Privacy Policy

Introduction

On January 1, 2004, the third phase of the Canadian Federal Law about Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) came into effect. This Act governs information collected as part of commercial activity by any private sector organisation. It states that information must be gathered with consent, collected for a reasonable purpose, used for the limited purpose for which it was gathered, be accurate, be open for the owner's inspection and correction, and stored securely. Ziptrek already maintains a high level of security with respect to the confidentiality of your personal information but we are now obligated by law to advise and obtain consent to the terms of collection, disclosure and storage of your data. The following outlines 10 principles to which we adhere in protecting your personal information.

1. Accountability

Ziptrek is responsible to protect all personal information under its control or transferred to a third party for processing. Personal information can include name, home address and phone number, date of birth, age, identification numbers, credit information, customer preferences and other items that personally relate to you as an individual. Ziptrek has appointed a Privacy Officer, who is responsible for our accountability and compliance.

2. Identifying Purposes

Whenever personal information is collected by Ziptrek, we will identify why the information is being collected and how it will be used. If we have collected information in the past, we will not use it for any other purpose than that expressly stated at the time of collection. The reasons personal information is collected by Ziptrek include:

1. Guaranteeing a reservation
2. Identifying guest preferences and improving guest service
3. Establishing guest eligibility for promotional opportunities
4. Providing requested product information
5. Informing you of products or services that may interest you.

Type of Information Collected

The type of information we collect from you relates to your reservation or potential booking with us. This may include: name, address, date of birth, age, contact information, travel insurance requirements, travel needs (medical/dietary or physical restrictions), preferences, identity validation on services such as traveller's cheques, credit information for payment purposes, and publicly available information.

How it's Collected

Information is collected directly from you through surveys, online registration, and requests for information. It is also collected through our call centre or sometimes through third party partners who have made the reservation for you (Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Tour Wholesalers). Personal information may also be collected through an employment application.

3. Consent

Your consent will be obtained either in person, through writing, email, telephone, or the Internet. Sometimes consent may be implied (eg. when transferring relevant information to a booking or transaction processing partner). Also, Ziptrek may occasionally ask for written or verbal confirmation that the information collected and maintained is accurate and that your consent is still provided to maintain this information. Under certain circumstances Ziptrek will need to disclose your personal information without your consent. This may include:

1. A life threatening or emergency situation
2. Where required by law
3. Where required by law enforcement, legal investigation or a regulatory body.

4. Limiting Collection

Information collected will only be expressly used for the purpose outlined at the time of collection. Ziptrek will not indiscriminately collect or maintain personal information on its guests or employees.

5. Limiting Use and Disclosure

Ziptrek does not disclose your personal information for any purposes other than those for which it was originally collected, unless we have first obtained consent from you. We do not sell or rent your personal information.

6. Accuracy

Personal information will be maintained in an accurate, complete and up-to-date format as is necessary and reasonably practical to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected.

7. Safeguards

Ziptrek protects your personal information by security safeguards, which are appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. These include information technology security such as restricted access to specific programs, firewalls and software security; and restricting access to personal information only to those employees and partners to which it is necessary. We keep our employees up-to-date on policies and procedures regarding protecting personal information. We may use the services of a third party to process personal information. However, we ensure there are policies in place so that your information is protected while in their possession.

8. Openness

Ziptrek will make its policies and practices that apply to the protection of personal information available to anyone on which it holds information.

9. Individual Access

Upon written request, Ziptrek will inform you if we are maintaining any personal information about you. If so, we will provide it for your review of accuracy and completeness and will amend it as appropriate. However, Ziptrek reserves the right to confirm your identity before providing this personal information. Ziptrek can refuse access in certain circumstances including when granting access would have an unreasonable impact on the personal privacy of others, when the request is frivolous or when it may impact Ziptrek rights and property. Requests for access to your personal information should be made in writing to the Privacy Officer:

    Privacy Officer
    Ziptrek
    PO Box 734 Whistler BC
    V0N 1B0
    

10. Challenging Compliance

Ziptrek compliance with this policy may be challenged by directing concerns or complaints to the Privacy Officer by any of the above-mentioned methods.

Use of our Web Sites

You can visit our web sites without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information, including your e-mail address. Our web servers automatically recognize your domain name when you visit our site, and this information is aggregated and used to measure statistics regarding the use of our site, such as the number of visitors, average time spent on the site, pages viewed and similar information. However, this information is not disclosed or shared with third parties.

Ziptrek’s goal in collecting personal information online is to continually improve the content of our web sites and to offer guests tours that best meet their preferences and desires.

Ziptrek reserves the right to change this policy at any time. This policy is not intended to and does not create any contractual or other legal rights in or on behalf of any party. By using the Ziptrek web sites, you signify your agreement with the terms of our privacy policy.

Ziptrek web sites include links to third party sites that are not governed by our privacy policy. Once you leave a Ziptrek site we will not be responsible for other companies' privacy practices. We suggest you review their privacy policy before providing personal information on these sites.