Privacy Policy
1. ABOUT THIS PRIVACY POLICY
FOS Collective Pty Ltd operates the FOS Collective interior design consultancy and the Elite Interior Design Academy, also referred to as EIDA.
In this Privacy Policy, “FOS Collective”, “Elite Interior Design Academy”, “EIDA”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to FOS Collective Pty Ltd.
We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information we collect and hold.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and protect your personal information when you:
• visit or use www.foscollective.com.au or any associated website, platform or online portal operated by us;
• enquire about, book or purchase our interior design, consultancy or mentoring services;
• purchase or access courses, programs, workshops, memberships, mentoring, events or digital resources through the Elite Interior Design Academy;
• subscribe to our mailing lists or download free resources;
• communicate or otherwise interact with us.
We handle personal information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles where they apply to us.
2. WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT
The personal information we collect will depend on how you interact with us.
It may include:
• your name;
• email address;
• telephone number;
• residential, business, project or billing address;
• business name and professional details;
• payment and transaction information;
• information submitted through enquiry forms, booking forms, questionnaires and intake forms;
• details about your property, renovation, development or interior design project;
• plans, drawings, photographs, inspiration images, budgets, specifications and other project-related information you provide;
• details about architects, builders, consultants, suppliers or other professionals involved in your project;
• professional, employment, career, education and experience information provided in connection with mentoring or Academy services;
• portfolios, work samples and professional materials you choose to provide;
• course enrolment, participation and progress information;
• correspondence and communications between you and us;
• reviews, feedback and testimonials;
• marketing and communication preferences;
• information you provide when participating in surveys, competitions, promotions, workshops, events or communities;
• website usage and technical information, including IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited and interactions with our website.
We generally do not collect sensitive information unless it is reasonably necessary for our activities, you consent to its collection, or we are otherwise permitted or required by law to collect it.
3. HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION
We may collect personal information:
• directly from you when you contact us, make an enquiry, complete a form, book a service or make a purchase;
• when you create an account or enrol in an Academy product, program or service;
• when you subscribe to a newsletter or request a free resource;
• during consultations, mentoring sessions, workshops or other services;
• through email, telephone, video calls, messaging platforms and social media;
• automatically through our website using cookies, analytics tools and similar technologies;
• from third-party platforms and service providers that assist us in operating our business;
• from publicly available sources where appropriate and lawful;
• from another person where you have authorised them to provide information on your behalf.
Where reasonably practicable, we will collect personal information directly from you.
4. WHY WE COLLECT AND USE PERSONAL INFORMATION
We may collect and use your personal information to:
• respond to enquiries and communicate with you;
• assess whether our services are suitable for your needs;
• provide interior design consultancy and related services;
• prepare for and deliver consultations, mentoring, workshops and other services;
• process bookings, payments and purchases;
• provide access to courses, digital resources, educational materials, memberships and online communities;
• manage your customer or student account;
• administer our contractual relationship with you;
• provide customer service and support;
• communicate important service, booking or account information;
• improve our website, services, programs and customer experience;
• conduct internal administration, analytics and business planning;
• maintain records required for legal, accounting, insurance and operational purposes;
• prevent fraud, misuse and security incidents;
• protect and enforce our legal and intellectual property rights;
• comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
• send marketing communications where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law.
We will not use your personal information for purposes that are unrelated to the purpose for which it was collected unless you have consented or we are otherwise permitted or required to do so by law.
5. PAYMENT INFORMATION
Payments may be processed through third-party payment providers.
We may receive information confirming your payment, transaction amount and purchase details. We do not generally store complete credit or debit card details ourselves where payments are processed through a third-party payment provider.
Your payment provider will handle your payment information in accordance with its own privacy policy and terms.
6. COOKIES AND WEBSITE ANALYTICS
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:
• operate and secure the website;
• remember preferences;
• understand how visitors use the website;
• improve website functionality and performance;
• measure advertising and marketing effectiveness;
• provide relevant marketing and advertising.
Some cookies may be placed by third-party technology, analytics, advertising or website service providers.
You may be able to control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of parts of the website.
7. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
We may send you newsletters, updates, offers, educational content and other marketing communications where you have consented to receive them or where we are otherwise permitted to do so by law.
You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link contained in the communication or by contacting us directly.
Unsubscribing from marketing communications will not prevent us from sending communications that are reasonably necessary to provide a service you have purchased, administer your account or communicate with you about an existing booking or transaction.
We do not add individuals to marketing lists solely because they have made an enquiry unless we have an appropriate basis to do so.
8. WHEN WE MAY DISCLOSE PERSONAL INFORMATION
We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:
• employees, contractors and professional consultants assisting us in operating our business;
• website hosting, customer relationship management, email marketing, cloud storage, accounting and technology providers;
• payment processors and financial service providers;
• course, membership and online community platforms;
• professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants, insurers and business advisers;
• architects, builders, suppliers, tradespeople or other project professionals where this is necessary to provide a service or you have authorised the disclosure;
• government authorities, regulators, courts or law enforcement bodies where required or permitted by law;
• a purchaser, successor or adviser in connection with a genuine proposed or completed sale, merger, restructure or transfer of all or part of our business.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
9. OVERSEAS DISCLOSURE AND STORAGE
Some of the third-party technology, software, cloud storage, website, email, payment, education or business service providers we use may store or process information outside Australia.
As a result, your personal information may be stored or processed in countries outside Australia, including jurisdictions in which our technology and service providers operate or maintain infrastructure.
Where applicable, we will take reasonable steps required by Australian privacy law in relation to the overseas handling or disclosure of personal information.
The privacy and data protection laws of another country may differ from those applying in Australia.
10. HOW WE PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
We take reasonable administrative, technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
These measures may include password protection, access controls, secure technology providers, appropriate document storage and limiting access to information to those who reasonably require it.
However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. To the extent permitted by law, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted electronically.
11. RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to:
• provide our services;
• manage our relationship with you;
• maintain appropriate business and project records;
• comply with legal, tax, accounting and insurance obligations;
• manage disputes and protect our legal rights.
When personal information is no longer reasonably required and we are not legally required to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or de-identify it.
12. ACCESS AND CORRECTION
You may request access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
To make a request, please contact us using the details at the end of this Privacy Policy.
We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.
In some circumstances, the law may permit us to refuse access. Where required, we will provide reasons for doing so.
13. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND SERVICES
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services and platforms.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of third-party websites or services. You should review the relevant third party's privacy policy before providing personal information.
14. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
Our services are primarily intended for adults.
We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children where parental or guardian consent is legally required.
Where a parent or guardian provides information relating to a child in connection with a legitimate service or enquiry, that information will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
15. DATA BREACHES
We take suspected data breaches seriously.
Where a data breach occurs, we will assess and respond to the incident in accordance with our legal obligations.
Where the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme applies and a breach is likely to result in serious harm, we will make any notifications required by law.
16. COMPLAINTS
If you have a question or complaint regarding how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate and respond.
We will aim to address privacy complaints within a reasonable period.
Where the Privacy Act applies to us and you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
17. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business practices, technology, services or legal obligations.
The current version will be published on our website with the applicable effective or updated date.
18. CONTACT US
For questions, privacy requests or complaints, please contact:
FOS Collective Pty Ltd
Trading as:
FOS Collective
Elite Interior Design Academy
Website: www.foscollective.com.au
Email: info@foscollective.com.au
ABN: 89 655 956 013