Last updated on 20/08/22.

1.     Welcome

We are Merco Machines, a Privaatrechtelijke naamloze vennootschap at Nijverheidsweg 14, 9820 Merelbeke, with company number BE 0442.753.827.

In this Cookie Policy, we explain what information we may collect through our website based on cookies and how we use them to improve our services.

In this Privacy Policy, we explain what personal information we collect as a ‘controller’ and how we use and share it to improve our services.

2.     Personal data

The limited personal data we hold is collected in the following ways:

Website: when you visit our website, certain data is recorded via cookies (including your IP address) to look after and improve our website. More information regarding these cookies can be found in our separate Cookie Policy;
Business relationship: when you contact us within the scope of our services as a (potential) customer or partner, we process your full name, contact details (e-mail address, telephone number, office and/or residential address), and other data necessary for ordering, invoicing or cooperation (such as your bank details, contact history, or data relating to your previous orders);
Marketing: if you give us explicit consent, we will process your full name and e-mail address, for sending you direct marketing, newsletters, actions and promotions regarding our products and services. You can easily unsubscribe at any time.

Although you are never obliged to disclose personal data, a refusal to provide necessary information may hinder or make it impossible to provide our services.

3.     Processing purposes

We process personal data as part of our general customer and order management, or to provide our services. This includes customer administration, tracking orders and deliveries, invoicing, answering queries, and for marketing purposes.

Processing takes place on the basis of the following categories of legal grounds:

Based on your consent;
Out necessary for the performance of a contract;
Out necessary to comply with a legal obligation;
To protect your vital interests or those of another person;
For the performance of a task of public interest;
Out necessary to pursue our legitimate interests to undertake.

Insofar as the processing of personal data takes place on the basis of your explicit consent, you always have the right to withdraw the consent given.

4.     Sharing with third parties

If this is necessary for the realisation of the aforementioned purposes, we may share personal data with employees and our professional partners. Our partners will in turn take the necessary technical and organisational measures to protect this personal data.

We will never commercialise your personal data to third parties. However, in the context of any reorganisation, bankruptcy or transfer of operations, data that is part of our business activities may be transferred to third parties.

In limited cases, we may also be required to share personal data on the basis of a court order or mandatory legislation, such as in the context of fraud prevention or security issues, or to protect our rights.

5.     Retention period

Personal data shall be processed and retained by us for a reasonable period necessary for the fulfilment of the purposes set forth, in function of our contractual relationship, to comply with legal requirements, or under customary retention mechanisms that are reasonably limited in time (backups).

6.     Your rights

All persons whose personal data we hold have the right at all times to:

access their personal data;
have their personal data corrected or completed if inaccurate or incomplete;
have their personal data deleted;
have the processing of their personal data restricted;
oppose the processing of their personal data for a serious and legitimate reason;
have their personal data transferred to another company.

To exercise the above rights, please contact us by mail or at info@merco-machines.com. Upon receipt of your request, we will need to be able to verify your identity.

7.     Complaints

If you have any comments or questions about our privacy policy, we would like to hear from you.

All persons whose personal data we hold also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Commission for the Protection of Privacy (Rue du Printing Press 35, 1000 Brussels, commission@privacycommission.be).

8.     Security

We apply at least the usual technical and organisational security measures that can reasonably be expected of us to protect your personal data against destruction, loss, alteration, falsification, dissemination or unauthorised access.

Personal data will only be transferred to a partner in a country outside the European Economic Area if that country ensures an adequate level of protection for your personal data. Before sharing personal data with a partner in the United States of America, we require a separate processing agreement or certification according to the Privacy Shield Framework (www.privacyshield.gov).

We cannot be held liable for any incorrect or unlawful use of personal data by a third party. In addition, you remain solely responsible for the confidentiality and use of your computer, IP address, login and identification data.

9.     Your privacy

Your privacy is important to us.

We therefore make every effort to protect it as much as possible and attach great importance to complying with (i) the Act of 8 December 1992 on the protection of privacy with respect to the processing of personal data (as amended by the Act of 11 December 1998, “Personal Data Processing Act”); (ii) the anti-spam provisions contained in Book XII of the Economic Law Code on the law of the electronic economy; and (iii) the European Regulation 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 on the protection of personal data (“General Data Protection Regulation”).