HearFix Private Policy

Last updated: 26 November 2025

HearFix (Pty) Ltd (“HearFix”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in a lawful, transparent and secure way.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect your personal information when you use our website www.hearfix.co.za (including any sub-domains such as za.hearfix.co.za) and when you contact us about a hearing consultation or related services.

By using our website or submitting your information to us, you agree that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Important: HearFix does not diagnose, treat or prescribe. We are a hearing-care platform that connects you with independent, HPCSA-registered hearing-care professionals (“HCPs”) who provide clinical services directly to you.

1. Who we are

HearFix (Pty) Ltd

Registration number: [insert company registration number]

Registered address: [insert physical address]

Email: [email protected]

For purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”), HearFix is the responsible party for personal information collected through this website and through our online enquiry and referral processes.

2. What information we collect

We collect two broad categories of information:

2.1. Personal Information

This is information that identifies you or can be used to identify you, including:

Name and surname

Contact details (phone number, email address, town/suburb, province)

Preferred contact method

Any information you enter into our online forms (for example, whether you have noticed hearing difficulties or would like a call-back)

Communication history (emails, call-back requests, messages sent via the website)

We may also receive limited information from an HCP after referral (for example, that contact was made or that an appointment has been scheduled) where necessary to manage our service and improve our processes.

2.2. Special Personal Information (Health Information)

Because HearFix deals with hearing health, we may collect health-related information, such as:

Your self-reported hearing concerns (e.g. difficulty in noise, tinnitus, dizziness)

Whether you have previously had a hearing test or used hearing aids

Any other hearing-related information you choose to share in our forms or during communication with us

We only request the minimum necessary information needed to help connect you with an appropriate HCP.

2.3. Special Personal Information (Health Information)

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

IP address and general location (city/region level)

Device and browser type

Pages visited and time spent on the site

Referring source (e.g. Google, Facebook ad, direct link)

This information is collected using cookies and similar technologies to help us understand how the site is used and to improve performance and user experience.

You can manage or disable cookies in your browser settings, but some website features may not function correctly if cookies are disabled.

3. How we use your information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

1. Responding to your enquiry

◦To contact you when you request a call-back or consultation

◦To clarify your hearing concerns and what support you are looking for

2. Facilitating a referral to an HCP

◦To identify an appropriate independent, HPCSA-registered hearing-care professional near you

◦To share your details with that HCP so they can contact you and arrange an appointment

3. Service delivery and improvement

◦To manage, monitor and improve the HearFix platform and referral process

◦To analyse usage trends on the website (anonymised or aggregated where possible)

4. Communication with you

◦To send you service-related messages (e.g. confirming that your details have been forwarded to an HCP)

◦With your consent, to send you hearing-health information, updates about HearFix, or relevant hearing-care content (you can opt out at any time)

5. Legal and compliance purposes

◦To comply with applicable laws and regulations, including POPIA

◦To respond to lawful requests from regulators or other authorities

◦To exercise or defend legal claims where necessary

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Lawful basis for processing (POPIA)

We process your personal and health-related information on one or more of the following lawful grounds:

•Your consent

◦When you submit an online form, request a call-back, or ask us to connect you with an HCP

◦When you opt in to receive educational emails or updates

•Contractual necessity or steps taken at your request

◦When we process your details to connect you with an HCP, as requested by you

•Legal obligations

◦When we are required to retain certain information or provide it to regulators or authorities in terms of the law

•Legitimate interests

◦To improve the HearFix platform and services, prevent fraud or misuse, and ensure the security of our systems — always balanced against your rights and expectations

Where we process special personal information (such as health information), we do so based on:

•Your explicit consent, and/or

•Where it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, or as otherwise permitted by POPIA.

5. How we share your information

We may share your information with the following categories of recipients, on a need-to-know basis:

1. Independent hearing-care professionals (HCPs)

◦When you request a consultation, we share your relevant details with a selected HCP so that they can contact you, schedule an appointment and provide hearing-care services directly to you.

◦Once the referral is made, the HCP becomes a separate responsible party for the information they hold in their clinical records and will process your information according to their own privacy / consent policies.

2. Service providers

◦We may use carefully selected third-party service providers (e.g. website hosting, CRM systems, email and communication platforms, analytics tools) who process personal information on our behalf.

◦These providers are bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations and may not use your information for their own purposes.

3. Legal and regulatory bodies

◦Where required by law, regulation, court order or lawful request from authorities.

We do not sell or rent your personal information to any third party.

6. Cookies and analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

•Recognise returning visitors

•Analyse website traffic and performance

•Help us improve navigation and user experience

You can control cookies through your browser settings. If you disable cookies, some website features may not work as intended, but you will still be able to access core information.

7. How we protect your information

We treat all personal information as confidential and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it, including:

•Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis

•Password-protected systems and secure communication tools where appropriate

•Reasonable safeguards against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction

Despite these measures, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. You use the website and submit information at your own risk, but we will act promptly if we become aware of a suspected data breach.

If legally required, we will notify you and the relevant authorities of any confirmed unauthorised access, use or disclosure of your personal information.

8. How long we keep your information

We keep your information only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is:

•Required by law, or

•Necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims

When information is no longer needed, we will delete or de-identify it in a secure manner.

9. Your rights under POPIA

Under POPIA, you have certain rights in relation to your personal information, including:

•Right of access

◦To ask what personal information we hold about you and to receive a copy of it, within legal limits.

•Right to correction

◦To request that we correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information.

•Right to deletion (in certain circumstances)

◦To request that we delete personal information where it is no longer needed, and we are not legally required to keep it.

•Right to object or restrict processing

◦To object to certain types of processing, or to request that processing be restricted, subject to legal and contractual limitations.

•Right to withdraw consent

◦Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. This will not affect processing that has already taken place.

•Right to lodge a complaint

◦You can lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your personal information has been unlawfully processed.

▪Information Regulator: 33 Hoofd Street, Forum III, 3rd Floor, Braampark, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa

To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before responding and may charge a reasonable fee where permitted by law.

10. Children

Our website and services are not specifically directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 without the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

If you are under 18, please do not submit your personal information to us without your guardian’s consent. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without appropriate consent, we will delete it where legally required.

11. International data transfers

HearFix primarily processes personal information within South Africa.

If we use service providers or systems located outside South Africa, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place and that the recipient provides a level of protection substantially similar to that required under POPIA.

By using our website and submitting your information, you consent to such transfers where they occur in line with this Policy and applicable law.

12. Newsletter and hearing-health updates

From time to time, we may send you:

•Educational content on hearing and hearing care

•Updates about HearFix services and initiatives

We will only send these communications where:

•You have given consent (opt-in), or

•They are permitted under applicable direct-marketing rules

You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails or by emailing [email protected].

13. Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services (including independent HCP practice sites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of those websites.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or internal practices.

When we make material changes, we will:

•Update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Policy, and

•Where appropriate, provide a more prominent notice on the website.

Your continued use of the website after any changes have been posted will be taken as acceptance of the updated Policy.

15. Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact:

Email: [email protected]