Privacy Policy

About Us

This is a privacy policy for The Home Grower. Our homepage on the Web is located at http://www.thehomegrower.com. The full text of our privacy policy is available on the Web at http://www.thehomegrower.com/privacy-policy.asp Users may go to http://www.thehomegrower.com/custdetails.asp for information on how to opt-in or opt-out of use of their information.

We invite you to contact us if you have questions about this policy. You may contact us by mail at the address at the bottom of this document:

You may contact us by e-mail at customerservices@thehomegrower.com. You may call us at 0121 541 1446.

Dispute Resolution and Privacy Seals

We have no privacy seals or other assurance mechanisms.

Additional Information

This policy is valid for 1 week from the time that it is loaded by a client.

Data Collection

P3P policies declare the data they collect in groups (also referred to as "statements"). This policy contains 4 data groups. The data practices of each group will be explained separately.

Group "Access log information"

We collect the following information:

• Click-stream data
• HTTP protocol elements

This data will be used for the following purposes:

• Completion and support of the current activity.
• Web site and system administration.
• Research and development.

This data will be used by ourselves and our agents.

The following explanation is provided for why this data is collected:

Our Web server collects access logs containing this information.

Group "Cookies"

We collect the following information:

• HTTP cookies

This data will be used for the following purposes:

• Research and development.
• One-time tailoring.

This data will be used by ourselves and our agents.

The following explanation is provided for why this data is collected:

Cookies are used to track visitors to our site, so we can better understand what portions of our site best serve you. We also use cookies to allow our server to maintain information about the contents of your shopping cart.

Group "Transaction info (required)"

We collect the following information:

• Physical contact information
• Online contact information
• Demographic data
• Purchase information

This data will be used for the following purposes:

• Completion and support of the current activity.
• Research and development.

This data will be used by ourselves and our agents. In addition, the following types of entities will receive this information:

• Delivery services.

The following explanation is provided for why this data is collected:

Information we collect in order to process your purchase.

Group "Transaction info (optional)"

At the user's option, we will collect the following data:

• Physical contact information
• Online contact information
• Demographic data
• Purchase information

This data will be used for the following purposes:

• Contacting visitors for marketing of services or products.

This data will be used by ourselves and our agents. In addition, the following types of entities will receive this information:

• Delivery services.

The following explanation is provided for why this data is collected:

Information we collect in order to process your purchase.

Cookies

Cookies are a technology which can be used to provide you with tailored information from a Web site. A cookie is an element of data that a Web site can send to your browser, which may then store it on your system. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it.

Our site makes use of cookies. Cookies are used for the following purposes:

• User targeting
• Research and development

Compact Policy Summary

The compact policy which corresponds to this policy is:

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The following table explains the meaning of each field in the compact policy.

The compact policy is sent by the Web server along with the cookies it describes. For more information, see the P3P deployment guide at http://www.w3.org/TR/p3pdeployment.

Policy Evaluation

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 will evaluate this policy's compact policy whenever it is used with a cookie. The actions IE will take depend on what privacy level the user has selected in their browser (Low, Medium, Medium High, or High; the default is Medium. In addition, IE will examine whether the cookie's policy is considered satisfactory or unsatisfactory, whether the cookie is a session cookie or a persistent cookie, and whether the cookie is used in a first-party or third-party context. This section will attempt to evaluate this policy's compact policy against Microsoft's stated behavior for IE6.

Note: this evaluation is currently experimental and should not be considered a substitute for testing with a real Web browser.

Unsatisfactory policy: this compact policy is considered unsatisfactory according to the rules defined by Internet Explorer 6. The behavior of Internet Explorer 6 regarding cookies set under this compact policy is as follows:

• Physical contact information is collected.
• Online contact information is collected.

In addition, the data is used in the following manner, marking the policy as unsatisfactory:

• The data is used for contacting the user.

