Customer Data Privacy Policy
Effective Date: January 1, 2020 (amended July 1, 2020)
HomeServe USA Corp. and its parent, affiliate, and subsidiary entities (“HomeServe” or “We” or “Us” or “Our”) are serious about the private nature of Your personal data and other information obtained from, or provided by, You (“You”) to Us, regardless of the manner in which it is provided, including, but not limited to, information provided by mail, e-mail, telephone, mobile phone (including applications or text message), and through surveys, sweepstakes, contests, Our social media pages, Our mobile applications, or on Our websites (social media pages, mobile applications, and websites are together the “Website” or “Websites”).
By enrolling in a plan/policy or purchasing a product or service offered by Us, by visiting as a User and/or registering an online account on Our Website, or by providing Us or Our selected partners (“Partners”) with personal data during enrollment, submitting a claim, or for any other reason, regardless of the forum or media in which it is provided, You accept and agree to the terms set forth in this Privacy Policy (“Policy”). If You do not agree to the conditions set forth below, please notify Us that You do not want Your personal data used in accordance with this Policy, do not provide Us with personal data, and do not visit or use Our Websites.
We will update this Policy from time to time, so please review the Policy regularly. If We materially alter this Policy, We will notify You of such changes by posting a notice on Our Websites or otherwise notifying you. Your continued use of plans, policies, products, services, or Our Websites will be deemed Your agreement that Your personal data may be used in accordance with the new Policy.
Please read this Policy carefully to fully understand how We collect, share, and protect personal data about You. This Policy is incorporated into and is part of the Terms of Use of the Website. To access the Terms of Use click here.
Purpose
In the course of Our business or operating Our Websites, it is necessary for Us to access, collect, use, transmit, disclose, store, maintain and otherwise handle personal data about You. This Policy describes the purposes for handling such personal data while ensuring Our compliance with all state and federal laws and industry requirements.
Scope
This Policy applies to all personal data accessed, collected, used, transmitted, disclosed, stored or maintained by Us, including both electronic data and paper records.
Policy
We are committed to using reasonable commercial measures to: (1) safeguard Your personal data, (2) use personal data in accordance with this Policy, and (3) monitor and improve the safeguards so they are effective and appropriate. We adhere to the following practices:
- Personal data You provide will be accessed and used in a way that is compatible with this Policy.
- We reasonably protect against unauthorized, inadvertent access, use and/or disclosure through administrative, technical and physical safeguards.
- We strive to prevent breaches of Your personal data with security measures and will notify You of a breach of Your personal data if required by applicable state or federal law.
- We train Our employees with regard to safeguarding Your information.
Information We Collect and Use
For purposes of this Policy, “personal data” is any information that identifies, relates to, or describes, directly or indirectly, an individual or household.
In the course of operating Our business and Websites and delivering Our products and services, We collect and process the following categories of personal data:
- Through Our Websites and Communications with Us. We collect and store the following personal data when You submit it through Our Websites and by email and telephone, such as when You enroll in a plan/policy offered by Us. We use this personal data for typical business and commercial purposes (including to comply with legal obligations and for auditing, security and anti-fraud purposes) and as described more specifically below:
- Personal Identifiers. We receive personal identifiers (which include Your name, postal address, email address, telephone number, utility account number, policy/account numbers, and similar identifiers) and use them to respond to and complete Your requests, fulfill Your orders for products and services (e.g., scheduling and dispatch of contractors/technicians to provide You with Our service), and to communicate with You for informational purposes (including to send You confirmations, technical notices, updates, invoices, surveys, and security alerts) and marketing purposes (including to send You news, promotions, special offers, information, or to offer You other products and services that may be of interest to You). We may communicate with You about sweepstakes or contests, or to process and deliver sweepstakes/contest entries, correspondence, and prizes. We also create internal identification and reference codes to identify You in Our systems.
- Communications and Submissions. We collect the information and content You submit through enrollment forms, email and telephone communications, and Our Websites (including web chat communications, product and service reviews, social media interactions, contest and sweepstakes entry submissions, and service requests). We use this information to provide you the product or service ordered, to respond to and fulfill Your requests, establish and manage Our customer relations and customer service, and to provide and improve Our Websites and Our products and services.
- Financial Information. We receive financial information (such as payment card and bank account information, utility account number and other billing information) to process payments for the products and services You purchase from Us.
- Commercial Information. We collect and generate commercial information and transactional information (such as records of Your residential status, and records of products and services purchased and received by You). We use this information to respond to and fulfill orders, improve Our product and service offerings, communicate with You and with Partners, tailor Our marketing efforts, and for internal reporting purposes.
- Inferences from the information listed above. We will use the information listed above to draw inferences about Your preferences to help Us provide You with personalized content and marketing offers and help Us develop and provide better products and services.
