We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server, and to administer our website. Your IP address is used to help identify you and your shopping cart.
When you open an account on our site, we ask you to give your name, email address, phone number and mailing address. We also require you to assign yourself a unique password. When entering this information, you may choose to receive (or not receive) information from us about specials, hot deals, etc.
When you make a purchase online, we need to know your name, mailing address, email address and phone number. We do offer the ability to order online without setting up an account on our site, in which case you will need to provide the information above during your checkout. If you already have an account set up on our site, you do not need to re-enter this information, simply sign in. Either way, we will also need to know your credit card number, card type, expiration date and credit card identification number (on selected cards only). We use the collected information for shipping and billing purposes, and to contact you if necessary.
When you enter a contest or participate in a survey on our site, we may ask for contact information including email address, phone number and mailing address so that we can notify and ship prizes to the winners.
When you sign up on our mailing list to receive information on specials, hot deals, etc., we need to know your email address.
Can you opt-out of receiving communications from us?
CompUSA gives you the choice of opting-out of receiving future communications from us. If you currently have an account on our site or wish to set one up, you can opt-out by indicating this when you set up your account or by updating your account information. When you participate in a contest or survey, you also have the choice of opting-out at that time.
How safe is it to shop online?
Today, the Internet is actually the safest way of doing business with your credit card. We have made it safer to use your credit card on our site than it is to use it in more traditional ways, such as in retail stores or restaurants.
SSL
At CompUSA, we use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to negotiate and employ the essential functions of mutual authentication, data encryption, and data integrity for secure transactions. SSL is the industry standard security protocol to encode sensitive information, such as your credit card number. SSL creates a shared digital key which only lets the sender and the receiver of the transmission scramble or unscramble information. To everyone else, even the servers relaying the message, the SSL transmission is indecipherable. SSL encryption can only be broken by intercepting the encrypted message, recording it, and using a computer to try every possible combination until the key is cracked. Most keys range from 40 to 1,024 digits long...as you can imagine, the number of possible combinations can be into the billions and beyond!
Encryption
Encryption is based on the mathematical scrambling and unscrambling of messages. The type of encryption we employ assigns two complimentary keys - one is a public key and one is a private key. When you send us a message, you use our public key to encrypt your message. Once we receive your encrypted message, we use the private key to decode it. The same key cannot both encrypt and decrypt information. Therefore, information encrypted using the private key can only be decrypted using the public key, and vice versa.
Secure Sites
Before completing any transaction on a website, make sure it is a Secure Site. Being on a Secure Site means you are connected under the cloak of SSL security. You can tell if you are on a Secure Site if you see a padlock or key somewhere along the bottom of your browser's window. If the lock is closed or if the key is unbroken, you are dealing with a Secure Site.
In the unlikely event that you experience unauthorized use of your credit card, you must promptly report the fraudulent activity to your credit card company! Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you are only liable for the first $50 of the fraudulent charges. Please check with your credit card company to verify specific terms and conditions.
How do you update account information?
You can update/change your account information or change inaccuracies in your information at any time by simply signing in and utilizing the Account Information screen to change the appropriate information.
What are cookies and why do we use them?
Simply put, a "cookie" is a small file that serves as an identifier stored on your machine. Although they are not required, we use cookies to make it easier on the shopper. For instance, when you are ready to purchase and item, you only need to sign-in as opposed to entering all of your account information again. A cookie can also save your password so you do not need to enter it each time you visit our site from your PC. As the site gets more interactive, having a cookie will come in handy - we will be able to better tailor your shopping experience. However, we can only do this if we know you are there. Some browsers allow you to see what cookies you have and choose to delete them at anytime.
Our site does contain links to other sites. CompUSA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.
For added security, we do not store credit card numbers on our servers, and we will not sell, trade or share any of the collected information with third parties.
If you have any questions about our privacy practices, please contact [email protected]
