[Last updated: August 24, 2022]
WASHINGTON HOME DOCTORS, INC. D/B/A HOTWATEREXPRESS.COM, LLC
ONLINE PRIVACY POLICY
1.1 Web Site Owner. Washington Home Doctors, Inc. d/b/a HotWaterExpress.com, LLC, a Maryland corporation (“Company”) is the owner of the web site: hotwaterexpress.com (“Web Site”). Company can be contacted by mail at 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 100, Largo, MD 20774, by phone at 866-468-2284, or by e-mail at info@hotwaterexpress.com. This online privacy policy (“Policy”) discloses Company information practices for the Web Site, including what type of Personal Information (defined in Section 2) is requested from the user (“You” or “Customer”) in order to make a purchase, how the Data is used, and with whom the in-formation is shared. By accessing the Web Site You agree to and accept this Policy.
1.2 Web Site Visits. In general, You can visit on the Company Web Site without disclosing any Personal Information. Company does keep track of the domains from which people visit Web Site and Company may analyze the data gathered from Web Site visits for trends and statistics.
1.3 Web Site Transactions. At times, Company will need Personal Information regarding a Customer or a prospect. For example to process an order or provide a subscription, Company may need to know a Customer’s name, mailing address, e-mail address and credit card details. It is Company’s intent to inform You before Company collects personal information, such as user’s name and/or address on the Internet. If You tell us that You do not wish to have this information used as a basis for further contact with You, Company will respect Your wishes.
2. Personal Information That May Be Collected.
2.1 Identifying Information. In order to make a purchase, Company will request You to provide certain personal identifying information, which may include: Your name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, facsimile number, method of payment, and, if applicable, credit card number (“Personal Information”). Company may request additional information necessary to establish and maintain Your account.
2.2 Service Quality Monitoring. Some Web site transactions may require a Customer to telephone Company, or Company to call the Customer. Company may contact You by telephone to confirm an order placed online and/or in reference to an order and for other reasons. Customer should be aware that it is Company’s practice to monitor, and in some cases record such calls for staff training or quality assurance purposes.
2.3 Information from Children. Company does not sell products or services for purchase by children, and will not collect or post information from a child under the age of 13 without the involvement of a parent or guardian. Company will notify the child’s parent or guardian at the e-mail address provided by the prospective Customer, alerting the parent or guardian to the child’s use of the Web site and providing instructions as to how the parent or guardian can delete the child’s registration from the Web Site. By using the Web Site, customer represents and warrants that Customer is over the age of 13.
2.4 Links to Other Web Sites. Company Web Site may contain links to other web sites. Company is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those other web sites.
3. Uses Made of the Information.
3.1 Limited Uses Identified. Without Customer’s prior consent, Company will not use Your Personal Information for any purpose other than that for which it is submitted. Company uses Personal Information to reply to inquiries, handle complaints, provide operational notices and in program record-keeping. Company also processes billing and business requests related to Company Web Site participation.
3.2 Marketing Uses. Unless Customer marks an “x” on the opt-out option box herein provided, Company reserves the right to provide Customer with information about Company’s Web Site, Company products and services, and related information in which Customer has indicated an interest.
3.3 Stored Information Uses. Company stores and retains the Personal Information entered on the Company Web Site. This information is used by Company and/or Company agents to support Customer interaction with the Company Web Site; to deliver Customer purchases; and/or to contact Customer again about other Company services and products.
3.4 Online Advertising. Some companies that help Company deliver interactive on-line advertising, such as banner ads, may collect and use information about Company’s Customers to help Company better understand the types of advertising or promotions that are most appealing to Company’s Customers. After it is collected, the information is aggregated so it is not identifiable to a specific individual. If, however, Customer would prefer that these companies not collect such information, please mark an “x” on the opt-out option box herein provided.
4. Disclosure of the Information.
4.1 Mergers and Acquisitions. Circumstances may arise where for business reasons, Company decides to sell, buy, merge or otherwise reorganize its businesses in the United States or some other country. Such a transaction may involve the disclosure of Personal Information to prospective or actual purchasers, and/or receiving such information from sellers. It is Company’s practice to seek appropriate protection for information in these types of transactions.
4.2 Agents. Company may employ or engage other companies or individuals (“Agents”) to perform business functions on behalf of Company. These Agents are provided with Personal Information required to perform their functions, but are prohibited by contract from using the information for other purposes. These Agents engage in a variety of functions which include, but are not limited to, fulfilling orders, delivering packages, removing repetitive information from Customer lists, analyzing data, providing marketing assistance, processing credit card payments and providing Customer services.
4.3 Affiliated Businesses. Company works closely with affiliated businesses (“Affiliated Businesses”) operating web site stores, providing services or selling products on the Web Site. Customer Personal Information related to a transaction with an Affiliated Business is shared with that affiliated business.
4.4 Marketing Analysis by Third Parties. Company reserves the right to disclose to third parties Personal Information about Customers for marketing analysis; however, any information disclosed will be in the form of aggregate data that does not describe or identify an individual Customer.
4.5 Disclosure to Governmental Authorities. Under certain circumstances, Personal Information may be subject to disclosure pursuant to a judicial or other government subpoenas, warrants or orders.
5. Use of Computer Tracking Technologies.
5.1 No Tracking of Personal Information. Company’s Web Site does not set up to track, collect or distribute personal information not entered by visitors. Through web site access logs Company does collect clickstream data and HTTP protocol elements, which generate certain kinds of non-identifying site usage data, such as the number of hits and visits to our sites. This information is used for internal purposes by technical support staff or Agents for research and development, user analysis and business decision making, all of which provides better services to the public. The statistics garnered, which contain no personal information and cannot be used to gather such information, may also be provided to third parties.