- Audio and Visual Information. We may receive digital photos You submit to us. We use these photos to establish and manage Our customer relations and customer service and may include in our marketing materials. We record customer service telephone calls for quality purposes and to meet our legal obligations and to enforce our rights.
- Signatures. We may collect Your signature and related authentication details in connection with any documents You electronically or physically sign and provide to Us. This information may be used to maintain the integrity of Our processes, enforce rights, prevent fraud, and validate Your identity.
- Privacy Choices. We receive and retain any opt-outs or other choices related to how we collect, use, and disclose personal data.
- From Contractors and Technicians. We may receive Your commercial information, communications and content, and job photographs and activity descriptions from contractors and technicians when they provide products and services to You. We use this information to provide and improve Our products and services (including by monitoring and reporting the performance of contractors and technicians), to respond to and fulfill orders, and to perform customer service.
- From Our Partners. We work with Partners to offer products and services, and we may receive your personal identifiers and commercial information from them so that we can send you offers of Our products and services, enroll you in a service, respond to your claims, provide you with our products and services, and for other business and commercial purposes.
- From Providers of Credit Services. We may receive personal identifiers and commercial information (such as credit rating information) and other personal data listed above from data providers. We use this information to send offers of Our products and services, provide and improve Our products and services and to respond to and fulfill orders.
- From Others. We may receive personal identifiers and professional and education information from data providers to help us contact You to offer Our products and services that We think may interest You. We use the personal identifiers for the same purposes as described above.
- Automatic Collection through the Websites. We and Our third-party partners, such as advertising networks and analytics providers, may automatically collect categories of personal data using cookies and similar technology when You use the Websites and receive Our emails. We use this information to provide and improve Our products and services, tailor Your experience on the Websites and Our marketing efforts and create aggregate internal reports on website usage and activity, such as views of certain pages and content. These additional categories of automatically collected data may include:
- Online identifiers. We may collect Your IP address and other device and online identifiers when You use the Websites.
- Geolocation Information. We may use Your IP addresses to estimate an approximate location of the device You are using to access Our Websites in order to enhance and personalize the features and functionality of Our Websites and product and service offerings.
- Website activity information. We may monitor and collect website activity information and device information, such as website clicks, content and page views, the website each visitor visited prior to Our website, domain type, browser version, and internet service provider.
- Inferences from the information listed above. We will use the information listed above to draw inferences about Your preferences to help Us provide You with personalized content and offers and help Us develop and provide better products and services.
- Anonymous or Aggregated Information. We de-identify or aggregate data We receive and may use and disclose it for any business purpose.
Personal Data Disclosure
We share any of the personal data we receive (listed above) for Our business and commercial purposes and as more specifically described below, including to comply with legal obligations and for auditing, security and anti-fraud purposes.
Service providers. We share any of the personal data described above with service providers (including home service contractors, mailing and fulfillment vendors, service-related technology providers, marketing agencies and survey administrators) that provide services to You and Us, including to help Us conduct satisfaction surveys, send you offers of Our products and services, provide Our products and services, maintain Our databases and Websites, administer emails, and analyze Website usage activity. For example, We provide Your personal identifiers and job request information to home service contractors so they can provide their services to You. We may provide Your personal identifiers to print and communications vendors so that they can send You communications on Our behalf. We may also provide personal data, including personal identifiers, commercial information, and device and IP address information to Our service providers for fraud detection purposes. We require that service providers use personal data only for the purposes specified in Our agreements.
Other third parties providing services to us. We also share personal data (including Your personal identifiers and financial information) with third parties to help Us provide products and services to You such as fulfilling and delivering orders, processing payments, social media functions, and administering sweepstakes or contests. We may share your personal identifiers and commercial information (the products and services You have purchased from Us) with Partners including Your utility so that We can manage Your account and provide You with Our products and services. We will provide Your personal identifiers and financial information to a payment processing vendor to complete a transaction You have requested. In these situations, You are using and directing Us to intentionally disclose personal information (including personal identifiers and financial information) so Our products and services and Your requests can be provided to You.
Affiliates. We may also share any of Your personal data within Our group of companies that operate in or outside the United States (including in the EU) for the purposes described above. By providing Your personal data to Us, You fully understand and clearly consent to such use and transfers as set out in this Policy.
Legal and similar disclosures. We may disclose personal information about You with law enforcement, the courts, Our advisors, attorneys, and others who participate in the legal process, if necessary to do so by law or based on Our good faith belief that it is necessary to enforce our rights or apply Our Terms of Use, conform or comply with the law or is necessary to protect You, Us, the users of Our Websites, or others.
Sales, Mergers, and Acquisitions. In the event of a merger, acquisition, financing due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, sale of company assets (whether by private sale, through operation of law, as part of a divestiture plan, or otherwise), We will provide personal data and transaction history associated with each relevant business unit to the persons and/or entities assuming control of such business unit or as otherwise necessary to complete the transaction as permitted by law or contract, and they will be able to handle the personal information as stated in this Policy.
