Vista's Privacy Policy
Philosophy Surrounding Privacy:
Vista Services (hereinafter referred to as “Vista” “we” or “us”) values the trust that customers (hereinafter referred to as “you”) have shown in our business and, in turn, we are committed to maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of your personal information. To that end, we have adopted this Privacy Policy (the “Policy”).
This Policy sets out what constitutes personal information and explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard the personal information provided to us either directly by you or by a third party. The Policy has been developed in accordance with the applicable Canadian privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada) (“PIPEDA”) and Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act. We will continue to monitor and update this Policy to reflect forthcoming legislative changes to ensure ongoing compliance.
Personal Information
For purposes of this Policy, ‘personal information’ means information about an identifiable individual, including contact details, financial and credit information, lease history, and digital identifiers (such as Internet Protocol addresses, device IDs, and cookies). Personal information does not include business contact information, such as a person’s title, business address or business telephone number, when used for business communications.
By providing personal information to us or authorizing a third party to provide your personal information to us, you signify your consent to our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this Policy.
Principles
As part of our commitment to treat your personal information with respect, we operate in accordance with the following ten principles (the “Principles”):
Principle 1 – Accountability
We will maintain and protect the personal information under our control. We have designated an individual or individuals who is/are accountable for compliance with the Principles.
Principle 2 – Identifying Purposes
The purposes for which personal information is collected by us will be identified to you before or at the time the information is collected.
Principle 3 – Consent
Your consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of personal information may be express (e.g., by signing a lease application) or implied (e.g., when you provide information in connection with a service you request). You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. However, withdrawal of consent may limit our ability to provide you with certain products or services.
Principle 4 – Limiting Collection
The personal information collected by us shall be limited to those details necessary for the purposes identified to you.
Principle 5 – Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention
We will only use or disclose your personal information in accordance with the purposes for which it was originally collected unless you have otherwise consented, or when it is required or permitted by law. We will retain your personal information only for so long as is required to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected or as required by law.
Principle 6 – Accuracy
We shall make every reasonable effort to ensure your personal information is maintained in an accurate, complete and up-to-date form.
Principle 7 – Safeguarding Customer Information
We shall utilize industry standard security safeguards to protect your personal information. The methods by which your information are safeguarded are discussed later in this Policy.
Principle 8 – Openness
If you would like a copy of the Policy, we will provide one to you and if you have any questions regarding same, we are more than happy to discuss the Policy with you.
Principle 9 – Customer Access
Upon your request, we shall inform you of: (i) the type of personal information we have collected; (ii) how we have used your personal information in the past, and how we may in the future; and (iii) whether or not we have disclosed your personal information to any third parties (and, if so, to whom). Individuals may verify the accuracy and completeness of their personal information, and may request that it be amended, if appropriate.
Please note that before we provide you with any information or correct any inaccuracies, we may ask you to verify your identity and to provide other details to help us to respond to your request.
Principle 10 – Handling Customer Complaints and Suggestions
Customers may direct any questions or enquiries with respect to the Principles or about our information handling practices by contacting:
Vista Services
205-6 Gurdwara Road.
Ottawa, ON K2E 8A3
Phone: 1-877-318-4782
Email: legal@vistaservices.ca
Reasons for Gathering Personal Information
We gather and use personal information for account and agreement administration, credit adjudication, statistical purposes, collection of accounts receivable and reporting to various credit reporting agencies such as credit bureaus. Specific examples of how we use personal information include:
o Managing accounts, agreements, inventories, and supplies.
o Assessing creditworthiness and performing identity verification;
o Meeting regulatory obligations;
o Managing lease origination, servicing, and enforcement;
o Facilitating assignments or transfers of leases to funders or securitization vehicles;
o Performing statistical analysis and portfolio risk assessment;
o Detecting, preventing, and addressing fraud or other illegal activities; and
o Complying with tax and regulatory reporting requirements.
We also use the personal information you have provided to us to communicate with you and safeguard your interests. We will send you important notices and respond to any special needs or enquiries you may have. We may also send you information about other products and services in which we believe you may be interested.
We only use personal information for the purposes that we have disclosed to you. If for any reason your information is required to fulfill a different purpose, we will obtain your consent before we proceed.
We may use technology-assisted tools to support identity verification and credit adjudication. These tools are reviewed and supervised by trained employees.