5.2 Use of Cookies. Company, or its third party vendors, collects non-identifiable and personal information through the use of various technologies, including an alphanumeric identifier that a web site can transfer to Customer’s hard drive through Customer’s browser (a “Cookie”). The Cookie is then stored on Customer’s computer as an anonymous tag that identifies the Customer’s computer, but not the Customer. Cookies may be sent to Customer by Company or its third party vendors. Customer can set its browser to notify Customer before a cookie is received, giving an opportunity to decide whether to accept the Cookie. Customer may also set its browser to turn off Cookies; however, some web sites may not then work properly.
5.3 Use of Web Beacon Technologies. Company may also use web beacon or other technologies to better tailor its Web Site to provide better Customer service. If these technologies are in use, when a visitor accesses these pages of the Web site, a non-identifiable notice of that visit is generated which may be processed by Company or by its suppliers. Web beacons usually work in conjunction with Cookies. If Customer does not want Cookie information to be associated with Customer’s visits to these pages, Customer can set its browser to turn off Cookies; however, web beacon and other technologies will still detect visits to these pages, but the notices they generate cannot be associated with other non-identifiable Cookie information and are disregarded.
5.4 Collection of Non-Identifiable Information. Company may collect non-identifiable information from user visits to the Web Site in order to provide better Customer service. Examples of such collecting include: traffic analysis, such as tracking of the domains from which users visit, or tracking numbers of visitors; measuring visitor activity on the Web Site; Web Site and system administration; user analysis; and business decision making (“Clickstream Data”). Company or its contractors may use this data to analyze trends and statistics.
5.5 Collection of Personal Information. Company collects Personal Information from Customer during a transaction. Company may extract some personally identifying information about that transaction in a non-identifiable format and combine it with other non-identifiable information, such as Clickstream Data. This information is used and analyzed only at an aggregate level (not at an individual level) to help Company understand trends and patterns. This information is not reviewed at an individual level.
6. Information Security.
6.1 Commitment to Online Security. Company employs physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard the security and integrity of personal information. Billing and payment data is encrypted whenever transmitted or received online. Personal Information is accessible only by staff designated to handle online requests or complaints. All Company agents and contractors with access to personal information on the Web Site are also bound to adhere to Company security standards.
6.2 No Liability for Acts of Third Parties. Company will exercise commercially reasonable efforts to safeguard the confidentiality of Customer personal information. However, transmissions protected by industry standard security technology and implemented by human beings cannot be made absolutely secure. Consequently, Company shall not be liable for unauthorized disclosure of Personal Information due to no fault of Company including, but not limited to, errors in transmission and unauthorized acts of Company staff, Agents, and/or third parties.
7. Privacy Policy Changes and Opt-Out Rights.
7.1 Changes to Privacy Policy. This privacy notice was last updated on August, 2022. Company reserves the right to change its privacy policy statement at any time.
7.2 Opt-Out Right. Customer has the right at any time to cease permitting personal information to be collected, used or disclosed by Company and/or by any third parties with whom Company has shared and/or transferred such personal information. Right of cancellation may be exercised by contacting Company by mail: 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 100, Largo, MD 20774, by phone at 866-468-2284, or by e-mail at info@hotwaterexpress.com. After processing the cancellation, Company will delete Customer or prospective Customer’s personal information from its data base.
8. Access Rights to Data.
8.1 Information Maintained by Company. Upon Customer’s request, Company will provide a reasonable description of Customer’s Personal Information that Company maintains in its data bank. Company can be contacted by mail: 9701 Apollo Drive, Suite 100, Largo, MD 20774, by phone at 866-468-2284, or by e-mail at info@hotwaterexpress.com.
8.2 Corrections and Changes to Personal Information. Help Company to keep Customer Personal Information accurate. If Customer’s Personal Information changes, or if Customer notes an error upon review of Customer Personal Information that Company has on file, please promptly e-mail Company at info@hotwaterexpress.com and provide the new or correct information.
8.3 Notice to California Residents. Beginning on January 1, 2005, California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits Customers of Company who are California residents to request certain information regarding Company’s disclosure of personal information for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please write to: 3907 Lawrence Street, Brentwood, MD 20722. Within 30 days of receiving such a request, Company will provide a list of the categories of personal information disclosed to third parties for third-party direct marketing purposes during the immediately preceding calendar year, along with the names and addresses of these third parties. This request may be made no more than once per calendar year. Company reserves its right not to respond to requests submitted other than to the address specified in this paragraph.
8.4 Notice to European Union Users. Company's operations are located primarily in the United States. If You provide information to us, the information will be transferred out of the European Union (EU) and sent to the United States. (The adequacy decision on the EU-US Privacy became operational on August 1, 2016. This framework protects the fundamental rights of anyone in the EU whose personal data is transferred to the United States for commercial purposes. It allows the free transfer of data to companies that are certified in the US under the Privacy Shield.) By providing Personal Information to Us, You are consenting to its storage and use as described in this Policy.
9. Accountability.
9.1 Questions, Problems and Complaints. If You have a question about this policy statement, or a complaint about Company compliance with this privacy policy, You may contact Company by e-mail at info@hotwaterexpress.com.
9.2 Terms of Use. If Customer chooses to enter into a purchase order, Customer’s action is hereby deemed acceptance of Company practices described in this policy statement and the Terms and Conditions. Any dispute over privacy between Customer and Company is subject to the provisions of this notice and to Company’s Terms and Conditions which are hereby incorporated herein and which can be read at hotwaterexpress.com.