Privacy Policy

Introduction

Discover Energy Pty Ltd (ABN 20 619 204 750) is a licensed electricity retailer currently operating in the National Energy Market in Australia.

We respect the importance of protecting personal information and we are committed to complying with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) ("Privacy Act"), Credit Reporting Privacy Code and any applicable privacy laws and regulations (together the "Privacy Laws").

This policy sets out the way we collect, use, disclose and manage personal information. By purchasing our products and services or entering into a contract with us, you are taken to have read and agreed to the collection, use, disclosure and management of your personal information in accordance with this policy and the Privacy Laws. We may amend this policy from time to time, and we recommend that you review this policy periodically to ensure that you are updated on any changes. This policy was last updated in October 2018.

Policy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect and manage your personal information. This policy is regulated by the Privacy Laws.

What personal information do we collect?

We may collect personal information about you including your name, address, date of birth, phone number, email, occupation and other information you provide. We may also collect personal information to enable us to verify your identification, including information from your driver's licence, passport, and health care and concession cards.

Generally, we do not collect sensitive information about you, such as details of your race, political beliefs, religion or health. However, you may wish to provide us with health information, for example if you have special energy requirements or may be entitled to health-related rebates. We will obtain your consent before collecting, using or disclosing your sensitive information, unless required by law to do otherwise.

We may also collect non-personal information about you including data relating to your activities on our website (which includes desktop, mobile, tablet and apps) via tracking technologies such as cookies, web beacons and measurement software, or data relating to your energy usage and purchase history.

You acknowledge that the personal information you provide to us is your own information, or information for which you have been authorised to provide to us.

How do we collect your personal information?

We may collect personal information about you from a range of sources including:

  • directly contacting us or our service providers for any reason including inquiring about or purchasing our products and services, requesting further information, seeking assistance, or reporting a problem with your account or our website;
  • entering into a contract with us for the provision of our products and services;
  • using our products and services, and any credit provided by us in connection with those services (see our Credit Reporting Policy for further detail);
  • registering to use our website through an online account and logging in to use that account;
  • subscribing to receive alerts and newsletters, participating in our promotions and competitions, and filling in forms and applications; and
  • applying for an employment opportunity with us directly or through a nominated referee.

We may also collect your personal information through our related bodies corporate, our service providers and third parties (such as our data providers, other market participants or a market operator) so that we may provide you with better or more relevant products and services.

If you apply to us for credit, we may also obtain personal information about you from Credit Reporting Bodies ("CRBs"), other credit providers, existing or previous suppliers of products and services, your bank and certain other businesses to assess your application (see our Credit Reporting Policy for further detail).

We may record your telephone calls with us, including for training, service quality, verification and compliance purposes.

How do we use your personal information?

We use your personal information for:

  • providing you with the products and services you have requested from us;
  • responding to your inquiries and requests for assistance;
  • creating and maintaining your account, and ensuring you comply and adhere to our website Terms of Use;
  • verifying your identity when you register for our website or products and services, log into our website, or contact us in relation to your account;
  • providing you with personalised products and services, and content that you view and engage with on our website or the websites of our service providers and business partners;
  • notifying you about changes to our products and services;
  • combining your personal information with information that our related bodies corporate has collected from their service providers, third parties, cookies or web beacons in order to provide you with a better, more relevant and personalised experience and to improve the quality of its services;
  • ensuring the content from our website is compatible, and presented in the most effective manner, with your computer;
  • obtaining your feedback about our products, services or websites;
  • complying with our legal and contractual obligations;
  • assessing your application for credit in connection with our products and services (see our Credit Reporting Policy below for further detail); and
  • disclosing your information to debt collection agencies to recover any amounts you owe us.

If all or part of this information is not provided, we may not be able to provide these services.

How do we disclose your personal information?

We may disclose personal information to our related bodies corporate and;

  • our service providers so that they can provide on our behalf, or assist us in providing, our products and services, or provide you with products or services that you have requested directly from them;
  • third parties where you have requested information, services or products from them;
  • if you apply to us for credit, to CRBs, other credit providers, existing or previous suppliers of goods or services, your bank and certain other businesses (see our Credit Reporting Policy for further detail);
  • relevant public, government or regulatory authorities, our legal representatives or other concerned parties in circumstances where we reasonably believe that disclosing your personal information is necessary to help identify, contact or bring legal action against anyone damaging, injuring, or interfering with our rights or property, users or anyone else who could be harmed by such activities; and where we are otherwise authorised or required by law to do so.

If you request information from any organisation through our website, you will need to check their privacy policy to find out how they manage your personal information. We are not responsible for the way these organisations collect, use, disclose or manage personal information you provide to them through our website.

Do we use and disclose your personal information for marketing purposes?

We may use your personal information to provide you with information about offers, promotions, products or services, which we believe may be of interest to you. We may also share your information with our related bodies corporate, service providers and other third parties so that they can provide you with products or services on our behalf or to help us provide you with the requested products or services.

If we contact you for marketing purposes, we will give you the opportunity to request that your information not be used for further direct marketing by us in the future.

Do we disclose and store your personal information outside Australia?

We may store your personal information on servers located in Australia, as well as disclose and store your personal information to our outsourced data processors, with data centres in Australia, Asia, Europe and Africa. When we disclose your information to our service providers located overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is treated in accordance with the standards that apply in Australia. When you provide us with your personal information, you consent to us storing your personal information outside of Australia for these purposes.

How do we safeguard your personal information?

We strive to ensure the security, integrity and privacy of personal information we collect. We take reasonable steps to ensure the security of personal information held by us to protect your information from unauthorised access, use, modification, destruction or disclosure. Access to personal information is restricted to authorised employees, contractors, agents and service providers, who are obliged to respect the confidentiality of any personal information held by us. We periodically review and update our security measures considering current technologies.

Use of cookies

We may use 'cookie' technology on our website. A 'cookie' is a small message given to your web browser by our web server. The browser stores the message in a text file, and the message is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server. A cookie does not give us any personal information about you.

We use cookies to measure usage sessions accurately, and to gain a clear picture of which areas of the sites attract traffic. We also use cookies to improve the functionality of our website.

Do Not call register

If you'd prefer not to receive any unsolicited phone calls, register your details with the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Of course, companies who have your consent to call you (which may include us), and some exempt organisations may still get in touch with you over the phone from time to time.

If you'd prefer not to hear from us about marketing, special offers or promotions, you can call us on 1300 658 519 and we will add you to our Do Not Contact List. It is available to both our new and existing customers.

How can you access or correct your personal information and credit reporting information, or make a privacy complaint?

You have rights to ask for access to, or for correction of, personal information that we hold about you. You may obtain information by contacting our Customer Care team
1300 658 519 (Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm EST)
service@discoverenergy.com.au
The Privacy Officer Discover Energy PO Box 665 North Sydney NSW 2059
If you are unhappy with the resolution of the Privacy complaint you can refer the matter to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001
1300 363 992 (Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm EST)
enquiries@oaic.gov.au