At Metro Fixings, we understand that maintaining absolute data integrity and transactional security is paramount for trade professionals and commercial enterprises purchasing online. With an active stock profile of over 35,000 products, our e-commerce platform handles high-frequency, high-value B2B transactions daily.
This Online Payment Security Policy outlines the rigorous electronic protocols, data encryption standards, and fraud prevention measures we enforce to ensure your corporate credit cards, purchasing cards (P-Cards), and trade account details are fully protected against unauthorized access and cyber threats.
2. Industry-Standard Data Encryption (SSL/TLS)
When you transact on www.metrofixings.co.uk, your connection is fully secured using advanced Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology.
Data in Transit: All sensitive data transmitted during the registration, login, and checkout phases is heavily encrypted before it travels across the internet. This prevents any malicious third party from intercepting or eavesdropping on your corporate data.
Secure Connection Indicators: You can verify that your session is securely encrypted by checking for the padlock icon in your web browser's address bar and ensuring that the website URL begins with https://.
3. PCI-DSS Compliance & Tokenisation
Metro Fixings strictly adheres to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), a mandatory international framework established to secure credit and debit card transactions.
No Card Retention: To minimize risk, Metro Fixings never stores, logs, or processes raw credit or debit card numbers, CVV/CVC security codes, or magnetic stripe data directly on our internal servers or ERP networks.
Secure Third-Party Gateways: All card authorization and settlement processes are routed directly through accredited, PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment gateways.
Tokenisation Technology: When you save a payment card to your online Trade Account portal for faster subsequent checkouts, your real card credentials are completely replaced with an irreversible, randomized cryptographic token managed securely by our payment gateway provider.
4. Advanced Fraud Prevention & 3D Secure 2 (3DS2)
To protect both our business and your corporate capital from fraudulent online activity, we utilize automated fraud screening systems alongside the latest industry standard authentication layers:
3D Secure 2 (3DS2): Our digital checkout fully supports 3DS2 authentication protocols (such as Visa Secure and Mastercard Identity Check). Depending on your commercial bank's requirements, this may prompt your purchasing officer to complete a multi-factor authentication check (such as entering a one-time SMS passcode or authorizing the transaction via a mobile banking app).
AVS & CVV Checks: Every card payment undergoes instantaneous Address Verification Service (AVS) checks and CVV code validation against the card issuer's database to prevent unauthorized use of lost or cloned cards.
5. Trade Credit Account Facility Access Security
For buyers operating an approved Trade Credit Account Facility directly on our platform, we enforce strict boundary protocols:
Authorised Account Control: Online purchasing against an active credit line is strictly restricted to authenticated users mapped directly to your corporate profile.
Password Enforcement: We require users to utilize strong, unique passwords for their trade portal logins. It remains the sole responsibility of the Buyer to ensure login credentials are not shared across un-authorised site personnel or third-party subcontractors.
Immediate Suspension Protocols: If we detect anomalous purchasing patterns, repeated failed login attempts, or suspected unauthorized traffic on your account, our IT security desk reserves the right to instantly freeze online portal access pending direct verification with your corporate accounts team.
6. Steps to Protect Your Purchasing Account
Security is a shared responsibility. We strongly advise our trade partners to implement the following operational security habits:
Keep Software Updated: Ensure all corporate devices, operating systems, and web browsers used to access the Metro Fixings platform are regularly patched with the latest manufacturer security updates.
Avoid Shared Logins: Establish individual user profiles within your company's procurement team rather than using a single, shared login across multiple devices.
Verify Communication: Metro Fixings will never contact you via telephone or unsolicited email requesting you to verify your online password or read out your card's CVV number. If you ever receive a suspicious request claiming to be from our accounts department, hang up and call our official helpline immediately on +44 (0)1707 375172.
7. Policy Updates and Contact Information
We review our electronic safety measures and payment gateway protocols continuously to counter emerging cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Any modifications to this policy will be published here and will take effect immediately upon posting.
If you have specific technical questions regarding our digital transaction framework, require data protection clarifications, or wish to report a suspected security concern regarding your online trade account, please contact our administrative desk:
