Vermeer Canada
PRIVACY POLICY
LAST UPDATED: December 4, 2024
At Vermeer, your privacy is of great importance to us. Vermeer is committed to the protection of the personal information of all customers, prospects, website visitors and other individuals whose personal information is entrusted to Vermeer.
Policy Contents:
Vermeer takes full responsibility for the management and confidentiality of personal information. Personal information is collected, used, shared and stored in accordance with the privacy laws in which Vermeer operates, such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, S.C. 2000, c.5 in Canada, and the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”). Vermeer respects the privacy best practice principles contained in the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information, CAN/CSA-Q830-96, the OECD Privacy Principles and the Generally Accepted Privacy Principals recognized globally.
Vermeer has appointed a Privacy Officer who oversees information-handling practices and Vermeer’s privacy management program. The Privacy Officer’s duties include:
‘Personal information’ is any factual or subjective information, recorded or not, about an identifiable individual. This can include your name, contact information, payment card information credit history, references, and any identifiable on-line activity. Equipment or service usage information, or information relating to a dispute or claim would also be considered personal information. Personal information does not include aggregate information that cannot be linked to a specific individual.
Personal information is collected by Vermeer with your knowledge and consent in several ways, such as through account creation, warranty registration, as well as when records are provided by third parties. For example, with your authorization, Vermeer may obtain a credit report on you to assess creditworthiness. We identify when information may be provided optionally and when it is necessary in order to service you. Your consent can be withdrawn at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions, by providing us with written notice. Upon receipt of a notice to withdraw consent, we will inform you of the consequences of withdrawing your consent, which may include the inability to remain a Vermeer customer.
Note however that there may be instances where the law permits the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information without your consent, for example for debt collection, fraud investigations, and where necessary to protect our legal interests or the safety of others.
We collect and use personal information for the following specific purposes:
When you visit Vermeer’s websites, we automatically receive and record information in our server logs from your browser or mobile platform, including the date and time of your visit, your IP address, unique device identifier, browser type and other device information (such as your operating system version and mobile network provider). By setting cookies, Vermeer is able to enhance a user’s on-line experience (e.g. once you are logged in to your account, you are able to move between webpages without having to re-enter your credentials). You can disable cookies through your website browser, but this may affect your user experience.
The usage data we collect when you visit Vermeer’s website helps us analyze and improve the performance of our digital services. Vermeer uses Google Analytics for web statistical analysis. We make no effort to personally identify you based on your visit to our site. If you wish, you may opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics by disabling or refusing the cookies; by disabling JavaScript within your browser; or by using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On.
Vermeer also uses third party advertising partners to provide on-line visitors with relevant ads across the Internet. Pixel tracking also allows us offer targeted advertising. Dynamic search ads used by Vermeer match ads to a user’s searches. Other ad types, such as responsive search ads and geofencing ads target users based on their interests, previous searches and location. You may opt out of interest based advertising by visiting the opt-out tool made available by the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada at https://youradchoices.ca/choices/
Vermeer takes all reasonable steps to protect the interest of individuals when disclosing personal information. We do not disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, unless you have provided consent to do so or we are required/permitted by law to disclose the information.
We may also share your personal information with business partners, affiliates and service providers such as IT support professionals, financial auditors and marketing partners. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any such third parties who we entrust with your personal information are reputable, and have safeguards in place to protect this information. In working with third parties, your personal information may be transferred to a foreign jurisdiction to be processed or stored. Such information may be provided to law enforcement or national security authorities of that jurisdiction upon request, in order to comply with foreign laws.
Vermeer has implemented critical physical, organizational and technical measures to guard against unauthorized or unlawful access to the personal information we manage and store. We have also taken steps to avoid accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, your personal information. While no system is completely secure, the measures implemented by Vermeer significantly reduce the likelihood of a data security breach.
Here are some examples of the security controls we have in place:
In addition, we recommend that you do your part in protecting yourself from unauthorized access to your personal information. Vermeer is not liable for any unauthorized access to your personal information that is beyond our reasonable control. Let us know right away if your contact information changes or you find any errors in your account statements or invoices. If you have reason to believe that the security of your account has been compromised, you must immediately notify Vermeer of the problem in order for us to resolve the issue in a timely manner.
We make every effort to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up-to-date for the purposes for which we collect it. You can make a written request for access to your personal information at any time if it is for information that you are unable to access yourself through your account. You will need to provide as much information as you can to help us process your request and locate the information you require.
