Privacy policy

Our Privacy Policy was updated in January 2023.
Please take a moment to familiarise yourself with our privacy practices and let us know if you have any questions.

About Us

Gadget Time ("Gadget Time", "we", "us", or "our") takes your privacy very seriously. This Privacy Policy is designed with your needs in mind. It is important that you have a comprehensive understanding of our personal information collection and usage practices, while ensuring that you ultimately have control over the personal information you provide to Gadget Time.

About This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Gadget Time collects, uses, discloses, processes, and protects any personal information that you give us or that we collect from you when you visit www.gadgettime.co.za .

Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using our platform, it will only be used in accordance with this Privacy Policy and/or our terms and conditions.

In this Privacy Policy, "personal information" means information that can be used to directly or indirectly identify an individual, either from that information alone or together with other information Gadget Time has access to about that individual, except where otherwise provided by applicable law in your region.

We will use your personal information strictly in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect and How We Use It

1.1 Information We Collect
In order to provide our services, we may ask you to provide personal information that is necessary for those services. We collect only the information needed for specified, concrete, explicit, and legitimate purposes, and we do not process it in a manner incompatible with those purposes.

You may choose whether to provide requested information. However, if you do not provide certain personal information, we may not be able to provide our services or respond to your queries.

1.1.1 Information You Provide to Us
We may collect personal information you provide that is necessary for the service you choose. For example:

• Gadget Time account information when you log in.
• Your email address when you subscribe to news or updates.
• Your mobile number, delivery address, name, postal code, order details, and invoicing details when using our retail services.

1.1.2 Information We Collect Automatically
When you visit Gadget Time, we may automatically collect information about your browsing and purchasing activity.

This may include your IP address, device type, unique device identification numbers, browser type, general geographic location such as country or city, browsing patterns, and details of how you interact with Gadget Time and the products and services offered through our website.

We may also collect information about browser software, operating systems, software and hardware attributes, pages viewed, number of sessions, and unique visitors. Some of this information may be collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies, as explained in the Cookies section below.

Where required by applicable law, we will request your consent before collecting information using cookies and similar tracking technologies. We may also derive information or inferences about you from your buying and browsing activity, together with other information we have collected.

1.1.3 Information We Receive From Third Parties
We may collect personal information from third parties, including related companies, business partners, your representatives, public sources, and social media platforms if you register for a Gadget Time account using a social media account.

The information received depends on your privacy settings with the relevant platform and may include:

• Social media username or nickname.
• Social media profile picture.
• Name and email address.
• Linked social accounts, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube.
• Country information.
• Payment or transaction account information used to make purchases.

1.2 How We Use Personal Information
We collect personal information to provide our services and comply with applicable laws, regulations, and other regulatory requirements.

We may use your personal information for the following purposes:

• Providing, processing, maintaining, improving, and developing our services, including delivery, after-sales support, and customer service.
• Handling your questions, requests, and customer support enquiries.
• Conducting promotional activities, including sending marketing materials, promotional offers, and updates.
• Providing personalised products, services, recommendations, and content based on purchase history, browsing history, and search history.
• Performing internal data analysis, research, service improvement, and statistical reporting.
• Storing and maintaining information for business operations, business statistics, and legal obligations.
• Using your information for other purposes where you have given consent.

You may opt out of promotional emails by using the unsubscribe link included in the message, unless otherwise specified by applicable law. You may also opt out of personalised recommendations or object to profiling for direct marketing by contacting info@gadgettime.co.za.

Examples of how we use information include:

• Processing purchase orders: We use order, recipient, delivery, email, and purchased-item information to process orders, arrange delivery, provide tracking information, print invoices, offer after-sales support, and manage re-delivery where necessary.
• Collecting customer feedback: We may use the personal information you provide to respond to feedback, resolve issues, and improve our services.
• Sending important notices: We may send notices about purchases and changes to our terms, conditions, and policies. These notices are important to your relationship with Gadget Time and may not be optional.

We do not sell personal information. We will not use your personal information for advertising purposes without your consent.

2. Cookies and Other Technologies

2.1 What Are Cookies?
A cookie is a small data file that a website stores on your device when you visit it. Cookies may contain information such as a member ID, which can help a website recognise you and track pages you have visited. Cookies generally work by assigning a unique number to a user that has no meaning outside the website that assigned it.

2.2 Types of Information Collected by Cookies
Please refer to Section 1 of this Privacy Policy for more information about the types of information we collect.

2.3 Why We Use Cookies
We use cookies, pixels, and other technologies, collectively referred to as "cookies", to recognise you, understand your interests, remember your preferences, and provide essential features and services.

