Ace Hardware Corporation (“Ace Hardware” or “we” or “us”) recognizes that you care how information about you is collected and used. We have created this Privacy Policy to inform you of our general information collection, use and sharing practices for our consumer-facing websites and other consumer-facing online and mobile applications and services that link to this Privacy Policy (“Online Services”), online communications through or related to the Online Services, and offline communications through our Customer Service Department in connection with the Online Services, and do not necessarily reflect our practices with respect to information gathered through other websites that we operate or through other offline means. For purposes of this Privacy Policy, Personal Information is information that personally identifies you, such as your full name, address, email address, phone number, and credit card information.
By downloading, installing, accessing or using any of the Online Services or by submitting information to us in a manner governed by this Privacy Policy, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, as amended from time to time.
If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, you should contact our Customer Service Department by email at customersupport@acehardware.com.
What Information About Me Is Collected?
Information You Provide
We collect and store information that you provide through the Online Services, that you otherwise provide to us online, or that you provide to our Customer Service Department in connection with the Online Services. For example, information will be collected when you open or manage an account or an Ace Rewards membership account, when you place an order, when you sign up to receive emails, newsletters or other promotional communications, when you enter a contest or sweepstakes, when you contact us with online inquiries and/or when you otherwise voluntarily submit or provide information to us. The information we collect that you provide to us may include, but is not limited to: names, billing addresses, shipping addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, Ace Rewards membership ID numbers, credit card numbers and expiration dates, account and log-in IDs, passwords, information regarding orders, demographic information, and information regarding interests and preferences. This information is used for the purpose for which it was collected and for administrative and analytical purposes. For example, the information is used to process and ship orders, to send order and shipping confirmations, to manage billing and payment processes, to operate the Ace Rewards program, to provide emails, newsletters and other communications you have requested, to administer and fulfill sweepstakes and contests, to conduct audits, to manage our information and financial systems, and to provide customer service. This information also may be used to contact you about sales, product recommendations, special offers and new site features from Ace Hardware and other selected vendors, unless you have opted not to receive promotional communications from us. When you opt not to receive emails, newsletters or other promotional information, we collect and store certain information, such as your email address, in order to comply with your preferences regarding such materials.
Information We Collect Through Technologies
Like many online services, we use technologies to collect and store certain other information whenever you interact with our Online Services. For example, we collect your IP address, browser and device information, including operating system, application software, and reference site domain name, every time you access or use the Online Services. We also collect information regarding customer traffic patterns and usage and mobile application usage data. This information is used to analyze and improve the Online Services and to provide our customers with a fulfilling shopping experience.
Cookies
Like many online services, we use cookies, which are small data files created by a Web server and stored by your browser, for analytical purposes. Cookies also help us to identify account holders and Ace Rewards members and to optimize the log-in, account management, and shopping experience. Cookies also allow us to hold selections in a shopping cart when a user leaves without checking out. Most browsers accept cookies automatically but allow you to disable them. If you disable cookies, you may not be able to use some features of the Online Services. To learn more about cookies and how to disable them, please consult the “Help” feature of your browser or your device’s user guide or visit www.aboutads.info/consumers.
Interest-Based Advertising
We and our ad management partner(s) collect information about your online activities over time and across third party websites so we can manage advertising effectiveness and provide you with online advertisements, including advertisements on the websites of third parties not affiliated with Ace Hardware, more likely to be of interest to you. We may use web beacons (also known as action tags, pixels, or transparent GIF files) and similar technologies to help manage online advertising. These technologies are provided by our ad management partner(s) and enable our ad management partner(s) to recognize a unique cookie. The cookie was placed by us (when you accessed the acehardware.com website) or by another advertiser who works with our ad management partner(s). These technologies also allow us to learn which advertisements bring users to our Online Services. With web beacon technology, the information that we collect and share is anonymous and not personally identifiable. It does not contain Personal Information.
For more information about interest-based advertising (often referred to as online behavioral advertising) and how to manage your preferences for interest-based ads, please visit www.aboutads.info/consumers.
