SECURITY & PRIVACY (INCLUDING USE OF COOKIES
Security
The Benchuk.com website uses the highest levels of security to ensure that your information is secure and protected against unauthorised use.
Whenever you are required to enter sensitive information on the site such as payment information details, a secure padlock icon will appear at the bottom of your web browser window to confirm that this part of the site is secure. You will also see that the “https” in your browser address bar will change to “https”.
When you make a payment, sophisticated Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology encrypts your credit/debit card number and order information as it is sent which means than it cannot be read by anything other than the secure server receiving it. Privacy
By accessing, browsing or otherwise using the Benchuk.com website, you confirm that you have read, understood and fully agree to this privacy policy.
The Information We Require and How We Use It
When orders are placed with us, we need to ask for information such as your name, e-mail address, phone number and credit and debit card details. A contact telephone number or email address allows us to contact you should there be a problem with your order. All this information is required to process your request or notify you of acceptance of your order.
Information Security & Safety
As highlighted in the Security section above, we utilise powerful encryption technology to ensure that your information is secure whenever you place an order with us.
Contacting us by Telephone – at BenchUk.com we seek to continually offer excellent customer service and to help improve our standards further and to assist with training, we may sometime monitor and record our incoming calls.
What is a Cookie?
A cookie is a text file that contains small amounts of information that is downloaded to your computer mobile or other device when visiting a website. These cookie files are then transmitted back to the originating website each time you subsequently visit or by other websites that recognise that cookie. These are helpful as they permit a website to recognise a user’s device. Types of cookies include:
Persistent cookies – these are cookies that stay on your computer, mobile or other device for a specified period and are activated every time the originating website that created the specific cookie is visited.
Session cookies – these are temporary cookies that enable website operators to connect the actions of a user during a browser session (from when an Internet browser window is opened until it is closed). Session cookies are deleted when the browser is closed.
Cookies perform a wide range of different functions, such as letting you move between pages efficiently, storing your preferences, and generally enhancing the online visitor experience. They also help improve the relevance – for instance tailoring what adverts and messages you see.
Use of Cookies on our website
We have classified the cookies used on our website or which may be dropped by carefully selected third parties through our website, using the classification developed by the International Chamber of Commerce UK. This is to help give you more information about which cookies are used, their purpose, and the functionality that will be lost if you select to not allow them on your computer, mobile or other device.
Strictly necessary cookies – These cookies enable functions and services visitors have specifically requested and are required to allow you to navigate around the website. No consent is required for these types of cookie as they are strictly necessary. In the absence of these cookies, services such as shopping baskets would not function.
Performance cookies – These cookies gather anonymous information on the pages visited on the website or partner pages to enhance how our website works. They do not collect any information that can be used to identify you as a visitor. In using the website, you agree that we can use these types of cookies on your computer, mobile or other device. Cookies such as these are used to collect information about visitor numbers and other statistical data. These cookies do not collect information that identifies a visitor, and everything is aggregated and anonymous.
Advertising Cookies – We use these cookies to help us and our advertisers select which adverts you see and to help ensure that adverts directed to you are relevant to you and your interests. They also remember that you have visited our website and are used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and help measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. To opt out of our cookies used for this online advertising served through our service provider, Conversant.
Targeting or Tracking Cookies – These cookies are placed by online behavioural advertising networks with our permission. They monitor and record your activity across several websites within a network and are used to deliver adverts which are relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help to measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. These cookies remember that you have visited a website and this information (together with the other information collected) is shared with other organisations such as advertisers in the advertising network to enable them to create a profile of your interests. Quite often targeting cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organisations.
The information collected by these cookies may include personal information such as your name, address, telephone or email address but this information will only be passed on to third parties when you have given consent for your personal information to be used in this way.
We also use Google Analytics to help analyse use of our website. This is an analytical tool which uses cookies to collect standard website visitor behaviour and Internet log information anonymously. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) is transmitted to Google. This information is then used to evaluate visitors’ use of the website and to compile statistical reports on website activity which Google stores.
Functionality cookies – These cookies remember selections you have made to enhance the online experience. In using our website, you agree that we can use these types of cookies on your computer, mobile or other device. These cookies allow our website to remember selections you make and allow us to offer more personal features.
Content management cookies may also be used by the site in order for the website content management system to work.
Our email service provider Mailchimp uses cookies to ensure email communications are delivered accurately.
How do I find out if Cookies are enabled on my PC?
If you don’t know what web browser or version of Internet browser you are using follow the instructions below:
PCs – select ‘Help’ in the top navigation options of your browser and click on ‘About’.
Macs – when you have a browser window open, click on the Apple menu and then the ‘About’ option.
We’ve provided some instructions below to help you find out this for the main PC Internet browsers. For Apple Macs simply click on the Apple menu and then the ‘About’ option when you have an Internet browser window open.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, 7.0, 8.0
Select ‘Tools’ in the navigation options of your browser window and then click ‘Internet options’ , then select the ‘Privacy’ tab. Check that your Privacy level is set to Medium or below. If you set it above this then it will disable cookies.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0
Select ‘Tools’ in the navigation options of your browser window and then click ‘Internet options’, then select the ‘Security’ tab. The ‘Medium’ default option allows cookies, but to verify this you can select the ‘Custom Level’ button. Scroll down until you see the word ‘Cookies’ and verify that the button next to ‘Enable’ is selected in both options
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0
Select ‘View’ at the top of your browser window and then click ‘Internet options’. After this then select the ‘Advanced’ tab. Move down until you see ‘Cookies’ and check that the ‘Always accept cookies’ button is selected.
Google Chrome
Select ‘Tools’ at the top of your browser window and the click on Options. Then select the ‘Under the Hood’ tab, find the ‘Privacy’ section, and click on the ‘Content settings’ button. Then select ‘Allow local data to be set’.
Opera
Select ‘Menu’ at the top of your browser window and then click ‘Settings’. After this click on ‘Preferences’, then the ‘Advanced’ tab, and click the ‘Accept cookies’ option.
Marketing
In addition to using cookies to record your site visits, and information permitting us to process orders and payments, the personal data you submit may also be used for general marketing purposes. We may send you catalogues and emails with information on our products and services that we feel may be of interest to you; to discuss account details; or for market research purposes.
We respect the privacy of your personal data, and will not without your consent make our mailing list available for marketing purposes to anyone outside of BenchUk.com.
This privacy policy was last updated in August 2022. Please check back regularly to keep informed of updates to this privacy policy.