Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are & Responsible Party

The responsible party for your personal information, as defined under POPIA, is:

• Business name: A-Trio Consulting (Pty) Ltd
• Contact person: Jeannemie Decina
• Location: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
• Email: info@atrioconsult.co.za
• Phone: +27 64 509 3303
• Website: atrioconsult.co.za

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Identity information: Full name, company name.
• Contact information: Email address, phone/WhatsApp number, physical address.
• Financial information: Information related to your tax, accounting, and financial affairs that you share with us during the provision of services.
• Booking information: Preferred consultation date, time, and service type when you book an appointment through our website.
• Communication records: Messages submitted via our contact form or by email.
• Marketing preferences: Name, email, and phone number when you subscribe to our newsletter or request our free e-book.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, and anonymised usage data collected automatically when you visit our website.

We do not collect sensitive personal information (as defined by POPIA) unless it is strictly necessary for the delivery of our services and with your explicit consent.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide, manage, and improve our accounting and tax services to you.
• To respond to enquiries submitted through our contact form or by other means.
• To confirm and manage appointment bookings and send scheduling communications.
• To send you the requested free e-book and, with your consent, our monthly newsletter containing tax tips and updates.
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including SARS requirements and POPIA.
• To protect the rights, property, or safety of A-Trio Consulting, our clients, and the public.
• For internal record-keeping and business administration.

We will not use your personal information for any purpose not disclosed in this policy without your prior consent.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA)

Under POPIA, we process your personal information on the following grounds:

• Contract performance: Processing is necessary to deliver accounting and tax services you have requested from us.
• Legitimate interests: Processing for business administration, security, and improvement of our services.
• Legal obligation: Where required by South African law, including tax legislation and SARS requirements.
• Consent: For marketing communications and newsletter distribution. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us.

5. Sharing of Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: Our website hosting provider and email delivery service, who are contractually bound to protect your data.
• SARS & regulatory bodies: Where legally required for the execution of tax services on your behalf or by law.
• Professional advisers: Lawyers or auditors where strictly necessary and subject to confidentiality obligations.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred — you will be notified in advance.

All third parties we engage are required to protect your information to the same standard we apply.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

• Client records: Retained for a minimum of 5 years in line with South African tax law requirements.
• Contact form enquiries: Retained for 12 months from the date of enquiry.
• Appointment bookings: Retained for 12 months from the appointment date.
• Newsletter subscribers: Until you unsubscribe or request removal.

When information is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Security of Your Information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse, including:

• Secure HTTPS encryption on all pages of our website.
• Server-side storage of booking data, not accessible via the public web.
• Restricted access to personal data — only Jeannemie Decina and authorised service providers have access.
• Regular review of data security practices.

While we take all reasonable precautions, no transmission of data over the internet is 100% secure. By using this website you acknowledge and accept this risk.

8. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right of correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right of erasure: Request deletion of your information, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Right to object: Object to processing of your information for direct marketing at any time.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for marketing communications without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
• Right to complain: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights have been infringed.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@atrioconsult.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.

Information Regulator of South Africa:
Website: inforegulator.org.za  |  Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za

9. Cookies & Tracking

Our website uses minimal cookies to ensure basic functionality:

• Functional cookies: Session-related data to support form submissions.
• Analytics: We do not currently use third-party analytics tracking (e.g., Google Analytics). If this changes, this policy will be updated.
• Third-party embeds: Our website embeds a Google Maps iframe which may set cookies from Google. Please refer to Google's privacy policy for more information.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain website features.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any external website you visit.

11. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately so we can delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Continued use of our website or services after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.