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Your privacy is our number one priority.

PARTNERSHIP-PLUS PRIVACY STATEMENT

Partnership-Plus is dedicated to our members and is committed to respecting their privacy and confidential information. We have provided this Privacy Statement to answer the following questions:

Who is Partnership-Plus?

Partnership-Plus, a service of STS Market ResearchSM (a division of The NPD Group, Inc.), is a survey research company that gathers and reports market research information our customers need to succeed in a competitive marketplace. Partnership-Plus obtains information from representative members of the community to understand the trends and patterns of those who may purchase the goods or services of our customers. We receive this information from our panel members and report it to our customers in an aggregated form so that the data is no longer linked to any panel member, but to the group as a whole. We gather some information through interactive surveys and responses provided by our panel members who visit the Partnership-Plus web site, currently at www.partnership-plus.com, and who participate in the Partnership-Plus Program.
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What information is collected?

During the registration process, we request information, such as name, address, email address, and education, about you and other persons who live with you or have the same mailing address as you (collectively, this is your "Household"). After you register, we will ask you to provide information about your apparel purchasing. This information is then combined with data from other Partnership-Plus members to create an aggregate presentation to our customers.
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How is the information collected?

When you register to be part of the Partnership-Plus Program, we ask you to complete an initial registration form and to provide demographic information. Each month, we will ask you to participate in Partnership-Plus surveys, by logging into the Partnership-Plus web site.

Users are required to give their contact information (such as membership number and email address). This information is used to contact the user about the services on our site for which they have expressed interest and to help us contact our survey participants. Demographic information (such as income level and gender) is used to provide a balanced survey and for no other purpose.
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How is the information collected used?

When we provide reports to our customers, we only report at an aggregate level, and do not provide them personally identifiable information. Our customers may use the information to make more informed decisions based on understanding behavioral trends, buying patterns or other aspects of potential uses of their goods or services. While we do not sell any personally identifiable member information, we may share personal identification information with third parties that help us deliver part of the Partnership-Plus service to you. When we do this, we establish controls and legal agreements that govern the use of that member information. These companies are obligated not to use the information for purposes other than to serve Partnership-Plus and not to release the information, unless you have entered into a relationship with a specific company that would directly allow them to do so. Personally identifiable information means any information that may be used to identify you such as your name, phone number, e-mail address, or mailing address.

We may use the contact information that you provide primarily for member verification, and to alert you to future surveys and benefits. One of the benefits of being a Partnership-Plus member is that you are eligible to participate in Partnership-Plus incentive programs. To select winners and award prizes, we may need you to provide your name and contact information. Each incentive program will have its own set of rules, which we make available to you before you participate. Winners are subject to the liability/publicity release explained in those rules. Winners would be identified as members of the Partnership-Plus program. However, no information about member's marketing information will be released. Partnership-Plus will disclose personal information when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  1. Conform to the edicts of the law or comply with a legal process served on Partnership-Plus,
  2. Protect and defend the rights or property of the Partnership-Plus network of sites, or visitors to a site controlled by Partnership-Plus,
  3. Identify persons who may be violating the law, the legal notice, or the right of third parties,
  4. Cooperate with the investigations of purported unlawful activities.

Partnership-Plus uses reasonable precautions to keep the information disclosed to us secure. However, we are not responsible for any breach of security or for any actions of any third parties which receive the information. Partnership-Plus also links to a wide variety of other sites which may contain advertisements of third parties, Partnership-Plus is not responsible for their privacy policies or how they treat information about their users.
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Are cookies used?

A cookie is a piece of information that web sites commonly transfer to the computer that is browsing that web site in order to be able to improve the user's experience. Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information while on our site. Once the users close the browser, the cookie simply terminates. For instance, by setting a cookie on our site, the user would not have to log in a password more than once, thereby saving time while on our site. Cookies can also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our site. We use IP addresses to administer the site and to track user's movement. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information.

Our server log, which records all transactions and the IP addresses that request them, is used to monitor traffic flow on our web site in order to manage it more effectively and resolve technical problems related to the web site's operation. Log file information is not linked to personally identifiable information.
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How is the information secured?

We employ physical, electronic, and managerial security safeguards and recognized industry standards to protect sensitive information stored in our systems from unauthorized use, modification, and disclosure. Our employees are obligated to abide by our internal security policies and procedures to further safeguard the information. We take privacy protection very seriously. All employees are made aware of our privacy statement and have agreed in writing to follow it. If you have any questions concerning the steps we have taken to protect the security of the data you provide to us, please contact us. See Who can I contact if I have additional questions below.
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What if I wish to resign my membership?

If you wish to resign your membership, you can do so in any one of two ways:

  1. Click on "Contact Us" and complete the email form letting us know you wish to cancel your membership.
  2. Contact us at any time and put "unsubscribe" in the subject title.

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What is the policy regarding children?

The Partnership-Plus Membership Agreement requires that persons registering for the Partnership-Plus program be at least 13 years old or above the age of 18 if you are a resident of Maine. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13 or residents of Maine under the age of 18. For members aged 13-17, Partnership-Plus requires that the parent or legal guardian of the member give consent for the teenage member's participation, however residents of Maine under the age of 18 may not participate even with parental consent.
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How will I be notified of changes to this privacy statement?

If we materially change our practices in handling personally identifiable information, as described in this policy, we will notify you by posting the changes on this privacy statement and on our web site at least 30 days prior to their implementation.
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Is all my information required?

To create the most accurate picture of our members' activity, it's very important that we get the most accurate descriptions of our members in their profiles: who they are and the demographics that describe them. (For certain demographic information we request, you have the option of replying, "Rather not say.") We ask that this information to be entered during the registration process because, without it, we cannot accurately project marketing behavior as a whole.
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Your Consent To This Agreement.

By using our web site, you consent to the collection and use of information by Partnership-Plus as specified above.

Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, the practices of or your interactions with this site and the Partnership-Plus Program, you may contact us.