Security & Privacy

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Please see the update on TLS security below.

The Hay Experts Security Information:

Is it safe to use my credit/debit card online?

It is totally safe to use your credit/debit online with The Hay Experts website. Our site is SSL/TLS secured and we use one of the worlds most trusted certificating authority, Comodo, to encrypt all our webpages where sensitive information is involved - such as your account area.

Our card payment page is secured and every card transaction from The Hay Experts website is encrypted to the highest global standards and all sensitive data is secured beyond the levels demanded by the payments authorities and card schemes. PCI compliant which is the highest level – compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).

Any data you submit to this website over a https connection will be securely encrypted with the strongest available algorithms, and these security credentials can be verified through Sectigo from here:

Sertigo Trust Logo

UPDATE:

An industry-wide security update in 2015 has been carried out. The old SSL (Secure Socket Layer) security protocol for the transfer of secure data over the internet has been replaced by the new system TLS (Transport Layer Security).

What is TLS?

TLS is short for Transport Layer Security, and it is the new security protocol for the internet. Its' use has become manditory in 2015 and it now supercedes SSL.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

The good news is the new TLS security means your details are safe when you shop online and you do not need to worry. Our site is TLS ready so you can continue to shop with us knowing your details are safe and secure.

The bad news is that some old browser versions do not support the new TLS system. If you have seen a message about an unsecure connection once you tried to complete checkout on any website, you must update your own browser to ensure your personal details are safe when you send them (when you visit any website - not just ours!).

Upgrading your browser is quick and easy - and doing so will help you keep you safe when shopping online. Each browser (such as Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera etc) have their own method of upgrading so please visit your own browsers web page for current upgrade information

How do I know the webpage is secured?

When going to a page that asks for your password or other sensitive information such as address or credit card details you can check to see if that page is secured with SSL/TLS by looking at the address bar at the top of the web browser. If the address begins with https:// then it is a secured page, the web browser will also show a padlock either in the address bar or at the bottom of the browser. You can click on the padlock and it will confirm the Certificate for that website if it has one. If the address bar does not start with https:// or have a padlock, then the webpage is not secured.

You can see this page has both the https:// and a padlock displayed.

What do you do to protect my personal information?

All personal information is taken over secure pages and stored on secure servers. We will never pass your information to other parties (other than to the courier to ensure the delivery of your order, of course!) and take the security of your personal information very seriously. In addition, we are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (previously known as the Data Protection Agency) and fully comply with the Data Protection Act.

Privacy

This privacy policy sets out how The Hay Experts Ltd uses and protects any information that you give The Hay Experts Ltd when you use this website. The Hay Experts Ltd is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. The Hay Experts Ltd may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

What we collect

We may collect the following information:

  • name
  • contact information including email address
  • demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests
  • other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers

For the exhaustive list of cookies we collect see the List of cookies we collect section.

What we do with the information we gather

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

  • Internal record keeping.
  • We may use the information to improve our products and services.
  • We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
  • From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you by email for market research purposes. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests. However, we will never inundate you emails, and any contact will be minimal - we understand you have a busy life!

How we use cookies

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us. You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

Controlling your personal information

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

  • whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes
  • if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us at sales@thehayexperts.co.uk

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998. A small fee may be payable. If you would like a copy of the information held on you please write to The Hay Experts PO Box 7338 Tadley RG26 9AW.

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

List of cookies we collect

The table below lists the cookies we collect and what information they store.

