POLICIES
Shipping
Non-Profit Packaging
Our products ship in a good quality SI logo cardboard box, enclosed in a durable, waterproof, biodegradable outer shipping bag with all relevant customs documentation and invoicing printed and included in the transparent document wallet attached to the bag. In the box, the modules are packed in an anti-static protective bubblewrap bag, and supplied with a tested 20cm standard Eurorack power cable (-12v = red), M3 mounting screws, anti-RackRash nylon washers and an SI sticker for your rack and shipped using the least climate-impactful CO2-offset services available.
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We charge only the material costs of what it takes to ship securely to you, and make no additional profit from the shipping. We are also happy to email customers copies of their documentation as we ship.
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Insurance, Tracking & Pickup
Eurorack modules are high-value, delicate items so for your security and peace of mind all items are sent fully insured and tracked. We performed an extensive review of potential services and arrived at the options below as those offering the best possible compromise between price and compensation cover.
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As a guide, SIG+ weighs 300g boxed and packaged for which current 2023 postage charges are as follows:
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SIG+ UK SHIPPING
Tier 1: Royal Mail Tracked 48 FULLY INSURED, Target Delivery Time: 48 hours**
£7.50 (£4.83 insured postage/collection + cable, screws, washers, anti-stat, box, packing, sticker, shipping documentation etc.)
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SIG+ EUROPEAN SHIPPING*
Tier 2: Royal Mail International Tracked FULLY INSURED, Target Delivery 3-5 working days**
£17.00 (£13.28 insured postage/collection + cable, screws, washers, anti-stat, box, packing, sticker, shipping documentation etc.)
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SIG+ REST OF WORLD SHIPPING*
Tier 3: Royal Mail International Tracked FULLY INSURED, Average Target Delivery 5-7 working days**
£23.00 (£18.88 insured postage/collection + cable, screws, washers, anti-stat, box, packing, sticker, shipping documentation etc.)​
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*A very small number of territories are not be served by RM IT, have specific Customs requirements which RM's automated systems do not accommodate, or may have internal postal service quality issues. In these rare cases we will advise on and use an alternative service which may be slightly more expensive. In these cases we will always confirm with you first.
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**Target Delivery Times are targets, not prohibitively expensive time-guaranteed services. We have an excellent relationship with Royal Mail who will always investigate if there appears to be an issue but please allow some latitude as there is obviously variation between EU states and World countries.
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Other modules' shipping may vary with their weights if they fall into different Royal Mail weight bands.
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Additional/alternative panels and blanking panels like 4'33" use RM International Standard. While RM IS is not tracked service it's much cheaper and is still fully insured to the (much cheaper!) value of the panels. Typical prices would be £3.50 UK, £4 EU, £5 Rest Of World.
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Customers are solely responsible for monitoring their own tracking and not missing their delivery. Parcels returned to SI because tracking instructions were not followed (including customers missing delivery) can be resent by us but the customer will be responsible for all additional costs incurred, including re-shipping and any additional or repeat duties or import processing costs.
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SI assumes the contact information you enter on purchase is correct. Without a carefully checked delivery address you risk your order being mis-delivered, and without an accurate telephone number and/or email, we will not be able to easily follow up on any order issues. If you are expecting an email from us that does not appear to have materialised, please check your spam folder.
Occasionally customers arrange delivery to temporary residences, for example a hotel while they are on holiday. In these cases SI is not responsible if the order arrives after you have left. We will try to help you trace it but cannot refund or replace it. Always contact us in advance in these cases as we cannot arrange redelivery. It is the customer's responsibility to pick the delivery up if it is being held in a remote location, including drop-off points, and post offices. Uncollected items which are subsequently destroyed are lost and cannot be refund or replaced.
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In the event that a parcel does not arrive, SI will always investigate and raise a claim with the shipper, but we reserve the right to wait up to 3 weeks (for UK cases) and 8 weeks (for non-UK cases) before assisting in any claim, in accordance with Royal Mail's claim stipulations.
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International Shipments & Customs, including Post-Brexit EU Countries
SI will deal with all the necessary export details for overseas sales outside the United Kingdom. This now includes the EU. As with every other UK export to the world, EU customers are now charged in the same way as customers buying from the US, Japan etc.
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We have worked hard to provide the cheapest reliable shipping options available and will also provide the appropriate customs paperwork stating the full value of the items with this. Your country's customs department will then charge you...