Types of Information Collected
The type of personal information we may ask for depends on and is related to the reason (or purpose) such personal information was provided to us. The following is a description of the type of personal information that we may ask for:
o Name;
o Address;
o Date of birth;
o Contact information such as telephone numbers, e-mail address; and
o Bank information including bank name, transit and account number, mortgage holder, location, credit reporting.
The choice to provide us with your personal information, either directly or through a third party, is always yours. However, your decision to withhold particular information may result in limiting our ability to provide you with the services or products you requested.
Methods for Collecting Personal Information
We may gather such personal information from you in person, over the telephone or by corresponding with you via mail, facsimile, the internet, or from third parties who have your authority to disclose such personal information to us.
WHILE WE TRY TO ENSURE THAT EVERY THIRD PARTY WHO DISCLOSES PERSONAL INFORMATION TO US HAS YOUR CONSENT TO DO SO, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT A THIRD PARTY HAS INAPPROPRIATELY DISCLOSED YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO US, PLEASE CONTACT THAT THIRD PARTY. IF THEY DO NOT ADEQUATELY RESPOND TO YOUR INQUIRIES, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
For purposes of maintaining quality service, calls to our customer service lines may be recorded. A recorded message given prior to your call being answered will let you know if your call may be the subject of our random call recording quality assurance program.
Vista Website
Our website is located at: https://www.vistaservices.ca.
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to enhance user experience, measure traffic patterns, and improve services. We may also use third-party analytics services (such as Google Analytics). You may set your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent; however, certain site features may not function properly without them.
Our website does not collect information that could identify you personally unless you choose to provide it voluntarily. You are welcome to browse the website at any time anonymously and privately without revealing any personal or financial information about yourself.
Advertising and Analytics Technologies
We may use certain advertising and analytics technologies on our website, including Google Analytics and Google Analytics Advertising Features, as well as advertising platforms provided by Google and Microsoft. These services help us better understand how visitors use our website, measure the effectiveness of our advertising, develop audience insights, and display relevant advertisements to individuals who may be interested in our products and services.
Specific Advertising Features Enabled
We may enable the following Google Analytics Advertising Features on our website:
o Google Display Network Impression Reporting
o Google Analytics Demographics and Interests Reporting
o Remarketing with Google Analytics
o Google Ads Remarketing and Conversion Tracking
These features allow us to better understand interactions with our website, measure advertising performance, and optimize how we engage with prospective customers across digital platforms. We may use aggregated, demographic, and interest-based information generated through these features to improve our services, develop marketing strategies, and display advertisements that are more relevant to you. This information is processed in a manner that does not identify you personally. We do not permit these advertising services to use personal information collected on our behalf for their own independent purposes.
We and third-party vendors may use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) or other first-party identifiers together with third-party cookies (such as Google advertising cookies), tracking pixels, or other third-party identifiers to:
o analyze and report on website usage and interactions,
o optimize and measure advertising campaigns,
o create aggregated demographic and interest reports, and
o deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you across websites and applications.
How to Opt Out
You may opt out of Google Analytics Advertising Features through the following mechanisms:
o Google Ads Settings: https://www.google.com/settings/ads
o Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/
You may also manage cookie preferences through your browser settings; however, disabling cookies may impact certain website functions.
Microsoft provides similar controls for its advertising services. You may review Microsoft’s privacy controls and opt-out options at:
o https://account.microsoft.com/privacy/ad-settings
Information That May Be Disclosed to Outside Parties
We may disclose personal information to carefully selected third parties strictly for the purposes set out in this Policy. Such parties may include:
o Organizations that assist in contract, product, and service administration and operation, such as billing and enterprise resource planning platforms;
o Financial institutions, insurers, securitization parties, and funding partners that provide financing or credit support for your lease;
o Credit reporting agencies, auditors, and regulators;
o Legal advisors, service providers, and contractors who are bound by confidentiality obligations; and
o Purchasers, successors, or assigns in connection with a sale, merger, or other corporate transaction.
We take steps to ensure that such third parties protect your personal information in a manner consistent with Canadian privacy laws. Note that personal information may be transferred to or accessed by service providers outside of Canada, including in the United States or other foreign jurisdictions. Such information may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions and accessible to law enforcement and government authorities in those jurisdictions.