Cookies may be used for the following purposes:

• Recognising you when you sign in.
• Providing product recommendations, personalised content, and customised features.
• Remembering your preferences, including interest-based advertising preferences.
• Keeping track of items in your shopping cart.
• Conducting research and diagnostics to improve Gadget Time content, products, and services.
• Improving security.
• Displaying relevant content and advertising on Gadget Time and third-party websites.
• Measuring and analysing the performance of our services.

2.4 Other Tracking Technologies
Third parties may use cookies and other technologies, such as web beacons, SSL, and JavaScript, on the Gadget Time website in connection with banner advertising, website analytics, surveys, and other online services.

These technologies may allow third parties to collect information about your use of our website, including your device's IP address. This information may be stored in the United States or other countries. These third parties may use the information to deliver customised advertising, measure advertising effectiveness, evaluate the use of the Gadget Time website, and provide services related to website activity and internet usage.

Third parties may also transfer information to others where required by law or where those parties process information on their behalf. Services we may use from time to time include Google Analytics and HubSpot.

Google Analytics
This website may use Google Analytics, an internet analytics service provided by Google. Google Analytics uses cookies to help analyse how visitors use the website. Information generated by cookies about your use of the website may be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.

Where IP anonymisation is enabled, Google may truncate your IP address within a European Union or European Economic Area member state before it is transmitted to the United States. Only in exceptional circumstances may a full IP address be transmitted to Google servers in the United States and shortened there.

Google may use this information to evaluate website use, compile reports for website operators, and provide services relating to website activity and internet use. Google will not associate your IP address with other data held by Google.

HubSpot
HubSpot provides customer relationship management tools that may help us collect customer personal data, programme information, and programme history in order to onboard and manage customers and provide our services.

HubSpot Analytics may use cookies and beacons to track how long customers and potential customers stay on our website, which pages they visit, which marketing offers they respond to, and visitor identity. We may use this information to improve customer education materials, manage accounts, and provide our services.

Gadget Time cannot control the use of cookies or resulting information by advertisers or third parties that host data for Gadget Time. Please consult the privacy policies of those third parties for more information, including how to opt out of certain activities.

2.5 How You Can Control Cookies
You can choose whether and how cookies are accepted by adjusting the privacy settings of your browser or device.

By using this website, you may consent to data processing by Google and HubSpot in the manner and for the purposes described above. You may choose to accept or reject cookies and can opt out of Google Analytics or HubSpot tracking using the options provided by those services.

Most browsers allow you to deny or accept cookies. Please note that cookies may be necessary for certain website features, including customised delivery of information and shopping cart features.

3. How We Share, Transfer, and Publicly Disclose Personal Information

3.1 Sharing Personal Information
We may share personal information with third-party service providers that assist us with payment, marketing, data processing, IT, archiving, auditing, accounting, customer contact, legal services, business consulting, banking, delivery, data analysis, document management, research, investigation, insurance, website services, and related business operations.

These third parties may be located in South Africa, the United States, European Union countries, or other countries. We may disclose personal information to:

• Gadget Time group entities, affiliated companies, and their service providers.
• Business partners, where you have consented where required by applicable law.
• Marketing, advertising, and analytics partners, including providers such as Google and Meta.
• Payment service providers that process payments.
• Logistics partners that provide delivery, returns, exchanges, and warehousing services.
• Customs agents, where applicable for international deliveries or purchases.
• Cloud hosting and storage providers.
• Warranty providers, where warranty services are requested.
• Customer service providers that support after-sales and customer care services.
• Professional advisers, insurers, law enforcement, government, regulatory bodies, and other organisations where required or permitted by law.
• Actual or potential buyers and their advisers in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale, or restructuring of our business.
• Other parties where you have given consent for disclosure.

Third-party marketing platforms may combine information collected through Gadget Time with information collected through their own platforms or other sources to provide analytics or targeted advertising. Their processing activities are governed by their own privacy policies.

3.2 Transfer of Personal Information
Gadget Time will not transfer your personal information to another party except where:

• We have obtained your explicit consent.
• Gadget Time is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of its assets.

If ownership or use of your personal information changes as a result of a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, we will notify you by email and/or through a prominent notice on our website.

3.3 International Data Transfers
We may share information internationally within Gadget Time affiliates and with partners or service providers. Your information may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in the United States or other countries outside the country in which you live.

These transfers may be necessary to provide our services and operate our products globally. Where applicable, we may use standard contractual clauses, rely on adequacy decisions, or obtain your consent for international data transfers.

3.4 Public Disclosure
Gadget Time will publicly disclose personal information only where:

• We have obtained your explicit consent.
• Disclosure is required by law, regulations, legal procedures, litigation, or a request from a competent government authority.

