web services from working correctly.

There are two kinds of cookies: session cookies and permanent cookies.

Session cookies are stored on a Web server and expire when a user closes his or her browser. Session cookies do not store anything on the user’s computer. The H&W Web site uses session cookies for login authentication and tracking file downloads in the Customer Support section. If you are in the Public section or Customer Support section of the Web site and you log in, personally identifiable information is recorded and might be verified for all downloads for that session.

Permanent cookies are small text files that are stored on a computer. Permanent cookies help Web sites remember user preferences and other user information even after users have closed their browsers. Although they are called "permanent" cookies, they can be deleted at any time by a user or may expire automatically after a given period of time or certain date. The H&W Web site employs a permanent cookie in the Customer Support section to remember the product support page that a user last viewed. This cookie then helps the Web site return the user to the home page for that product the next time he or she logs in to the Customer Support section. No personally identifiable information is stored in the permanent cookie that the H&W Web site issues.

Third-party cookies, which are cookies delivered by other sites, may gather information about your browsing activities when activated by that Web site’s code, such as code served by advertisements on that site. Third-party permanent cookies are used throughout the H&W Web site for traffic analysis. H&W uses the third-party software that issues third-party cookies to analyze trends, track user movement, and administer the site. H&W has no access to third-party cookies.

H&W uses third-party Web beacons from Yahoo! to help H&W analyze through Yahoo!'s Web Analytics software where visitors go and what they do while visiting the H&W Web site. Yahoo! may also use anonymous information about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to improve its products and services and provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by Yahoo!, click here.

Surveys and contests

From time to time our site requests information from users via surveys and contests. Participation is completely voluntary. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and title) and demographic information (such as zip code). Contact information is used only to notify the winners and award prizes. Survey information is used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of this site, sales, marketing, and customer relationship management.

When H&W shares customer information

H&W shares customer information for business purposes only on a need-to-know basis and only with: (a) its own employees and affiliates; (b) the customer from which H&W received the information; (c) H&W subcontractors and consultants that have agreed to safeguard such information in a like manner to the way that H&W safeguards such information and that have signed confidentiality agreements with H&W; and (d) other entities authorized to have access to such information under applicable law or regulation. H&W does not share nonpublic, individually identifiable information with third-party marketers, with the following exception. H&W will provide its master e-mail suppression file to a third-party vendor to prevent unwanted H&W material from delivery and to comply with CAN-SPAM. H&W takes precautionary steps to ensure these vendors will not use this information in a way that was unintended. Furthermore, all employees are kept up-to-date on H&W security and privacy practices.

H&W may disclose customer information to protect its rights or property and to enforce its terms of use and legal notices, as required or permitted by law, or at the request of government regulators or other law-enforcement officials and the courts (including the issuance of a valid subpoena). H&W shall have no duty to notify you of such compliance with the law.

We at H&W will not use or share customer information in ways unrelated to those described on this page without first notifying you and offering you a choice as to whether or not we may use your data in this different manner.

Commitment to data integrity and security

H&W processes customer information only in ways compatible with the purpose for which it was collected. To the extent necessary for such purposes, we at H&W take reasonable steps to make sure that customer information is accurate, complete, current, and otherwise reliable with regard to its intended use. However, H&W expects customers will update their personal information with H&W as necessary.

Regarding offline security, all of our users' information is restricted in our offices. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, a technician or a customer service representative) are granted access to personally identifiable information. Furthermore, all employees are kept up-to-date on our security and privacy practices and are under a contractual agreement to maintain customer information confidentiality.

Regarding online security, no sensitive information is collected via the Web site. H&W will encrypt information transfer for its Customer Support section after login to verify and secure the online exchange of information. If you have any questions about the security of our Web site, send an e-mail to webmaster@hwcs.com.

H&W takes reasonable and appropriate measures to maintain the confidentiality and integrity and to prevent the unauthorized use or disclosure of customer information. This includes maintaining a system of appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to secure such information.

Special offers

Registered users will occasionally receive information about products, services, and special deals. You may opt-out of receiving this information by e-mailing webtrack@hwcs.com and requesting that you no longer receive unsolicited commercial e-mail.

How you can access or correct your information

If you are an H&W customer with a support login, you can update or correct your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain, such as your address and password. To do so, click the link for updating your information on the welcome page that appears after you log in to the Customer Support section. To request that you no longer be a registered user, e-mail webtrack@hwcs.com with the subject line of "Privacy policy request." To protect your privacy and security, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections to our records. Please note that if you choose to no longer be a registered user, you may no longer be able to access certain areas of our Web site requiring registration or a subscription.

We may keep all customer information in an offline form, for archival purposes or as otherwise required by law.

Users may request to be removed from an H&W e-mail list by sending a request to webmaster@hwcs.com.

How H&W enforces the Privacy policy

H&W will periodically verify its compliance with the principles contained in the Privacy policy. Interested persons are encouraged to raise any concerns with us using the contact information below. We will investigate and attempt to resolve complaints and disputes regarding use and disclosure of customer information. In the event that we cannot satisfactorily resolve a complaint through our internal processes, the complaint may be referred to a higher dispute resolution authority. We will cooperate fully with the Federal Trade Commission on behalf of U.S. residents and the Data Protection Authorities of any European Union nation on behalf of its residents. In the event that we or such authorities determine that we did not comply with the principles contained in the privacy policy, we will take appropriate steps to address any adverse effects and to promote future compliance.

Revisions and contact information

We constantly update the features of our Web site to better serve you and all our customers, so this policy may also be revised from time to time. H&W may modify this policy without advance notice, and any modifications are effective when they are posted here. By using our Web site, you indicate your understanding and acceptance of the terms of the policy posted at the time of your use.

If you have any questions, please e-mail webtrack@hwcs.com with the subject line of "Privacy policy request."

Revised July 17, 2008