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Import Duty (typically 0-3% on electronic goods)
Local VAT/Sales Tax (typically around 20%, set locally by your government)
Carrier Processing Charges (typically fairly low, around $10 or equivalent)
Importing customers are responsible for all these respective import costs and attendant legal/ bureaucratic obligations of their country. It is very important that all non-UK customers, including EU customers, are aware of the charges they need to pay, and if required, any paperwork they may be obliged to complete by their country when importing purchases. If you are in the EU please pay particular attention as we negotiate the various Brexit Transition Periods, because these requirements may change.
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We have no control over these charges, cannot refund them, and cannot waive them if you return your items to us unwanted. Unpaid customs payments on returns (including duty, tax and clearance/processing charges out, and if applied, back into the UK) must be deducted from any refund. Attempts to evade customs calculations (including under-reporting value or omitting contact details) are not permissible, and any commensurate charges pursuant to this must be deducted from your refund.
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As one of the millions of businesses forced to contend with the negative effects of Brexit, we are simply not able to absorb the additional costs these politicians have caused our EU friends.
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Import Charges & VAT
SI was originally too small a company to be VAT registered, and then was subsequently legally registered as VAT Exempt. That means that our sale prices are the actual prices we need to charge to stay in business after our production costs and overheads. There is no VAT to remove at the point of sale so we cannot sell VAT-free to non-UK countries. This also obviously means we cannot refund VAT if you are buying as a business. Although registering for VAT would in fact be in our financial interests, we have not because we would then have to increase our prices. Times are hard for musicians and we would rather continue to be able to offer our modules as cheaply as possible, for as long as we can.
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Unfortunately, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the EU and UK does not change the fact that Brexit forced the UK to leave the European Single Market and Customs Union, and thus does not protect against VAT or processing charges.
Payment
Commitment to Buy & Buying Used
Every module we build is manufactured to order based on your sign-up to a waiting list or your direct order through the site. The parts, boards and labour we pay for to make your modules are directly and individually based on sign-ups and orders. I'll say that again: we spend money to buy parts and manufacturing when you order, so that order is a sincere commitment to buy from us, not a used reseller! Please honour that commitment. In return, we will trust you, not ask for a deposit, protect your place in the list, honour your warrantee, support your instrument and not charge you an extortionate re-sale site mark-up.
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Used items are not covered under our warranty. We can't support them because we have no way to know how well they were treated. In the event that a used module malfunctions we will help with repair but we will charge you, and you will be responsible for P&P to and from us.
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Staying afloat in the present climate is a challenge for all manufactures, not just us. Please remember: the small amount of money little cottage-industry Eurorack manufactures like us are able to make on each sale is the only thing that supports future development of modules. No revenue: no company—no company: no development—no development: no new modules—no new modules: no used modules—no used modules: no re-sale sites and no Euroack community. We all buy used modules, of course we do, but when people buy used, or cancel their order having already committed to a manufacturing list with the company that makes them, that's not cool. It means companies pay for expensive and difficult to obtain parts, a complex PCB, fabrication and manufacture for nothing. This isn't just lost profit, it's an actual material loss, it's not sustainable and it jeopardises the future of continued development in the entire field, for us and all our colleagues in Eurorack. Please don't be that guy/gal: if you make an order, honour it and invest in the future of our shared community.
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PayPal Alternatives
While we can still accept PayPal payments by prior agreement, PayPal charge you the buyer well above base-rate for any currency conversions and then take up to another 5% from our payment as sellers. Not only is this very significant for a thin-margin micro start-up like ours, as individual musicians we all buy modules from around the world but our money just goes into PayPal's pocket rather than supporting the community we love. Moreover, PayPal's high fees and 10-day holds on foreign transactions disrupt our cash flow, slowing the smooth management of manufacture and in turn delaying our ability to re-stock modules for you.
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Therefore we champion as our default option alternative systems which offer benefits for both you the buyer and we the seller. The vast majority of our customers are already using and benefitting from these.
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In the rare cases where customers still require PayPal we will ask that they pay the fees because of the serious issues that PayPal causes to our cashflow. To estimate these see https://wise.com/gb/paypal-fee-calculator/ As a typical example, we charge £423 for a SIG+EXP +P&P to the United States paid via TransferWise (see below). Through PayPal that would be £451 as of 01/09/22, so already £23 more expensive even before PayPal then apply their much poorer exchange rate on top of that.
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UK Customers: BACS Bank Transfer
If you're in the UK, a simple bank transfer is a much cheaper and easier option, and is fully covered by your bank. All necessary account details will be available to you at purchase.