To opt-out of receiving customized interest-based advertisements from members of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), please visit the DAA website by clicking here.
Location Information
We may also collect information about your location when you access or use our Online Services.
We collect information regarding your general location using your IP address. This information may be used to customize certain features of the Online Services, such as the store locator feature.
If you access or use our Online Services from a mobile device, we may collect geolocation information from your mobile device, but only with your authorization. This information is used to provide you with location-based services, such as store location and local advertising. We may also use this information to send push notifications customized to your location if you have authorized us to send them to your mobile device. Push notifications, which appear on the screen of your mobile device in the form of a badge, alert, or banner, allow mobile applications to send information to your mobile device even when the application is not in use. You may choose to receive push notifications without consenting to the collection of geolocation information, but the messages you receive will not be customized for your location. Your mobile device’s operating system may store your authorization to provide us with information regarding your location. While your authorization is active, if you access or request location-based services from our Online Services, your mobile device will provide us with your location without additional authorization from you. If you would like to disable location services in connection with our mobile website, please consult your mobile device’s user guide for instructions on clearing cookies. If you would like to disable location services and/or push notifications in connection with our mobile app, adjust your mobile device settings according to the instructions in your mobile device’s user guide.
Other Information
We may collect and store information about you that we receive from other sources, such as the U.S Postal Service National Change of Address (NCOA) service and providers of consumer data, to enable us to update and correct the information contained in our database and to provide product recommendations and special offers that we think will interest you.
We may also collect information from you regarding a third party. For instance, if you want to use a “forward to a friend” or similar feature on our Online Services to send communications to a person, we will collect that person’s name and email address from you. We will use this information only to send your communication and will not use the information you provide to otherwise contact the person.
Is Information Collected From Children?
We do not sell any items ordered through our Online Services directly to anyone who we know to be under the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, you should not use our Online Services to submit orders or purchase any items. In addition, we do not collect online any personal information from anyone who we know to be under the age of 13. If you are under the age of 13, you should use our Online Services only with the involvement of a parent or guardian and should not submit any Personal Information of any kind to us.
With Whom Do You Share Information?
We do not share with others any Personal Information collected through our Online Services or through our Customer Service Department in connection with our Online Services, except with your consent or as described in this Privacy Policy.
We engage third parties to perform services in connection with the operation of our business. Examples of these services include, but are not limited to, operation of our Online Services, management of customer accounts and Ace Rewards accounts, payment processing and authorization, fraud protection and credit risk reduction, product customization, order fulfillment and shipping, gift card processing and management, advertising, marketing and promotional activities, sweepstakes and contest administration and fulfillment, Online Services evaluation, data analysis and data cleansing. These third parties may have access to information, including your Personal Information, you provide and/or information collected from you through technologies, but we authorize them to use your Personal Information only in connection with the services they perform on our behalf. We may permit such third parties to disclose Personal Information to subcontractors, but only if the third party limits the subcontractor’s use of such Personal Information to services performed on our behalf.
If you are or become an Ace Rewards member, we may share Personal Information regarding you with the Ace Hardware retailer(s) in your area in order to facilitate your membership in the Ace Rewards program.
We also may offer you the opportunity to purchase products and services provided by or in conjunction with third parties. If you purchase any of these products or services, we will provide your Personal Information to the third parties that provide the products and services that you request, but we authorize these third parties to use this Personal Information only in connection with the products and services they provide. We may also provide information, including Personal Information, about you to certain business partners, but only if you participate in programs offered by such business partners.
We, or those with whom we have shared information in accordance with this Privacy Policy, may release Personal Information if we believe in good faith that: the law or legal process requires it; we have received a valid administrative request from a law enforcement agency; or such release is necessary or advisable to protect the rights, property or safety of Ace Hardware, or any of our respective affiliates, business partners, customers or others. We may also disclose Personal Information to assist us in the collection of amounts owed by you to us or to one of our business partners with whom you have authorized us to transact business on your behalf.
