1. Your safety is our top priority
1.1 General information
At BERNINA, we are committed to respecting the privacy of the users of our websites. This Privacy Policy, in conjunction with the Terms and Conditions of Use, forms the basis for the treatment of personal information on the websites bernina.com and inspiration.bernina.com. The paragraphs below provide information about the type of user information collected by BERNINA and how this information is used. BERNINA complies with applicable data protection rights at all times and only processes personal information for the purposes for which the information was provided. Responsibility for data processing lies with BERNINA International AG.
The Terms and Conditions of Use of the website and the legal requirements on privacy and data protection are adapted, supplemented or amended from time to time. Each time you access or visit the website, the versions accessible at that time apply. Please visit this page every time you visit the site to view the latest Terms and Conditions of Use.
By using the websites bernina.com or inspiration.bernina.com, you acknowledge and consent to the use of your personal information as stated in this Privacy Policy. If you do not consent to these provisions, please do not provide BERNINA with any personal information.
1.2 How does this policy apply to residents of countries other than Canada?
These Online Services are designed exclusively for users located in Canada. If you are located outside Canada, please select your applicable local BERNINA website with respect to your local laws and applicable privacy policy terms and conditions (https://www.bernina.com/en-CA/Footer-en-CA/Country-Selector/Find-a-country). If you are located outside of Canada and you continue to use this website, you accept that your local laws and privacy policy terms and conditions will not apply.
2. Type of information collected
On visiting the BERNINA website, there is no automatic collection of personal information about the user, such as name, address telephone number or email address unless this information is provided voluntarily by the user by filling in a form on the website or making contact with us in another way via the site. Data collection and analysis also applies to information you provide to us when you subscribe to one of our services or if you require other services. In addition, we may keep records of correspondence if you make contact with us.
BERNINA constantly strives to make our website more interesting for all our users. For this reason, statistical visitor data is collected each time the website is visited to establish which pages of the website are visited most frequently by each user. This includes the collection of data regarding the browser, operating system, weblogs and other connection data used by the user, irrespective of whether its collection is required for our or other purposes. In this context, it is sometimes necessary to use cookies.
3. Use of cookies
Like many other websites, BERNINA uses cookies on this website. Cookies are small pieces of text information, which are stored by your browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox) on your computer's hard drive. These cookies are completely anonymised and contain no personal information. Most of the cookies used by BERNINA are deleted from your hard drive at the end of the browser session (so-called session cookies). Other cookies remain on your computer and make it possible for BERNINA to recognize your computer the next time you visit (so-called permanent cookies). Cookies simplify your use of the BERNINA website and are used to make the BERNINA website pleasant and easier to use in operating it. They are used, for example, in the Welcome involving your user name, make it easy to fill in forms with your data and remember your language selection or products in the shopping cart.
At no time is spy software installed or used to gain access to data and information stored on your computer.
Cookies make it easier for you to use the BERNINA website and contain no personal information about the user. Most browsers automatically accept cookies. However, you can configure your browser so that it does not accept or store cookies. Details of how to do this can be found in the operating instructions or help files of your browser.
If you opt out of the use of cookies, your ability to use every function on this website to its fullest extent could be limited.
4. Use of information
The anonymized data that are retained when accessing our website via cookies can be used for purposes of analysis and for optimizing the website in conjunction with third party services. As a result, these third parties can - to a limited extent - themselves collect personal data about BERNINA users, provided that they recognize them, for instance, by means of their own cookies or logins.
4.1 Google Analytics
The BERNINA website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses so-called "cookies", text files that are stored on your computer and enable your use of the website to be analysed. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website is usually transmitted to and stored on a Google server in the USA. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data. BERNINA has also activated the "anonymizeIP" configuration for Google Analytics on this website. This ensures that IP addresses are processed in truncated form, to prevent specific users from being identified. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server in the USA and truncated there.
Google will use this information on behalf of BERNINA to analyse your use of the website for BERNINA, to compile reports regarding website activity and to provide other services related to website and Internet usage (in particular functions for display advertising, such as remarketing, reports on Google Display Network impressions, DoubleClick Campaign manager integration and Google Analytics demographic and interest reports).
Under certain circumstances, Google may analyse your usage behaviour over several end devices (PC, smartphone, tablet etc.) and evaluate it for BERNINA using so-called cross-device functions. For this, Google may link information generated by the respective end devices for the purpose of personalised advertising with other such data and with data from your Google Account, if you have a Google Account and your preferences are set to allow Google to link the browsing history to the Google Account and use information from the Google Account to personalise the advertising you receive.
You can prevent Google Analytics cookies from being stored on your computer by selecting the relevant settings in your browser. However, please note that, if you do this, you may not be able to utilise the full functionality of this website. You can also prevent Google from collecting and processing the data generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available from the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
As an alternative to the browser plug-in or in browsers on mobile devices, you can click the following link to set an opt-out cookie that will prevent Google Analytics data collection from this website in the future (this opt-out cookie only works in this browser and for this domain; if you delete your cookies in this browser, you will have to click this link again): Click here to set your opt-out cookie.
4.2 Google AdWords conversion tracking
This website also uses Google AdWords conversion tracking, a web analysis service by Google, Inc., for improving the website and the advertising activities. The cookie for conversion tracking is set when a user clicks on an ad controlled by Google. These cookies become invalid after 30 days and are not used for personal identification. If you visit certain pages of our website within these 30 days, both we and Google in the USA can recognize that you clicked on the ad and were routed to this site. Every Google AdWords customer gets a different cookie. As a result, cookies cannot be tracked via the websites of AdWords customers. The information obtained by conversion cookies is used to generate conversion statistics for us. We learn the total number of users who clicked on our ad and were routed to our site. However, we do not receive any information by which you can be personally identified.
If you do not want to participate in the tracking, you can simply disable the Google conversion tracking cookie in your web browser's user settings. In that case you are not included in the conversion tracking statistics. Additional setting options can be found on the web page about disabling Google ads at https://www.google.com/policies/technologies/ads/.
4.3 Use of A/B testing by Visual Website Optimizer
Less frequently, the BERNINA website uses the Visual Website Optimizer web analysis service by Wingify Software Private Limited, Inc., which is used for A/B and multi-version tests. This service uses cookies to identify a user's browser and to analyze the use of this website. The cookies placed by Visual Website Optimizerv do not collect personal data.
More information about how Visual Website Optimizer processes your data can be found at https://vwo.com/privacy-policy/. You can disable Visual Website Optimizer tracking at any time by following the instructions at https://vwo.com/opt-out/.
4.4 Web shop inspiration.bernina.com
If you wish to order something from our web shop, in order to conclude the contract, you are required to provide the personal data necessary to process your order (mandatory information). The mandatory information required to process the order is marked separately; all other information is voluntary. We process the data you provide for the purpose of processing your order.
You can also voluntarily create a customer account, enabling us to save your data for further purchases. When you create a customer account, the optional data you have provided and your previous purchases will be stored unless consent is revoked. One of the advantages of this is that you can download digital content you have purchased (e.g. a digital edition of our customer magazine) from your customer account at any time.
If you order print media, we will pass on your details to Medienwerkstatt AG, Steinackerstrasse 8, 8583 Sulgen, Switzerland. Medienwerkstatt AG is responsible for shipping single issues ordered and issues covered by a subscription. If you pay by credit card or PayPal, we will pass on your payment details to the payment service provider SIX Payment Services AG, Hardturmstrasse 201, 8021 Zürich, Switzerland. Credit card information is stored and processed exclusively by SIX Payment Services AG. BERNINA does not save or process your credit card information. If you choose to pay by invoice, the invoice will be issued by Medienwerkstatt AG.
Due to commercial and tax regulations, we are obliged to save your address, payment and order data for a period of ten years. Your data will be deleted when the purpose for which the data was collected no longer applies and there is no legal basis for its continued storage. In your customer account, you can edit or delete all optional data yourself under "Addresses" or "Profile data". Your entire customer account can be deleted on request (which you can send to [email protected], for example). More information about your information and consent revocation rights is available in Section 9 of this privacy policy.
If you open a customer account, we will link the data you provided when you opened the account and the purchases made with other information that we have stored about you in a customer profile. In doing so, we comply with the principle of purpose limitation and only link data that has been collected for the same purposes (e.g. for personalized advertising).
4.5 Data sent to BERNINA
Information that you provide to BERNINA yourself as a user of the website may be used by BERNINA and companies affiliated with BERNINA in order to improve the BERNINA website and to provide individual support to the user. This also includes sending the user items such as information, offers or notifications regarding BERNINA's product range and services.
4.6 Server location
The personal information collected is transmitted and stored in Austria (location of the server). The information will be treated in Switzerland and in accordance with the applicable Swiss data protection regulations. However, the information may be processed outside of Switzerland by personnel working for us or for our suppliers. By providing your personal information, you consent to the transmission, storage and processing of your information in accordance with these data protection regulations.
5. Social media content
BERNINA may use social media plugins, e.g. by Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, on this website. These platforms have their own privacy policies over which BERNINA has no control.
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
If you are logged in at a social media provider's site while simultaneously visiting our site, the possibility of the provider matching the visit to your network account cannot be ruled out. If you use the plugin functions (e.g. clicking on the "Like" button, posting a comment), this information is similarly transmitted from your browser directly to the particular social network and possibly stored there. The purpose and the extent of the collection, further processing and use of the data by the networks can be found in the privacy policy notices of Facebook, Twitter and Google.
If the user does not want any of these plugins to be loaded, it is recommended to log out of the particular social media service. In addition, various browsers can be set or upgraded with add-ons (e.g. Facebook blocker) so that the social media plugins are not loaded.
6. Disclosure of information
BERNINA and its subsidiaries and affiliates within the Group use your personal information in accordance with these data protection regulations and will not disclose it to third parties.
Exceptions to this are if you have consented to the disclosure of information to companies not affiliated to BERNINA or if BERNINA is required by law, by a government authority or a court to do so. Another exception is if service providers are engaged to support BERNINA in data processing, administering the website or in another capacity or to provide you with products and services you have requested. These third parties are obliged to maintain the same degree of security and data protection as BERNINA.
7. Children as users of the website
A note to children and their parents: children are increasingly using the Internet. Parents should ensure that their children do not submit any personal information about themselves or their parents to BERNINA. However, if personal information is transmitted by children to BERNINA, we ask parents to contact BERNINA if they want the information to be deleted. The relevant information will then be deleted as soon as possible.
8. Data security
The transmission of data over the Internet is unfortunately not absolutely secure. In order to protect your information, BERNINA only collaborates with service providers and Internet providers that take appropriate technical and organisational security measures. However, BERNINA cannot guarantee the security of the data transmitted by you as a user. Any transmission of data is undertaken at your own risk.
9. Your information and withdrawal rights
You have the option of informing BERNINA at any time - for example, by email - that your information should in future no longer be used to contact you. You can also cancel your participation in particular services of the BERNINA website, such as the newsletter service, at any time.
In addition, you are also able to obtain information on the processing of information or to request a copy of your personal information that has been collected about you via our website. Please send your request in writing to BERNINA International AG, Seestrasse 161, 8266 Steckborn, Switzerland or [email protected].
10. Final provisions
If the individual provisions or parts of these Privacy Policy should prove to be invalid or ineffective, the validity of the rest of the Privacy Policy will not be affected.
The jurisdiction and applicable law are as stated in the Terms and Conditions of Use.
Last updated: April 30th, 2020