Canada Creek Tea Merchants Inc.^TM
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How we make it safe for you to order on cctm.com

We  looked at a number of tools for on-line ordering.  In our opinion, all of them encrypt the data sent over the Internet and are safe to use. However, we have made a simple observation, no matter how good the technology:

it is the concentration of information that can result in security concerns.  For example your address by itself is of little value, however, your address plus your name, SIN/SSN, bank account number, and your date of birth may leave you vulnerable.

We trust online ordering, but we wanted to go one step further in protecting your privacy.  For that reason, we use two forms and separate the credit card number from your order.  Here is how it works:

1. you fill out the order form with your product request, mailing information and telephone.
2. you submit this data via our primary server located in a North American City
3. we then send you to a secure server in another North American City
4. you now enter your credit card information at this secure site
5. this information is encrypted using 128 bit encryption and then it is sent to us at a random time via a different route.  Even we do not know the routing, that is random as well.  Two different forms and two different routes.  It is that simple and it protects your privacy.

This process may appear to be a bit cumbersome, but you don't notice it because it happens in the background.  It costs us more than a single server solution, but we think it is worth peace of mind.  Oh, by the way, once the transaction is complete, we do not keep your credit card number on file.

Still nervous about ordering on cctm.com?

We want you to feel safe.  There are other ways to order that are fast, simple and secure.  Type in the information on the order form and submit it,  then you have several payment options:

• Send us the payment by mail (this is slower)
• Fax us your credit card information.  Our fax is available 24hrs, 365 days a year.
• Call our toll free number with the information

Why does cctm.com not use secure server software (SSL) for all the data?

We will eventually do that.

As noted above, it is not the technology which is the issue, but the concentration of information that can result in security concerns.  Even though we have access to an SSL server, we will continue to look at ways to protect your privacy and your security.

Once the technology matures (another few months??) we may set up all the order data on a single SSL server or host with a company which has one.  The technology and the server is not expensive, in fact it is cheaper than the two step process we are currently using.

Though it costs more, we want you to be able to order and be able to do so in a safe manner.

Why is it I sometimes cannot connect to a secure server?

Don't know about you, but we shop on the Internet, and we noticed that on many occasions, we could not connect to the SSL server.  This could be due to the different browsers, and the complexity of the software.  Sometimes it is a problem with the server.

This is another reason we give you several payment options.  It is also why we use a two step process.  If you have problems using our server, please send an e-mail to service@cctm.com