TRE Privacy Commitment
TRE is committed to protecting consumer privacy. We provide this Privacy Policy so that consumers can be aware of how TRE collects and uses information about consumers’ return practices at retailers. We believe that responsible use of this information benefits consumers by allowing them to make appropriate returns. Responsible use benefits retailers who use our system by reducing return fraud and abuse and by enabling retailers to support fair and flexible merchandise return policies for their customers.
We use the policies below to guide how we collect, store, and use return information and to define our employees’ responsibilities for protecting consumers’ privacy. We use return information about consumers only in a manner consistent with these policies and in accordance with applicable state and federal laws.
Collection and Use of Information
TRE collects identifying and return transaction information from retailers and uses that information to make recommendations about returns and to prevent fraud and abuse. When a consumer returns merchandise, he or she furnishes identifying information by presenting a government-issued form of identification, such as a driver’s license, to the retailer. The retailer forwards to TRE the identifying information along with data for the return, and TRE adds the identifying and return transaction information to the return history for the consumer. TRE then reviews the consumer’s return history and, based on the retailer’s criteria, makes a recommendation about the return.
Disclosure of Information
We update our Consumer Returns Database with information that consumers provide to retailers when they make a return. Access to transaction information in this database is limited to the company that provided the data to The Retail Equation.
We do not sell consumer return information to anyone for marketing or promotional purposes.
Security Safeguards
To safeguard the return information, we take security measures including maintaining physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards.
Ensuring Data Quality
We periodically evaluate our data collection efforts to ensure that the return information we collect is accurate. We update our policies and procedures as needed to ensure data quality.
If a consumer identifies any inaccuracy in his or her return information, or if a consumer needs to change information in TRE’s files, the consumer should notify TRE in writing at The Retail Equation, P.O. Box 51373, Irvine, CA 92619-1373 so that we may investigate and update our records as needed. Please reference the transaction numbers for any returns that you wish to dispute.
Accountability
TRE limits access to the consumer return information to employees, contractors, and customers of TRE who require the information to fulfill their business responsibilities. TRE employees are instructed to access the return information only to fulfill their job duties. Employees who violate the policies may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. TRE requires outside vendors and contractors to comply with contractual requirements to safeguard nonpublic personal information.
For Visitors to This Web Site
The Retail Equation’s website gathers and stores certain information about each visit automatically. This information does not identify individuals. Each time you visit the site, it collects the following information:
1. Your Internet domain, for example, "yourcompany.com" if you use a
private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a
university's domain.
2. The IP address from which you accessed our website. An IP address is a
number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are
browsing pages on the web.
3. The type of browser and operating system you used to access our site.
4. The date and time of your visit.
5. The pages you viewed during your visit.
6. The search engine and keywords, if any, that you used to find our site.
7. For visits that you initiated by clicking on a link on another site, the
address of that site.
We use this information to learn about the number of visitors to our site, where they visited from, and the technology they used. We do not track or record information about individuals and their visits.
Changes
This Privacy Policy will change as needed to stay current with privacy laws, consumer expectations, and changes in TRE's business.
For more information, please contact us by email at Info@TheRetailEquation.com.
This privacy policy was last updated on 4/27/2007.