Privacy Policy

Last revised: January 31, 2012

Privacy Policy
The website www.berkshire.com (the “Site”) is provided by Berkshire Corporation and its corporate affiliates (collectively “Berkshire” and also referred to herein as “we” or “us”).  By accessing or using the Site, you consent to the use of your Personal Information (defined below) as described in this Privacy Policy.  If you are unwilling to consent to our collection and use of your Personal Information as described in this Policy, and to accept the terms in the Terms of Use, you should not access or use the Site.

Collection and Use of Personal Information
Your privacy is important to Berkshire.  From time to time we collect, retain and utilize Personal Information about you to operate our business and to make services and other opportunities available. The term “Personal Information” means personally identifiable information that Berkshire obtains about you, including your name, telephone number, physical address and email address.  We recognize and respect your privacy concerns about this information.  We obtain Personal Information in a variety of ways (for example, when you contact us directly by email, from your other transactions or experiences with Berkshire, or from other third parties). Also, when you visit this website, we collect information that might or might not identify you to measure the use of the website and to improve its content, as described below.

Log Files
Like most website operators, we may gather certain information automatically through the Site and store it in log files.  This information includes Internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, operating system, date/time stamp, and clickstream information.  We may use this information to track user habits and improve the functionality of the Site as a result of our observations.

Use of Cookies
We use cookies to passively store information about your use of the Site, including your preferences and other session information.  A cookie is a small text file stored on your computer. You may be able to configure your browser to accept or reject all or some cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. [However, you must enable cookies in order to use certain features of the Site.]

[We use session ID cookies to confirm that users are logged in.  These cookies terminate once the user closes the browser.  By default, we use a persistent cookie that stores your login ID (but not your password) to make it easier for you to login when you visit the Site in the future.  In addition, when a user views one of our Site advertisements, we may store some information on that user’s computer.  Cookies allow for tailoring the Site and its advertisements to better match users’ interests and preferences.  Most Internet browsers enable users to erase cookies from their computer’s hard drive, block all cookies, or receive a warning before a cookie is stored.  Please refer to your browser instructions or help screen to learn more about these functions.  Berkshire does not collect Personal Information automatically, but may tie information that does not identify you (that is collected automatically) to previously submitted Personal Information.]

Disclosure of Information
Except as indicated within this Policy, we will not sell, rent or transfer your Personal Information to or otherwise share your Personal Information with third parties.  We may share or transfer your Personal Information as directed to do so by you.  We may otherwise transfer Personal Information to third party vendors who act for us for further processing in accordance with the purposes for which the information was originally collected or for purposes to which you have subsequently consented.  For example, sometimes a third party vendor may have access to your Personal Information in order to support our information technology or help obtain, compile and manage the information. 

We also disclose Personal Information about you as required or permitted by law, including to comply with legal process (for example, we may disclose your information as necessary to comply with a civil, criminal or regulatory investigation).

We may, in our sole discretion, share or transfer your Personal Information to protect the security or integrity of our databases or this website, to protect our business or reputation, to take precautions against legal liability, in the event of a business transition (see below), for required institutional risk control, or for resolving disputes, inquiries or complaints with respect to your use of this website.

Furthermore, we may provide our partners and other third partners who might benefit from the information with aggregated information, i.e., compiled information that does not in itself identify you, for research and commercial purposes.

Links to Other Sites
You should know that while visiting the Site, you can be directed, through links, to other websites that are beyond Berkshire’s control.  Berkshire is not responsible for the privacy practices and policies of such linked websites.

Maintenance of Accurate Information
We have established an easy, quick process for you to correct any inaccurate information about you.  Simply access your account through the Site and modify your contact details.  If you have technical problems doing so, please call 800-242-7000.

Protection of Personal Information
We strive to maintain the reliability, accuracy, completeness and currency of your Personal Information in our databases and to protect the privacy and security of our databases and the information we collect.  Any Personal Information that you provide to us will be stored on our computer network servers, including your account ID, password, email address, and purchase history.  We do not store credit card data at our site or on our servers.  We maintain reasonable physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect the confidentiality of your Personal Information. The security measures in place on the Site and our computer systems aim to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of the information you provide to us.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding the security of your information, please email us at csr@berkshire.com.

Transfer of Personal Information Abroad
We may, from time to time, share your Personal Information through the various Berkshire global offices.  We will endeavor to ensure that any such data transferred is appropriately protected and made pursuant to a contract or other measure providing adequate protection.

If you are visiting the Site from a country other than the country in which our servers are located (currently the United States), the various communications will necessarily result in the transfer of Personal Information across international boundaries.

By visiting this Site and communicating electronically with us, you consent to the processing and transfer of your Personal Information to the United States.

Business Transitions
In the event Berkshire goes through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition by another company, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, your Personal Information might be among the assets transferred. You will not be notified in advance of any such change in ownership or control of your Personal Information.

Changes in Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to change this Policy at any time, so you should review it each time you access the Site.  If we change this Policy, we will post the revised Policy on the Site. 

Contact Us
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this Policy, please contact Berkshire at: Berkshire Corporation, Legal Group, 21 River Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts 01230 USA, or by e-mail: support@berkshire.com.