Cowley Abbott Privacy Policy

The following policy serves to outline our practice in dealing with personal information, and to provide quick responses to common questions relating to our privacy procedures. If the following does not answer your inquiry concerning personal information, or you wish to speak with someone in person about our policy, please contact our Privacy Officer at [email protected].

This statement of privacy policy explains our views and practices concerning privacy, and how they may pertain to you as a user of our website, customer or prospective customer. In this context "you" or "your" refers to you, whether as a customer, prospective customer or as a user of this website. "We", "our" or "us" refers to Consignor Auctions Ltd. t/a "Cowley Abbott". and its affiliates. This site contains links to other sites and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such sites.

Statement of Commitment

  • We appreciate the value of information in business and respect your personal privacy. We promise to safeguard the information we receive from you prudently and with care. In particular, we will make every reasonable effort to comply with the requirements of the Personal Protection and Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA") in the collection, maintenance, disclosure, access and use of all personal information we obtain from you in the course of our dealings together.

What personal information do we collect?

  • We will ask you to provide specific personal information relating directly to the task you have asked us to perform on your behalf. We may ask you to provide general information as well, to assist us in serving you better and improve our business overall, including building a better website. All of the information we collect from you is entirely voluntary.
  • We will only collect, use and disclose personal information that is reasonable in the circumstances. This will invariably include your name, phone number, address, and information relating to the specific task you have asked us to perform. It may also include information relating to your banking arrangements. To preserve your confidentiality, we will not collect personal information for reasons other than those identified in this policy statement, unless you have expressly or impliedly given us your consent to do so.

What will we do with your personal information?

  • We may use your personal information to contact you regarding the status of your order or account, changes to your order or account, our privacy policy, and other policies or agreements relevant to you, your order or your account.
  • Internally within Cowley Abbott we will share the specific and general information you give us to perform the activities you have requested, to assist us in running our business, to help us improve the services we provide to our customers in general, and to meet our legal and business obligations. Amongst other things, we may gather and analyze data with a view to improving our appreciation of trends in our industry.
  • With your permission, we may use information you give us to send you additional information about us, including promotional material from companies with whom we do business. We may add information we collect to our databases and use it for future e-mails or postal mailings regarding site updates, new developments, and the status of orders placed online. We may also use your personal, demographic and profile data to improve our site, for statistical analysis, and for marketing and promotional purposes.
  • If at any time we wish to collect, use, or disclose personal information other than for the reasons listed above, we will inform you of that purpose and obtain your consent, unless the reason for collecting, using or disclosing personal information is permitted or required by law.

Do we share your personal information with third parties?

  • We will never sell, rent, trade or otherwise release your information to any other organization without your permission, unless compelled or permitted to do so by law or legal process. However, we may need to disclose personal information to our agents for the purposes of performing services on our behalf. To protect your privacy, we will work only with individuals and businesses who agree to maintain privacy protections at least equal to our own, and will prohibit them from using such information for any other purpose. In particular, we will never consent to our agents selling or otherwise distributing such information to third parties.

How will we seek your consent to use, disclose or access your personal information?

  • Before proceeding to use, disclose or access your personal information, we will make every reasonable attempt to explain the reasons for our actions. Whenever practicable, we will seek your consent at the time we collect your personal information.
  • If some other reason to use or disclose your personal information arises after we have collected it, we will seek your consent before proceeding to use or disclose it.
  • The form of consent we seek from you will depend on the nature of your personal information, what is reasonable in the circumstances, and any instructions you communicate to us regarding your personal information. Whenever possible, we will obtain your consent in writing.
  • It is understood that you may withdraw your consent at any time. To withdraw your consent, please contact our Privacy Officer to ensure your instructions are acted upon.
  • Sometimes the law requires us to collect, use or disclose your personal information without your consent. For example, we will need to do so in the following instances:
    • if disclosure is required to comply with a subpoena or warrant issued or an order made by the court or other body with authority to compel the production of information, or to comply with rules of court relating to the production of records;
    • if disclosure is made to a person who needs the information in an emergency that threatens the life, health or security of an individual, in which case we will inform you of such disclosure without delay;
    • if disclosure is otherwise authorized by law.

What if you wish to review, change, or remove your personal information?

  • If you wish to review, change, or remove your personal information from our records, please contact our Privacy Officer at [email protected], and we will endeavour to meet your request as promptly as possible. Please note that a nominal charge may apply to cover the administrative costs of meeting your request. If so, we will be sure to advise you of any costs at the time of your request.
  • Please note we may not be able to provide you with access to all of the personal information we have relating to you at all times – for example, if doing so will reveal personal information about someone else, or confidential information or solicitor-client privileged information. If we are unable to give you access, we will provide you with reasons for denying your request.

How long do we keep your personal information on record?

  • We will keep your personal information on record as long as is reasonably required for the purposes for which we collected it, but no longer. The length of time will depend on your particular circumstances.

What measures does Cowley Abbott take to ensure your personal information is secure?

  • Our staff is well aware of the need to keep your personal information confidential. They are aware of our privacy policy, and will work to serve you in accordance with our policy. They are also contractually bound to protect your personal information.
  • We will use appropriate security safeguards to protect your personal information regardless of the form in which it is held. For example, personal information held on Cowley Abbott’s computer system will be protected by limiting access by personnel, the usage of passwords, encryption, and similar security systems.

Changes to Privacy Policy

  • We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will do so by posting the changes on our web site. Changes will be effective from the time they are posted. We may not provide notices of any changes in any manner other than by posting the changes at this website and making effort to contact you by methods you have provided us. We therefore urge you to review this policy periodically for updates and make sure we always have accurate contact details so that we can reach you.

Who handles Cowley Abbott’s Privacy Questions/Complaints?

  • If you have inquiries regarding our privacy policy or procedures, please contact our Privacy Officer at [email protected].
  • Alternatively, you may contact the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at:
    112 Kent Street Place de Ville Tower B, 3rd Floor Ottawa, ON K1A 1H3
    Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376 Phone: (613) 995-8210 Fax: (613) 947-6850