We may share non-Personal Information with our marketing partners, ad management partners, advertisers and others from time to time. Examples of such non-Personal Information include the number of users who accessed or used our Online Services during a specific time period or purchased a specific product through the Online Services, and information about your device, system and application software. This information is shared in an aggregated form.
We reserve the right to transfer any information we have about you, including Personal Information, in connection with the sale or transfer of all or a portion of the business or assets of Ace Hardware to a third party.
What Steps Are Taken To Keep Personal Information Secure?
We use various security measures to protect Personal Information that we collect. Due to the inherent nature of the internet and wireless communications, however, we cannot guarantee that such information will be secure from intrusion or breach. If you place an order through our Online Services, you may be asked to set up an account and provide an email address and password. You must provide an appropriate email address and password in order to access account information. In order to help protect your Personal Information further, you should not provide your password to others. If you wish to cancel a password, or if you become aware of any loss, theft or unauthorized use of a password, please contact our Customer Service Department by email at customersupport@acehardware.com. or by phone at 1-866-290-5334.
How Can I Access, Correct and Update Personal Information?
If you are an account holder, you can access, correct, and update certain Personal Information by accessing your account through the Online Services. If you are an Ace Rewards member, you can update your Ace Rewards profile in the Ace Rewards area of the Online Services.
Can I Indicate Whether or Not I Want To Receive Promotional Communications?
There are several ways in which you can tell us whether or not you want to receive promotional communications from us. If you are an account holder, you can indicate email preferences by accessing your account through the Online Services. If you place an order through the on Online Services, you will have an opportunity to make or change your selections in this regard. You also will have an opportunity to indicate your preferences by clicking on an “unsubscribe” hyperlink contained in promotional emails we send you or following the “unsubscribe” instructions in a notification or other message type. If you no longer wish to receive push notifications on your mobile device, please consult your mobile device’s user guide for instructions on how to disable push notifications.
What Happens When I Link To or From Another Web Site or Use Social Media or Product Review Features?
Our Online Services may contain links to other third party websites, applications or services. Please be advised that the practices described in this Privacy Policy do not apply to information gathered through these other websites, applications or services, including websites, applications or services operated by Ace retailers, which are independently owned and operated. We encourage you to be aware of when you leave our Online Services and to read the privacy policies of each and every third party website, application or service that you access or use.
If you have accessed our Online Services through a link from certain of our advertising or marketing partners, our Online Services may include a frame of the applicable advertising or marketing partner. Nevertheless, the information you provide to us through these framed Web pages is collected by us, and our use of this information is governed by this Privacy Policy.
Our Online Services offer you the ability interact with, and may allow you to share information, product reviews and other user generated content with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube, and social commerce networks, such as PowerReviews and Bazaarvoice. Please be advised that your sharing of information, product reviews or other user generated content, and any information gathered by these social media platforms and social commerce networks in connection with your sharing, is not covered by this Privacy Policy, but will be governed by the privacy policy and terms of use of the applicable platform or network. We encourage you to be aware of when you leave our Online Services and to read these privacy policies and terms of use.
What About Contests and Sweepstakes?
When we run a contest or sweepstakes through our Online Services, it will be accompanied by a set of rules. If our use of your Personal Information gathered in connection with the contest or sweepstakes entry process is different from the terms of this Privacy Policy, the rules for such contest/sweepstakes will specify how that information will be used. If you win a contest or sweepstakes, additional provisions regarding the use of your Personal Information may be included in required winner’s affidavits and releases.
How Will I Be Informed About Changes Regarding This Privacy Policy?
Our Online Services will continue to evolve to bring you new features and services and to implement technological advances. As a result, we may change this Privacy Policy from time to time without prior notice. Revised versions of this Privacy Policy will be posted on this page, together with an updated effective date. In some cases, we may also send an email or other communication notifying users of the changes. You should check this page periodically to see if any recent changes to this Privacy Policy have occurred. By downloading, installing, accessing, or using any of our Online Services after we post any such changes, you agree to the terms of the Privacy Policy as modified.