Privacy Policy

ALTERNATIVE ATHENS PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: Sept. 24th, 2019

Privacy Policy

Alternative Athens ("Alternative Athens," "we," or "us") knows that you care how information about you is used and shared, and we are committed to protecting the privacy of your “personal information”. Like every service provider, Alternative Athens also collects, processes and uses data to allow us to provide travel and tourist services (the “Services”) when you (“you”, “the User”, “the Customer”) access www.alternativeathens.com (the “Site”, the “website”), contact us by email, phone, or visit our offices.

With this Privacy Policy, Alternative Athens provides you information on the nature, scope, and purpose of the personal data we collect, use and process as part of your use of our website. Furthermore, you will also find information related to how you can control the collection, correction and/or deletion of this personal data. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy.

Data Controller

For the purpose of the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), other data protection laws applicable in Member states of the European Union, and other provisions related to data protection, the Data Controller is:

Personal Data

Personal data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, in accordance with the GDPR. This may include information such as your name, gender, age, email address, or your phone number. Generally, the type of personal information we collect about you is limited to any information which is necessary to enable the provision of any services you purchase from Alternative Athens, such as your travel arrangements and bookings, or to arrange the provision or purchase of ancillary services and/or products on your behalf from 3rd party suppliers, or to provide information about such services.

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

1.1. Data Processing to Enable the Use of the Website:

When you visit our Site, we may collect information about your computer, including where available your IP address, operating system and browser type, for system administration and to report aggregate information. This statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns does not identify any individual.

1.2. Data Processing to Enable the Use of the Services:

We may collect and process some or all of the following Personal Data that you provide directly when you choose to:

• fill out a form,
• enquire for further information or for our services,
• book or purchase our services,
• contact us via email,
• contact us by phone, or
• subscribe to our newsletter.

You may be asked, as appropriate, to provide your full name, date of birth, age, e-mail address, mailing address, postal or zip code, phone number, the hotel in which you are staying, company name, or position within that company, payment details (such as credit card number, card expiry date, card verification code).

In some circumstances, we may collect personal information about you from a third party. This includes where a person purchases or reserves any Service from Alternative Athens on your behalf, such as (but not limited to) a family or group reservation, or a reservation made for you by a travel agent. Where this occurs, we will rely on the authority of the person purchasing the Service to act on behalf of any other traveler on the reservation.

When you are the one purchasing any Service from Alternative Athens on behalf of any other person or person(s) (as above referred), you agree you have obtained the consent of said person or persons to collect, use and disclose their personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and that you have otherwise made the other person or persons aware of this Privacy Policy. If you become aware that your personal information has been provided to us by another person without your consent, or if you did not obtain consent before providing another person's personal information to us, you should notify us immediately in written.

1.3. Sensitive Personal data:

Sometimes, in particular when you wish to purchase certain of our Services (including, but not limited to, our Food Tour, or the Olympic Workout) we may require that you provide more information (“sensitive personal data”), in order to ensure the safety and/or proper provision of our Services. Below is a description of some of the extra information we may require:

Dietary Restrictions / Preferences: We understand that you may prefer or are required to follow certain dietary requirements. We try to accommodate these choices and needs whenever possible. To accomplish this, your dietary preferences need to be recorded. This information is then transferred to our guides, who contact the various restaurants and hotels we work with to ensure that your requirements can be met.

Health Condition: We may need information about your age, gender and general health so that we can assist in safeguarding your personal health and safety.

We will only collect sensitive information with your explicit consent, when it is reasonably necessary, and in connection with facilitating your request.

By sharing sensitive personal data with us, you explicitly agree that we are allowed to collect and use this data in accordance with this Privacy Policy so that we can provide our Services. If you do not allow us to process sensitive personal data, we may be unable to provide said Services, or only partially, as a consequence. In such circumstances you are not entitled to reclaim any payment you or anyone reserving said Services on your behalf may have made.

1.4. Data Retention Period

Alternatives Athens retains your information as long as it is necessary and relevant for its operations. In addition, we may retain information from closed accounts to comply with the law, prevent fraud, collect any fees owed, resolve disputes and take other action permitted by law.

