Merced Travel Privacy Policy

Merced Travel is committed to help you understand how we try to protect your privacy.  We have taken many steps trying to help safeguard customer information we obtain.

This privacy policy ("Privacy Policy") seeks to inform you of our policies and practices and choices you can make about how your information is collected and how that information is used. This is a policy, stating what we try to do. It is not a contract obligation on our part. However, pursuant to this policy you grant certain consents, licenses and exclusions and limitations of liability.

Signature Travel Network Cooperative, Inc., a California consumer cooperative corporation ("Signature") operates the email program for Merced Travel. Signature collects, uses and discloses personal information it may receive from your visit to this Site or use of Signature-managed pages, accessed from Merced Travel's web site or pages therein. By using this Site, you consent to Signature's collection, use, and disclosure of your information as described below. Please review this policy. If there is any part you do not agree with, or if you do not think this policy provides enough protection, you should immediately exit this Site and not remain or visit it. If there is information you do not wish to consent to our receipt, collection or use of, you should not use or remain at this Site. (Some information may have been collected from your visit thus far).

If you have questions or concerns regarding this policy, you may contact the Signature office at [email protected]. If you have a Customer Service issue, please contact us.

2.  Information Gathering Practices

1. Voluntary disclosure of personal information. We collect contact information you voluntarily provide, such as your name, address, phone, email address and travel preferences.
2. Previously disclosed information. When entering this Site, you confirmed you are a customer of Merced Travel, which is a Signature agency. You previously provided some personal information to Merced Travel. Use of this Site requires disclosure of personal information. You are given a choice to either (i) let Signature obtain and transfer to this Site, information you previously provided to Merced Travel; or (ii) enter new information yourself. You indicate your choice by clicking on whichever of these options you select, at the appropriate screen in this Site.
3. Account information. When you create a profile, we ask for your personal information, such as your name, username, password, zip code and email address. We may store this information.
4. Activity and log data. We automatically store information related to your use of this Site, such as pages you visit, order of those pages, time spent on each page, date and time of your visit, browser type, IP address, and operating system. These are only examples; technology may let us collect and store many other kinds of data about your visit, use and activities at the Site. We may use this information to do statistical analyses of user behavior and characteristics to measure interest in and use of the various areas of the Site, or other purposes. New uses could emerge; in the future we could use the information in ways or to do things we do not currently do.
5. Comments. You can email comments to us at [email protected]. We may store these communications, including personal information you include in them, so we can effectively respond to you.
6. It is possible that we collect other types of information not listed above, for example, metadata, and possible new kinds of information will be derived in the future that we would collect.
7. We collect any information you enter on our site, or that your device provides to our site, or that you give us in any other way.

3.  "Cookies" and Other Web Technologies
We use "cookies" to try to improve the quality of our service, make the Site easier to use, and protect you and Signature. "Cookies" are small pieces of information a website sends to your device's hard drive while you view the site. Through cookies, we obtain non-personal information to help identify and track visitors, their use of this Site, and their access preferences. Personally identifiable information is not extracted in this process. If you do not want cookies placed on your device, you should set the browser on the device to refuse cookies before using the Site. You can remove or block cookies using settings in your browser, but in some cases that may impact your ability to access and/or use some areas of this Site.

4.  How We Use Your Information

1. Personal information. If you give us information, we may use it to provide you information on services and programs we offer. We may use your IP address to help us identify you and gather information for statistical purposes. Information you provide us, we may provide to our agency(s) of whom you are or have been a client, to update their information about you. We may use information you provide us, to update any information about you that was provided by our agency(s) for use in sending you information on their behalf.
   
2. Previously disclosed information. If you previously disclosed information to Signature or a agency, we may transfer it to this Site. We may use this information to register your use of the Site. We may also use it for promotional and marketing purposes.
   
3. Third party service providers. Third party service providers, such as for web management, consulting, service and repair of our information technology equipment, access and usage, may have access to information you provide, in performing their service for us.
   
4. Third party advertising. Third parties may advertise on our Site. We do not disclose any individualized personal information to them, but they may have access to information they obtain through cookies or that you share with them.
   
5. Signature travel agency. We may share your information with Merced Travel. We do not sell, trade or transfer information to others outside travel agencies and service providers of Signature.
   
6. Administration. We may use information for administrative purposes, such as investigating abuses on the Site, responding to inquiries, and enforcing and applying our policies.  We reserve the right to investigate abuses on this Site and enforce or apply our policies.
   
7. Investigation. We may use or disclose information if we have a good faith belief that doing so is to satisfy a law, regulation or legal request, subpoena, court discovery requirement, to protect integrity of our Site, or cooperate with law enforcement, government or public safety investigation or request. We can cooperate with a government or public safety request even if not legally compelled to.
   
8. Request or consent. We may share information if you ask or consent to us doing so. If information concerns multiple persons (like information on a couple identified as Mr. and Mrs.), we may share information on both if either of the persons asks or consents.
   
