eLayaway, Inc. Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to and is intended for the use of the eLayaway, Inc. (“eLayaway®”) site in the United States.
This policy describes the ways in which eLayaway® collects, stores, uses and protects a user’s personal information while visiting our site. Users accepted this policy when enrolling for our Service. The Company may amend this policy at any time by posting a revised version on its website. The revised version will be effective at the time the Company posts it. In addition, if the revised version includes a substantial change, the Company will provide the user with 30 days prior notice by posting notice of the change on the website. The Company last modified this Policy on September 10, 2009.
Users Collect information
When a user visits the eLayaway® website, the Company collects the user’s IP address and standard web log information.
If a user enrolls to participate in any Services offer by eLayaway®, the Company collects the following types of information from the user:
Contact information – user’s name, address, phone, email, and other similar information.
Financial information - the bank account numbers and credit card numbers that the user links to their eLayaway® account.
Before permitting a user to participate in the eLayaway® Services, the Company may require the user to provide additional information that the Company can use to verify the user’s identity or address or manage risk. The Company may also obtain information about the user from third parties, if necessary, and identity verification services.
When users begin accessing eLayaway® and utilize the Company’s Services, the Company collects information about user account transactions and the Company may collect information about a user’s computer or other access device in an attempt to deter against illegal transactions and for fraud prevention purposes.
Finally, eLayaway® may collect additional information from or about the user in other ways not specifically described here. For example, the Company may collect information related to interactions with eLayaway® staff or a user’s responses to marketing correspondence.
The Use of Cookies
When a user accesses the eLayaway® website, the Company, or companies hired by the Company, to track how our website is used, may place small data files called "cookies" on your computer.
eLayaway® sends a "session cookie" to a user’s computer when logging in to their eLayaway® account. This type of cookie helps us to recognize a user when visiting multiple pages on the eLayaway® site during the same session, so that the Company does not need to ask the user for their password on each page. Once the user logs out or closes their browser, this cookie expires and no longer has any effect.
The Company encodes its cookies so that only eLayaway® can interpret the information stored in them. Users are free to decline the eLayaway® cookies if their browser permits, but doing so will interfere with the use of the eLayaway® website.
The Protection and Storage of a User’s Personal Information
Throughout this policy, the term "personal information" is used to describe information that can be associated with a specific user and can be used to identify that user. The Company does not consider personal information to include information that has been anonymized, so that it does not identify a specific user.
eLayaway® stores and processes a users personal information on the Company’s computers in the United States, and eLayaway® protects it by maintaining physical, electronic and procedural safeguards in compliance with applicable United States federal and state regulations. The Company uses computer safeguards such as firewalls and data encryption, which enforces physical access controls to the eLayaway® buildings and files, and the Company authorizes access to personal information only for those employees who require it to fulfill their job responsibilities.
The Use of Collected Personal Information
eLayaway®’s primary purpose in collecting personal information is to provide its users with a safe, smooth, efficient, and customized experience while participating in the eLayaway® Services. The Company may utilize a user’s personal information to:
- provide the services and customer service requested;
- process transactions and send notices;
- resolve disputes, collect fees, and troubleshoot problems;
- prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities, and enforce the eLayaway® Terms of Service;
- customize, measure, and improve the Company’s services and the content and layout of its website;
- send the user targeted marketing, service update notices, and promotional offers based on the user’s communication preferences;
- validate information for accuracy and verify it with third parties.
Personal Information Shared with other eLayaway® Users or Partners
To process a user’s payments, the Company needs to share personal information such as user name, mailing address, shipping address, phone number, purchase information, payment schedule and shipping date with the merchant and financial information such as user name, bank account number and bank routing number with the banks involved with processing the actual payments.
No third-party service providers or partners are allowed to use this information to market their services.
Regardless, we will not disclose the user’s bank account number to third party, except with the user’s express permission or if the Company is required to do so to comply with a subpoena or other legal process.
Personal Information Shared with Other Parties
eLayaway® may share user personal information with:
Merchants of eLayaway® providing joint content and services (like registration, transactions and customer support), to help detect and prevent potentially illegal acts and violations of our policies, and to guide decisions about their products, services and communications. Partners with the eLayaway® family will use this information to send the user marketing communications only if their services have been requested.
Service providers and partners under contract who assist with parts of the Company’s business operations (i.e. fraud prevention, bill collection, marketing, technology services). The Company contracts dictate that these service providers only use user information in connection with the services they perform for eLayaway® and not for their own benefit.
Financial institutions that the Company partners with to jointly create and offer products where we share information with HSBC to determine whether the user should receive pre-approved offers available. These financial institutions may only use this information to market eLayaway®-related products, unless the user has given consent for other uses.
Credit bureaus to report positive balance accounts, as allowed by law. Companies that eLayaway® plans merging with or be acquired by. (Should such a combination occur, the Company will require that the new combined entity follow this Privacy Policy with respect to the user personal information. If user personal information could be used contrary to this policy, users will receive prior notice.) Law enforcement, government officials, or other third parties when eLayaway® is compelled to do so by a subpoena, court order or similar legal procedure eLayaway® need to do so to comply with law eLayaway® believes in good faith that the disclosure of personal information is necessary to prevent physical harm or financial loss, to report suspected illegal activity, or to investigate violations of our Terms of Service. Other third parties with the user’s consent or direction to do so.
eLayaway® will not sell or rent any of a user’s personal information to third parties in the normal course of doing business and only shares a user’s personal information with third parties as described in this policy.
User Accessing, Changing Personal Information
Users may review and edit personal information at any time by logging in to their account and clicking the My eLayaway tab under the My Account tab.
Contacting eLayaway with User Questions
If users have questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact us by emailing Compliance at compliance@eLayaway.com or writing to the Company at eLayaway, Inc., Attn: Compliance Department, 1625 Summit Lake Drive, Hillside Building, Suite 205, Tallahassee, FL 32317.
