MHC World Privacy Policy

Metro Home Centre (Pty) Ltd, trading as MHC World (“MHC World”, “we”, “us” or “our”), respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect personal information when you visit our website, shop with us, contact us, create an account, request a quotation, use our services or otherwise interact with MHC World.

We process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and other applicable South African laws.

1. Who We Are

Business name: Metro Home Centre (Pty) Ltd trading as MHC World
Company registration number: 2008/001016/07
Physical address: 410 Madiba Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
Email: support@mhcworld.co.za
Telephone: 012 326 6460
WhatsApp: 079 365 5375

2. Personal Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Your name and surname
• Email address
• Telephone or WhatsApp number
• Billing and delivery addresses
• Company details, where applicable
• Order, purchase, return, refund and warranty information
• Products viewed, added to your cart or purchased
• Customer-account and login information
• Payment and transaction information
• Delivery instructions and property-access information
• Communications sent by email, telephone, WhatsApp, live chat or social media
• Reviews, comments, enquiries and other information you submit
• Quotation, lay-by and service-request information
• Device, browser, IP address and website-usage information
• Cookie, advertising and analytics information
• Fraud-prevention and security information

We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for our legitimate business activities, legal obligations and the purposes described in this policy.

3. Payment Information

Payments made through our website are processed by authorised third-party payment providers. MHC World does not generally receive or store your full bank-card details.

Payment providers may collect and process information such as your card details, bank details, transaction amount, payment status and fraud-prevention information in accordance with their own privacy policies and security requirements.

4. How We Collect Personal Information

We may collect personal information:

• Directly from you when you place an order or contact us
• When you create or use a customer account
• When you subscribe to marketing communications
• When you request a quotation, lay-by, repair or other service
• When you visit our physical store
• When you interact with our website, advertisements or social-media pages
• Through cookies, analytics and similar technologies
• From payment providers, couriers, suppliers and service providers
• From publicly available sources where permitted by law

5. How We Use Your Personal Information

We may use your personal information to:

• Process, confirm and manage orders
• Process payments, refunds and account adjustments
• Arrange delivery, collection, installation or redelivery
• Provide quotations and manage lay-by arrangements
• Provide customer support and respond to enquiries
• Handle returns, exchanges, warranties, repairs and complaints
• Verify your identity and prevent fraud
• Maintain customer and transaction records
• Operate, secure and improve our website and services
• Personalise your shopping experience
• Measure website, product and advertising performance
• Send service messages relating to your order or account
• Send marketing communications where permitted
• Comply with legal, tax, accounting and regulatory obligations
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims

6. Our Grounds for Processing Information

We process personal information where:

• It is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you
• You have provided consent
• Processing is required by law
• Processing protects your legitimate interests
• Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that your rights and interests are not unjustifiably affected

7. Shopify and Our Online Store

Our online store is hosted through Shopify. Shopify processes certain customer, order, payment, device and website-usage information to provide the ecommerce platform and related services.

Information processed through Shopify may be stored or handled in countries outside South Africa. Shopify applies its own privacy and security measures to information processed through its platform.

You can read Shopify’s privacy information at: Shopify Privacy Policy .

8. When We Share Personal Information

We may share personal information with trusted third parties where reasonably necessary to provide our products and services, including:

• Shopify and ecommerce-platform providers
• Payment gateways, banks and payment processors
• Courier, delivery, transport and collection providers
• Suppliers that fulfil or deliver orders on our behalf
• Installation, repair and warranty service providers
• Cloud-hosting, software and information-technology providers
• Email, SMS, WhatsApp and customer-support providers
• Advertising, analytics and marketing-service providers
• Accountants, auditors, insurers and professional advisers
• Government bodies, regulators or law-enforcement authorities
• Prospective buyers, investors or advisers involved in a lawful business transaction

We require service providers to use personal information only for authorised purposes and to apply appropriate confidentiality and security measures.

We do not sell personal information to third parties for their independent use.

