Privacy Statement

Van Thiel United is responsible for processing your personal data.

The lawfulness of processing and the security and confidentiality of personal data is essential to us.

We therefore treat your personal data in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR")) and the Act of 30 July 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data.

The term "processing" means every possible action that can be taken with regard to your personal data, from its collection to its communication to its destruction.

The definitions and terms in this statement are interpreted in accordance with the GDPR.

We may process certain personal data for the purpose of profiling, for example to tailor our services more closely to your interests or to gain insight into the use of our website. This profiling does not lead to automated decisions with significant consequences for you. You can object to this processing of your data at any time.

General

The processing of your personal data only relates to and is limited to the services offered by us through our website.

Subject to the exception set out below, we do not collect personal data on the basis of which you can be directly identified, unless you have given your consent or you provide us with such personal data, including by entering into an agreement via the website, filling in the form on our website or when you contact us directly by e-mail. In particular, it concerns the following personal data:

You are solely responsible for the accuracy of the data you communicate with us and/or enter. You will understand that we cannot contact you, for example, if you choose not to disclose your personal data to us.

Processing of personal data collected through cookies

Through cookies, we automatically collect certain personal data, on the basis of which you may be identified, which is necessary for the proper functioning and security of our website. Personal data collected through such functional cookies is processed on the basis of our legitimate interest. This is described in more detail in our cookie statement.

Whenever we rely on legitimate interest as the legal basis for processing personal data, we always carry out a balancing test in which we assess whether our interests outweigh your fundamental rights and freedoms.

Our legitimate interest consists of:

• communicating efficiently with customers;
• improving our services;
• promoting similar services.

We always weigh the interests involved, and your rights prevail where they carry more weight.

We take appropriate measures to limit the impact on your privacy, such as data minimisation and transparency about the processing.

Non-functional cookies are only set after we have obtained your free, specific, informed and unambiguous consent through our cookie banner.

You have the option to:

• accept or refuse cookies per category;
• withdraw your consent at any time;
• refuse cookies as easily as you accept them.

You can read more about the way cookies are used on our website and the specific cookies (potentially) set by our website in our cookie statement.

Please note that certain features of our website may not be available if you refuse the placement of certain cookies.

Purposes not provided for in this privacy statement

If we intend to carry out any processing of your personal data for a purpose not provided for in the privacy notice, we will contact you at the e-mail address you provide to inform you of this new processing and its purpose, giving you the opportunity to refuse such processing.

Communication of personal data

All personal data will be kept strictly confidential and will under no circumstances be communicated to third parties, unless we have obtained explicit prior consent or in case of communication of this personal data to our external technical service providers and/or sub-processors for the proper functioning of our website.

Transfer of personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA)

In the course of our services, personal data may be transferred to parties outside the European Economic Area (for example to the United States), such as when using services from Google, Microsoft or Meta.

We ensure that such transfers take place in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, for example by:

• relying on adequacy decisions of the European Commission (such as the EU-US Data Privacy Framework), or
• concluding Standard Contractual Clauses.

You can contact us at any time for more information about these safeguards.

Recipients

Your data may be shared with:

• IT and hosting providers;
• software suppliers;
• marketing tools (such as Google, Microsoft or Meta);
• professional advisers (accountant, legal adviser).

These parties process data solely on our instructions and under contractual safeguards.

Service providers

These external service providers fall into the following categories: IT service providers, hosting service providers, software developers or providers and accountant or bookkeeper.

As mentioned in our cookie statement, you can always withdraw the consent you have given to us to set non-functional cookies by clicking the button at the top of the cookie statement.

The withdrawal of your consent is not possible for the processing operations necessary for the performance of a contract or the processing operations necessary for the protection of our legitimate interests or those of a third party. Therefore, the withdrawal does not affect these processing operations.

The withdrawal of your consent shall not affect the lawfulness of the processing operations that have already been carried out on the basis of your consent before its withdrawal.

This means that we keep your personal data for up to five years after you ended our contractual relationship. This period is subject to special legal provisions providing for a shorter or longer duration.

The personal data processed by us to respond to the question/comment submitted via an input form on our website or after receiving an e-mail, will be kept for a maximum of one year after sending the message or unsubscribing from the newsletter.

A quote request made through the web shop or the scaffold calculator is kept with your contact details for a maximum of one year. After that we delete the request; if you have a customer account, only the list of materials, without contact details, remains visible in My requests.

If you apply through our Careers page (Werken bij), we use your details, your motivation and your CV only for the application procedure. The form sends them by e-mail to Van Thiel United and stores them in the protected inbox of Van Thiel United, where your application and your CV are deleted automatically 120 days after receipt. We keep a copy received by e-mail until no later than four weeks after the procedure has ended, unless you agree to us keeping it longer.

Feddy, digital assistant

Van Thiel United uses your question and recent conversation context to answer you through its AI provider. Do not enter personal details in the chat. The visible conversation stays in this tab. Only if you enable the separate improvement choice do we store new questions and answers from that point for up to 60 days after the last saved turn, to improve the assistant; not for automatic model training or marketing. You can chat without this choice. Turn it off under Privacy & chat data to stop new improvement storage and erase previously saved turns from this conversation. A technical block without conversation content remains for up to 60 days to prevent late writes. Earlier conversations are not retrospectively given consent. For erasure requests about an older conversation, contact info@thiel.nl. A contact request you review and confirm is separate and is available for follow-up for up to 30 days.

The retention period of cookies can be found in our cookie statement.

1. Storing cookies

We strive to inform you clearly about the manner in which cookies are used on our websites and how they are stored on your device (computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.) in order to make your visit to our websites a more pleasant one and to better tailor it to your needs and preferences.

2. What are cookies and why do we use them?

Cookies are small data or text files that are placed and stored on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies help us optimise your visit to our website through a number of useful tasks, such as improving the security of our website and for purposes of the overall user experience. For example, the website can remember the pages you have visited and your preferences (such as your username, language, font size and other preferences), so that you do not have to enter these every time you visit the website. Other cookies are used to analyse information, such as the number of visits to a website. There are also cookies that are used for marketing purposes.

To enable the optimal use of our website, it is therefore advisable to activate and/or accept cookies on our computer or mobile device. Otherwise, we will not be able to guarantee a problem-free visit to our website, as there is the risk that your visit will be interrupted or slowed down and that you will not have access to certain areas of a website or will be unable to use them. However, if you prefer to remove or block the cookies, this can be done in your browser settings.

Although most internet browsers are configured to accept cookies, you can remove cookies already placed and limit or block the placement of new cookies by changing your browser settings. The manner in which the browser settings are changed is different for every browser. More information about your browser settings can be found at aboutcookies.org or in the "Help" menu of your internet browser.

However, if you remove or block cookies, this will mean that you will need to re-enter your preferences during every visit and that some areas of the website may not function at all or function properly.

3. Which cookies do we use?

On our websites, [session-based (temporary cookies that disappear as soon as you close the browser) and permanent cookies (cookies that remain on your computer even after you close the browser)] are used for the following purposes: [Processes: Process cookies allow the website to function and provide services you expect, such as navigation, access to secure areas, etc. Since the website would not function properly without them, process cookies are essential] [Preferences: Preference cookies allow the website to remember your preferences related to the website, such as language, font size, etc. These cookies are not necessary, but they do improve the user experience as you do not have to re-enter your preferences every time][Security: Security cookies are used to authenticate you, prevent fraudulent use of login data, protect user data, etc. These cookies are essential for our secure websites][Advertisement: Advertising cookies tailor the advertisements that appear on a website to you as the user in order to collect specific information on you, such as the type of websites you have visited, the choices you have made on websites, etc. This information is used to determine what kinds of advertisements are shown. Our advertising partners include the following:

Google LLC
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
United States
https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-7329
United States

Facebook Ireland Limited
4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour Dublin 2, Ireland
VAT Reg. No. IE9692928F
https://www.facebook.com/privacy

][Performance: Performance cookies collect information on how you use a website. This information includes the pages you visit most often, your activity on the website and how often you return. The information collected is normally used and analysed anonymously (using Google Analytics) for statistical purposes in order to improve the website and surfing experience.

If you do not want information on your website visit to be forwarded to Google Analytics, you can download and install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=nl) downloaden en installeren.]

4. Visitor statistics without cookies

On this site we count visits ourselves, without cookies and without storing anything on your device. We only record which page is viewed, the website you came from (only the name of that site), campaign codes in the link, the type of device, the language and a number of fixed actions, such as making a calculation or adding an item to the quote list. We do not store IP addresses, browser details, text you enter or prices. To count visitors per day, we derive a code from your IP address and browser that changes every day; that code and its key are deleted at the end of the day. What remains are daily totals, which we keep for 25 months. Only Van Thiel United can view the figures; they are not shared with others. If Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track is switched on in your browser, we do not count your visit.

Right of access, rectification and data erasure

You have the right to obtain access to the personal data we process about you. This means you can ask which data we hold about you and for which purposes it is used.

You also have the right to have incorrect or incomplete personal data rectified or completed.

You can also request the erasure of your personal data ("right to be forgotten"). We will erase your personal data when:

• it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected;
• you withdraw your consent and there is no other legal basis for the processing;
• you object to the processing and there are no overriding compelling legitimate grounds.

Erasure of your personal data is not possible, however, if the processing is necessary:

• for the performance of a contract; or
• for the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal claim.

Limitation of processing

You have the right to have the processing of your personal data restricted in certain cases, for example when:

• you contest the accuracy of the data;
• the processing is unlawful and you oppose erasure;
• we no longer need the data, but you need it for a legal claim.

Where processing is restricted, we may only store your personal data, unless:

• you consent to further processing;
• the processing is necessary for a legal claim;
• or it serves to protect the rights of another person.

Transferability of personal data

You have the right to obtain the personal data relating to you that you have provided to us, or to have that data transferred. Such acquisition or transfer is not possible if the processing of your personal data is necessary for the conclusion and/or performance of a contract or the substantiation or defence of a legal claim. You have the right to have the personal data you have provided to us yourself:

• provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format;
• or transferred to another controller.

This right only applies to processing based on consent or on the performance of a contract and carried out by automated means.

Automated decision-making

You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing if it produces legal effects on you or significantly affects you. This is not possible if this decision is necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract or is based on your consent.

Objection

You have a right to object to the processing of your personal data (1) necessary for our legitimate interests, provided there are reasons specifically related to your situation and (2) for the purpose of direct marketing. Where appropriate, your personal data will no longer be processed for these purposes, except for the processing referred to in (1) provided that we invoke compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which outweigh your interests, rights and freedoms or which are related to the establishment, exercise or substantiation of a legal claim.

Right to withdraw consent

Where the processing of your personal data is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

Withdrawing your consent:

• does not affect the lawfulness of the processing carried out before the withdrawal;
• only has consequences for future processing.

If we believe that you are not entitled to exercise any of these rights, we will notify you in writing.

• to improve our services;
• to analyse user behaviour at an aggregated level;
• without taking solely automated decisions that produce legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affect you.

If AI systems are used that could have such an impact, we will inform you in advance and, where required, ask for your consent. Your personal data is not used to train AI systems beyond the purposes described in this privacy statement, unless you have given your explicit consent.

Digital assistant (Feddy). On our website you can ask questions to a digital assistant. Your question and the answer are kept, together with the language, the topic and the time, under a random conversation number in order to improve the assistant; not for any other purpose. We do not store a name, IP address or account details with it, unless you type them into the chat yourself; please do not enter personal details in the chat. These conversations are kept for up to 60 days after the last saved turn. To understand your question we use a language model from OpenAI via Netlify; that model only receives your question and fragments of our public website, no customer or contact details, and your questions are not used to train the model. A contact request sent through the assistant is kept for 30 days for follow-up by sales.

Under no circumstances can we be held responsible for any direct or indirect damage resulting from an erroneous or unlawful use by a third party of your personal data.

If your usual place of residence or workplace is not in Belgium, you have the additional option of filing a complaint with the supervisory authority of the relevant member state.

Van Thiel United
Bosscheweg 38 
5741 SX Beek en Donk
Nederland
+31 (0)492 469060
info@thiel.nl
NL009094933B01