If you need assistance in preparing your request, please contact us and we would be pleased to help you. Upon your request, Vermeer will also inform you of how your personal information has been or is being used, and who your personal information has been shared with. We may charge a fee to cover any expenses related to responding to your access request.
Vermeer responds to access requests within 30 days, unless an extension of time is required. However, there may be contexts where access is refused or only partial information is provided, for example, in the context of an on-going investigation or where another individual’s personal information or identity must be protected.
Vermeer retains personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill legal or business purposes and in accordance with our retention schedules. Once your information is no longer required by Vermeer to meet business, legal or regulatory requirements, it is securely destroyed, erased or made anonymous. Keep in mind however that information may be retained for a lengthier period of time due to an on-going investigation or legal proceeding, and that residual information may remain in back-ups for a period of time after its destruction date.
Under the GDPR a Data Controller determines the purposes and means of the processing of Personal Data. Vermeer remains the Controller of all Personal Data provided to us by our customers. Thus, we take accountability for the use and security of such data when sending confirmations, administering accounts, processing payments and generally servicing our customers directly or through one of our business partners, associates or service providers. Under the GDPR, a Data Processor processes Personal Data on behalf of the Controller. Every Vermeer Data Processor is bound by a Data Processing Agreement.
Vermeer’s legal grounds for processing Personal Data include the provision of consent, contractual commitments as outlined in Vermeer’s contracts, and Vermeer’s legitimate interest in providing reliable industrial equipment and services to our customers.
EU data subjects permanently residing in the European Union may have supplementary statutory rights with respect to their Personal Data as outlined in the GDPR. This includes the right to access their Personal data, have it deleted, have it corrected, or object to/restrict processing of such data. If you would like to make such a request, please e-mail privacy@vermeercanada.com. Vermeer has developed an EU Data Subject Rights Procedure to ensure your request is responded to in a timely manner. In the context of a request for erasure, Vermeer will scramble or pseudonymize the data subject’s information to make it anonymous.
Vermeer has required our service providers who we entrust with Vermeer user data to commit to the continued protection of such data as a Data Processor. If at any time in the future we plan to share Personal Data with additional third parties to deliver Vermeer services, we will ensure that they too maintain a high standard of care for such data.
Vermeer operates through its Canada and France establishments. Canada was the first country outside of Europe deemed adequate by the EU Commission in 2001, under the EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC (the GDPR’s predecessor). An adequacy finding allows the flow of data from the EU to Canada as a trusted country in data protection. In addition, Vermeer uses data hosting providers who have made GDPR commitments of their own. Where data is stored in the U.S. by Vermeer or its service providers, these entities commit to Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) as approved by the European Commission. To learn more, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/law-topic/data-protection/international-dimension-data-protection/standard-contractual-clauses-scc_en .
We may offer links from our website to the sites of third parties, such as affiliated organizations, that may be of interest to you. Vermeer makes no representations as to such third parties’ privacy practices and we recommend that you review their privacy policies before providing your personal information to any such third parties.
Vermeer’s use of social media serves as an extension of our presence on the Internet and help us build a positive brand image as well as provide useful information to the public. Social media account(s), such as Vermeer’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, are not hosted on Vermeer’s servers. Users who choose to interact with Vermeer via social media should read the terms of service and privacy policies of these services/platforms.
Vermeer takes privacy complaints very seriously and has a procedure in place for escalating and managing any privacy related concerns to ensure that they are responded to in a timely and effective manner. Vermeer’s Privacy Officer oversees the containment, investigation and corrective actions for all privacy breach situations.
As required by law, privacy breaches may be reported by Vermeer or its business partners to the regulators of the relevant countries in which affected individuals reside.
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time in order to better reflect our current personal information handling practices. Thus, we encourage you to review this document frequently! The “Last Updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy indicates when changes to this policy were published and are thus in force. Your continued use of Vermeer equipment and services following the posting of any changes to this Privacy Policy means you accept such changes.
Any inquires, concerns or complaints regarding privacy should be directed to Vermeer’s Privacy Officer at:
Guylaine Sylvestre
Privacy Officer
Vermeer Canada Inc.
423 – 1100 South Service Road
Stoney Creek, ON
L8E 0C5
Canada
(289) 765-5278
corporate@vermeercanada.com
Your concerns will receive prompt attention. Our Privacy Office can also provide you with more detailed information about Vermeer’s policies and practices. Keep in mind however that e-mail or text messaging are not secure forms of communication, so never send confidential personal information to us this way.
Thank you for continued trust in Vermeer.