9. Suppliers and Direct Fulfilment

Some orders may be fulfilled or delivered directly by an authorised supplier. In these cases, we may provide the supplier with information required to fulfil the order, such as your name, contact number, delivery address, ordered products and relevant delivery instructions.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember preferences, maintain shopping carts, improve security, understand website usage and support advertising.

Cookies may include:

• Essential cookies: Required for core website and checkout functions
• Functional cookies: Remember your choices and preferences
• Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website
• Advertising cookies: Help measure and personalise advertising

You may manage cookies using your browser settings or any cookie-preference tool made available on our website. Disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

11. Marketing Communications

Where permitted by law, we may send you information about products, promotions, services or events by email, SMS, WhatsApp or other electronic channels.

You may unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe option in a marketing message or by contacting us at support@mhcworld.co.za.

Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending important transactional or service-related messages concerning an order, payment, delivery, return, warranty or account.

12. Reviews and Customer Content

If you submit a product review, comment, photograph or other content, that information may be displayed publicly together with the name or identifier you choose to provide.

Please do not include sensitive or unnecessary personal information in publicly visible reviews or comments.

13. International Transfers of Information

Some of our service providers, including ecommerce, cloud, analytics, communications and advertising providers, may process information outside South Africa.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient is subject to appropriate legal, contractual or security safeguards as required by applicable law.

14. Information Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

These measures may include access controls, passwords, staff confidentiality, secure systems, payment-security measures, backups and service-provider safeguards.

No online or electronic system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Customers should keep account passwords confidential and notify us if they suspect unauthorised account activity.

15. Security Compromises

If we become aware of a security compromise involving personal information, we will investigate it and take reasonable steps to limit potential harm.

Where required by POPIA, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected persons as soon as reasonably possible, subject to any lawful restrictions.

16. How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law.

Retention periods may depend on:

• Tax, accounting and company-record requirements
• Warranty and product-service periods
• Contractual obligations
• Dispute and complaint-resolution requirements
• Fraud-prevention and security requirements
• Consent to receive marketing communications

When information is no longer required, we will delete, destroy, de-identify or restrict it where reasonably appropriate.

17. Your Rights

Subject to POPIA and other applicable laws, you may have the right to:

• Ask whether we hold personal information about you
• Request access to your personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion or destruction of information that we are no longer authorised to retain
• Object to certain processing of your personal information
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Object to direct marketing
• Submit a complaint to the Information Regulator

Certain rights may be limited where we are required to retain or process information by law, to perform a contract, protect another person’s rights or establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

18. Access, Correction, Deletion and Objections

To request access, correction or deletion of your personal information, or to object to processing, contact:

Email: support@mhcworld.co.za
Telephone: 012 326 6460
WhatsApp: 079 365 5375

We may need to verify your identity before processing a request. We will respond within the period required by applicable law.

19. Children’s Personal Information

Our website and services are not primarily directed at children. A person who is not legally able to enter into a binding transaction should use our services only with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian.

We do not knowingly collect children’s personal information without a lawful basis or appropriate authorisation.

20. Third-Party Websites and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, applications or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of independent third parties.

Customers should review the privacy policy of a third party before providing personal information to it.

21. Information Officer

Privacy enquiries and requests may be directed to MHC World’s Information Officer using the following contact details:

Email: support@mhcworld.co.za
Telephone: 012 326 6460
Address: 410 Madiba Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa

22. Complaints to the Information Regulator

We encourage you to contact us first so that we can attempt to resolve your privacy concern.

You also have the right to submit a complaint to the Information Regulator of South Africa.

Further information and official complaint procedures are available from: Information Regulator South Africa .

23. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our practices, services, legal obligations or technology change.

The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Material changes may also be communicated through our website or another appropriate channel.

24. Contact Us

For questions regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal information, contact us:

Email: support@mhcworld.co.za
Telephone: 012 326 6460
WhatsApp: 079 365 5375
Address: 410 Madiba Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa