Legal
Privacy Notice
This notice explains what personal information AL Patio Solutions & Awnings collects when you use this website, why we collect it, who we share it with and what you can ask us to do about it. It is written to meet the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
Who we are
AL Patio Solutions & Awnings ("we", "us") designs, manufactures and installs aluminium awnings, adjustable louvres, drop blinds, patio ceilings and fixed patio covers. Our head office is at 9 Oostenberg Street, Fisantekraal, Cape Town, 7570, with branches in Johannesburg, Pretoria and the Southern Cape.
For anything in this notice, contact our Information Officer at [email protected] or 021 914 1986.
What we collect, and when
When you send us a quote request
The form on this site asks for your name and phone number (required), and optionally your email address, the suburb and city your project is in, the product you are interested in and a description of the space. We only collect what a consultant needs to call you back and quote accurately. We do not ask for, and you should not send us, your ID number, banking details or any other sensitive information through this form.
When you call or WhatsApp us
If you use a phone or WhatsApp link on this site, the call or message goes directly to us on the network you are using. WhatsApp is operated by Meta and its own privacy terms apply to the message itself.
Automatically, as you browse
Our host records standard server and security information for every request, including your IP address, the pages you view, your browser and device type and the time of the visit. We also use analytics (see below) to understand which pages and which areas of the country bring us enquiries.
Why we use it, and on what basis
- To respond to your enquiry, measure and quote. Processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, and to perform that contract if you go ahead.
- To keep records of jobs, quotes and guarantees — our legitimate interest in running the business and honouring the 10-year materials guarantee.
- To keep the site secure and working, and to understand how it is used — our legitimate interest, and your consent where analytics cookies are involved.
- To meet legal obligations, such as tax and company record-keeping.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for automated decision-making or profiling.
Marketing
We contact you about the enquiry you sent us. We do not add you to a marketing list off the back of a quote request, and we do not send unsolicited electronic marketing. If we ever do start a mailing list it will be opt-in, and every message will carry an unsubscribe link.
Who else sees it
We share personal information only with the service providers we need to run the site and the business, each acting on our instructions:
- Cloudflare, Inc. — hosts and delivers this website, and filters malicious traffic. Processes request data including your IP address.
- Resend — delivers the quote form to our mailbox as an email. Processes whatever you type into the form.
- Our email and telephone providers — carry and store the enquiry once it reaches us.
- Google (Analytics, Tag Manager and Google Ads) — measures site usage and tells us which adverts produce enquiries. See "Cookies, analytics and advertising" below.
- Trustindex — displays our live Google review widget on the home page.
Some of these providers are outside South Africa, so your information may be processed abroad. Where that happens we rely on providers who are bound by data-protection terms giving a level of protection comparable to POPIA. We will also disclose information if the law requires it, or to establish or defend a legal claim.
Cookies, analytics and advertising
We use Google Analytics, loaded through Google Tag Manager, to count visits and see which pages and areas generate enquiries. It records events such as a page view, a click on a call or WhatsApp link and a completed quote form. IP addresses are anonymised by Google Analytics before storage, and we do not use the data to identify you personally.
We also advertise on Google. If you reach us from one of our adverts, Google Ads sets a cookie so that an enquiry can be credited back to the advert that produced it, and your browser stores the advert's click reference for up to 90 days so we can tell later which adverts actually turn into work. That same information lets Google show you our adverts again elsewhere. It is used to measure and place advertising — we do not sell it, and it does not tell us who you are.
When you send the quote form, your email address and phone number are converted into an irreversible code inside your own browser and that code, not the details themselves, is sent to Google to match the enquiry to an advert click. Google calls this enhanced conversions.
Visitors in the EU, the UK and Switzerland have analytics and advertising storage switched off by default, and Google estimates rather than measures those visits.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, install Google's Analytics opt-out add-on, or turn off personalised advertising in your Google Ad Centre. The site works normally either way.
How long we keep it
Enquiries that do not become jobs are kept for up to two years, so we can pick up the thread if you come back to us. Records relating to work we have carried out are kept for as long as the guarantee runs and for the periods required by tax and company law, generally five years after the last transaction. Analytics data is retained on Google's default schedule.
How we protect it
The site is served over HTTPS and the quote form is submitted over an encrypted connection. Access to enquiries is limited to the people who need it to quote and install. No system is perfectly secure, but if a breach ever affects your personal information we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
Children
This site is aimed at property owners and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Your rights
Under POPIA you may:
- ask what personal information we hold about you, and get a copy of it;
- ask us to correct or delete information that is wrong, misleading, out of date or no longer needed;
- object to processing we base on legitimate interest;
- withdraw consent where we relied on it, without affecting anything done beforehand;
- complain to us, and to the Information Regulator.
Email [email protected] and we will respond within a reasonable period. We may need to confirm who you are before releasing information.
Complaints to the regulator
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your information you may complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa: JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2001 — [email protected] — inforegulator.org.za.
Changes to this notice
If we change how we handle personal information we will update this page and the date at the top. Material changes will be noted here rather than made quietly.