9. Aggregate information. We may use non-personal information to customize content you see, improve our services, conduct research, and provide anonymous aggregated reporting for internal analysis, audits and third parties.
   
10. Merger or acquisition. If we merge with, acquire or are acquired by another entity, or agree to do so, the successor or potential successor entity will have access to the information maintained through this Site. The successor entity could have different policies, or could choose to modify these policies.

5.  Accuracy/Correction/Updating of Information
You control the accuracy of information you provide us. We encourage you to review information for accuracy before you send it to us. To update or correct information, please update your profile on the site, contact your travel agent/agency or send your request in an email to [email protected]. You may also ask us to delete or to correct information or to stop using information you provided, by emailing a request to [email protected] or by managing your profile on the site directly.

6.  Choice/Opt-Out
You may ask us to remove your information from our database and not receive future communications. To do this, please update your information in your profile on the site, click the unsubscribe link in any email message you receive or contact your agent/agency or send your request in an email to [email protected]. You may ask us if we maintain information on you and/or request a copy of data stored about you by emailing a request to [email protected].  

7.  Security
We make some efforts to protect personal information. For example, this Site has security measures to reduce the risk of loss, misuse and alteration of information under our control. Our security measures are updated and tested from time to time. We do not claim to have the most advanced or best possible security measures. Moreover, neither our security measures, nor any security measures, provide 100% certainty against all risks. Inadvertent disclosure is possible. Technology changes, computer hackers, dishonesty by persons with access, and human error are examples why it is impossible for us, or anyone, to absolutely guarantee your information cannot ever be accessed or disclosed. Accordingly, WE AND OUR DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, TRAVEL AGENCIES AND REPRESENTATIVES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR LOSS, INJURY OR DAMAGE ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION. Please do not disclose any information that is so confidential or personal that its release would cause you injury.

8.  Contests
When you enter a contest or other promotional feature on the Site, we may ask for your Personal Information so we can administer the contest and notify winners. Participation in contests is voluntary and you therefore have a choice whether or not to disclose the required information.

9.  Policy Regarding Children
This Site is not intended for use by those under age 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under age 18. If we learn we collected personal information from someone who, at the time we learn this, is under 18, we will try to delete that information. If you believe we may have information from someone under age 18, please tell us at [email protected]. (By emailing us, we may receive personal information about you). If you are under age 18, do not use this Site.

10.  Online Surveys
We value opinions and comments from Merced Travel customers. You may have the opportunity to give us feedback through Site surveys. In conducting surveys, we may ask for your Personal Information so we can appropriately identify you. Survey and Personal Information collected will be aggregated and used to try to make improvements to the Site and improve Merced Travel products and services. Participation in surveys is voluntary and you therefore have a choice whether or not to disclose the required information.

11.  Linked Internet Sites
Other Internet sites which link to this Site may have privacy policies or practices that differ from this Policy. Merced Travel is not responsible for privacy practices or content of other sites. We encourage you to be aware when you leave this Site and to read the privacy statements of each website that collects personally identifiable information. This Privacy Statement applies only to information collected by this Site or us.

12.  Information Transfers
We may transfer information we collect about you to ourself or recipients in countries other than the country where the information was originally collected. Those countries may not have the same data protection laws as the country where you initially provided the information. When we transfer information to recipients in other countries (such as the U.S.) we seek to protect the information as described in this policy and to comply with applicable legal requirements providing adequate protection for the transfer of information to recipients in countries other than the one where you provided the information. By submitting information to us you consent to transfer of your information to countries that may not have the same data protection laws as the country in which you initially provided the information.  If you do not want your information transferred as stated here, you should not submit information to us.

13.  Notice of Certain Uses
Under California law, California residents have the right to request in writing from businesses with whom they have an established business relationship (1) a list of categories of personal information, such as name, address, e-mail address, and type of services provided to the customer, that a business disclosed to third parties (including affiliates that are separate legal entities) during the immediately preceding calendar year for the third parties' direct marketing purposes; and (2) names and addresses of all such third parties. To request this information please contact us by writing to: Signature Travel Network, 4640 Admiralty Way, Suite 306, Marina Del Rey, California 90292 or send an email to us at [email protected]. We will respond to such requests within 30 days of receipt. We are only required to respond to each customer once per calendar year.

14.  Modifications to This Policy
This privacy policy is effective as of May 24, 2018. We may revise this policy from time to time. We will post the revised version here. We recommend you check this policy periodically for the most up-to-date version. By continuing to access or use this Site, you agree you are satisfied with the policy terms posted at that time. 

You can contact us with inquiries, comments, suggestions or concerns in relation to our privacy policy at [email protected] or Karen Yeates, who is our officer in charge of information technology, at Signature Travel Network, 4640 Admiralty Way, Suite 306, Marina del Rey, California 90292.