Data Protection
We are committed to protecting the personal data You share with Us. In order to prevent unauthorized access, use or disclosure of Your personal data, We have put in place commercially suitable physical, administrative and technical safeguards to secure Your personal data in both electronic and paper form. We control access to Our computer information systems containing Your personal data by User ID and password. We control access to Our paper records containing Information by keeping such information in secure areas with restricted access. We use up-to-date versions of security software, including malware, patches and antivirus software, firewalls, and encryption methods.
Transmission of information on the internet is not completely secure and therefore We cannot guarantee the security of the Information sent to Us electronically on Our Websites, or otherwise; transmission of such Information is therefore entirely at Your own risk.
Cookies, Web Beacons, And Other Similar Technologies
Like most websites, We and other companies use browser “cookies,” log files, beacons, pixels, and similar technology on the Websites and in our emails. Cookies and similar technology may collect Your personal identifiers (such as IP address, device and browser identifiers and characteristics, and other identifiers), information about Your device (such as operating system, browser characteristics, and language preferences), and Your usage activity on the Websites (such as Your interaction with Our Websites, the link You used to reach them, and the content and advertising displayed on them and Our content and advertising on other websites and online services).
A cookie is a very small text document, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier. When You visit a website, that site’s computer asks Your computer for permission to store this file in a part of Your hard drive specifically designated for cookies. Each website can send its own cookie to Your browser if Your browser’s preferences allow it, but (to protect Your privacy) Your browser only permits a website to access the cookies it has already sent to You, not the cookies sent to You by other sites. You can manage or disable Your cookies by using tools of Your browser. If You choose to disable cookies, the cookies will not be used. However, if You do choose to remove cookies or reject cookies it may affect certain features or services of Our Website.
As You browse Our Websites, they use cookies to differentiate You from other Users in order to prevent You from seeing offers inapplicable to You or requiring You to log in more than is necessary for security. Cookies, in conjunction with Our web server’s log files, allow Us to calculate the aggregate number of people visiting Our Website and determine which parts of the Website are most popular. This helps Us gather feedback in order to constantly improve Our Website and better serve Our customers.
Online Advertising and Usage Analytics
We use third-party advertising services to serve ads when You visit some of Our Websites and other websites and online services, third-party email services to send informational and marketing emails, and third-party analytics services to help Us understand and improve the usage of the Websites and our email. These services will collect Your personal identifiers (such as IP address, device id, and cookie information), device characteristics (such as browser version), and website browsing activity from You when you visit the Websites by placing cookies and using other similar technology. They use that information to provide advertisements to You on Our Websites and other non-affiliated websites and/or to provide analytical information for Our Websites. These third-party companies also may collect and combine information about Your online activities over time, on other devices, and on other websites or online services, if those websites and online services also use the same partners.
We currently use Google Analytics to collect and process certain usage data on Our Websites. To learn more about Google Analytics and how to opt out, please visit https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. You may learn more about advertising networks and opt out of receiving personalized advertisements on this browser or device from advertisers who are members of the Network Advertising Initiative or who subscribe to the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising by visiting the opt-out options of each of those organizations. Links to those sites are here:
Network Advertising Initiative: https://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
Digital Advertising Alliance: https://www.aboutads.info/choices/
When You opt out of personalized advertising, You may continue to see online advertising on the Sites and/or Our ads on other websites and online services.
We may use a number of third-party services on the Websites including Sizmek for advertising purposes and Google for Website tag management. For a understanding of Sizmek’s privacy practice, see https://www.sizmek.com/privacy-policy/#info-third. For an understanding of Google’s privacy practices see https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en#infocollect.
Third Party Websites and Interaction
Opt Out Unsubscribe Access Questions And Further Information
California Privacy Notice and Rights
We do not share personal information (as defined by California Civil Code §1798.83) with other people or non-affiliated businesses for their direct marketing purposes. Our Websites do not currently respond to browser do-not-track signals.
Privacy Rights of Nevada Residents
Contact Us
If You wish to update Your personal data, or have any questions, comments or complaints about this Policy, or if You wish to opt out of receiving marketing information from Us, please contact Us at:
HomeServe USA Corp.
ATTN: Privacy Officer
601 Merritt 7, 6th Floor,
Norwalk, CT, 06851
1-833-950-0094
privacy@homeserveusa.com
You may also update Your online account information by visiting Our Website and logging into Your account.
Children’s Privacy
Our Website is designed and intended for those who have reached the age of majority (18 years of age). By using Our Website, You affirm that You are at least 18 years of age. We are not liable for any damages that may result from Your misrepresentation of age.
No one under the age of 13 is authorized to submit any information, including personal data, on Our Website. Under no circumstances may anyone under the age of 13 use Our Website. Parents or legal guardians of children under 13 cannot agree to these terms on their behalf. We will not knowingly collect any personal data from children under the age of 13.