Default

  • COOKIE name
  • COOKIE Description
  • guest-view
  • Stores the Order ID that guest shoppers use to retrieve their order status. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • login/_redirect
  • Preserves the destination page the customer was navigating to before being directed to log in. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • mage-messages
  • Tracks error messages and other notifications that are shown to the user, such as the cookie consent message, and various error messages, The message is deleted from the cookie after it is shown to the shopper. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • mage-translation-storage
  • Stores translated content when requested by the shopper. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • product_data_storage
  • Stores configuration for product data related to Recently Viewed / Compared Products. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • recently_compared_product
  • Stores product IDs of recently compared products. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • recently_compared_product_previous
  • Stores product IDs of previously compared products for easy navigation. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • recently_viewed_product
  • Stores product IDs of recently viewed products for easy navigation. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • recently_viewed_product_previous
  • Stores product IDs of recently previously viewed products for easy navigation. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • stf
  • Records the time messages are sent by the SendFriend functionality. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • X-Magento_Vary
  • Configuration setting that improves performance when using Varnish static content caching. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • form_key
  • A security measure that appends a random string to all form submissions to protect the data from Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF). Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • mage-cache-sessid
  • The value of this cookie triggers the cleanup of local cache storage. When the cookie is removed by the backend application, the Admin cleans up local storage, and sets the cookie value to “true.” Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • mage-cache-storage
  • Local storage of visitor-specific content that enables ecommerce functions. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • mage-cache-storage-section-invalidation
  • Forces local storage of specific content sections that should be invalidated. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • persistent_shopping_cart
  • Stores the key (ID) of persistent cart to make it possible to restore the cart for an anonymous shopper. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • private_content_version
  • Appends a random, unique number and time to pages with customer content to prevent them from being cached on the server. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • section_data_ids
  • Stores customer-specific information related to shopper-initiated actions such as display wish list, checkout information, etc. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • store
  • Tracks the specific store view / locale selected by the shopper. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk


Necessary

  • __cfduid
  • Used by the content network, Cloudflare, to identify trusted web traffic. Provider - "assets.zendesk.com, static.zdassets.com, thehayexperts.zendesk.com, zopim.com"

  • AWSALB
  • Registers which server-cluster is serving the visitor. This is used in context with load balancing, in order to optimize user experience. Provider - "widgets.ekomi.com, zopim.com"

  • CookieConsent
  • Stores the user's cookie consent state for the current domain. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • frontend
  • Stores a random ID which ensures that a user can be uniquely identified as a guest or logged-in user. Functions such as "Items last viewed" or retention of the logged-in state are connected with this cookie. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • JSESSIONID
  • Preserves users states across page requests. Provider - nr-data.net

  • ZD-suid
  • Unique id that identifies the user's session. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk


Preferences

  • ZD-store
  • Registers whether the self-service-assistant Zendesk Answer Bot has been displayed to the website user. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk


Statistics

  • __utm.gif
  • Google Analytics Tracking Code that logs details about the visitor's browser and computer. Provider - google-analytics.com

  • __utma
  • Collects data on the number of times a user has visited the website as well as dates for the first and most recent visit. Used by Google Analytics. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • __utmb
  • Registers a timestamp with the exact time of when the user accessed the website. Used by Google Analytics to calculate the duration of a website visit. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • __utmc
  • Registers a timestamp with the exact time of when the user leaves the website. Used by Google Analytics to calculate the duration of a website visit. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • __utmt
  • Used to throttle the speed of requests to the server. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • __utmz
  • Collects data on where the user came from, what search engine was used, what link was clicked and what search term was used. Used by Google Analytics. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • _ga
  • Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • _gat
  • Used by Google Analytics to throttle request rate. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • _gid
  • Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • external_no_cache
  • This cookie is set to determine if the cache is enabled or disabled - a cache is used by the website to optimize the response time between the visitor and the website. The cache is usually stored on the visitor’s browser. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • ZD-buid
  • Unique id that identifies the user on recurring visits. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • ZD-currentTime
  • Registers the date and time for the user's latest visit to the website. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk


Marketing

  • __zlcmid
  • Preserves users states across page requests. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk

  • r/collect
  • This cookie is used to send data to Google Analytics about the visitor's device and behavior. It tracks the visitor across devices and marketing channels. Provider - doubleclick.net

  • zte#
  • Saves a Zopim Live Chat ID that recognises a device between visits during a chat session. Provider - thehayexperts.co.uk