Note that allowing an opt-out will make this policy acceptable under the Low and Medium settings, and under Medium High for first-party cookie usage. At the High setting, and at the Medium High setting for third-party cookies, all of these data uses must be opt-in for the policy to be considered satisfactory.

Cookies

The following statement explains our policy regarding the personal information we collect about you.

1. Introduction
2. Visitor Information
3. What is a cookie?
4. Submitting personal information
5. Access to your personal information
6. Users 16 and under
7. How to find and control your cookies
8. How do you know which sites use cookies?
9. How to see your cookie code
10. List of The Home Grower cookies

1. Introduction

This policy covers The Home Grower's use of personal information that The Home Grower collects when you use The Home Grower. The policy also gives you information about cookies; The Home Grower and third parties' use of cookies; and how you may reject such cookies.

From time to time, you will be asked to submit personal information about yourself (e.g. name and email address) in order to receive or use services on our website. Such services include newsletters, competitions, live chats, message boards and The Home Grower membership.

By entering your details in the fields requested, you enable The Home Grower and its service providers to provide you with the services you select. Whenever you provide such personal information, we will treat that information in accordance with this policy. When using your personal information The Home Grower will act in accordance with current legislation and aim to meet current Internet best practice.

2. Visitor Information

During the course of any visit to The Home Grower, the pages you see, along with a short text file called a 'cookie', are downloaded to your computer. Many websites do this, because cookies enable website publishers to do useful things like find out whether the computer (and probably its user) has visited the website before. This is done on a repeat visit by checking to see, and finding, the cookie left there on the last visit.

Information supplied by cookies can help us to provide you with a better online user experience and assist us to analyse the profile of our visitors. For example: if on a previous visit you went to our education pages, we might find this out from your cookie and highlight educational information on your second and subsequent visits.

3. What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier that is sent to your browser from a website's computer and stored on your computer's hard drive. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.

Many sites do this whenever a user visits their website in order to track online traffic flows.

Cookies record information about your online preferences. Users have the opportunity to set their computers to accept all cookies, to notify them when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. The last of these, of course, means that certain personalised services cannot then be provided to that user user and accordingly you may not be able to take full advantage of all of The Home Grower features. Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.

If you have set your computer to reject cookies you can still browse The Home Grower anonymously until such time as you wish to register for The Home Grower services. For further information on cookies please visit http://www.aboutcookies.org.

4. Use and storage of your personal information

When you supply any personal information to The Home Grower (e.g. for competitions, The Home Grower Community services or The Home Grower membership) we have legal obligations towards you in the way we use those data. We must collect the information fairly, that is, we must explain how we will use it (see the notices on particular webpages that let you know why we are requesting the information) and tell you if we want to pass the information on to anyone else.

In general, any information you provide to The Home Grower will only be used within The Home Grower and by its agents and service providers. Your information will be disclosed where we are obliged or permitted by law. Also, if you post or send offensive, inappropriate or objectionable content anywhere on or to The Home Grower or otherwise engage in any disruptive behaviour on The Home Grower, The Home Grower can use whatever information that is available to it about you to stop such behaviour. This may involve informing relevant third parties such as your employer, school e-mail/Internet provider and law enforcement agencies about the content and your behaviour.

We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as you use the service you have requested, and remove it in the event that the purpose has been met, or, in the case of The Home Grower membership you no longer wish to continue your registration as a The Home Grower member. For safety reasons, however, The Home Grower may store messaging transcript data (including message content, member names, times and dates) arising from the use of The Home Grower Community services such as Connector for a period of six months. Where personal information is held for people who are not yet registered but have taken part in other The Home Grower services (e.g. competitions), that information will be held as long as is necessary to ensure that the service is run smoothly. We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

If you are notified on a The Home Grower site that your information may be used to allow The Home Grower to contact you for "service administration purposes", this means that The Home Grower may contact you for a number of purposes related to the service you have signed up for. For example, we may wish to provide you with password reminders or notify you that the particular service has been suspended for maintenance. We will not contact you for promotional purposes, such as notifying you of improvements to the service or new services on The Home Grower unless you specifically agree to be contacted for such purposes at the time you submit your information on the site, or at a later time if you sign up specifically to receive such promotional information.

