Florist Creekmouth Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Florist Creekmouth ('we', 'our', or 'us') collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal information when you place orders for flowers in Creekmouth and the surrounding districts. We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is safeguarded in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and all applicable UK data protection legislation. This policy applies to all individuals placing orders with Florist Creekmouth, whether online, by phone, in person, or through any other channel.

What Data We Collect

To process your orders and provide our florist services, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Identification Data: Such as your name and, if required, the name of any recipient.
• Contact Details: Including delivery address, billing address, and contact numbers.
• Order Details: Information regarding your floral order, messages included with gifts, and delivery instructions.
• Transactional Information: Payment method details (note: we do not store your full payment card numbers, only last four digits for reference in some cases).
• Communication Data: Any correspondence or queries you submit to us about our products or your order.
• Technical Data: When relevant, information from website usage such as IP addresses, browser type, device information, and cookies (where applicable, for website orders).

Lawful Basis for Processing Your Data

Pursuant to Article 6 of the GDPR, we process your personal data lawfully based on the following grounds:

• Contractual Necessity: The majority of the information we collect is necessary for us to fulfil your order or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
• Legal Obligation: Some information may be required to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations (for example, in relation to tax or accounting records).
• Legitimate Interests: We may process data to improve our operations, including customer service and marketing (with an appropriate balance between our interests and your rights).
• Consent: In some instances, such as direct electronic marketing where required by law, we will rely on your explicit consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

Retention of Your Data

Florist Creekmouth retains your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. In general:

• Order and transactional records: Retained for up to 7 years to comply with our record-keeping obligations.
• Marketing data: Retained until you withdraw your consent or request erasure.
• General correspondence: Retained for up to 2 years to resolve disputes or handle queries.
• Technical data (e.g., cookies): Stored according to our cookie and website policies, typically for no longer than 1 year from collection.

Once the applicable retention period has elapsed, your data will be securely deleted or anonymised so it can no longer identify you.

Data Processors and Third Parties

To deliver our services, we may engage trusted third-party service providers acting as data processors. These may include:

• Payment gateway providers (handling card payments securely).
• IT service providers (supporting our ordering platform and data storage).
• Delivery and courier services (enabling order fulfilment and delivery).
• Accountants and legal professionals (where required by law).

Whenever we share your data with service providers, we ensure it is done so securely and in accordance with a written contract that obligates the processor to protect your data and prohibits them from using your data for their own purposes. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.

Your personal data may be processed or stored outside the UK or European Economic Area (EEA) only where adequate safeguards are in place to protect your information, in line with GDPR requirements.

Your Rights Under the GDPR

You have a number of rights concerning your personal data under the UK GDPR, including:

• The right to access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• The right to rectification: You may ask us to correct or update information if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
• The right to erasure: Also known as the 'right to be forgotten', you can ask us to delete your data where there is no compelling legal reason for its continued processing.
• The right to restrict processing: You may request restriction under certain circumstances, such as if you contest the accuracy of your data.
• The right to data portability: Where applicable, you can request a copy of your data in a portable format for transfer to another service provider.
• The right to object: You may object to certain processing activities, such as direct marketing.
• The right to withdraw consent: If processing is based on consent, you are entitled to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the methods provided on our website or in-store. We will respond to your request as quickly as possible, and always within one month. In some cases, we may require you to verify your identity to ensure data security.

Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. Any changes will be made available through our website and, where appropriate, we may notify you specifically of significant changes.

Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this policy or how your data is handled, you are encouraged to contact us directly for resolution. If you are unhappy with how we process your data, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection authority.

This policy applies to all individuals placing orders with Florist Creekmouth from Creekmouth and surrounding districts. By placing an order or using our services, you acknowledge you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.