Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy (General)

This Privacy Statement sets out the ASTIA (we, us, our) management of the personal information collected on behalf of our Clients from their customers (you). For purposes of this Statement ASTIA refers to ASTIA Pty Ltd.

As an organization in compliance with the Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA), we abide by a strict Code of Practice which requires that we handle customers’ personal details responsibly. This Code also requires that we act fairly and honestly in all our dealings with our clients’ customer transactions.

Further details regarding the ADMA Code of Practice are available at ADMA’s website:
http://www.adma.com.au/information/codeofpractice.htm
The information we collect about customers is only used for three purposes:
(a) to offer customers certain services and product; and
(b) to facilitate their order; and
(c) to create a more efficient and more personalised experience for the customer

Our privacy standards are derived from the world’s best business practices. We are bound by the 13 Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Further information regarding the Australian Privacy Principles is located on the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s website at http://www.privacy.gov.au or by telephoning 1300 363 992.

Information Collection/Use

• We collect two types of information from customers - personal information and sensitive information.
• Personal information is information however captured or stored about an individual and whether it is information or opinion or true or not. Examples of personal information include name, address, date of birth, telephone, fax and email contact details.
• Sensitive information is a sub-set of personal information. It includes information or an opinion about an individual's racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political organisation, religious beliefs or affiliations, philosophical beliefs, membership of a professional or trade union, sexual preferences or practices, criminal information or health information or genetic information that is not otherwise health information about an individual.
• We only collect personal information by lawful and fair means. This means we are never unreasonably intrusive when it comes to dealing with customers. The only personal information we collect is information reasonably necessary for carrying out our functions and activities.
• From time to time, we may also collect non-personal information from customers. This helps us and our clients in the ongoing efforts to improve the products and services offered.
• We can collect information from institutions such as a bank on behalf of which we operate (these are our Clients). We use this information to telephone customers. Whenever possible, we collect additional information directly from the customer. If we collect details about a customer from someone else, we will, whenever possible, make sure the customer is aware that this has occurred, and why. We do this when we call and speak with you as part of our normal operating activities.
• We only collect sensitive information about customers if this is necessary to facilitate a customer’s order. In general, however, this information is usually not necessary for the successful delivery of our client's products or services.
• We only collect personal information that is necessary for the successful delivery of our Clients' products or services. For example, when you purchase a product from us, we will request your name, address and account details as well as other personal information necessary to facilitate your order for the financial service or product in question. This enables the bank or institution on behalf of whom we are operating to process your order and to notify you regarding its status (i.e. it is on its way, or if we are temporarily out of stock, etc)
• In the instance that it is necessary to collect sensitive information to provide a specific product we will always obtain the customer's prior consent and disclose why the information is required.
• We always disclose to the customer the identity of the Client upon whose behalf we are acting and what we and our Client intend to do with the relevant personal information when it is received. We strive to be open - we will let you know what sort of personal information we hold, how we collect it and how we use or disclose it, if you want to know.
• If we do not collect personal information from you then this can either delay or prevent us from providing goods or services to you.
• We also ensure that your personal details are accurate, complete and up-to-date when we use or collect them, through our verification process.
• If we hold information relating to you then you may, after verification of your identity, request at any time that any or all that information be removed or updated. We will consider such requests but may be required to hold some or all personal information to comply with the applicable laws.
• We will take all reasonable steps to protect the security of all customers’ personal information held. We only permit customers’ personal information to be accessed by our authorised personnel and then only for the purposes set out above.
• We take all reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify customers’ personal information once it is no longer required for the purposes set out above or earlier if a customer requests us to and this is possible given our legal obligations.
• We do not collect personal information about you without your knowledge when you visit our web-site. We do not use cookies or other tracking devices to trace or track visitors to our site.

We Respect Your Preferences

• Our Clients may also use the information we collect to keep you informed about their new products and services, or to let you know about special offers you might find worthwhile. If you would rather not receive this information, you can inform our staff of this preference when you are talking to them or email us at: info@astia.com.au and we will remove your name from our distribution list.
• We always provide customers with an opportunity to opt out of receiving future offers. If customers do not wish to receive future marketing information, they may simply inform our staff of this preference when talking to them and we will delete your details from all internal marketing distribution lists and future campaigns. Alternatively, customers may email us at info@astia.com.au
• If a customer prefers, wherever possible, we deal with customers anonymously when entering transactions.
• If you would like to access the personal information we hold about you, please contact us by email at info@astia.com.au or by telephoning 02 8379 7834. We will give you access to your personal information that we hold about you as soon as reasonably practicable but we may charge you a reasonable fee for making this available. Please understand that there may be circumstances, as outlined in the Australian Privacy Principles, which prevent us from giving you access to this information.
• If any personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, then we will endeavor to correct it

Offering Information to Other Parties

• Generally, when we receive a customer’s personal information we disclose this to the Client on whose behalf we are acting. This is so that the order for the financial service or product that you have made can be fulfilled or otherwise processed.
• ASTIA and its Clients upon whose behalf it acts will only use or disclose information about customers in ways that they would reasonably expect such information to be used when providing it.
• We will only pass a customer’s personal information to an unrelated third party if the customer has provided their prior consent to do this. This includes passing on personal information to organizations in overseas countries. At this stage, it is not contemplated but may occur in the future. Such countries include South Africa and countries in South East Asia.
• The only exceptions to this are if a law enforcement agency or other government agency exercises its legal authority and requests the information or if either we or our Client has deidentified the information for the purpose of providing anonymous, aggregated, statistical information to a third party. We may also disclose your personal information in the ordinary course of managing its business to the likes of its accountants, auditors, lawyers, consultants and Licensees.
• If a customer consents, their details may be passed by us or our clients to a few select companies whose products or services are similar or complementary and which it is considered that the customer may be interested in.
• We do not sell, rent or purchase any personal information for any secondary commercial purpose.

Let Us Know What You Think

• Privacy is an important issue. If at any time, a customer feels that we have not adhered to these principles, please let us know us by e-mail at info@astia.com.au or by telephoning 02 8379 7834 and we will make every effort to review and correct the problem. We also welcome questions and comments about our privacy policy.