Below we have provided as much information as we can think of regarding questions you
might have regarding making purchases with us online. If there is something we have failed to cover,
please e-mail or phone us at 503/281-3835. We also have a
page about Privacy.
Contents:
Is my credit card and personal information secure?
We, at the Hollywood Clinic, utilize the secure web server at our
Internet presence provider, Newell Hosting.
Newell Hosting provides a Secure Web Server for us so that we can include secure
forms
in our
web pages for transmission of
sensitive information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card
numbers and the like. Newell Hosting has purchased SSL certificates for each
other
their servers from GeoTrust.
What is a GeoTrust Digital Certificate?
When you connect to a secure web server such as
https://www.geotrust.com you ask that server to authenticate itself. This authentication
is quite a complex process involving public keys, private keys and a digital
certificate. The certificate tells
you that an independent third party has agreed that the server belongs to the
company it claims to belong to. A valid certificate means that you can have
confidence that you are sending information to
the right place.
The Hollywood Clinic is utilizing the certificate that Newell
Hosting purchased to secure eardoc.com and to assure you that your transaction
is secure and cannot be intercepted or
viewed by prying eyes.
What does the warning window that
pops up in the ordering process really mean?
Some of the messages on these
windows can sound a bit ominous. They simply mean that you are entering the safest, most secure part
of our website, which should be reassuring since this is where credit card transactions take place.
Click "OK" to continue. As long as your browser shows it's "secure mode symbol"
(see below), we guarantee that it's safe to send us your credit card information.
What's the worst thing that could happen?
Banks typically either covers ll the charges that result from unauthorized use of your
credit card, or limit your liability to $50. It would be best to check with your issuing bank on your
exact liability if your account is compromised.
If your bank holds you liable, the
Hollywood Clinic will cover the liability for up to $50 of losses provided the guidelines established
by the card issuing bank for reporting misuse of the card were followed, and the unauthorized use of
your credit card resulted through no fault of your own from purchases made at eardoc.com while using
the secure server. Any disputed charges must be presented to us by your card issuing bank and proven
in writing.
Granted, it's a hassle to have to replace the card, but it's
reassuring that if someone gets your credit card information (regardless of how), the downside is
limited.
How do I know if a website or webpage is
secure?
Now for the somewhat technical part. When buying something on there
Internet, there are three things you need to be sure of:
- Data you send is strongly encrypted.
- The site you're doing business with is the site you think it is.
- The site you're doing business with processes your credit card and address information in a safe and
responsible manner.
Points 1 and 2 are taken care of by SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), the
industry standard security protocol that the Hollywood Clinic uses to communicate with secure browsers
like Netscape and Internet Explorer. When communicating with a secure server like ours, these browsers
encrypt the information you send in a way that is extremely difficult for anyone else to decode. We
included a visual representation below of what to look for in your browser window to see if you're
viewing a secure page.
Many security experts say the most important thing is what happens once
the merchant receives your order. At the Hollywood Clinic we take several steps to insure that things
on our end are as safe as possible. For example, we process orders immediately so they don't
"sit" anywhere for very long. We do our order processing on machines that aren't connected
to the Internet, so there's no danger or people gaining access to them. Finally, we don't keep a copy
of your credit card number on file. While this is a minor inconvenience because you have to give us
your credit card number every time you place an order, we believe that it's the safest and most honest
way to do business.
What parts of the Hollywood Clinic
website are secure?
We believe that Newell Hosting's Secure Server is one of the most
secure options on the Internet today. Since a secure server slows down the rate
at which you receive pages, we have only placed pages where you engage in transactions
at the Hollywood Clinic Store on the
secure server. From the introduction to the final confirmation, you transactions
are secure.
There are a couple ways to confirm that you're in a secure area. All SSL capable browsers have a
symbol to indicate secure mode. Specifically:
| Browser |
Symbol Location | Normal
(Insecure) Mode Symbol | Secure Mode Symbol |
| Netscape 1.2, 2.0 and 3.0 | Lower Left |  Broken Key |
 Complete Key |
| Netscape Communicator (4.0) | Lower Left |  Open Lock |
 Closed Lock |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer | Lower Right | None |  Closed Lock |
Another clue that you are in a secure area is that the
left most part of the URL address will say "https://" rather than "http://". HTTP
stands for HyperText Transport Protocol and HTTPS stands for HTTP
with SSL.
What is your policy concerning personal
information?
Under no circumstances will the Hollywood Clinic sell or give personal, credit
card, demographic, or medical information to other parties, unless provided with consent. We hold
ourselves to the guidelines of doctor/patient confidentiality. Please read more in-depth information
on our Privacy page.
What
is your policy concerning the unauthorized use of credit cards?
Fraudulent transactions (which
include using a family member's or friend's credit card without a prearranged agreement with Tronix)
will be reported to the appropriate credit card company for further action, as well as the Internet
service provider which hosts the account. We will take action without hesitation or second
thoughts.
