Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

This website is operated by SVCS Services (Pty) Ltd, trading as SVCS Steel-SA ("we", "us"). We are the responsible party for the personal information described here.

• Address: 44 Francolin Street, Meyersdal, Alberton, 1448
• Information Officer: Herold van Vuuren
• Email: info@svcs.co.za

2. What we collect

We only ask for what we need to answer you, price your job and do the work. When we ask, we tell you which details are required. Without them we may not be able to give you an estimate or a quotation.

• Contact details - your name, phone number, email address and, for a business, the company name and VAT number.
• Site details - the address of the work, measurements, and what you would like built.
• Photos and messages - photos or videos of your property and anything else you send us on WhatsApp, by email or through the website.
• Estimates and quotations - the designs, sizes and options you choose, for example in the carport calculator, and the estimates and quotations we send you.
• Payment details - the payments you make and the proof of payment you send us. We do not take card payments on this website.
• Website usage - how this website is used (see section 8).

We do not ask for, and do not want, special personal information such as health, religion, race or criminal records.

3. Where it comes from

Mostly from you: through the forms and calculator on this website, by phone, email or WhatsApp, or on a site visit. Sometimes someone who knows you - an existing customer or a contractor - puts us in touch with you. We do not buy personal information.

4. Why we use it

• To answer your enquiry and give you an estimate.
• To arrange a site visit and prepare your quotation.
• To order materials, schedule the work, and make and install what you ordered.
• To invoice you, keep our records and meet our tax and legal obligations.
• To send messages about your job - bookings, progress, sign-off and payments.
• To deal with questions, complaints and guarantee claims.
• To send you news and offers, if you agreed to this or are our customer - you can stop these at any time (section 7).

5. Who we share it with

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only where needed to do the work you asked for, or where the law requires it:

• The contractors who make and install your structure, and the electricians, flooring contractors and suppliers we bring in. They receive only what they need - usually your name, phone number, site address and the details of the job.
• Service providers that run our business for us: email, WhatsApp, website hosting, cloud storage, accounting and website statistics (Google Analytics).
• OpenStreetMap - if you type a town or address into the carport calculator, it is looked up on OpenStreetMap to work out the travel distance. Only the place you typed is sent.
• Professional advisers - our accountant, auditors or lawyers.
• Authorities - SARS or others, where the law requires it, to prevent fraud, or to protect our rights or someone's safety.
• A new owner of our business, if it is sold or merged.

Our contractors and service providers may only use your information for the work we give them.

6. Information stored outside South Africa

Some of the services we use - such as email, WhatsApp, cloud storage and Google Analytics - may store information on servers outside South Africa. We use well-known providers that protect personal information to a standard similar to POPIA's.

7. Marketing

We may send you news or offers about our products and services by email, SMS or WhatsApp if you agreed to this, or if you are our customer and the message is about similar products or services. Every marketing message tells you how to stop them; you can also tell us at any time at info@svcs.co.za. You will still receive messages about your own job.

8. Cookies and website statistics

This website uses cookies - small text files your browser keeps - to work properly and to understand how it is used. We use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to see which pages are visited, how people find us and how the site performs. This information is grouped and does not tell us who you are. You can set your browser to refuse cookies; the site will still work, though some parts may not remember your choices.

9. How we protect it

We take reasonable steps to keep your information safe: access is limited to the people who need it, our systems are protected by passwords, and the website uses a secure (https) connection. If we believe your information has been accessed by someone who should not have it, we will tell you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.

10. How long we keep it

We keep your information while we are dealing with you and afterwards for as long as the law requires - for example, tax records are kept for at least five years - or as long as needed for guarantee claims and disputes. Enquiries that do not lead to a job are deleted when we no longer need them.

11. Your rights

You may:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you, and for a copy of it;
• ask us to correct or delete it;
• object to us using it, including for marketing;
• complain to the Information Regulator.

Send your request to our Information Officer at info@svcs.co.za. We will confirm who you are before we answer.

12. Complaints

Please tell us first, so that we can put it right. You may also complain to the Information Regulator: Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191; POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za; inforegulator.org.za.

13. Other websites

This website links to other websites, such as WhatsApp and Google Maps. We are not responsible for how they handle your information; please read their privacy notices.

14. Changes to this notice

We may update this notice from time to time. Each change is kept as a numbered version, listed at the foot of this page.