1.5. Data collected by third party providers

Alternative Athens uses a variety of third-party service providers to help us provide our own Services. Service providers may be located inside or outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”). In general, the third-party providers used by us will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to allow them to perform the services they provide to us. However, the information collected through such means is disclosed to and gathered directly by these service providers as listed below, and any service provider’s use of such information is subject to the service provider’s privacy policies, and not Alternative Athens’. For these providers, we recommend that you read their privacy policies so you can understand the manner in which your personal information will be handled by these providers.

a) Xola, Inc.

Our Services can be booked in advance and purchased online via our Site. To that end, we use a 3rd party booking management platform, developed, managed, provided and hosted by Xola, Inc, 995 Market St, Floor 2, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA (“Xola”). Customers who book any of our Services online will be requested to provide the necessary Personal Data and payment information to Xola, which will collect and store Personal Data for the purpose of purchasing our services and collect Cardholder Data for the purpose of paying for the aforementioned services. Xola does not store Cardholder Data on their server(s); Xola is integrated with third party payment processing services that store Cardholder Data in compliance with PCI DSS tier 1 standards. Xola transfers Cardholder Data over a 2048-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) data encrypted connection.

b) Payments Processing Providers

For your purchase-related transactions, Alternative Athens uses several 3rd party payment processing services, listed below. At no point in the booking and payment process does Alternative Athens collect, store, or transmit Cardholder Data or any other payment-related information. All such related data is either collected by Xola or by our payment processing partners below:

• Stripe, an online payment processor, which is provided by Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd., 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland,
• Authorize.Net, a payment gateway, which is provided by Authorize.Net, c/o CyberSource Limited P.O. Box 3073, Reading, RG1 9YB, United Kingdom,
• EVO Payments, a credit card processor, which is provided by EVO Payments International GmbH, Elsa-Brändström-Straße 10–12, 50668 Cologne, Germany, and
• PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l. et Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg.

2. WHAT TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES DO WE USE?

Alternative Athens uses, or our 3rd party advertising partners use, various tracking technologies, such as cookies, web beacons, tags, scripts, analytics software or other similar technologies, that help us better manage, operate, administer, maintain, develop, analyze and support our Site and the Services provided by Alternative Athens.

2.1. Facebook Pixel

Our website contains tracking technology by Facebook, 1601 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto, 94304 CA, USA (“Facebook”). This may include cookies (see section 3.2). Facebook collects and stores usage data in pseudonymous profiles for the purposes of web analysis and interest-based advertising. You can opt-out of such data collection and storage at any time with effect for the future by visiting https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/ or by setting an opt-out-cookie on your device via the website of the EDAA at http://www.youronlinechoices.com. You will find further information on the data processing by Facebook in the privacy policy of Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation) and on this webpage.

2.2. Google Analytics

Our website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA (“Google”). Google Analytics uses cookies (see section 3.2) in order to analyse your use of this website. The information about your use of this website collected using cookies is usually transferred to and stored on servers of Google Inc. in the US. Prior to the transfer to the US, Google masks and thereby anonymizes your IP address within the territory of the EU or of the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases, the full IP address is sent to and masked by Google servers in the US. On behalf of the website provider Google will use this information to analyze your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage to the website provider. Google will not combine your IP address with any other data held by Google.

You may refuse to have cookies stored on your device by appropriately configuring your browser or by using a privacy plugin. Furthermore, you can prevent Google’s collection and use of data (cookies and IP address) by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en-GB. Further information on the data processing in the context of Google Analytics is available under: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

2.3. Google Ads Conversion and Remarketing

We also use Google Analytics to evaluate data from the Google Ads services for statistical purposes. This way, in order to improve our services, we can analyse what happens after a user has clicked on one of our ads, e.g. whether a user has ordered a product or has viewed the ad from a mobile device. Furthermore, you may receive interest-based ads through these services. You can opt out of such interest-based ads via the Google Ads setting page at: https://adssettings.google.com.

