At United Office Choice (UOC) we respect and protect the privacy of our customers. Our ongoing commitment is to ensure that we respect the privacy of our customers when handling personal information relating to you and your transactions with us.

Our Privacy Policy explains the type of information that we collect, how and why we collect information, how we may access and update personal information and how we maintain the security of the data. This policy and the Privacy Act does not apply to employee records held by UOC.

What we collect
In the course of doing business, we may collect and hold information about the organisations with whom we engage as customers, partners or suppliers. We may also collect and hold information about individuals within those organisations or individuals within whom we or our customers engage directly. We may also collect potential employee resumes and contacts details as part of the recruitment process.

Please note that the type of personal information we collect and hold depends on the nature of our interaction with you. We only collect and hold personal information that is reasonably necessary depending on the nature of the interaction.

• Customer name, address, contact details (including phone, fax and email) and trade references,
• Names and addresses of the directors, proprietors and owners of corporate customers and any personal guarantors, which are collected as a part of our credit application process,
• Credit card and other financial details; and
• Contractor name, address, licence, contact and emergency contact details which are used for the purposes of managing our various contractors in accordance with the requirements of our customers and our business requirements.

• Manage our accounts payment and ordering systems,
• Improve our internal procurement management processes, and
• Otherwise improve our relationship with our suppliers.

How we use and collect personal information?
The personal information is collected for the purpose of fulfilling your requests for products and services, performing the necessary credit checks in accordance with our credit application processes, marketing our goods and services (including direct marketing) and receiving payment. UOC may collect your personal information directly from you, when you place an order, where you access and interact with the website or with the UOC Customer Service Team. UOC may also collect information about you that is publicly available including information from websites such as LinkedIn or other websites. There may be occasions when UOC collects personal information from a third party.

If UOC receives personal information that UOC has not requested (unsolicited information) and UOC determines that it could not have collected that information under the Australian Privacy Principles if UOC had requested it, then UOC will destroy or de-identify the information if it is lawful and reasonable to do so.

Who has access to personal information
UOC and any contractors of UOC may have access to and use your personal information. Personal information may from time to time be retained on data storage systems owned and operated by these contractors.

‘Cookies’
A “cookie” is a small piece of information that a website can store in a designated file on your computer. It can be used, among other things, to identify you when you log in to a website. When you visit a site, that site can access only the information which it stored in your cookie – not information put in your cookie by other sites. UOC is one of many sites that use cookies.

Our websites utilise “cookies” to provide you with a more convenient shopping experience, such as remembering your login name and password, purchase history and maintaining items in your shopping cart if you leave the site before checkout.

Marketing
Personal information is used by UOC for its legitimate business purpose, as disclosed at the time of collection. It is also used for ancillary purposes such as locating and identifying you and for servicing our relationship with you. Your contact details may also be used by us for the purposes of sending marketing correspondence to you. You may make a request to us not to receive direct marketing communications.

UOC undertakes not to sell, rent or trade personal information. We will not disclose personal information to third parties for them to market goods and services to you. We will not otherwise use or disclose your personal information unless the use or disclosure is authorised under the Australian Privacy Principles. Some examples of where use or disclosure is authorised under the Australian Privacy Principles are:

• Use or disclosure is required or authorised by or under law
• Use or disclosure is necessary to prevent a threat to life, health or safety
• Use or disclosure is necessary to investigate suspected unlawful activity, to prevent or detect a criminal offence or serious improper conduct
• Use or disclosure is reasonably necessary for the conduct of or preparation for court proceedings; or
• You have consented, either expressly or impliedly, to us disclosing the information about you.

As with most business organisations, UOC relies on third party suppliers (agents) to conduct specialised activities such as mail-outs and the dispatch of internet messages. These agents act on behalf of UOC and do not facilitate their own commercial agendas whilst processing your personal information. While personal information may be provided to these agents to enable them to perform their agreed tasks, such information remains the property of UOC at all times and the agent organisations involved may not use or disclose it for their own purposes.

To opt out of receiving our marketing materials please contact us by using the details provided in this Privacy Policy.

How do you update your Personal Information and have access to it?
At UOC we seek to keep your personal information accurate, complete and up-to-date. Our Account Receivable Team are dedicated to maintaining customer profiles on a daily basis. To assist us with this, please contact us if any of the details you have provided change. Further, if you believe that the information we have about you is not accurate, complete or up-to-date, contact us and we will correct it.

On request we will provide you with access to the personal information we store about you, but only to the extent we are able by law, and are required under the Australian Privacy Principles.

If we are unable to give you the access requested, we will, if reasonable, consider whether the use of an intermediary would allow sufficient access to meet both our needs. We will also provide you with the reasons for our inability to give you the access requested.

Security and Storage of Data
At UOC we will take all reasonable steps to store your personal information securely. After all, it is in our interests to make sure you feel confident shopping with us.

Only authorised members in our Customer Service Team and in Marketing, Finance and IT have access to our customers’ personal information. Their access is subject to strict controls and procedures.
As a result, while we strive to protect users’ personal information, UOC cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information transmitted to it or from its online products or services, and users do so at their own risk. Once UOC receives your transmission, it is committed to keeping secure the data you provide us and we will take all reasonable precautions to protect information from loss, misuse or unauthorised access or alteration.
UOC retains the information you provide to us including your contact and credit card details to enable us to verify transactions and customer details and to retain adequate records for legal and accounting purposes. This information is held on secure servers in controlled facilities.

Changes to the Privacy Policy
UOC may make changes to this Privacy Policy from time to time or when changes to legislation occurs. This Privacy Policy was last amended on 10 March 2015.

Contact us about Privacy
If you would like further information regarding this Privacy Policy or if you believe that the privacy of your personal information has been compromised, please contact the Customer Relations Team by email at enquiries@unitedoc.com.au, or by telephone, or in writing to:

Customer Relations
PO BOX 222
Brompton SA, 5007

Telephone: 08 8417 7200 
Should you not be satisfied with the outcome, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commission.
‘Customer’ refers to both external clients of UOC and internal employee clients of UOC.