Ritchie-Smith is committed to safeguarding the personal information entrusted to us by you, our clients. We manage your personal information in accordance with the British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and other privacy legislation as applicable.
This policy outlines the principles and practices we follow in protecting your personal information. It also explains how we use and disclose that information, the choices you have regarding such use and disclosure, and how you may correct and have access to that information. This policy applies to personal information regarding clients and other individuals who do business with Ritchie-Smith and its subsidiaries, and the collection, use and disclosure of that information in any form, whether oral, electronic, or written. The policy also applies to personal information collected, used and disclosed by any person providing services on our behalf. As a client or person with whom we do business you understand and consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this policy.
Information We Collect
If you choose to obtain information or do business with us online by visiting www.ritchiesmith.com, you may wish to know that you can browse without revealing your identity and you can always visit our websites without revealing who you are or providing any personal information.
Usage Information
When you visit our website, we collect usage information (i.e., the Internet Protocol address automatically assigned to your computer each time you browse the Internet, the date and time of your visit, the type of Internet browser you use and the URL of any other website that referred you to our website, and the pages you access and the amount of time you spend on each page), but that information is not linked to you as an individual unless you create a user profile. We use this information to evaluate and improve the features, client experience and functionality of our websites.
Cookie technology
We use cookie technology on our websites to allow us to evaluate and improve the functionality of our websites. Cookies by themselves cannot be used to reveal your identity. They identify your browser, but not you, to our servers when you visit our websites. If you do not want to accept cookies, you can block them by adjusting the settings on your Internet browser. However, if you block them, you will not be able to use all of the features of our websites, including the customization features associated with creating a user profile.
Submitting Personal Information and/or Creating A User Profile
You can submit personal information and/or create a user profile on www.ritchiesmith.com to, among other things: facilitate communication, access additional information, and make requests for our services. We may use the information you provide to populate other databases maintained by us and our service providers, as applicable. By submitting information or creating a user profile, you are agreeing that we may use the personal information you provide for these purposes.
You can view, update or remove any personal information that you have provided to us for inclusion in your user profile by amending your user profile online or emailing hello@ritchiesmith.com. If you subsequently elect to remove your user profile, we will have the right to use any personal information previously provided by you for inclusion in your user profile for record keeping and quality assurance purposes. Even if you choose not to create a user profile, you can still use our website.
Links to Other Websites and Social Media
If you visit www.ritchiesmith.com, you will have the option to be seamlessly linked to websites maintained by third parties. If you click on a link found on our websites or on any other website, you should always look at the location bar within your browser to determine whether you have been linked to a different website. This policy, and our responsibility, is limited to our own information collection practices. We are not responsible for, and cannot ensure, the information collection practices or privacy policies of other websites maintained by third parties or our service providers where you submit your personal information directly to such websites. In addition, we cannot ensure the content of the websites maintained by these third parties or our service providers, even if accessible using a link from our websites. We urge you to read the privacy and security policies of any external sites before providing any personal information while accessing those sites.
If you visit www.ritchiesmith.com, you may have the option to be seamlessly linked to social media platforms. You may choose to connect to us through a social media platform, such as Facebook, and when you do, we may collect additional information from you (including personal information) through the social media platform. Please be advised that social media platforms may also collect personal information from you. When you click on a social plug-in, such as Facebook’s “like” button, that particular social network’s plugin will be activated and your browser will directly connect to that provider’s servers. We do not have control over the collection, use and disclosure practices of social media platforms and encourage you to review their usage and disclosure policies and practices, including the data security practices, before using these social media platforms.
Email Communications
You may have the opportunity to receive certain communications from us related to our services. If you provide us with your e-mail address in order to receive communications, you can opt-out of marketing emails at any time by following the instructions at the bottom of our emails, adjusting your email preferences or contacting us. Please note that certain emails may be necessary for the operation of our services. You will continue to receive these emails, if appropriate, even if you unsubscribe from our optional communications.
How Do You Contact Us?
If you have a question or concern about any collection, use or disclosure of personal information by Ritchie-Smith, or about a request for access to your own personal information, please contact us at hello@ritchiesmith.com.