Whitegoodshelp does not collect any data at all. I simply publish free help and advice and that’s it. However, in order to remain a free resource I do allow carefully chosen related white goods adverts. These ads can only work if some anonymous tracking is done which allows the merchant to credit Whitegoodshelp with any sales. These would be classed as third party affiliate links which are managed by official affiliate sites.

The main two companies I use are Tradedoubler and Affiliate Window -

TradeDoubler’s Privacy Policy

How does TradeDoubler track clicks, leads and sales?

"TradeDoubler uses cookies to track advertiser sales and leads. Cookie Tracking is the most popular method to track customers "from click through to order". When a user clicks on your affiliate link a small text file is written, a "cookie",to the user’s browser. This cookie holds your affiliate ID, which can be identified at the advertisers order page to credit for referred sales. The cookie that records your affiliate ID can "live" for as long as the advertiser desires, allowing you to get credit for customers who clicked on a link weeks, or months, before finally purchasing or making a repeat purchase".

Does TradeDoubler access unique information on customers or site visitors?

"No, TradeDoubler is a leader in performance-based online marketing solutions and does not use its technology as an analysis tool for profiling online customer use".

Affiliate Window’s Tracking Methods

1. A consumer visits an affiliate’s website (for example a shopping portal or directory)
2. The customer finds a product (or retailer) and clicks the link to be taken to the merchant’s site to review or purchase (this click-through stores a network cookie on their PC).
3. The customer completes the sale online. Tracking software records the key purchase data such as sale amount, IP, date and time, etc and reports this to Affiliate Window. The customer journey has now concluded.
4. The merchant is able to pay commission due to the affiliate for sales generated.

Emails sent to me

Any emails sent to me are treated with total privacy and stored only on my own computer protected by a firewall. None will ever be used to send any unsolicited emails.

What is a cookie?

It’s just a very small text file. Perfectly harmless. Are Cookies Dangerous to My Computer? | Are Cookies a Threat to My Privacy?