Privacy Policy for Customers of Walthamstow Flowers

Introduction

This Privacy Policy details how Walthamstow Flowers collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) ("GDPR"). It applies to all customers who place orders with Walthamstow Flowers in Walthamstow and the surrounding districts. We are committed to respecting your privacy and ensuring the safeguarding of your personal information.

What Data We Collect

In the course of fulfilling your order and providing our services, we may collect and process the following data:

• Contact Details: Your name, address, email address, and telephone number for order processing and delivery purposes.
• Order Information: Details of the products you order, delivery address, recipient name, desired delivery date, and card messages provided by you.
• Payment Information: Information necessary to process your payment, such as your billing address. Please note: we do not store your full payment card details; secure third-party payment processors handle all payment transactions.
• Correspondence: Records of your communications with us, including requests, questions, feedback, or complaints.
• Technical Data: Limited data related to your interactions with our website, such as IP address and browser type, only where necessary for website functionality and security.

Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the GDPR, we must provide a lawful basis for every instance of processing personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases:

• Contractual Necessity: Most of the data we collect is required to perform our contract with you, such as fulfilling, delivering, and updating you regarding your order.
• Legal Obligations: We may need to retain and process certain information to comply with applicable laws, such as tax and accounting regulations.
• Legitimate Interests: We may process your data where it is in our legitimate interests and not overridden by your rights, such as for record keeping, responding to your enquiries, or improving our services.
• Consent: Where required (for example, for direct marketing), we will request your explicit consent before processing your data. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

How We Use Your Data

Your personal data is used strictly for the purposes for which it was collected. Specifically, we use your information to:

• Process and fulfil your order, including communicating with you and arranging delivery.
• Respond to your queries, feedback, or complaints.
• Comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
• Improve and enhance our services and website experience.
• Send you marketing communications, but only if you have given consent.

Retention Periods

We will retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Typically, we retain order records and associated customer data for a period of six years to comply with UK tax law. After this period, your personal data will be securely deleted or anonymised unless we are required to retain it for longer due to legal proceedings or applicable legislation.

Processors and Data Sharing

In conducting our business, we may engage carefully selected third-party service providers ("processors") who process personal data on our behalf, such as:

• Payment service providers for secure payment processing
• Delivery services for order fulfilment
• IT and hosting service providers ensuring the availability and security of our website

All processors are contractually required to handle your data securely, in compliance with GDPR, and only process it according to our instructions. We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for their marketing purposes.

Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• Right of Access: You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and a copy of your information.
• Right to Rectification: You can request that we correct any inaccuracy in your data.
• Right to Erasure: You may request deletion of your data in certain circumstances, unless legal obligations prevent us from doing so.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can ask us to restrict processing if you contest the accuracy or lawfulness of processing.
• Right to Data Portability: Where applicable, you may receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used format and have the right to transmit it to another controller.
• Right to Object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing at any time.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw this at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details provided on our website or through the ordering portal. We will respond to all legitimate requests within one month.

Data Security

We implement robust technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, or destruction. These include encryption, secure servers, access controls, and staff training. While we strive to protect your data, please note that no internet transmission is ever completely secure.

International Transfers

All personal data held by Walthamstow Flowers is stored and processed within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area (EEA). If, in exceptional cases, data needs to be transferred outside the EEA, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place as required by GDPR.

Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time in line with legal, regulatory, or operational changes. If we make significant changes to how your data is processed, we will notify customers through appropriate channels. Please review this Policy periodically for the latest information.

Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your data rights, please contact us via our website. Additionally, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.

Applicability

This Privacy Policy applies to all customers placing Walthamstow Flowers orders from Walthamstow and the surrounding districts. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.