4. How We Store and Protect Personal Information

4.1 Retention Policy
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or as required by applicable law.

We will delete or anonymise personal information when the purpose for collecting it has been fulfilled, when we confirm a valid erasure request, or when the related service is discontinued.

We may retain certain information for longer periods where permitted or required by law, including information processed for public-interest, scientific, historical research, or statistical purposes.

4.2 Security Measures
Gadget Time uses a variety of security measures to protect your personal information. User contact information is stored behind a firewall and is accessible only to authorised employees with appropriate access rights.

We store personal information electronically. Credit card numbers are not stored in our systems. Payment information is verified and processed by PayGate in accordance with applicable payment-security standards. Please refer to PayGate's privacy policy for more information.

Your account information is protected by your password. You may update personal information through your account page after signing in with a valid member ID and password. Password information is encrypted and is not visible to our customer service team.

We recommend that you do not share your password with anyone. While we use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, no internet or wireless transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

5. Your Rights

5.1 Controlling Your Settings
Gadget Time recognises that privacy concerns differ from person to person. You may control certain privacy settings by signing in to or out of your Gadget Time account.

If you have previously agreed to our use of your personal information for the purposes described above, you may change your mind at any time by contacting support@gadgettime.co.za.

5.2 Your Personal Information Rights
Depending on applicable laws and regulations, you may have the right to request access to, correction of, restriction of, or deletion of personal information that we hold about you.

To protect your information, requests should generally be made in writing and must include enough information for Gadget Time to verify your identity and confirm that you are the data subject or legally authorised to act on their behalf.

Once we have sufficient information to process your request, we will respond within the timeframe required by applicable data-protection laws.

You may have the right to:

• Receive clear and understandable information about how we use your personal information.
• Request a copy of personal data collected and processed by us, subject to applicable law.
• Correct incomplete or inaccurate personal information.
• Request deletion of your personal information where there is no compelling reason for us to retain it.
• Object to certain processing, including direct marketing and certain processing based on legitimate interests.
• Request restriction of the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Not be subject to solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
• Request your personal information in a structured, commonly used format and transfer it to another data controller where applicable.

We may refuse requests that are frivolous, excessive, technically impractical, damaging to the privacy rights of others, or not required by applicable law. We may also refuse a request where complying would prevent us from using information lawfully for anti-fraud or security purposes.

Where deletion is approved, certain information may remain in backups temporarily because of legal requirements or technical limitations. In such cases, we will securely store and isolate that information from further processing until it can be deleted or anonymised.

5.3 Withdrawal of Consent
You may withdraw consent previously given for a particular purpose, including consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information under our control.

To withdraw consent, contact info@gadgettime.co.za. We will process your request within a reasonable time. Please note that withdrawing consent may prevent you from receiving the full benefit of certain Gadget Time products and services.

Withdrawal of consent will not affect the validity of processing carried out before your consent was withdrawn.

5.4 Cancelling Your Account
If you would like to cancel your Gadget Time account, contact info@gadgettime.co.za.

Please note that account cancellation may prevent you from using the full range of Gadget Time products and services. Cancellation may be prevented or delayed in certain circumstances.

6. Children’s Privacy

Gadget Time does not sell products for purchase by children. We sell children’s products for purchase by adults. If you are under 18, you may use Gadget Time services only with the involvement of a parent or guardian.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without the consent of a parent or guardian. If a child has provided personal information without appropriate consent, a parent or guardian may contact info@gadgettime.co.za to request removal of that information.

7. How We Update This Privacy Policy

We review this Privacy Policy periodically in response to changes in our business, technology, and applicable requirements. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.

If we make a material change, we may notify you using your registered contact information, such as email, through a prominent notice on the Gadget Time website, or through mobile notifications where applicable.

Updates will apply from the effective date stated in the relevant notice or on our website. We encourage you to review this page regularly for the latest information about our privacy practices.

Your continued use of Gadget Time services after changes take effect will be treated as acknowledgement of the updated Privacy Policy. Where required, we will ask for your explicit consent before collecting additional personal information or using or disclosing personal information for new purposes.

8. Contact Us

Email: info@gadgettime.co.za
Business: Gadget Time

If you have comments or questions about this Privacy Policy, or about Gadget Time’s collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, please contact us using the email address above and include “Privacy Policy” in the subject line.

When we receive a privacy or personal-information request, our team will review it and work to address it. If your request involves a significant issue, we may ask for additional information. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may submit a complaint to the relevant regulatory authority in your jurisdiction. Where appropriate, we can provide information about relevant complaint channels based on your situation.