Privacy policy

Information we collect

We collect the information needed to answer inquiries, prepare quotes, process orders, arrange pickup or freight, accept payment, provide order updates, and administer affiliate applications and payouts. This can include your name, company, email, phone number, delivery address, order details, notes, affiliate application details, communications with us, and drawings or jobsite photos you choose to upload.

The site also processes limited technical information needed for security and rate limiting. Your cart and an approved referral code may be stored in your browser so they remain available while you shop. We do not use advertising trackers or sell customer information.

Checkout contact and delivery details are saved temporarily in this browser tab so you can edit your cart or refresh without starting over. This draft expires after four hours and is cleared when your order or review request is saved, or when you start a new checkout. It does not contain payment details.

We use first-party, privacy-focused traffic measurement to count storefront visits and page views. It uses a short-lived anonymous session cookie and stores a one-way session identifier rather than your name, email address, or full IP address. When someone displays a private quote page, we may record the first and most recent view and an approximate browser-session count so we can provide appropriate quote follow-up. We do not use invisible email-open tracking pixels.

To find problems in ordering, we also count steps such as adding a first piece, reaching checkout, requesting a total, and reaching payment or review. These counts use the same anonymous session identifier and a general device category. Validation counts include only the field name, never the details you entered. A payment-completion count requires a verified payment status.

We also record a broad visit source, such as Google, ChatGPT, a paid campaign, another website, or source unavailable, and a general landing-page category. We keep that source with a new order so authorized staff can compare paid orders by source. We do not collect the search words you entered, full referring URLs, advertising click identifiers, or additional contact details for this measurement.

Payments

Payments are processed through Stripe in a secure embedded checkout. Stripe receives the payment information you enter. Ohio Metal Forms does not store full card or bank-account numbers; we retain transaction identifiers and payment status so we can match payment to an order or quote.

Approved affiliates complete Stripe-hosted identity and bank-account onboarding for automatic commission payouts. Stripe stores and verifies that payout information; Ohio Metal Forms stores only the connected-account and transfer identifiers needed to operate and audit the program.

How information is used and shared

We use customer information to operate the store, manufacture and fulfill orders, provide customer service, prevent abuse, maintain business records, and comply with legal obligations. Information is shared only as needed with service providers that support those purposes, including Stripe for payment processing, Microsoft services for transactional email, AI service providers for phone answering and preparation of internal follow-up drafts, freight providers when delivery is requested, and our hosting provider.

Contact-form uploads are stored with the inquiry for authorized Ahner Industrial personnel to review through the protected Operations console. The files are not attached to notification emails and are not malware-scanned. Do not upload payment details, government IDs, medical records, or other sensitive personal data.

Mobile messaging privacy

If you ask us to communicate by text message, we use your mobile number and messaging consent only to provide the requested quote, order, delivery, or customer-service communications. Mobile numbers, SMS opt-in records, and consent information are not sold, rented, or shared with third parties or affiliates for their marketing or promotional purposes.

We may share mobile information only with communications providers and subcontractors needed to deliver the messages you requested, or when disclosure is required by law. Message frequency varies according to your request and order activity. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out or HELP for help. Review the complete text messaging terms.

Retention and security

Order, quote, payment-status, inquiry, affiliate, commission, payout-reference, email-delivery, and quote-view records are retained as reasonably needed for fulfillment, accounting, customer service, dispute prevention, tax reporting, and legal obligations. Uploaded files may remain with the inquiry and backups as reasonably needed for those purposes. Anonymous storefront traffic records are automatically limited to approximately 13 months. The site uses HTTPS, restricted administrative access, rate limits, protected database storage, and recurring backups. No internet system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Your choices

You may ask us to review or correct your contact information, or request deletion where record-retention obligations do not require us to keep it. This website sends transactional messages about inquiries, orders, quotes, and payments; it does not currently operate a marketing-email list.

Contact

Email Leif at leif@ahner-industrial.com or call 419-515-2290 with a privacy question.

Ahner Industrial, 2001 E Perkins Ave, Sandusky, OH 44870.