Empire Saddles B.V. attaches great importance to the protection of your privacy and personal data. In this privacy and cookie statement, we explain which personal data we collect, why we collect this data, and how we use it.

Company Details

Empire Saddles B.V.
Onderweg 11
4247 EJ Kedichem
Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number: 84501804
VAT (Btw) number: NL861514257B01

Contact Details

E-mail: [email protected]
Website: https://empiresaddles.com/

Processing of Personal Data

Empire Saddles B.V. (hereinafter: Empire Saddles) processes personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Empire Saddles handles personal data with care and processes it exclusively for predetermined, explicitly described, and legitimate purposes.

Personal Data Being Processed

Empire Saddles processes personal data of Dealers, End Customers, visitors to its website, business relations, and persons who contact it in any other way in writing, by telephone, or digitally.

This personal data is obtained directly from you or, insofar as necessary for the execution of orders, deliveries, service, or warranty requests, provided to Empire Saddles via a Dealer.

Empire Saddles may process the following personal data, among others:

• First and last name;
• Company name and business contact details;
• Address details;
• Telephone number;
• E-mail address;
• Invoicing and payment details;
• Data relating to orders, deliveries, and the dealer relationship;
• Data necessary for handling service and warranty requests;
• Technical data collected when using the website, such as the IP address;
• Other personal data that you provide yourself, for example through correspondence, telephone contact, or a contact form.

Personal Data of Persons Under 16 Years of Age

Empire Saddles does not specifically target persons under the age of 16 and does not intend to collect personal data of minors without a valid legal basis. If consent is required for processing, consent is requested from the parent or legal representative where necessary.

If you suspect that Empire Saddles has collected personal data of a minor without the required consent, please contact us via [email protected]. Empire Saddles will assess the request and delete the data concerned if no valid legal basis exists.

Special Categories of Personal Data

Empire Saddles does not intend to process special categories of personal data, such as data concerning health, religious beliefs, or political opinions.

If it is necessary in exceptional cases to process special categories of personal data, this will only happen when there is a valid legal basis and an applicable exception to the processing prohibition of the GDPR.

The Purpose and Legal Basis for Collecting Personal Data

Empire Saddles processes personal data exclusively for clearly defined and legitimate purposes. The data is only used insofar as this is necessary for its business activities, the execution of agreements, and compliance with legal obligations.

The main purposes are:

• Communication and contact: to answer questions, provide information about our products and services, make appointments, and maintain contact with Dealers, End Customers, and other business relations.
• Execution of agreements and orders: to enter into and execute agreements with Dealers and other contracting parties, process orders, deliver products, and handle service and warranty requests.
• Dealer management and relationship management: to maintain dealer relationships, coordinate collaborations, organize training and dealer days, and list Dealers on our website.
• Financial handling: to prepare quotes, send invoices, process payments, and comply with legal administration and retention obligations.
• Improvement of our services: to improve our products, services, communication, and business processes based on feedback, customer contact, and, where applicable, permitted analyses of website usage.
• Security and business operations: to ensure our website and digital systems function properly, prevent misuse and fraud, and carry out our business activities safely.

Empire Saddles processes personal data based on the following legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Performance of a contract: when processing is necessary for entering into or executing an agreement to which you are a party, for example for processing orders or handling service and warranty requests.
• Legal obligation: when processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations, for example for maintaining correct financial records.
• Legitimate interest: for example, for maintaining business relationships, communicating with contact persons of Dealers, securing our systems, and improving our business operations. In doing so, we weigh our interests against the interests and rights of the data subjects.
• Consent: when consent is required for processing, for example for placing certain cookies or using personal data for specific publications or marketing activities.

Withdrawal of Consent

You have the right to withdraw your consent for the processing of your personal data at any time. You can do this by contacting Empire Saddles via [email protected].

The withdrawal of your consent does not affect the lawfulness of the processing that took place before the withdrawal.

Upon receipt of your request, Empire Saddles will stop processing your personal data insofar as it is based on your consent. The data concerned will be deleted unless there is another legal basis or legal obligation to retain it.

Who Receives the Personal Data

Empire Saddles shares your personal data with third parties only when this is necessary for the execution of agreements, its business activities, or to comply with legal obligations.

This may include, among others:

• Hosting and IT service providers: for hosting, maintaining, and securing our website and digital systems.
• Accounting and administration systems: for processing invoices, payments, and financial administration.
• E-mail and communication service providers: for maintaining contact with Dealers, End Customers, and other business relations.
• Transport and logistics service providers: for processing and delivering orders and returns.
• Dealers and other involved parties: insofar as data exchange is necessary for the execution of orders or the handling of service and warranty requests.

When third parties process personal data on behalf of Empire Saddles, data processing agreements are concluded where necessary to ensure the protection of this data.

Retention Period

Empire Saddles does not store your data longer than is strictly necessary to achieve the purposes for which it collected your data. The retention periods are:

• Financial and administrative data: data that falls under the legal fiscal retention obligation, such as invoices, payment data, and the purchase and sales administration, are in principle kept for seven (7) years from the moment these data lose their current value for business operations.
• Dealer and agreement data: personal data necessary for the execution and management of the collaboration are kept for the duration of the agreement. After termination, this data is in principle kept for a maximum of two (2) years, unless a longer retention period is necessary or legally required.
• Order, service, and warranty data: personal data are kept as long as necessary for the execution of orders, the handling of service and warranty requests, and any related claims.
• Contact details and correspondence: personal data processed exclusively for contact and communication are in principle deleted no later than two (2) years after the last relevant contact, unless this data is still necessary for an ongoing agreement or another legitimate purpose.
• Website and cookie data: these are kept for the period necessary for the purpose concerned. Specific retention periods are, where applicable, stated in the section on cookies.

