privacy policy & disclaimers

about us (“we, us, our”):

We need to collect personal information about you to provide you with our broking & related services. This privacy statement tells you how we collect your information, what we use the information for and who we share the information with. If we collect information that can be used to identify you, we will take reasonable steps to notify you of that collection.

how information is collected from you

We will collect your information from you directly whenever we can, like from enquiries we make of you when you seek credit assistance from us. We may verify that information from sources referred to in the responses to those enquiries or in this privacy statement.

how information is collected from other sources

Sometimes we will collect information about you from other sources as the Privacy Act 1988 permits. We will do this only if it’s reasonably necessary to do so, for example, where:

we collect information from third parties about a loan or lease in relation to which you seek our services;

we can’t get hold of you and we rely on public information (for example, from public registers or social media) or made available by third parties to update your contact details; or
we exchange information with your legal or financial advisers or other representatives.

when the law authorises or requires collection of information

Some law may require us to collect personal information about you. For example, we may require your information to verify your identity under Australian Anti-Money Laundering law.

how your information may be used

We may use your information for purposes including:

giving you credit assistance;
giving you information about loan products or related services including help, guidance and advice;
considering whether you are eligible for a loan or lease or any related service you requested including identifying or verifying you or your authority to act on behalf of a customer;
assisting you to prepare an application for a lease or a loan;
administering services we provide, for example, to answer requests or deal with complaints;
administering payments we receive, or any payments we make, relating to your loan or lease;
telling you about other products or services we make available and that may be of interest to you, unless you tell us not to;
identifying opportunities to improve our service to you and improving our service to you;
telling you about other suppliers, with whom we have arrangements, that supply goods or services that may be of interest to you;
allowing us to run our business efficiently and perform general administrative tasks;
preventing or investigating any fraud or crime or any suspected fraud or crime;
as required by law, regulation or codes binding us; and
any purpose to which you have consented.

You can let us know at any time if you no longer wish to receive direct marketing offers from us. We will process your request as soon as practicable.

what happens if you don’t provide information?

If you don’t provide your information to us, it may not be possible to:

assist in finding a loan or lease relevant to your circumstances;
verify your identity or protect against fraud; or
let you know about products or services that might be suitable for your financial needs.

sharing your information

general

We may use and share your information with other organisations for any purpose described above.

sharing with your representatives and referees

We may share your information with:

your representative or any person acting on your behalf (for example, lawyers, settlement agents, accountants or real estate agents); and
your referees, like your employer, to confirm details about you.

sharing with third parties

We may share your information with third parties in relation to services we provide to you or goods or services in which we reasonably consider you may be interested. Those third parties may include:

the Broker Group through whom we submit loan or lease applications to lenders or lessors on the Broker Group’s panel. You can access the Broker Group’s privacy notice at www.planaustralia.com.au/privacy-policy

It sets out how that Broker Group manages your personal information and where you can find its privacy policy;

referrers that referred your business to us;
financial services suppliers with whom we have arrangements;
valuers;
lenders, lessors, lender’s mortgage insurers and other loan or lease intermediaries;
organisations, like fraud reporting agencies, that may identify, investigate and/or prevent fraud, suspected fraud, crimes, suspected crimes, or other misconduct;
government or regulatory bodies as required or authorised by law. In some instances, these bodies may share the information with relevant foreign authorities;
guarantors and prospective guarantors of your loan or lease;
service providers, agents, contractors and advisers that assist us to conduct our business for purposes including, without limitation, storing or analysing information;
any organisation that wishes to take an interest in our business or assets; and
any third party to which you consent to us sharing your information.

sharing outside of Australia

We may use overseas organisations to help conduct our business. As a result, we may need to share your information with such organisations outside Australia. The countries in which those organisations are located are: India and the Philippines. We may store your information in cloud or other types of networked or electronic storage. As electronic or networked storage can be accessed from various countries via an internet connection, it’s not always practicable to know in which country your information may be held.

privacy policy

You can find out more about how we manage your information by reading our Privacy Policy available by contacting us. Please see our contact details above. [Also, you can read and obtain a copy of that policy at our website address set out above.] Our Privacy Policy sets out how you can ask us to access and seek to correct information we hold about you and how you may complain against us about a privacy issue.

information about other people

If you give information to us about another person (like your co-applicant) in relation to the services we provide, you will let that other person know that:

we have collected their information to provide those services or for any other purpose set out in this privacy notice;
we may exchange this information with other organisations set out in this privacy notice;
we handle their personal information in the way set out in our Privacy Policy and this privacy notice and they can:
- access or request a copy of that privacy policy or this privacy notice; or
- access the information we hold about that other person, by using our contact details above; and we may not be able to provide those services to you unless we obtain their information.

You can gain access to the information we hold about you by contacting us at PO Box 1792 Newcastle NSW 2300 or Laurie Plooy on 02 49278828.

Please advise us if you do not agree that we may collect and use your personal information as specified above. We look forward to providing exceptional service.

disclaimer

The information in this website and the links provided are for general information only and should not be taken as constituting professional advice from the website owner – Coffee Finance

Coffee Finance and its representatives are not a financial adviser, a lawyer or an accountant. You should consider seeking independent legal, financial, taxation or other advice to check how the website information relates to your unique circumstances.

Coffee Finance is not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information provided directly or indirectly, by use of this website.

no warranties

This website is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied. This website makes no representations or warranties in relation to this website or the information and materials provided on this website.

Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, this website does not warrant that: this website will be constantly available, or available at all; or the information on this website is complete, true, accurate or non-misleading. Nothing on this website constitutes, or is meant to constitute, advice of any kind. If you require advice in relation to any matter you should consult an appropriate professional.

limitations of liability

This website will not be liable to you (whether under the law of contact, the law of torts or otherwise) in relation to the contents of, or use of, or otherwise in connection with, this website:

to the extent that the website is provided free-of-charge, for any direct loss;
for any indirect, special or consequential loss;
or for any business losses, loss of revenue, income, profits or anticipated savings, loss of contracts or business relationships, loss of reputation or goodwill, or loss or corruption of information or data.

This website, the owner and our staff neither purport, nor intend to give any accounting, legal, taxation or investment advice. It is recommended that you seek professional advice from an independent, licensed, qualified investment adviser, accountant or legal practitioner prior to implementing any investment programme or financial plan. In no way is it the intention of this website, the owner or our staff to encourage users of this website or our educational materials to evade tax or any lawful responsibility they may have.

These limitations of liability apply even if this website has been expressly advised of the potential loss.

exceptions

Nothing in this website disclaimer will exclude or limit any warranty implied by law that it would be unlawful to exclude or limit; and nothing in this website disclaimer will exclude or limit our liability in respect of any:

death or personal injury caused by this website’s negligence;
fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation on the part of this website;
or matter which it would be illegal or unlawful for this website to exclude or limit, or to attempt or purport to exclude or limit, its liability.

reasonableness

By using this website, you agree that the exclusions and limitations of liability set out in this website disclaimer are reasonable. If you do not think they are reasonable, you must not use this website.

other parties

You accept that, as an entity, this website has an interest in limiting the personal liability of its officers and employees. You agree that you will not bring any claim personally against this website’s officers or employees in respect of any losses you suffer in connection with the website.

Without prejudice to the foregoing paragraph, you agree that the limitations of warranties and liability set out in this website disclaimer will protect this website’s officers, employees, agents, subsidiaries, successors, assigns and sub-contractors as well as this website.

unenforceable provisions

If any provision of this website disclaimer is, or is found to be, unenforceable under applicable law, that will not affect the enforceability of the other provisions of this website disclaimer.

security

The security of our customers’ information is of great importance to us, and we have taken all reasonable precautions to ensure that your details are protected. We use proven technology and physical security measures to ensure the highest levels of protection. We’re constantly monitoring technological and industry developments to ensure we keep up to date and continue to provide you with strong security measures. Whilst it's true that no system is ever completely secure, we believe the measures we have implemented provide more than adequate protection.

online scams and phishing

Coffee Finance is committed to any efforts to reduce the amount of people affected by online scams. There are, however, several simple but essential precautions you can take to protect yourself from internet scams.

Be aware of email or SMS messages that:

appear to be from banks, financial institutions or organisations like Coffee Finance asking for your personal or account details
don't address you by your proper name
contain typographical or grammatical errors Ask you to 'verify' your account details to protect you from fraud Include links to sites where the address does not match official addresses used by the organisation
come from organisations that you have no relationship with, and have not authorised contact from

If you come across any online communication misusing the Coffee Finance name or branding, we urge you to contact us by using the form on the Contact Us page. By helping us identify these issues, not only are you making your own online experience safer, you are helping other users maintain their safety online.

more tips to protect yourself from phishing scams

Never share your personal and/or account details with anyone you do not know and trust
Don't download attachments from, or click links in, spam email messages
Check website addresses carefully, especially those where you are asked to input your details
Never share your personal and/or account details over the phone unless you initiated the call and know the phone number is from a trusted source

These are just a few tips to keep yourself safe from online scams. For more information on how to protect yourself, visit SCAMwatch, an initiative of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. disputes or complaints

what to do if you have a dispute or complaint

We are committed to providing our customers with the best possible service. If at any time we have not met our obligations – or you have a complaint about any of our services – please inform us so we can work towards a resolution. We will endeavour to deal with your complaint promptly, thoroughly and fairly.

how to make a complaint and the complaints process

If we have a complaint, we request you follow these steps:
If the complaint is about your loan, then in the first instance please contact your credit assistance provider.
If your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction within 5 business days, please contact our Complaints Area as detailed below:
Contact: Laurence Plooy
Telephone: +61249278828 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (AEST)
Email: laurie@coffeefinance.com.au
Fax: +61249278818
Mail: Laurence Plooy – Coffee Finance PO Box 1792 Newcastle NSW 2300
We may ask for additional information and request you to put your complaint in writing to ensure your issue is properly investigated.
In cases where your complaint will take longer to resolve, we will update your progressively.

third party products or services

If your complaint relates to a product or service acquired through a third party (for example, a lender) we may ask you to contract the relevant third party. They will deal with your complaint under their complaints resolution process.

If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint by the third party under their complaints resolution process, you are entitled to have your dispute considered by their External Dispute Resolution Scheme. Please contact the third party for further details.

keeping you informed

Our Complaints Area will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within five business days. If unable to resolve the complaint/dispute to your satisfaction within five business days, they will write to you advising the procedures we will follow in investigating and handling your complaint.

Within 45 calendar days from the date you lodged the complaint with us, we will write to you advising you the outcome of the investigation and the reason/s for our decision, or if required, we will inform you more time is needed to complete the investigation.

still not satisfied?

If you do not think we have resolved your complaint to your satisfaction, you may take the matter – free of charge – to the relevant External Disputes Resolution Scheme (provided it is within the scheme’s terms of reference) as detailed below. You may also refer the matter to the relevant External Disputes Resolution Scheme at any time, but if our internal process is still in progress, they may request that our internal processes be complete before considering the matter further. You can lodge a complaint with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, or AFCA. AFCA provides fair and independent financial services complaint resolution that is free to consumers.
Website: www.afca.org.au
Email: info@afca.org.au
Telephone: 1800 931 678 (free call)
In writing to: Australian Financial Complaints Authority, GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001