Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY

Sterling Enterprises understands the importance of protecting your privacy. We provide this policy with a fundamental respect for our users’ right to privacy and to guide our relationships with our users. In accordance with applicable state and federal laws, this policy explains our policies and practices regarding how we intend to use and disclose personal information that you provide to us. You should review this policy periodically to ensure that you are aware of how we collect and use personal information because we will update this policy from time to time without notice. By using our web site, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information by us.

1. Personal Information. Sterling Enterprises and its employees, representatives, agents and selected third parties as authorized by law may collect personal information about our customers and other visitors to this site including, but not limited to: Web sites you visit, the number of visits to our site, time spent at the site, services requested or purchased, your domain address, information provided to us, such as on applications, e-mail, or other forms, and information about transactions with us, our affiliates or third parties information from others, such as credit reporting agencies, employers and federal and state agencies. You may visit www.sterlinghardware.com and other websites we manage without providing us with any personal information. There are instances, such as when attending our trade shows, participating in our webcasts, signing up for e-mail newsletters and other events, where we must have your personal information. This personally identifiable information may include registration data (your name, address, email address, phone number, title, etc.); we also may collect demographic information (such as job title and purchasing responsibilities, company information and professional certification). When you receive your confirmation email or when you receive any email from the web server, you will be given instructions on how to remove yourself from the list if wished.

2. Use of Personal Information. We intend to use such information for purposes of supporting you, your associates, and your employer’s relationship with Sterling Enterprises by designing a web site content that is suitable to your needs and alerting you to new product and service offerings as they become available. Your Personal Information may be retained by Sterling Enterprises to verify compliance with the agreement between Sterling Enterprises and your associates, and employer, to keep track of the domains from which people visit us, to create a user profile to better serve you, your associates, and employer, or to simply contact you either electronically or otherwise. If you decide that we should not use your Personal Information to contact you, please let us know and we will not use that information for such purpose. We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children so please do not submit any personal information if you are under 18 year of age.

3. Disclosure of Personal Information. We do not sell, trade or transfer Personal Information to third parties. We may, however, share Personal Information with our business partners for marketing, advertising, product or service offering purposes, or to improve our features. The privacy policy of our business Partners may differ from that of our Site. It is your responsibility to contact such websites directly to determine their privacy policy. We also disclose Personal Information if: (i) we have your consent; (ii) we need to share it in order to provide you with the products and/or services you requested; (iii) we need to respond to court orders, subpoenas, warrants, or other governmental requests, or we are required to do by law; (iv) we have a good faith belief that we must protect the personal safety of our employees, users of Sterling Enterprises products or services or others; (v) we need to defend or protect the rights of Sterling Enterprises; or (vi) if you violate our Terms of Use. We further reserve the right to release any information concerning any user if that user participates (or is reasonably suspected of participating) in any illegal activity, even without a subpoena, warrant, or other court order. We cooperate with law enforcement agencies in identifying those who may be using our servers or services for illegal activities. We also reserve the right to report any suspected illegal activity to law enforcement for investigation or prosecution. Examples of the types of companies and individuals to whom we may disclose nonpublic personal information include banks, attorneys, trustees, third-party administrators, insurance agents, insurance companies, insurance support organizations, credit reporting agencies, registered brokers/dealers, auditors, regulators, transfer agents and reinsurers.

4. Accuracy and Security. We are committed to maintaining the accuracy and security of Personal Information. If you contact us to correct your Personal Information, we will attempt to correct such information in a timely manner. For all our transactions, we employ reasonable and current Internet security methods and technologies. Where appropriate, we password protect, use encryption techniques and install firewalls. We strive to protect you. We encourage our participating service providers to adopt and honor their own consumer privacy policies. For all our efforts to safeguard your privacy, no system can be guaranteed. We cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information that you transmit to us, or that we transmit to you, or guarantee that it will be free from unauthorized access by third parties. Once we receive your information, we use reasonable efforts to ensure its security on our systems.

5. Usernames and Passwords. Access to certain content on our web site may be allowed under a written agreement between you, your associates, or your employer and us, and will require a username and/or password. In some cases, failure to provide Personal Information may prevent you from accessing certain sections of our web site(s) containing certain confidential information, products, services, or promotional offers. By accessing and using our protected and secured web site(s), you agree to maintain the confidentiality of the username and password you selected to access such site(s) and consent to our Terms of Use.

6. Cookies. A cookie is a small data file that a web site can transfer to a visitor's hard drive to keep records of the visits to such site. A cookie contains information such as your username and password that helps us recognize the pages you have visited and improve future visits, but the only personal information a cookie can contain is the information that you provide yourself. A cookie cannot read data off of your hard drive or read cookie files created by other sites. If you prefer not to accept a cookie, you can set your web browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) to warn you before accepting cookies or you can refuse all cookies by turning them off in your web browser. Cookies will not be used by us to retrieve any information about you, or from your computer, that you have not voluntarily given to us. Cookies may also be placed on your computer when you link from Sterling Enterprises to our partners' web sites or when you click banner ads provided on our web site. Cookies placed on your computer by third parties by or through Sterling Enterprises if any, are not the responsibility of Sterling Enterprises and are not subject to our Terms of Use. Please contact the third party placing these cookies to find out what information is collected and how it is used.

7. General. If you have questions regarding this privacy policy, please contact us.