1. About This Privacy Policy

Best Choice Carports & Awnings respects your right to privacy and is committed to processing personal information responsibly and in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, commonly referred to as POPIA, the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 where applicable, and other applicable South African laws.

This policy applies when you:

• visit or interact with our website;
• submit an online quotation or enquiry form;
• upload photographs, drawings, plans or supporting documents;
• telephone, email, WhatsApp or otherwise communicate with us;
• respond to or interact with one of our advertisements;
• request an inspection, quotation or on-site assessment;
• accept a quotation or enter into an agreement with us; or
• use a service supplied by Best Choice Carports & Awnings.

The terms “personal information”, “processing”, “data subject” and “responsible party” have the meanings assigned to them under POPIA.

2. Business and Responsible-Party Details

The business responsible for personal information covered by this policy is:

3. Personal Information We May Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal information.

3.1 Identity and contact information

• your full name;
• telephone or mobile number;
• email address;
• physical address or proposed installation address;
• city, suburb, area or province; and
• other contact information you voluntarily provide.

3.2 Quotation and project information

• the service you require;
• whether the property is residential or commercial;
• estimated measurements or dimensions;
• project descriptions, notes and special requirements;
• property access information;
• the proposed installation location;
• budget or quotation information;
• photographs, drawings, plans or documents you upload or send;
• communications relating to the proposed work; and
• records relating to accepted quotations and completed work.

3.3 Website and device information

• Internet Protocol address;
• browser type and version;
• device type and operating system;
• approximate geographic area derived from an IP address;
• website pages viewed;
• dates, times and duration of website visits;
• referring websites or advertising sources;
• form interactions and conversion information;
• cookie identifiers and similar technical identifiers; and
• website performance, security and error logs.

3.4 Communication information

• emails, telephone calls and WhatsApp messages;
• quotation requests and follow-up communications;
• feedback, complaints and service correspondence; and
• marketing preferences and opt-out requests.

We do not intentionally request banking passwords, payment-card security codes, medical records or other highly sensitive information through our general website enquiry form.

4. How We Collect Personal Information

We may collect personal information:

• Directly from you, including through website forms, emails, telephone calls, WhatsApp messages, site visits and other communications.
• Automatically through our website, including through server logs, cookies, analytics tools, advertising tags and similar technologies.
• Through Google advertising products, when you interact with an advertisement or submit information through a Google-hosted lead form.
• From another person acting with your authority, such as a family member, property owner, tenant, representative, contractor or business colleague.
• From publicly available or lawfully accessible sources where reasonably necessary to verify project or business information.

A person who supplies another person’s information should have the necessary authority to provide it to us.

5. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information to:

• receive, review and respond to enquiries;
• contact you about a requested quotation or service;
• assess project requirements and installation locations;
• arrange site inspections or appointments;
• prepare, issue and follow up on quotations;
• provide carport, awning, shadeport, roofing or related services;
• manage accepted work, projects and customer service;
• maintain business, accounting and transaction records;
• verify the source and quality of website enquiries;
• measure advertising and website performance;
• prevent spam, fraud, malicious submissions and security incidents;
• improve our website, advertising and services;
• send marketing communications where permitted by law;
• comply with legal, regulatory, accounting and tax obligations;
• establish, exercise or defend legal rights; and
• carry out purposes that are reasonably connected to your enquiry or requested service.

We will not use personal information for a materially incompatible purpose without an appropriate legal basis or further notice.

6. Grounds for Lawful Processing

We process personal information only where permitted under POPIA. Grounds for processing may include:

• Your consent, where you voluntarily submit information or expressly agree to a particular use.
• Steps requested by you before entering into an agreement , such as preparing or discussing a quotation.
• Performance of an agreement, including supplying an accepted service.
• Compliance with a legal obligation.
• Protection of your legitimate interests.
• Our legitimate interests or those of a third party, where those interests do not unjustifiably override your privacy rights.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent, subject to processing already lawfully carried out and any other lawful ground that permits continued processing.

7. Online Quotations and Uploaded Files

Our website allows users to request quotations and may allow photographs, drawings, plans or supporting files to be uploaded. Information submitted in this manner will be used primarily to understand the proposed project, communicate with you and prepare or administer a quotation.

Uploaded files may be viewed by authorised personnel, contractors or service providers where reasonably necessary to assess the proposed work, prepare a quotation or perform an accepted project.

Submitting an enquiry does not create a binding agreement. A project remains subject to assessment, availability, an accepted quotation and any applicable service terms.

8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small data files stored on a browser or device. Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate correctly, remember preferences, improve security, understand website use and measure advertising results.

Where a cookie-management tool is available, you may use it to accept, reject or adjust non-essential cookies. You may also control cookies through your browser settings.

Blocking certain cookies may affect some website features. The cookies used may change when our website, analytics, security or advertising services are updated.

9. Google Ads, Analytics and Advertising Services

We may use Google services to advertise our business, measure website performance, understand advertising results and receive enquiries. These services may include Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google conversion tracking, Google lead-form assets and, where enabled, remarketing or audience measurement.

9.1 Google Ads conversion measurement

Where Google Ads conversion tracking is enabled, Google and our website may use cookies or similar identifiers to determine whether a website visit, telephone call or enquiry followed an interaction with one of our advertisements. This helps us measure campaign performance and improve our advertising.

