Company

Privacy and Credit Reporting

Werner Co Australia Pty Ltd ABN 88 151 127 061 (referred to as Werner Co, we, us or our) is committed to maintaining the confidentiality and security of personal information we hold. Our aim is to ensure that we handle information in accordance with our obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles enshrined in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). This Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy outlines the manner in which we collect, store and use your personal information and credit information, including information about your commercial credit applications and credit accounts with us and information that we obtain from credit reporting bodies (CRBs).

Werner Co is related to other entities (Werner Co Group, as set out at the end of this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy) and this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy applies if your personal information is dealt with by the Werner Co Group. A reference in this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy to Werner Co, we, us or our also refers to Werner Co Group.

We may, from time to time, review and update this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy, including taking into account new laws, regulations, practices and technology. All personal information held by us will be governed by our most recent Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy, a copy of which is available on request from time to time to www.wernerladder.com.au or www.baileyladders.com.au

What personal information do we collect?
"Personal information" is information or an opinion, whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an identified individual or an individual who is reasonably identifiable.

Personal information collected by us may include (but is not limited to) the following:

  • your name and contact details
  • commercial credit reports from CRBs, including business credit scores and ratings;
  • personal credit reports for commercial credit applications
  • the date your credit account was established with Werner Co or with your nominated trade referees
  • payment information, including your repayment history with Werner Co and payments owed to Werner Co
  • whether in Werner Co's opinion or another commercial credit provider’s opinion, namely your nominated trade referee's, your organisation pays within payment terms
  • your commercial credit limit amount with Werner Co and your nominated trade referees
  • your monthly purchase amounts, and
  • certain administrative information relating to credit, such as account and customer numbers.

    • When and why we collect personal information
    Werner Co collects personal and credit information from you in a variety of ways. For example, we may collect personal information about you:

  • complete our Trading Account Application and Security Agreement, if you apply for credit
  • when you complete an order form
  • when you register online and become a user of our customer portal
  • in the course of providing you with goods and services
  • when you submit a job application to us
  • when you request information about us, our products or our services
  • when you provide feedback
  • when you contact us by telephone, fax, email, post or in person
  • from Credit Reporting Bodies
  • trade references, and
  • publicly available sources of information.

    • We may also collect personal information about you via third parties (ie other organisations, such as your employer or business, or from third-party recruitment agencies to whom you provided your personal information). However we will only collect your personal information in this way if it is unreasonable or impracticable to collect this information directly from you or if we are otherwise permitted to do so.

    Where we engage with you multiple times over a short period in relation to the same matter, we may not provide you with a separate notice about privacy each time we engage with you.

    Information collected online
    When you access our website, we may automatically (ie without a registration process) record general, non-personal information (eg IP number, type of browser and operating system used, domain name of the website from which you accessed our site, the number of visits, average time spent on the site, pages viewed). This information may make it possible to draw conclusions about personal information. If this information does constitute personal information, we will use it in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles and this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy.

    When you visit and browse our website, our website host may collect information for statistical, reporting and maintenance purposes. The information collected by our website host is used to administer and improve the performance of our website and will not be used to identify you. The information may include:

  • the number of users visiting our website and the number of pages viewed
  • the date, time and duration of a visit
  • the IP address of your computer, and
  • the path taken through our website.

    • Cookies
    Cookies are small text files that are transferred to a user's computer hard drive by a website for the purpose of storing information about a user's identity, browser type or website visiting patterns. Cookies may be used on our website to monitor web traffic, for example the time of visit, pages visited and some system information about the type of computer being used. We use this information to enhance the content and services offered on our website.

    Cookies are sometimes also used to collect information about what pages you visit and the type of software you are using. If you access our website or click-through an email we send you, a cookie may be downloaded onto your computer's hard drive.

    Cookies may also be used for other purposes on our website but in each case none of the information collected can be used to personally identify you.

    You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is sent. Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.

    If you disable the use of cookies on your web browser or remove or reject specific cookies from our website or linked sites then you may not be able to gain access to all of the content and facilities in those websites.

    How we use your personal information
    Werner Co may collect, hold, use and disclose your credit information as reasonably necessary for our business purposes and as permitted by law.

    In general, we collect, hold, use and disclose personal and credit information for the purposes of:

  • identifying you and conducting appropriate checks
  • assessing and monitoring the credit worthiness of our customer and/or its directors or partners but only in accordance with our Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy
  • administering payment from customer's account
  • providing goods ordered by the customer
  • collecting payment from the customer
  • managing complaints and disputes
  • providing products and services
  • administer Werner Co's relationship with you including to respond to queries
  • identify, inform and communicate with you about other products or services that may be of interest to you
  • process any job application submitted by you
  • if you are an employee or other representative of a customer to which we provide our products and services or a supplier or service provider to us, communicate with you about your or your employer's engagement with us and otherwise as specified in this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy
  • monitor the success of our website and improve its performance or content in accordance with this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy
  • research the needs of our customers and to market our products and services with a better understanding of your needs and the needs of customers generally
  • allow us to provide advertising material to you regarding us, our clients, and other business partners, and
  • share your personal information with the Werner Co Group, our business partners and selected third parties.

    • Some credit information may only be used or disclosed under the Privacy Act for some of these purposes or in some circumstances.

    You consent to us using your personal information in the above ways.

    We may collect and use your personal information for other purposes not listed above. If we do so, we will make it known to you at the time we collect or use your personal information.

    We do not otherwise disclose your personal information without your permission, unless the disclosure is:

  • in accordance with this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy or any agreement you enter into with us, or
  • required or authorised by law, including without limitation the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act.

    • If you choose not to provide your personal information to us for the purposes set out in this Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy, we may not be able to undertake certain activities for you such as providing you with requested information, products or services. Werner Co cannot provide its products, or a commercial credit account without collecting the required credit information.

    How we disclose your personal information
    We may disclose personal information in a controlled manner to the following entities in the course of providing products and services to you, or as may be required by law:

  • third-party agents or contractors appointed to provide services to us, our clients or the Werner Co Group where such disclosure would be necessary
  • companies that are related to Werner Co (i.e. the Werner Co Group), whether within Australia or otherwise
  • our advisers, agents, representatives or consultants
  • our bank or financial institutions
  • other independent contractors engaged to provide services either to you on our behalf, or to us, such as our auditors
  • government, statutory or regulatory bodies
  • the Credit & Investments Ombudsman Limited or any other external dispute resolution body, and
  • debt collection agencies, your guarantors, organisations involved in valuing or surveying.

    • Werner Co also may exchange personal and credit information about you with other credit providers and trade referees listed in your application or in reports provided by a CRB. Werner Co may exchange that information for the purposes of:

  • assessing a customer's application for commercial credit and collecting overdue payments;
  • notifying other credit providers and trade referees of a default by a customer;
  • ascertaining the status of credit provided to a customer by Werner Co where the customer is in default with other credit providers; and
  • assessing a customer's credit standing or credit capacity.

    • Werner Co may, as permitted by law, disclose credit information to other third parties, including our related companies in the Werner Co Group; organisations that perform credit processing functions, management and debt collection activities on our behalf; organisations involved in debt assignment.

    Werner Co discloses your credit information to an entity in the Werner Co Group, based in the Philippines, to process applications for credit.

    We also use the information for other purposes where you consent to this use.

    Where information is required to be disclosed by law, we will only disclose necessary information.

    Exchange of personal and credit information with CRBs
    Werner Co may obtain or disclose consumer or credit reporting information about you (or your organisation) from a CRB for the purposes of:

  • assessing applications for commercial credit or managing your account;
  • collecting overdue payments relating to commercial credit;
  • reporting details of any fraud or other serious credit infringement; or
  • any other activity permitted under the Privacy Act.

    • Werner Co uses the credit reporting services provided by Dun & Bradstreet (Australia) Pty Ltd (Dun & Bradstreet). Dun & Bradstreet may include the information provided by credit providers in reports to assist in assessment of credit worthiness. Dun & Bradstreet may use the credit reporting information it holds about you for "pre-screening" for direct marketing. You have the right to request Dun & Bradstreet not to use the credit reporting information for pre-screening purposes, and not to use or disclose the information if they believe on reasonable grounds that they have been or are likely to be a victim of fraud. Please refer to Dun & Bradstreet’s credit reporting policy for details on its management of credit reporting information. 

