Privacy & Anti-Trust Policies

Privacy Policy

We recognize that you may be concerned about our use and disclosure of your personal information. Your privacy is very important to us, and the following will inform you of the information that we, The Appliance Alliance Group, LLC (DBA Service Alliance Group), may collect from you, and how it is used. By using our website, servicealliancegroup.com, you are accepting the practices described in this policy. Any information that you provide to us is used to enhance your experience at our website and to help expedite the process of identifying a Service Alliance Group service that meets your criteria.

Information Collection

We may collect non-personal information, such as a domain name and IP Address. The domain name and IP address reveal nothing personal about you other than the IP address from which you have accessed our site. We may also collect information about the type of Internet browser you are using, the operating system, what brought you to our Website, as well as which of our Web pages you have accessed. Additionally, if you communicate with us regarding our Website or our services, we will collect any information that you provide to us in any such communication. We may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.

Information Use

We use the collected information primarily for our own internal purposes, such as providing, maintaining, evaluating, and improving our services and Website, fulfilling requests for information, and providing customer support.

Security

We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it.

If we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way. You can verify this by looking for a closed lock icon at the bottom of your web browser, or looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the web page. While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

Cookies

We use “cookies” on this site. A cookie is a piece of data stored on a site visitor’s hard drive to help us improve your access to our site and identify repeat visitors to our site. For instance, when we use a cookie to identify you, you would not have to log in a password more than once, thereby saving time while on our site. Cookies can also enable us to track and target the interests of our users to enhance the experience on our site. Usage of a cookie is in no way linked to any personally identifiable information on our site.

Sharing

We will not sell or otherwise provide the information we collect to any other outside third parties for the purpose of direct or indirect mass email marketing.
We will disclose personal information and/or an IP address when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to:
Cooperate with the investigations of purported unlawful activities and conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on our company
Protect and defend the rights or property of our Website and related properties
Identify persons who may be violating the law, the rights of third parties, or otherwise misusing our Website or its related properties

Please keep in mind that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information online – for example through e-mail, discussion boards, or elsewhere – that information can be collected and used by others. In short, if you post personal information online that is accessible to the public, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return. Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your personal information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are online.

Links

This Website may contain links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information.

Surveys & Contests

From time-to-time our site may request information via surveys or contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and you may choose whether or not to participate and therefore disclose this information. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and shipping address), and demographic information (such as zip code, age). Contact information will be used to notify the winners and award prizes. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of this site.

Newsletter Subscription and Membership

If you submit a newsletter or membership subscription at Service Alliance Group.com, you will receive our newsletter and you may receive member updates from time to time with industry news and/or special promotions. If at any time you wish to stop receiving these e-mails, simply follow the unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of the e-mail.

Testimonials

From time to time, we will post testimonials on our site. We receive permission to post testimonials, prior to posting. If you wish to update or delete your testimonial, you can contact us at [email protected].

Consent

By using this Website, you consent to the collection and use of information as specified above. If we make changes to our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes on this page. Please review this page frequently to remain up-to-date with the information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it. You must review the new Privacy Policy carefully to make sure you understand our practices and procedures.

If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, you should contact us immediately via our contact us page.

Anti-Trust Policy

1. Policy of Full Compliance

It is the policy of the Service Alliance Group to comply fully with all applicable antitrust laws, state and federal. Consistent with this policy of full compliance, Service Alliance Group has adopted this Antitrust Compliance Policy.

2. Procedures and Conduct

Procedures

All Service Alliance Group membership, Board of Director, and Committee meetings shall be conducted pursuant to the agenda distributed in advance to attendees; discussions shall adhere to agenda items; minutes shall be kept of all Service Alliance Group membership, Board of Director, and Committee meetings. All Service Alliance Group Board of Director and Committee meeting agenda and minutes shall be reviewed by designated Service Alliance Group staff prior to finalization, who shall consult with Service Alliance Group’s General Counsel concerning such agenda and minutes when they deem necessary.

Attendance of Service Alliance Group General Counsel at Director, Membership, or Committee meetings shall be at the discretion of the Service Alliance Group President/CEO.

A copy of the Service Alliance Group Antitrust Compliance Policy shall be included in/with the Board of Director Board Meeting Books and Committee meeting agenda at least annually. The existence of the Service Alliance Group Antitrust Compliance Policy shall also be announced at each membership meeting, and copies of this Policy shall be available to members at such meetings and shall be posted on the Service Alliance Group Web site.

Conduct

A. Service Alliance Group shall not engage in activities or discussions which might be construed as an attempt to: (a) raise, lower, or stabilize prices; (b) regulate production; (c) allocate markets; (d) encourage boycotts; (e) foster unfair trade practices; (f) assist in monopolization; or (g) in any way violate applicable federal or state antitrust laws.

B. Any wage surveys conducted by Service Alliance Group shall be structured to fit within the safe harbor provisions of the Department of Justice/Federal Trade Commission Joint Policy on Exchange of Price and/or Cost Data.

C. Any Service Alliance Group member who participates in conduct in violation of the Service Alliance Group Antitrust Compliance Policy shall be subject to disciplinary measures, up to, and including, termination of membership in Service Alliance Group in accordance with the Service Alliance Group Bylaws.

3. General Overview of Pertinent Antitrust Laws

A. Federal Antitrust Statutes

The Federal antitrust provisions of primary concern to Service Alliance Group members acting within the Service Alliance Group context are Section 1 of the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. § 1) and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. § 45).

Section 1 of the Sherman Act prohibits agreements, combinations, or conspiracies in restraint of trade. Although courts have interpreted Section 1 to only prohibit “unreasonable” restraints of trade, the courts have further found that particular practices such as price fixing, group boycotts, or division of customers or markets are by their very nature so pernicious as to automatically be deemed “per se” unreasonable without the need for detailed inquiry as to their effect on the market.

The following activities within the Service Alliance Group context could violate Section 1 of the Sherman Act: (1) any agreement to fix prices or to divide customers or markets; (2) expulsion of members without just cause and reasonable procedures; (3) use of standardization or certification programs for the purpose of restricting certain companies or products or services from the market; or (4) use of wage surveys in a manner which encourages agreement on wage levels.

Violation of the Sherman Act Section 1 is a felony, punishable by fines of up to $100 million for a corporation and up to $1 million for an individual and/or up to ten (10) years imprisonment. In addition, violation of the Sherman Act Section 1 may subject those involved to civil liability for treble damages.

Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits unfair methods of competition and unfair deceptive acts or practices. Essentially any violation of the Sherman Act Section 1 would also constitute a violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act may result in injunctions, cease and desist orders, and civil penalties against those involved.

B. State Antitrust Statutes

Most states have antitrust statutes which equate to the Sherman Act Section 1, except that they apply to actions affecting commerce within the State, as opposed to interstate commerce. Virginia, where Service Alliance Group is based and operates, has a state antitrust equivalent of the Sherman Act Section 1 at Va. Code § 59.1-9.1. Violation of the Virginia Antitrust Act subjects the violator to civil damages, which can in the case of willful and flagrant violations be three (3) times the actual damages sustained.