After the applicable retention period has expired, Empire Saddles will delete or anonymize the personal data, unless there is a valid reason to keep it longer.

Cookies

Empire Saddles uses cookies and similar technologies on its website.

Cookies are small text files that can be stored on your device when you visit the website. These are used to ensure the website functions properly, to secure the website, and to gain insight into its use.

Empire Saddles uses the following categories of cookies:

1. Functional cookies

Functional cookies are necessary for the proper functioning of the website and for remembering certain preferences. These cookies are used, among other things, to remember your language preference and to check whether your browser supports certain functions.

Empire Saddles uses, among others, the following for this purpose:

• wp-wpml_current_language: remembers the set language of the website during the browser session.
• wpEmojiSettingsSupports: checks whether your browser can display emojis correctly and is used during the browser session.

No prior consent is required for placing strictly necessary functional cookies.

2. Analytical cookies

Empire Saddles uses Google Analytics to gain insight into the use of its website. With this data, Empire Saddles can, among other things, analyze the number of visits and the way visitors use the website and improve the website.

The following cookies, among others, are used for this purpose:

• _ga: used to distinguish visitors from each other and collect data about website usage.
• _ga_*: used to track session data and the number of pages viewed.

According to the cookie scan performed, these cookies have a retention period of approximately thirteen months.

Insofar as analytical cookies do not fall under the legal exception for privacy-friendly analytical cookies, Empire Saddles only places these after you have given your consent.

3. Security and Anti-spam Cookies

Empire Saddles uses CleanTalk and associated security technologies to protect its website against spam, automated visits, and potential misuse.

For this purpose, cookies and similar technologies are used with the names ct_checkjs, ct_pointer_data, ct_screen_info, ct_timezone, ct_ps_timestamp, ct_fkp_timestamp, apbct_visible_fields, apbct_headless, and apbct_existing_visitor.

In addition, various technologies are used whose names start with bot_detector_. These help in recognizing automated website use and protecting the website.

Insofar as these cookies and technologies are strictly necessary for the security and functioning of the website, they are used without prior consent.

4. Consent and Cookie Preferences

When consent is required for placing or reading cookies, Empire Saddles requests this in advance. You can refuse your consent or withdraw it at a later time.

Refusing or withdrawing consent for non-essential cookies has no consequences for access to the website. However, it may affect certain non-essential functions.

You can also delete or block cookies via your browser settings. Please note that certain parts of the website may not function properly as a result.

Accessing, Modifying, or Deleting Data

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have various rights regarding your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: you have the right to know whether Empire Saddles processes your personal data and, if this is the case, to gain access to this data and information about its processing.
• Right to rectification: you have the right to have incorrect personal data corrected and incomplete personal data completed.
• Right to restriction of processing: in certain cases, you can request Empire Saddles to restrict the processing of your personal data, for example when you dispute the accuracy of the data or have objected to the processing.
• Right to erasure: you can request to have your personal data deleted when it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or when another legal ground for deletion exists. Empire Saddles may continue to store data insofar as this is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or for the establishment, exercise, or substantiation of legal claims.
• Right to data portability: insofar as the processing is automated and based on your consent or on an agreement to which you are a party, you have the right to receive the personal data that you have provided yourself in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and, where possible, to transfer it to another organization.
• Right to object: due to your specific situation, you can object to the processing of your personal data when it is based on a legitimate interest. In the case of processing for direct marketing, you can object to this at any time.
• Right regarding automated decision-making: under legal conditions, you have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that has legal consequences for you or otherwise significantly affects you.

Exercising Your Rights

Do you want to exercise one of these rights? Then please contact Empire Saddles via [email protected]. Empire Saddles will respond as soon as possible and in any case within one month of receiving your request.

To ensure that the request for access has been made by you and in the context of protecting your privacy, you are asked to send a copy of your identity document with the request.

In this copy, please black out your passport photo, MRZ (machine readable zone, the strip with numbers at the bottom of the passport), passport number, and Citizen Service Number (BSN).

Complaints

Do you have a complaint about the processing of your personal data by Empire Saddles? Please contact us via [email protected] so that we can assess and try to resolve your complaint.

You also have the right to file a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) via www.autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl. You are not obliged to contact Empire Saddles first before filing a complaint.

How Personal Data is Secured

Empire Saddles takes the protection of your personal data seriously and takes appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorized access, unauthorized disclosure, and unwanted modification.

These measures are tailored to the nature of the personal data, the processing activities, and the associated risks. Empire Saddles ensures that only authorized persons have access to personal data insofar as this is necessary for their work.

Do you think something has gone wrong with the security of your personal data or do you have indications of misuse? Please contact us as soon as possible via [email protected].

Changes to the Privacy and Cookie Statement

Empire Saddles may change this privacy and cookie statement when its business activities, the processing of personal data, or applicable laws and regulations give cause to do so.

The most current version is published on our website. If a change requires it, Empire Saddles will inform you separately or request your consent again.

Questions

Do you have questions about this privacy and cookie statement or about the way Empire Saddles handles your personal data? Please contact us via [email protected]. We will answer your questions as soon as possible.