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Non-UK Customers: Wise
Wise (formally known just as 'TransferWise') is a superb, award-winning currency transfer option whose fees for both you the buyer and we the seller (particularly if you are non-UK based) are very significantly lower than either Stripe or PayPal: see
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Explanation: https://transferwise.com/gb/blog/paypal-international-fees-uk
Examples: https://transferwise.com/gb/blog/transferwise-vs-paypal-savings
Fees Comparison: https://transferwise.com/
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To be clear, although your bank will still protect the purchase, TransferWise is purely a currency transfer system not a buyer protection system. It goes without saying that if you are not comfortable with that and would prefer to stick with Stripe (see below) or PayPal then that is absolutely fine (although our business is of course legally registered here and you also remain protected under UK trading laws).
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If you would like to try TransferWise, you can register with this link which will make your first transfer absolutely fee-free!
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Again, our account is fully registered there so can be paid directly as an email like PayPal or as IBAN. All necessary account details will be available to you at purchase.
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See our easy Wise Payment Instructions for how to pay!
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IN ALL CASES, BACS OR WISE, PLEASE PUT YOUR NAME AS THE PAYMENT REFERENCE BECAUSE WE HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO TRACE THAT THE PAYMENT IS YOURS!
Fault, Return & Exchange
Installation & Care
SI units are shipped soak tested and factory checked for both hardware and firmware: there should be no issues with your unit. Customers are responsible for the proper installation and use of their modules. This includes the necessary precautions of
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turning off your case power before plugging in the module
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not moving the module with the power on
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using the factory-supplied IDC power ribbon cable
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checking the -12v orientation at both ends of the ribbon (SI cables follow the red line -12v standard)
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ensuring the proper orientation of any expander cables
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not touching or subjecting board chips to electrostatic discharge in handling
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not connecting outputs to outputs (SI modules are reverse-protected but no module is indestructible!)
Unwanted Items
You have 7 calendar days from the date you receive an item to return it if unwanted. You are responsible for paying shipping costs for the return of unwanted items. To be eligible for a refund items must be returned in perfect saleable condition, including its original packaging. Proof of purchase is required. All returns must be arranged by email in advance. We will assist with shipping details but customers are ultimately responsible for these and must provide us with a tracking number for the item. Non-UK customers must also ensure export details are correct ("Returned Goods" category description, nominal value £0.10p, correct Harmonised Tariff Commodity Code, "UK" Origin of Goods etc.).
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Once we receive it, we will inspect and test it and then notify you on your refund status. If the return is approved, we will initiate the item refund to the account used to make the original purchase (obviously minus our outgoing shipping costs). You should then receive your money back within 2 working days. Your statutory rights are not affected.
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Customs costs we incur due to incorrect import details (e.g. Import Duty on goods not described as "For Return") will be deducted from the refund.
SI reserves the right to pass on relevant information concerning customs declarations if we are required to do so by HMRC.
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Faulty Items Under Warrantee
In the very unlikely event that your unit develops a non-user-error fault (i.e. not caused by improper installation or use) within the first 2 years from the date of delivery, Stochastic Instruments will replace or repair it as soon as possible, entirely free of charge, and will cover round trip P&P for the customer. Please however be sure to contact us first for support as P&P of non-faulty units wrongly assumed to be malfunctioning must be covered by the customer.
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Out-of-Warrantee Items & User-Error Faults
In the unlikely event that your unit develops a non-user-error fault (i.e. not caused by improper installation or use) after 2 years from the date of delivery or malfunctions due to user-error, Stochastic Instruments will replace or repair it as soon as possible but the customer must cover round trip P&P. Parts and labour cost of repair will be at Stochastic Instruments' discretion: we may absorb small/quick fixes but charge for longer jobs/more expensive parts.
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Used Items
SI modules not bought directly from us via are not covered by any warrantee or support contract. Repairs will be considered but charged at an hourly rate and parts, postage and packing each way covered by the owner. Turnaround time will be as and when we have time to attend to the repair given our commitments to honouring manufacture and support for those customers who bought from us.
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.
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We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy has been created with the help of the Privacy Policy Generator.
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Interpretation and Definitions
Interpretation
The words of which the initial letter is capitalised have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.
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Definitions
For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:
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Account means a unique account created for You to access our Service or parts of our Service.
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Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We", "Us" or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to Stochastic Instruments Ltd., Antares, Haldon Avenue, Teignmouth, England, TQ14 8LA.
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Cookies are small files that are placed on Your computer, mobile device or any other device by a website, containing the details of Your browsing history on that website among its many uses.
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Country refers to: United Kingdom
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Device means any device that can access the Service such as a computer, a cellphone or a digital tablet.
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Personal Data is any information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual.
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Service refers to the Website.
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Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used.
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Third-party Social Media Service refers to any website or any social network website through which a User can log in or create an account to use the Service.
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Usage Data refers to data collected automatically, either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).
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Website refers to stochasticinstruments.com
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You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable.
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Collecting and Using Your Personal Data
Personal Data
While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:
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Email address
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First name and last name
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Phone number
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Address, State, Province, ZIP/Postal code, City
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Usage Data
Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.
Usage Data may include information such as Your Device's Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.
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When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.
We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.
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Tracking Technologies and Cookies
We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. The technologies We use may include:
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Cookies or Browser Cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on Your Device. You can instruct Your browser to refuse all Cookies or to indicate when a Cookie is being sent. However, if You do not accept Cookies, You may not be able to use some parts of our Service. Unless you have adjusted Your browser setting so that it will refuse Cookies, our Service may use Cookies.
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Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Service may use local stored objects (or Flash Cookies) to collect and store information about Your preferences or Your activity on our Service. Flash Cookies are not managed by the same browser settings as those used for Browser Cookies. For more information on how You can delete Flash Cookies, please read "Where can I change the settings for disabling, or deleting local shared objects?" available at https://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/disable-local-shared-objects-flash.html#main_Where_can_I_change_the_settings_for_disabling__or_deleting_local_shared_objects_
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Web Beacons. Certain sections of our Service and our emails may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also referred to as clear gifs, pixel tags, and single-pixel gifs) that permit the Company, for example, to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (for example, recording the popularity of a certain section and verifying system and server integrity).
Cookies can be "Persistent" or "Session" Cookies. Persistent Cookies remain on Your personal computer or mobile device when You go offline, while Session Cookies are deleted as soon as You close Your web browser. Learn more about cookies: What Are Cookies?
We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:
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Necessary / Essential Cookies
Type: Session Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These Cookies are essential to provide You with services available through the Website and to enable You to use some of its features. They help to authenticate users and prevent fraudulent use of user accounts. Without these Cookies, the services that You have asked for cannot be provided, and We only use these Cookies to provide You with those services.
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Cookies Policy / Notice Acceptance Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These Cookies identify if users have accepted the use of cookies on the Website.
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Functionality Cookies
Type: Persistent Cookies
Administered by: Us
Purpose: These Cookies allow us to remember choices You make when You use the Website, such as remembering your login details or language preference. The purpose of these Cookies is to provide You with a more personal experience and to avoid You having to re-enter your preferences every time You use the Website.
For more information about the cookies we use and your choices regarding cookies, please visit our Cookies Policy or the Cookies section of our Privacy Policy.
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Use of Your Personal Data
The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:
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To provide and maintain our Service, including to monitor the usage of our Service.
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For the performance of a contract: the development, compliance and undertaking of the purchase contract for the products, items or services You have purchased or of any other contract with Us through the Service.
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To contact You: To contact You by email, telephone calls, SMS, or other equivalent forms of electronic communication, such as a mobile application's push notifications regarding updates or informative communications related to the functionalities, products or contracted services, including the security updates, when necessary or reasonable for their implementation.
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To provide You with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless You have opted not to receive such information.
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To manage Your requests: To attend and manage Your requests to Us.
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For business transfers: We may use Your information to evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganisation, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by Us about our Service users is among the assets transferred.
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For other purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.
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Retention of Your Personal Data
The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies. The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.
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Transfer of Your Personal Data
Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company's operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.
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Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer. The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organisation or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.
Disclosure of Your Personal Data
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Business Transactions: If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.
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Law enforcement: Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).
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Other legal requirements
The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
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Comply with a legal obligation
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Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
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Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
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Protect the personal safety of Users of the Service or the public
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Protect against legal liability
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Security of Your Personal Data
The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.
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Links to Other Websites
Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.
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Use of Customer Testimonials & Content
Our Service reserves the right to reproduce quotations and link videos you may make about Us and Our products on Third-party Social Media Services and in email communications with Us. These will always be anonymised to initial, town and country, except by prior agreement with You, or where the quotation was made by You on Your own publicly accessible and named Media Channel. We may make small, non-substantive edits to Your words but will not change or exaggerate Your meaning. If You wish us to remove or edit a quotation you believe was Yours, please contact Us and We promise to do so immediately.
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Our Right To Refuse Service
SI retains the right to refuse service under certain specific circumstances but will never, ever, do so for reasons of any legally Protected Characteristic, including race, nationality, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion or rejection thereof, or ethical belief system.
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Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this Privacy Policy. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us here.
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Last updated: 1st September 2022
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