9.2 Google lead-form assets

Some Google advertisements may allow you to submit your details directly through a Google-hosted lead form. Information submitted through such a form may be processed by Google and then supplied to Best Choice Carports & Awnings so that we can respond to your enquiry.

Information received from a Google lead form may include your name, telephone number, email address, location, enquiry details and answers provided in the form.

9.3 Google Analytics

Where Google Analytics is enabled, it may collect information about how visitors reach and interact with our website. This may include device, browser, approximate location, referring source, page-view and interaction information.

9.4 Remarketing and personalised advertising

Where remarketing or personalised advertising is enabled, cookies or similar identifiers may be used to help display advertising to previous website visitors. Such features will be used only where permitted by applicable law and Google’s requirements.

We do not intentionally send identity-document numbers, banking details, payment-card information, medical information or other sensitive personal information to Google through advertising tags.

Google processes information in accordance with its own privacy terms. You can read Google’s Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy .

You can review Google’s advertising controls at myadcenter.google.com .

10. When We May Share Personal Information

We do not sell or rent personal information as a commercial database. We may share information only where reasonably necessary and lawfully permitted, including with:

• website-hosting, email, cloud-storage, form-processing and information technology service providers;
• Google and other analytics or advertising service providers where their services are enabled;
• employees, authorised representatives and contractors who require the information to respond to an enquiry or perform work;
• installers, suppliers or subcontractors involved in assessing or completing an accepted project;
• accountants, insurers, legal representatives and professional advisers;
• law-enforcement bodies, regulators, courts or public authorities where disclosure is legally required;
• a purchaser or successor if the business or part of it is sold, transferred or reorganised; and
• another party where you have authorised the disclosure.

Service providers are expected to use personal information only for the authorised service and to apply reasonable confidentiality and security safeguards.

11. Cross-Border Processing

Some website, cloud, email, analytics or advertising providers may process or store information outside South Africa. This may include international hosting, technology and advertising providers.

Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer is permitted under POPIA and that appropriate legal, contractual or organisational safeguards apply.

12. Information Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, destruction or unlawful disclosure.

Measures may include:

• encrypted HTTPS website connections;
• restricted access to enquiries and customer records;
• password and account-access controls;
• website, hosting and software security maintenance;
• anti-spam, malware and security monitoring;
• backups and recovery measures where appropriate; and
• confidentiality requirements for authorised personnel and service providers.

No online transmission or storage system is completely secure. Users should avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information and should contact us if they believe their information has been compromised.

13. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for a longer period where required or permitted by law.

Retention periods may depend on:

• whether an enquiry remains active;
• whether a quotation was accepted;
• the duration of the customer or contractual relationship;
• project, warranty, accounting and tax requirements;
• legal limitation periods;
• fraud-prevention and security requirements;
• the need to resolve a complaint or dispute; and
• your marketing consent or opt-out status.

When information is no longer required, we may securely delete, destroy, anonymise or de-identify it, subject to our legal and technical obligations.

14. Your Rights Under POPIA

Subject to POPIA and applicable limitations, you may have the right to:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you;
• request access to your personal information;
• request correction of inaccurate, outdated or incomplete information;
• request deletion or destruction of information where legally permitted;
• object to processing on reasonable grounds;
• withdraw consent where processing relies on consent;
• object to direct marketing;
• request information about third parties who received your information;
• complain about unlawful processing; and
• lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

To exercise a right, contact Jon Massache using the details in section 20. We may need to verify your identity before providing, changing or deleting information. This protects information against unauthorised access.

A request may be refused or limited where information must be retained by law, is required for legal proceedings, relates to another person or where another lawful exception applies.

15. Direct Marketing and Communication Preferences

We may send service-related communications where necessary to respond to an enquiry, administer a quotation or perform an agreed service.

Promotional emails, SMS messages, WhatsApp messages or similar direct-marketing communications will be sent only where permitted by applicable law. Where consent is required, we will request it before sending such communications.

You may opt out of marketing at any time by:

• using an unsubscribe option where provided;
• replying “STOP” to an applicable marketing message; or
• emailing info@bestchoicecarports.co.za .

An opt-out does not prevent necessary communications about an active enquiry, quotation, project, account or legal matter.

16. Children’s Personal Information

Our website and services are intended for adults seeking property improvement or installation services. We do not knowingly solicit personal information directly from children.

A parent or guardian who believes that a child has submitted personal information without appropriate authorisation should contact us so that the matter can be investigated and the information deleted where appropriate.

17. Links to External Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, social-media services, mapping tools, payment providers or other external services. These parties operate under their own privacy policies and practices.

We are not responsible for the privacy, security or content of an external service merely because a link to it appears on our website. Users should review the external provider’s privacy information before submitting personal information.

18. Personal-Information Security Compromises

If we have reasonable grounds to believe that personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, we will investigate the incident and take reasonable steps to contain and address it.

Where required by POPIA, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as soon as reasonably possible, taking account of legitimate law-enforcement requirements and the information available to us.

19. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our website, services, suppliers, advertising activities or legal obligations change.

The updated version will be published on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Material changes may also be communicated through an additional notice where reasonably appropriate.

Users are encouraged to review this page periodically.

20. Privacy Requests, Contact Details and Complaints

20.1 Contact Best Choice Carports & Awnings

Questions, objections, access requests, correction requests, deletion requests and other privacy enquiries should be directed to:

20.2 Information Regulator of South Africa

You may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe that your personal information has been processed unlawfully or that your privacy request has not been dealt with appropriately.