Our website uses the remarketing feature of Google Inc. ("Google"). Essentially, this serves to present interest-based advertisements to visitors to a website belonging to the advertising network of Google. To enable this, cookies are stored on your computer. When you visit our site and then call up a website belonging to the advertising network of Google, you may therefore be shown advertisements of Alternative Athens. According to Google, it does not collect any personal data in this process. If you nevertheless do not wish to use the Google remarketing feature, you can deactivate this by changing the appropriate settings under https://adssettings.google.com. You can find further information about Google remarketing and the Google Privacy Policy under: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads

2.4. Google Tag Manager

This website uses Google Tag Manager to manage website tags. A tag is a JavaScript snippet that can be used to send information from a website to a third party, in particular in the context of web tracking. The tool Google Tag Manager itself does not collect personal data. Rather, the tool triggers other tags that may collect data (such as the tag of Google Analytics). Google Tag Manager does not access such data. A deactivation on the domain level or cookie level will affect all tracking tags implemented via Google Tag Manager. This facilitates the implementation of an effective opt-out of web tracking.

2.5. Cookies

Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer’s hard drive through your Web browser (if you allow) that enables the sites or service providers systems to uniquely identify your browser or to store information or settings in your browser.

Cookies can be used to recognize you when you visit Alternative Athens, remember your preferences, and give you a personalized experience that’s in line with your settings. Cookies also make your interactions with Alternative Athens faster and more secure.

Your browser may tell you how to be notified when you receive certain types of cookies and how to restrict or disable certain cookies. Please note, however, that without cookies you may not be able to use all of the features of our Site. We may use cookies to understand and save your preferences for future visits and compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can offer better site experiences and tools in the future. We may contract with third-party service providers to assist us in better understanding our site visitors. These service providers are not permitted to use the information collected on our behalf except to help us conduct and improve our business.

Our cookie table below lists some of the third-party cookies on our Site. Please note that the names of cookies, pixels, and other technologies may change over time.

Additionally, you can deactivate the use of 3rd party cookies for interest-based advertising via the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance at: http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices, or the Advertising Initiative by following the instructions under http://optout.networkadvertising.org. Please note that any cookies that you may find may have been stored by your browser by visiting sites other than Alternative Athens’ website.

3. HOW DO WE USE COLLECTED INFORMATION?

Alternative Athens uses the Personally Identifiable Information you provide in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy. If you provide Personally Identifiable Information for a certain reason, we may use the Personally Identifiable Information in connection with the reason for which it was provided. If Alternative Athens intends on using any Personally Identifiable Information in any manner that is not consistent with this Privacy Policy, you will be informed of such anticipated use prior to or at the time at which the Personally Identifiable Information is collected.

Alternative Athens may use your information to:

• Create, process, modify, and manage reservations for our Services;
• Provide the Services you have purchased, including where necessary to inform external service providers (such as hotels, restaurants, etc), agents and subcontractors for the purposes of providing aforementioned Services. In this case, we disclose only the personal data that is necessary for the third party to deliver the Service;
• Adapt our Services to your needs and preferences, and to offer you a personalized customer experience;
• Communicate with you by email and/or SMS for administrative or operational reasons related to Services you have purchased from Alternative Athens, including but not limited to, send you confirmations of your bookings and/or payments, inform you about your tour schedule, meeting point, or changes to your itinerary;
• Issue tickets, vouchers, and book any service or product from suppliers included in our Services;
• Evaluate and respond to your inquiries, requests or questions;
• Improve Customer Service: Your information helps us to more effectively respond to your customer service requests and support needs;
• Operate, evaluate and improve our business (including developing new products and services; managing our communications; performing market research and data analytics; determining and managing the effectiveness of our advertising and marketing; analyzing our products, services and websites; administering our websites; and performing accounting, auditing, billing, reconciliation and collection activities);
• Customize your experience with our Site, such as by providing personalized information;
• Verify your identity;
• Protect against and prevent fraud, unauthorized transactions, claims and other liabilities, and manage risk exposure and quality;
• Comply with and enforce applicable legal requirements, industry standards and our policies and terms, such as our Terms of Use;
• Process payments or other types of financial transactions, such as refunds;
• Further to the above, in the case you have provided explicit consent and opted-in to receive marketing communications from Alternative Athens, we may use your information to:
• Administer surveys and questionnaires;