5. Access to your personal information

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information The Home Grower holds about you and to have any inaccuracies corrected. (We charge £10 for information requests.)

Please address requests to the address at the bottom of the page.

6. Users 16 and under

If you are aged 16 or under, please get your parent/guardian's permission beforehand whenever you provide personal information to The Home Grower's website. Users without this consent are not allowed to provide us with personal information.

7. How to find and control your cookies

If you're using Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Privacy tab
4. Click on Custom Level
5. Click on the 'Advanced' button
6. Check the 'override automatic cookie handing' box and select Accept, Block or Prompt for action as appropriate.

If you're using Firefox 2.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Options
3. Click the Privacy icon

If you're using Firefox 1.0 or 1.5:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Options
3. Click the Privacy icon
4. Click the Cookies tab

If you're using Opera 8.0 or 9.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Preferences
3. Advanced
4. Cookies

If you're using Opera 7.0:

1. Choose File, then
2. Preferences
3. Privacy

If you're using Netscape 6.0:

1. Choose Edit, then
2. Preferences
3. Click on Advanced
4. Click on Cookies

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0 or 5.5:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Security tab
4. Click on Custom Level
5. Scroll down to the sixth option to see how cookies are handled by IE5 and change to Accept, Disable, or Prompt for action as appropriate.

If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0:

1. Choose View, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the Advanced tab
4. Scroll down to the yellow exclamation icon under Security and choose one of the three options to regulate your use of cookies.

If you're using Internet Explorer 3.0:

1. Choose View, then
2. Options
3. Click on Advanced
4. Click on the button that says Warn before Accepting Cookies.

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:

1. Choose Edit, then
2. Preferences
3. Click on Advanced
4. Set your options in the box that says Cookies.

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8. How do you know which of the sites you've visited use cookies?

If you're using Internet Explorer 5.0, 6.0 or 7.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Internet Options
3. Click the General tab
4. Click Settings
5. View Files

If you're using Firefox 2.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Options
3. Click the Privacy icon
4. Show Cookies

If you're using Firefox 1.0 or 1.5:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Options
3. Click the Privacy icon
4. Click the Cookies tab
5. View Cookies

If you're using Opera 8.0 or 9.0:

1. Choose Tools, then
2. Advanced
3. Cookies

If you're using Opera 7.0:

1. Choose File, then
2. Preferences
3. Privacy
4. Click on Manage Cookies

If you're using Netscape 6.0:

1. Choose Edit, then
2. Preferences
3. Click on Advanced
4. Click on Cookies
5. Click the View Cookies button

If you're using Internet Explorer 4.0:

1. Choose View, then
2. Internet Options
3. Under the tab General (the default tab) click
4. Settings
5. View Files.

If you're using Internet Explorer 3.0:

1. Choose View, then
2. Options
3. Advanced
4. View Files.

If you're using Netscape Communicator 4.0:

Netscape bundles all cookies into one file on your hard drive. You'll need to find the file, which it calls Cookie.txt on Windows machines. [Top]

9. How to see your cookie code

Just click on a cookie to open it. You'll see a short string of text and numbers. The numbers are your identification card, which can only be seen by the server that gave you the cookie.

10. List of The Home Grower cookies

This is a list of the main cookies that The Home Grower sets, and what each is used for:

The Home Grower LongID cookie

A unique identifier given to each computer to allow log analysis to determine the number of unique users for various parts of The Home Grower. Data is only used in aggregate.

The Home Grower Limited © 2007
Unit 13,
Oak Court,
Sandwell Business Park,
Crystal Drive,
Oldbury,
West Midlands,
B66 1QG