    A copy of that policy can be obtained at http://dnb.com.au/privacy-policy.html and/or by emailing Dun & Bradstreet at [email protected]

    Overseas disclosures
    Some of your personal information may be transferred, stored, processed or used overseas by us or by third-party service providers. This may also happen if entities in the Werner Co Group are overseas, if we outsource certain activities overseas or if transactions, information, services or products have an overseas connection. You consent to the collection, use, storage, and processing of your personal information outside of Australia.

    Marketing
    You consent to us using your personal information for sending you information, including promotional material, about us or our products and services, as well as the products and services of the Werner Co Group and third parties, now and in the future. You also consent to us sending you such information by means of direct mail, telemarketing, email, SMS and MMS messages. You can contact us using the contact details specified in "Contacting us", below if you do not want to receive marketing information from us or if you want to stop receiving telemarketing.

    Persons under 18 years of age
    Persons under 18 years of age should not send us any personal information without the permission of their parents or guardians. We do not request personal information from anyone under 18 years of age. Werner Co will never knowingly collect personal or credit information from minors or disclose it to third parties. 

    Accessing and updating your personal information
    It is important to us that the personal and credit information that we hold about you in accurate and up to date. During the course of our relationship with you we may ask you to inform us if any of your personal information has changed. If you wish to make any changes to your personal information, you may contact us. We will generally rely on you to ensure the information we hold about you is accurate or complete.

    Individuals may have the option of not providing some of the information which we request, of using a false name (that is, using a pseudonym) or of not providing any personal information at all (that is, anonymously). However, this may prevent us from offering our services to such clients or limit the quality of our service.

    Individuals wishing to access or correct their personal or credit information at Werner Co may do so by contacting our Privacy Officer in any of the ways set out in "Contacting us", below. We will comply with all reasonable requests for access or to have inaccuracies corrected. There may be some legal or administrative reasons to deny access. If we refuse your request to access your personal information, we will provide you with reasons for the refusal.

    We may need to consult with other finance providers or credit reporting bodies or entities as part of our investigation.

    How to make a complaint and how complaints will be handled
    If you believe that we have not complied with our obligations under Part IIIA of the Act or the Credit Reporting Privacy Code, you have a right to complain, please contact the Werner Co Privacy Officer using the details set out in "Contacting us" below.

    It is Werner Co's policy to handle complaints in a timely, effective, fair and consistent manner. On making a privacy complaint to Werner Co, you will receive an acknowledgment letter or email within five business days. This communication will set out the name of the person responsible for handling your complaint and the expected response time to the complaint. Werner Co endeavours to make a decision on all complaints within 30 days after a complaint is received. If we need more time to resolve your complaint we will notify you as to the delay, the reasons for it and seek your agreement to a longer period.

    If Werner Co considers it necessary in order to deal with your complaint, it may consult with a CRB or another credit provider.

    Storage and security of personal information held by us
    Werner Co uses technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal and credit information against accidental or unlawful manipulation, loss, destruction or unauthorised access. Our security measures are continually improved in line with technological measures.

    Contacting us
    If you:

  • have any queries about our Privacy and Credit Reporting Policy
  • require further information on how we handle personal and credit information
  • consider we are acting in a way that may be contrary to this policy
  • would like to opt out of direct marketing
  • wish to make a complaint in relation to a breach of your privacy, or
  • would like to access or correct your personal or credit information held by us,

    • please contact our Privacy Officer at: 

    Address: PO Box 197, Browns Plains, Qld 4118
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Phone: 07 3489 8100

    We will investigate your queries and complaints within a reasonable period of time of receiving the complaint and will notify you of the outcome of our investigation. We endeavour to deal with any complaints about how we handle personal information in an impartial and discreet manner, and with a view to achieving a mutually acceptable resolution.

    WERNER CO GROUP (as at 31 July 2015)
    WERNER CO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
    WERNER WORLDWIDE HOLDING COMPANY, LP
    WERNER CO.
    WERNERCO SERVICES, INC.
    KNAACK LLC
    WERNER INTERNATIONAL POC GmbH
    WERNER ACCESS PRODUCTS VIETNAM CO., LTD
    WB MANUFACTURING SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
    WERNER ACCESS PRODUCTS PHILIPPINES INC.