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Offering peace of mind for pet owners and unforgettable moments for their pets. Let’s make every day a little brighter, together.

PRIVACY POLICY FOR PET OWNERS/CLIENTS

THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ACT

This notice explains how we obtain, use and disclose your personal information, in accordance with the requirements of the Protection of Personal Information Act ("POPIA"). At Pets and Friends (Propretary) Limited (and including this website, POPIA-Compliance) we are committed to protecting your privacy and to ensure that your personal information is collected and used properly, lawfully, and transparently.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Pets and Friends (Proprietary) Limited is a provider of pet and house-sitting services. Pets and Friends also provide E-Commerce for pet products.

THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect and process your personal information mainly to contact you for the purposes of understanding your requirements, and delivering services accordingly. For this purpose, we will collect contact details including your name, address and organisation. We collect information directly from you where you provide us with your personal details. Where possible, we will inform you what information you are required to provide to us and what information is optional. Website usage information may be collected using “cookies” which allows us to collect standard internet visitor usage information.

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We will use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected and agreed with you. In addition, where necessary your information may be retained for legal or research purposes.
For example:

  • To gather contact information;

  • To confirm and verify your identity or to verify that you are an authorised user for security purposes;

  • For the detection and prevention of fraud, crime, money laundering or other malpractice;

  • To conduct market or customer satisfaction research or for statistical analysis;

  • For audit and record keeping purposes;

  • In connection with legal proceedings.

  • For Pet sitters to contact you and your place of residence for the purpose of carrying out our normal business operations. (Physical address records will be destroyed by the applicable pet sitter once the period of services is over in accordance with internal POPIA manual for pet-sitters unless otherwise instructed by the customer).

  • For the time booked by a customer for the pet sitter to be present at the premises the WIFI password will be used but removed from the pet-sitters' applicable devices after the service were rendered.

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION

We may disclose your personal information to our service providers who are involved in the delivery of products or services to you. We have agreements in place to ensure that they comply with the privacy requirements as required by the Protection of Personal Information Act.

We may also disclose your information:

  • Where we have a duty or a right to disclose in terms of law or industry codes;

  • Where we believe it is necessary to protect our rights.

INFORMATION SECURITY

We are legally obliged to provide adequate protection for the personal information we hold and to stop unauthorized access and use of personal information. We will, on an on-going basis, continue to review our security controls and related processes to ensure that your personal information remains secure.

Our security policies and procedures cover:

  • Physical security;

  • Computer and network security

  • Access to personal information

  • Secure communications;

  • Security in contracting out activities or functions

  • Retention and disposal of information;

  • Acceptable usage of personal information;

  • Governance and regulatory issues;

  • Monitoring access and usage of private information;

  • Investigating and reacting to security incidents.

When we contract with third parties, we impose appropriate security, privacy and confidentiality obligations on them to ensure that personal information that we remain responsible for, is kept secure. We will ensure that anyone to whom we pass your personal information agrees to treat your information with the same level of protection as we are obliged to.

YOUR RIGHTS: ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. To do this, simply contact us at the numbers/addresses as provided on our website and specify what information you require. We will need a copy of your ID document to confirm your identity before providing details of your personal information. Please note that any such access request may be subject to a payment of a legally allowable fee.

CORRECTION OF YOUR INFORMATION

You have the right to ask us to update, correct or delete your personal information. We will require a copy of your ID document to confirm your identity before making changes to personal information we may hold about you. We would appreciate it if you would keep your personal information accurate.

DEFINITION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

According to the Act "personal information" means information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person, and where it is applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person. Further to the POPI Act, Pets and Friends (Proprietary) Limited also includes the following items as personal information:

  • All addresses including residential, postal and email addresses.

  • Change of name - for which we require copies of the marriage certificate or official change of name document issued by the state department.

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION AFTER BUSINESS OPERATIONS CARRIED OUT

The elected per-sitters will have access to your personal information to carry out normal business activities. These pet-sitters may retain your data for future bookings and usage of their services at the customers premises. Upon the customers request before the service is rendered the pet-sitters will be responsible for clearing any and all personal information collected.
Refer to the internal company POPIA compliance policy for pet-sitters for terms, conditions, limitations and liabilities.

HOW TO CONTACT US

If you have any queries about this notice; you need further information about our privacy practices, wish to withdraw consent, exercise preferences or access or correct your personal information, please contact us at the numbers/addresses listed below.

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