Privacy Policy

Who This Policy Covers

This policy applies to information collected through the Brown Metals Company (“BMC,” “we,” “us” or “our”) website at www.brownmetals.com, and through BMC’s customer forms and document library at forms.brownmetals.com and the invoice payment site at invoice.bmcpay.com (together, the “Site”). It also covers how we use that information afterward. Our online store, Sidecuts®.com, has its own privacy policy.

Information We Collect

Information you give us

When you request a quote, ask a technical question, apply for credit, request a W-9, pay an invoice or otherwise contact us, you may provide:

• your name, company name and job title;
• postal address, email address and phone number;
• details of your request, such as alloy, temper, dimensions, quantities, specifications and any files you attach;
• for credit applications, business, bank and trade-reference information; and
• for invoice payments, payment card or bank details, which are entered on the payment site and handled by our payment processor.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, our servers and service providers automatically record technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you view, the page that referred you and the date and time of your visit. We also use Google Analytics to see which pages are visited and which links are clicked, such as our quote request form, our Stock List download and links to Sidecuts.com. We use this information to operate and secure the Site and to understand, in aggregate, how it is used. See “Cookies and Similar Technologies” below.

How We Use Information

• To answer your questions and respond to requests for quotation or technical assistance.
• To process credit applications, orders, shipments, certifications and payments.
• To mail correspondence, announcements and other marketing materials to the address you submit through the Site. These mailings are sometimes performed by outside vendors on our behalf.
• To operate, maintain, secure and improve the Site.
• To keep business, quality and tax records and to meet legal obligations.

We use email addresses to answer the email we receive. We do not use your email address for any other purpose, and we do not share it with outside parties except as described in this policy.

How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral (targeted) advertising. We disclose it only as needed to answer your request or run our business:

• Service providers that work on our behalf under contract, such as website hosting and security, website analytics (Google Analytics), IT and document management, mailing vendors, payment processors and shipping carriers.
• Professional advisors, such as accountants, auditors and attorneys.
• Authorities, when required by law or to protect our rights, property or safety, or those of others.
• A successor business, if BMC is involved in a merger, acquisition or sale of assets.

We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct-marketing purposes.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small files a website stores in your browser. We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels.

• Strictly necessary cookies. Our forms, document library and payment site use session cookies to keep your form or payment session working. Our hosting provider may also set a cookie to protect the Site from automated attacks. These cookies are required for the Site to function and are not used for advertising.
• Analytics cookies (Google Analytics). We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the Site, such as which pages are viewed, how visitors arrive and which links and downloads are clicked. Google Analytics sets cookies (named _ga and _ga_*) that let it recognize a returning browser on our Site. We have turned off Google’s advertising features, including Google signals and ad personalization, so this information is used only for our own analytics and not for advertising. Google processes it on our behalf; see how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
• Videos. Our videos are hosted on YouTube. Each video loads through YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode only after you click play. Once you play a video, YouTube’s privacy policy applies to that viewing.

Your cookie choices

• Visitors in the European Union, the United Kingdom and Switzerland: analytics cookies are set only if you click “Accept” on our cookie notice.
• All other visitors: analytics cookies are on by default. Click “Decline” on our cookie notice to turn them off.
• You can change your choice at any time with the Cookie settings link at the bottom of every page. Your choice is saved in your browser.
• If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we turn analytics cookies off unless you choose otherwise.
• You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. Our forms and payment site may not work if you block their strictly necessary cookies.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

We do not track visitors across other websites over time. Because there is no common standard for responding to “Do Not Track” signals, our Site does not change its behavior when it receives one. You can turn off analytics cookies at any time as described above. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, and we also turn off analytics cookies for that browser. We do not sell or share personal information.

How Long We Keep Information

We keep personal information for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected, and then as long as required for our legal, tax, quality-system and record-keeping obligations. For example:

• quote requests and correspondence are kept for the life of the customer relationship and a reasonable period after it;
• order, certification and quality records are kept for the periods required by our AS9100 and ISO 9001 quality system and by customer contracts;
• credit and payment records are kept for the periods required by tax and financial record-keeping rules; and
• website logs are kept only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting.

How We Protect Information

We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect personal information, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections throughout the Site. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Choices

To stop receiving marketing mail from us, call us or email privacy@brownmetals.com. We will still contact you as needed about your quotes, orders and account.

Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended (the “CCPA”), gives you the rights described below. These rights apply to business contacts as well as individuals.

Personal information we have collected in the past 12 months

We collect this information from you, from your use of the Site, and from your company or references you give us. We use it for the business purposes listed under “How We Use Information.” We use sensitive personal information only to process credit applications and payments, and not to infer characteristics about you. We have not sold or shared personal information in the past 12 months, and we have no actual knowledge of selling or sharing the personal information of anyone under 16.

Your rights

• Right to know and access. You can ask what personal information we have collected about you, where we got it, why we collected it, whom we disclosed it to, and for a copy of it.
• Right to delete. You can ask us to delete personal information we collected from you, subject to exceptions allowed by law, such as records we must keep.
• Right to correct. You can ask us to correct inaccurate personal information.
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing. We do not sell or share personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of.
• Right to limit use of sensitive personal information. We use sensitive personal information only for the purposes the CCPA permits, so this right does not apply.
• Right to non-discrimination. We will not treat you differently for exercising any of these rights.

How to make a request

Call us toll-free at (800) 992-5015 or email privacy@brownmetals.com. To protect your information, we will verify your identity by matching details you provide with information we already have. You may use an authorized agent to make a request; we will ask the agent for your signed permission and may ask you to verify your identity directly. We respond within 45 days, and if we need more time, up to 90 days, we will tell you why.

Children

The Site is intended for business use and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time and review it at least once a year. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be posted on this page.

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