The following are limited instances where we may disclose personal information to third parties:
o To investigate potentially fraudulent or questionable activities regarding the use of our services;
o To offer you related products and services that might benefit you;
o In anticipation of and in the course of an actual or potential sale, reorganization, consolidation, merger or amalgamation of our business;
o When required or permitted by law; and
o To pursue collection of accounts owed to us by you.
The type of information we are legally required to disclose may relate to criminal investigations or government tax reporting requirements. In some instances, such as a legal proceeding or court order, we may also be required to disclose certain information to authorities. Only the information specifically requested is disclosed and we take precautions to satisfy ourselves that the authorities that are making the request have legitimate grounds to do so.
There are some situations where we are legally permitted to disclose personal information such as employing reasonable and legal methods to enforce our rights or to investigate suspicion of illegal activities.
Employee Access To Personal Information
In the course of daily operations, access to private, sensitive and confidential information is restricted to authorized employees who have a legitimate business purpose and reason for accessing it. For example, when you call us, our designated employees will access your information to verify who you are and to assist you in fulfilling your requests.
As a condition of their employment, all Vista employees are required to abide by the privacy standards we have established. Employees are informed about the importance of privacy and undergo confidentiality related training.
Unauthorized access to and/or disclosure of personal information by an employee of Vista is strictly prohibited. All employees are expected to maintain the confidentiality of personal information at all times and failing to do so will result in appropriate disciplinary measures, which may include dismissal.
Safeguarding Your Information
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, theft, and unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These safeguards include encryption, firewalls, secure servers, access controls, employee training, and regular monitoring of our information security practices.
Electronic customer files are kept in a highly secured environment with restricted access. Paper-based files are stored in locked filing cabinets. Access is also restricted.
We manage our server environment appropriately and our firewall infrastructure is strictly adhered to. Our security practices are reviewed on a regular basis, and we routinely employ current technologies to ensure that the confidentiality and privacy of your information is not compromised.
When you call our customer service centre you will be required to verify your identity by providing some personally identifying information as well as your contract number.
Accessing and Amending Your Information
You have the right to access, verify, and request corrections to your personal information held by Vista. You may access and verify any of your information by calling our customer service telephone number at 1-877-318-4782 during normal business hours. Requests will generally be responded to within thirty (30) days, in accordance with PIPEDA. Where technically feasible, and subject to applicable law, you may also request a copy of your personal information in a portable format. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada for further assistance.
To help us keep your personal information current, we encourage you to amend inaccuracies and make corrections as often as necessary. Despite our efforts, errors sometimes do occur. Should you identify any incorrect or out-of-date information in your file(s), we will make the proper changes. Where appropriate, we will communicate these changes to other parties who may have unintentionally received incorrect information from us.
Questions, Concerns and Complaints
If you have a question about the privacy policies stated on this site, please call us at 1-877-318-4782.
If you have a concern or complaint about privacy, confidentiality or our personal information handling practices at Vista, our employees or service suppliers, please contact:
Vista Services. Privacy Officer
205-6 Gurdwara Road
Ottawa, ON K2E 8A3
Phone: 1-877-318-4782
Email: legal@vistaservices.ca
Before we provide you with any information or correct any inaccuracies, we may ask you to verify your identity and to provide other details to help us to respond to your request. We will endeavor to respond within an appropriate timeframe.
Updating This Policy
Any changes to our privacy policy and information handling practices will be acknowledged in this Policy in a timely manner. We may add, modify or remove portions of this Policy when we feel it is appropriate to do so. You may determine when this Policy was last updated by referring to the modification date found at the bottom of this Policy. This Policy supersedes all prior versions. Questions or concerns regarding this Policy should be directed to Vista’s Privacy Officer at privacy@vistaservices.ca, or by mail to: Vista Services, Privacy Officer, 205-6 Gurdwara Road, Ottawa, ON K2E 8A3.
Websites Governed By This Policy
Our website is governed by the provisions and practices stated in this Policy.
Our website may contain links to other third-party sites that are not governed by this Policy. Although we endeavour to only link to sites with high privacy standards, our Policy will no longer apply once you leave our website. Additionally, we are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by other third-party websites. Therefore, we suggest that you examine the privacy statements of those sites to learn how your information may be collected, used, shared and disclosed.
