Effective Date: Open

At Leister Online Hardware & Build Supply, a division of Leister International Contractors (U) Ltd, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information you provide when using our website, products, services, online ordering facilities, quotation services, customer support, and other digital platforms.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, when we may share it, how we protect it, and the choices available to you.

1. Who We Are
Our website is operated by Leister Online Hardware & Build Supply, a division of Leister International Contractors (U) Ltd.
Website: hardware.international-contractor.com
We provide online access to hardware, construction materials, tools, equipment, building supplies, electrical and solar products, plumbing products, water and irrigation products, timber, steel, roofing materials, paints, finishes, and related products and services.

2. Information We Collect
Depending on how you interact with our website, we may collect:
 → Name and contact details.
 → Telephone number and email address.
 → Billing and delivery information.
 → Products, quantities, quotations, and orders requested or purchased.
 → Payment and transaction information where necessary to process payments.
 → Account and login information.
 → Messages, enquiries, reviews, comments, and other information you voluntarily submit.
 → IP address, browser type, device information, and basic technical information.
 → Website usage information, including pages visited and interactions with our website.
 → Information provided when contacting our customer support or sales team.
We only seek to collect information that is reasonably necessary for legitimate business, customer service, security, operational, or legal purposes.

3. Comments
When visitors leave comments or reviews on our website, we may collect the information provided in the comment or review form, together with the visitor’s IP address and browser user-agent information to assist with spam detection, security, and website administration.
An anonymized string created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to determine whether you use that service. After approval of a comment, your profile picture may be publicly visible in connection with your comment, depending on your Gravatar settings and the services used.

4. Media Uploads
If you upload images or other media to our website, you should avoid uploading files containing embedded location information such as EXIF GPS data where that information is not necessary.
Visitors may be able to download publicly accessible media and, depending on the file, extract embedded information.

5. How We Use Your Information
We may use personal information to:
 → Process and manage orders and purchases.
 → Prepare and respond to quotations and enquiries.
 → Arrange deliveries and communicate delivery information.
 → Process or facilitate payments.
 → Provide customer support and after-sales assistance.
 → Communicate about products, services, orders, and account activity.
 → Manage customer accounts.
 → Improve our website, products, services, and customer experience.
 → Detect, prevent, and investigate fraud, spam, abuse, and unauthorized activity.
 → Maintain website security and technical functionality.
 → Send relevant service information and, where permitted, marketing communications.
 → Meet applicable legal, regulatory, accounting, tax, and administrative obligations.

6. Cookies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, security, performance, and user experience.
Cookies may be used to:
 → Remember user preferences.
 → Maintain login sessions.
 → Support shopping cart and checkout functionality.
 → Remember information entered into forms.
 → Understand website usage and performance.
 → Support website security.
 → Assist with analytics and relevant website functionality.
If you leave a comment, your name, email address, and website may be saved in cookies for your convenience so that you do not have to re-enter the information when submitting another comment. These cookies may last for up to one year.
When you visit a login page, a temporary cookie may be used to determine whether your browser accepts cookies. This cookie does not contain personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, cookies may be used to save login information and display preferences. Login cookies may remain for a limited period depending on your account settings and website configuration. If you select “Remember Me”, your login session may remain active for an extended period.
When you log out, applicable login cookies are removed.
Additional cookies may be created when authorized users edit or publish website content. These cookies generally contain no personal information and may identify the content being edited.
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect some website functions.

7. Online Orders and Payments
When you place an order or request a quotation, we may collect information necessary to process your request, including your name, telephone number, email address, delivery address, order details, and other relevant information.
Payment information may be processed through approved payment providers or financial institutions. We may not directly store complete payment card or financial credentials where payment processing is handled by a third-party payment provider.
Customers should review the privacy and security policies of the applicable payment provider before completing a transaction.

8. Delivery Information
We may share necessary customer information with delivery personnel, logistics providers, suppliers, contractors, or other service providers where required to complete an order or provide an agreed service.
Only information reasonably necessary for the relevant transaction should be shared.

9. Embedded Content From Other Websites
Articles and pages on our website may contain embedded content such as videos, images, maps, articles, social media content, or other materials from third-party websites.
Embedded content may behave in the same way as if you had visited the third-party website directly.
Those third-party services may collect information, use cookies, employ tracking technologies, or monitor your interaction with their content in accordance with their own privacy policies.
We do not control the privacy practices of independent third-party websites.

10. Who We Share Your Data With
We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with:
 → Employees and authorized representatives.
 → Delivery and logistics providers.
 → Product suppliers and manufacturers where required to fulfil an order.
 → Payment processors and financial institutions.
 → Website hosting, security, analytics, communication, and technology service providers.
 → Professional advisers where reasonably necessary.
 → Government authorities, regulators, courts, or law-enforcement agencies where required or permitted by law.
We do not sell your personal information as a business practice.
Where we use third-party service providers, we seek to ensure that information is handled appropriately and only for legitimate purposes.

11. Password Resets and Account Security
If you request a password reset, technical information such as your IP address may be included in the password-reset communication for security and verification purposes.
You are responsible for keeping your account credentials confidential and should notify us if you believe your account has been compromised.

12. How Long We Retain Your Data
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including fulfilling orders, providing services, maintaining records, resolving disputes, preventing fraud, and meeting legal, accounting, tax, regulatory, or security requirements.
Comments and their associated metadata may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary for website administration and moderation.
For registered users, information contained in user profiles may be retained while the account remains active and for an appropriate period afterwards where necessary for legitimate business or legal purposes.
Different types of information may therefore be retained for different periods.

13. Your Rights
Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:
 → Request access to personal information we hold about you.
 → Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
 → Request deletion of personal information where there is no legitimate reason for us to retain it.
 → Request a copy or export of certain personal information you have provided to us.
 → Object to or request restriction of certain processing activities where applicable.
 → Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
 → Opt out of certain marketing communications.
These rights may be subject to legal, administrative, security, contractual, or other legitimate requirements.

14. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.
However, no website, online service, electronic communication, or data transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Customers should also take reasonable steps to protect their passwords, devices, and account information.

15. Children’s Privacy
Our online hardware and building-supply services are intended primarily for adults and businesses capable of entering into transactions.
We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children for purposes that are inappropriate or unlawful.
If you believe a child has provided personal information to us without appropriate authorization, please contact us so that the matter can be reviewed.

16. Third-Party Services
Our website may use third-party services for functions such as payment processing, delivery, analytics, spam prevention, website security, communications, maps, social media, embedded content, hosting, and other technical services.
These third parties may process information according to their own privacy policies and terms.
We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of relevant third-party services when using their features.

17. International or Cross-Border Data Processing
Some technology, hosting, payment, communication, or other service providers we use may process information outside Uganda.
Where personal information is transferred or processed outside Uganda, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that such processing is carried out for legitimate purposes and subject to appropriate safeguards where required.

18. Where Your Data Is Sent
Visitor comments may be checked through automated spam detection and security services.
Other information may be processed through third-party providers used for hosting, payment processing, communications, analytics, security, delivery, and other legitimate business functions.

19. Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to external websites operated by third parties.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security, content, or policies of external websites.
You should review the privacy policy of any third-party website before submitting personal information.

20. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, website functionality, technology, legal requirements, or business practices.
The latest version will be published on this page with the applicable effective date.

21. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise a privacy right, or have concerns about how your personal information is handled, please contact:
Leister Online Hardware & Build Supply
Website: hardware.international-contractor.com
Customer Support: Contact our sales and customer service team through the available channels on our website.
By using our website and services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.