Tell you about and provide information about various Alternative Athens products, services, events and promotions, with periodic emails (newsletters), which may include marketing communications;

Alternative Athens will disclose your information where required to do so by law or subpoena or if we reasonably believe that such action is necessary to:

• Comply with applicable laws and reasonable requests of law enforcement;
• Enforce this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service;
• Exercise or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Alternative Athens, our Users or others;

Additionally, in the event of a corporate sale, merger, acquisition, reorganization, bankruptcy, dissolution or similar event (“Transfer Event”), we reserve the right to sell and transfer your Personally Identifiable Data if we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets. Should a Transfer Event occur, we will use reasonable efforts to direct the transferee to treat your personal information in a manner that is materially consistent with this Privacy Policy.

4. YOUR RIGHTS TO INFORMATION

Under Data Protection regulations, you have a number of important rights regarding your personal data that you may exercise at any time by contacting us at contact@alternativeathens.com. These Rights are as follows:

• Right to be informed: you have the right to be informed about the collection and use of personal Data. We do this in this Privacy Policy
• Right of access: you have the right to access your personal data and supplementary information, such as obtaining confirmation that your data is being processed.
• Right to rectification: you have a right to request that inaccurate personal data is rectified, or completed if it is incomplete.
• Right to be forgotten: in certain circumstances you can ask for the data we hold about you to be erased from our records.
• Right to restriction of processing: where certain conditions apply, you have a right to restrict the processing of your personal data.
• Right to data portability: – you have the right to have the data we hold about you transferred to another organization.
• Right to object: you have the right to object to certain types of processing such as direct marketing.

Alternative Athens will respond to any appropriate request to access, correct, update or delete your personal information without excessive delay. Before we proceed with any request, we will take steps to verify the identity of the person making the request. We will promptly fulfill your request to delete your personal data unless this data is required to be retained by law. Also, we will not be able to delete information that is required to maintain our business purpose or that is required to facilitate your contract with us.

5. YOUR CONSENT TO PROVIDE PERSONAL INFORMATION

Any service that Alternative Athens provides to you is purely voluntary. You are not required to provide any personal or/ and sensitive information to us unless you choose to access features of the tour/service that require such information. If do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy or Alternative Athens Terms & Conditions related to our Services, then do not provide us with personal information, exit from our website, and discontinue using our services.

Accordingly, by accessing, visiting, using any of the functionalities on our Site (including, but not limited to, booking Services online or filling out the Contact Form), you expressly consent to our collection, use, disclose, and retention of your information as described in this Privacy Policy and in Alternative Athens Terms & Conditions.

6. OTHER PROVISIONS

Protection of Minors

Children and adolescents with limited legal capacity are as a matter of principle not allowed to transfer any personal data to our website without prior consent of their parents or legal guardian. Alternative Athens will in no way knowingly collect personal data from children or adolescents with limited legal capacity, use these data in any form, or divulge these data to third parties without authorization. If you are under 18, please do not give us any Personally Identifiable Data. We encourage parents and legal guardians to monitor their children's Internet usage and to help enforce our Privacy Policy by instructing their children to never provide Personally Identifiable Data on the Site without their permission. If you have reason to believe that a minor has provided Personally Identifiable Data to Alternative Athens through the Site, please contact us, and we will endeavor to delete that information from our databases.

Links to Third Party Web Sites

The Site may provide links to other third-party websites (“Third Party Websites”). This Privacy Policy applies only to the Site and not to any Third Party Websites. We suggest that you contact those sites directly for information on their privacy, security, data collection and distribution policies.

Terms and Conditions

Please also visit our Terms and Conditions section establishing the use, disclaimers, and limitations of liability governing the use of our Site at Terms of Use

Updates and Changes to our Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of the date stated at the top of this policy. If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page, and/or update the Privacy Policy modification date below. Please be aware that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, our use of information is governed by the Privacy Policy in effect at the time we use the information. Please refer back to this Privacy Policy on a regular basis.

This policy was last modified on Sept 24th, 2019

Contacting Us

If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us at contact@alternativeathens.com or send mail to: