"I'd rather fail honestly than succeed shamefully"
In a nut shell, I've taken every step I can to insure your information remains private and secure and your transactions are safe. From 128 Bit SSL secure encryption on the site to using only the best secure hosts and reputable services such as PayPal, Authorize.net, Go Daddy.com, iContact.com, I go to extra expense to comply with all web standards and legal requirements for conducting business on line (and then some).
As little information as needed is stored on my local system - your name and billing info is recorded when orders are placed so I may contact you if needed and to comply with my Federal and State tax obligations. No credit card info or other such data is stored on local systems. All such critical data is handled by the secure remote servers mentioned above. Local information is encrypted, password protected, and firewalled. Your critical information cannot be hacked or stolen from me as I don't have it.
I do not spam and take precautions to insure others can not do so. My subscription list is opt in / opt out where you are in control, can access what info you have submitted and manage it as you see fit including removing and unsubscribing completely.
Nor will I flood your in box with annoying messages and promotions. We all get too much of that already. I do my best to maintain a monthly schedule on the newsletters and will only provide additional information when I deem it important enough.
Privacy - protecting your integrity and your right to disclose or not your personal information to third parties, without letting anybody bother you with unsolicited communications if you do not want to be contacted.
What types of information I collect and how I use it:
No personal information is collected from the typical visitor. I do use tracking software to monitor where visitors have come from, what sites may have led them here, just the standard stuff that tracking software collects related to IP address originations and such. I don't have cookies or other such data collection or personal info tracking software on the site.
Information collected by other sites such as iContact, Paypal.com, etc. is hosted and secured remotely. These sites may use cookies or other such authentication methods which I do not have access to.
We do not deal with children. No information is shared or sold or provided to third party associates. As little information as needed is stored on my local system - your name and billing info is recorded when orders are placed so I may contact you if needed and to comply with my Federal and State tax obligations. No credit card info or other such data is stored on local systems. All such critical data is handled by the secure remote servers mentioned above which do the actual processing of online payments. Local information is encrypted, password protected, and firewalled. Your critical information cannot be hacked or stolen from me as I don't have it nor do I have access to it.
You are in control:
I try to reply to all e-mails. I will save them for a time, then eventually discard them. There is a limit to how much I can store and I don't keep casual emails sitting around so I can come back one day and market to you. Don't worry about "getting on my list" if you just email me with a question, comment, or critique. Advice comes with no strings attached.
Newsletter subscribers must go through a double opt-in system. You first submit your contact information. You must then respond to an e-mail sent to your address to confirm you wish to subscribe. This is done to protect you from spam or from someone else signing you up. Once signed up, you have access to your information via the links at the bottom of the newsletters and other contacts via the subscriber list. You may unsubscribe via the link at the bottom of the message. You may update or change your information at any time and see just what I have.
To the best of my knowledge all of the other services I use, the storefront, PayPal, the credit card verification system, iContact, and any others all comply with the security and anti-spam laws and best practices on the Internet. I've gone to considerable expense to insure you are protected and can feel safe when using my services.
Notifications and Policy Changes:
Generally, I'm not going to bother you with every minor change regarding these policies. They are here for you to review. ‘New versions will be posted on this web site, so please check back periodically for updates’. As I am continuously seeking to improve service while keeping costs as low as possible, I do change or add new service providers from time to time. For the most part, you won't really care to be bothered so long as things are safe, secure, and there is little difference. If something significant changes, I may contact you. Otherwise, it's here.
Contact info and questions:
I've tried to keep this as simple and understandable as I can without getting into a whole lot of legal jargon and terminology. I hope you get from this the spirit of what I am striving for - honesty, integrity, and safety. I know the web is full of pitfalls and traps (heck, I got scammed trying to download an "official" privacy statement so, I just decided to write my own). I may have missed a thing or two, but you get the idea. You can decide whether to trust me or not. If you still have questions, just e-mail me info@americaridesmaps.com or call me directly on my personal cell phone (828) 734-2164.
Contact:
America Rides Maps
Wayne Busch - Owner, Cartographer, Explorer, Design
706 Underwood Cove Road
Waynesville, NC 28786
Direct cell: (828) 734-2164
fax: (828) 456-5243