Privacy policy

We are Buzztime Electronics, a device repair shop at 141 Auburn Road, Hawthorn. When you book a repair, walk in with a broken laptop, or send us an email, you end up handing over a bit of personal information. This page explains what we collect, why we need it, and what we do with it. We have tried to keep it in plain English rather than the usual wall of legal text nobody reads.

If anything here is unclear, give us a call on 03 9822 3481 and we will talk you through it.

What we collect

Depending on how you deal with us, we might collect:

  • Your name, phone number, and email address
  • Details about your device and what is wrong with it
  • Notes from the repair, including what we found and what we did
  • Payment details when you pay for a job (handled through our payment provider, not stored by us)
  • Booking information when you book a time through our online booking page
  • Anything you tell us in an email, a phone call, or the contact form on our website

We only ask for what we actually need to do the job and stay in touch with you about it. We do not go fishing for information we have no use for.

How we collect it

Most of the time you give it to us directly, when you drop a device in, call us, email us, fill in our contact form, or book a repair online. Our website also collects some basic, anonymous information about how visitors use the site (more on that under cookies below).

Why we collect it and how we use it

We use your information to:

  • Diagnose and repair your device
  • Give you a quote and take payment
  • Contact you about your repair, including when it is ready
  • Keep a record of the work for warranty purposes
  • Send you our newsletter, if you have signed up for it
  • Answer your questions and sort out any issues

That is the lot. We do not use your details for anything you would not reasonably expect from a repair shop you have handed a device to.

Your data on devices we repair

When you bring in a device, there is often a whole life on it, photos, emails, documents, passwords, the works. We treat that data as yours and private, and we only access what we need to in order to do the repair or confirm it is working.

A few things worth knowing:

  • Where a repair carries any risk to your files, we will recommend backing up first, and we will always ask before doing anything that could affect your data.
  • Any backup we take to protect your data during a job is kept only as long as needed and then removed.
  • If we recover data for you, we handle it confidentially and hand it back to you and only you.
  • When you ask us to securely wipe or recycle an old device, we erase the data properly so it cannot be pulled back off later.

We do not go poking through your files out of curiosity, and we do not share what is on your device with anyone. If we ever come across something during a repair that we are legally obliged to report, that is the only exception, and it is a rare one.

Who we share it with

We keep your information in-house wherever we can. The exceptions are the trusted services we use to actually run the business, and only where it is needed:

  • Our payment provider, to process card payments securely
  • Our accounting and invoicing software, to raise quotes and invoices
  • Our repair management system, to track your job
  • Our booking system, when you book online
  • Our newsletter platform, if you have subscribed

These providers only get what they need to do their part, and they are bound by their own privacy obligations. We do not sell your personal information to anyone, and we never will. If we are ever legally required to hand over information, for example under a court order, we will comply, but that is the only time your details leave our control beyond the services above.

Marketing and our newsletter

If you have signed up for our newsletter, we will send you the occasional update, repair tips, what is new in the shop, that sort of thing. We will not bury you in emails, and every newsletter has an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Click it and you are off the list, no questions asked. You can also just reply and ask us to take you off, or call the shop.

How we store and protect it

We take reasonable steps to keep your information safe from loss, misuse, and unauthorised access. That means secure systems, access limited to the people who need it, and sensible day-to-day practices. No system is ever completely bulletproof, but we treat your information the way we would want ours treated.

We keep your information for as long as we need it, mainly for warranty and record-keeping, and then dispose of it securely when it is no longer needed.

Cookies and website analytics

Our website uses cookies and basic analytics to understand how people use the site so we can make it better, which pages get visited, roughly where visitors come from, that kind of thing. This is anonymous and not tied to you personally. If you would rather not have cookies, most browsers let you block or delete them in the settings, though a few parts of the site may not work quite as smoothly.

Getting to your information or correcting it

You are entitled to ask what personal information we hold about you and to ask us to correct it if something is wrong. Just get in touch and we will sort it out. We may need to confirm who you are first, so we are not handing your details to someone pretending to be you. There is normally no charge for this.

Making a complaint

If you think we have mishandled your personal information, tell us first. Call us on 03 9822 3481 or email help@buzztimeelectronics.com.au and we will do our best to put it right. We take this seriously and would much rather hear about it and fix it.

If you are not happy with how we have handled your complaint, you can take it to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). They ask that you give us a chance to respond first, generally around 30 days. You can reach the OAIC on 1300 363 992 or through their website at oaic.gov.au.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time as the business changes or the law does. When we do, we will update the date at the top of the page. It is worth having a quick look now and then if you want to stay across it.

Contact us

Buzztime Electronics
141 Auburn Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122
Phone: 03 9822 3481
Email: help@buzztimeelectronics.com.au
Website: buzztimeelectronics.com.au