The English version of these Terms and Conditions prevails to the extent of any inconsistency between the English and the Chinese versions.
1. Introduction
Welcome to the Sommelier Wine & Sake Education Centre. We are committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website www.sommelier.com.hk, enroll in our courses, or interact with us.
By using our services, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information that you provide directly to us and information about your use of our services.
A. Personal Information You Provide:
This is information that can be used to identify you. We collect it when you:
- Enroll in a Course: Name, email address, phone number, billing/shipping address, payment information (e.g., credit card details, processed by a secure third-party provider).
- Create an Account: Username, password, and profile details.
- Contact Us: Information you provide when you fill out a contact form, sign up for our newsletter, or correspond with us via email.
- Participate in Activities: Information you provide when participating in forums, discussions, or surveys.
B. Information Collected Automatically:
When you use our website, we may automatically collect:
- Log and Usage Data: Your IP address, browser type, operating system, pages you viewed, the time and date of your visits, and other diagnostic data.
- Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies (small text files stored on your device) to enhance your experience, analyze site traffic, and understand where our visitors come from. You can control cookie settings through your browser.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To Provide and Manage Services: To process your enrollments, manage your account, provide course materials, and facilitate your education.
- To Process Payments: To complete your transactions and send you receipts (please note, we use a secure third-party payment processor and do not store your full credit card details on our servers).
- To Communicate with You: To send you administrative information (e.g., course updates, policy changes), respond to your inquiries, and send you marketing communications (like our newsletter) which you can opt-out of at any time.
- To Improve Our Services: To analyze how our website and courses are used, troubleshoot technical problems, and develop new features and offerings.
- For Legal and Safety Reasons: To comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
4. How We Share Your Information
We value your privacy and do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following situations:
- With Your Consent: We will share information with third parties when you have given us explicit consent to do so.
- Service Providers: We share information with trusted third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf, such as payment processing and WSET (if related to examination registration). These partners are contractually obligated to keep your information confidential and use it only for the purposes we specify.
- Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal request.
5. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures designed to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
6. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, which may include:
- Access and Correction: The right to access and update the personal information we hold about you.
- Deletion: The right to request the deletion of your personal information.
- Opt-Out of Marketing: You can unsubscribe from our marketing communications at any time by using the "unsubscribe" link in our emails or by contacting us directly.
- Cookies: You can usually set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this policy.
7. Data Retention
We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, including to fulfill legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. We will also retain and use your information to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations.
8. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us, such as links to wine regions or industry bodies. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:
Sommelier Wine & Sake Education Centre
Email: support@sommelier.com.hk