How East Finchley Flowers Protects Your Privacy

East Finchley Flowers Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how East Finchley Flowers collects, uses, discloses, and protects the personal data of customers placing orders from East Finchley and the surrounding districts. We are committed to handling your data responsibly, in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and relevant UK data protection laws. By placing an order with East Finchley Flowers, you acknowledge and accept the practices described in this policy.

What Data We Collect

East Finchley Flowers collects information that is necessary to process your orders, provide customer service, and improve our products and services. The types of information we collect include:

Personal Identification Information: Your name, delivery address, billing address, and contact details (such as telephone numbers).
Order Information: Details of the products you order, delivery instructions, payment amounts, and transaction history.
Payment Details: Partial payment information, such as card type, payment confirmations, and reference data. We do not retain full payment card numbers or security codes; these are handled securely by our payment processor.
Communication Records: Records of your communications with us, including order confirmations, correspondence, and feedback.
Technical Information: Information related to your use of our website, such as IP addresses, browser type, and usage data, which may be collected via cookies for site performance and analytic purposes.

Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Data

We process your personal data only when allowed under the GDPR. The main lawful bases we rely on include:

Contractual necessity: We require certain information to fulfill your flower order and deliver our services. Without this information, we cannot process your order.
Legal obligations: We may process and retain certain information for compliance with UK legal and regulatory requirements, including tax and accounting laws.
Legitimate interests: We may use your data to improve our products and services, prevent fraud, conduct business analysis, and respond to your inquiries, provided this does not override your rights and freedoms.
Consent: If we wish to use your personal data for purposes outside those listed above (for example, for direct marketing), we will ask for your explicit consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

How We Use Your Data

Your personal information is used for the following purposes:

To process, fulfill, and deliver your floral orders;
To communicate with you about your order status and related enquiries;
To manage payments and refunds securely;
To improve our products, services, and customer experiences;
To comply with legal obligations and respond to requests from law enforcement where required by law;
To address questions, complaints, or feedback you may provide.

How Long We Keep Your Data

East Finchley Flowers retains your personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, and as required to meet our legal and contractual obligations. In general:

Order and Transaction Data: Typically retained for up to seven years in accordance with UK tax regulations.
Communication Records: Retained for up to two years to resolve customer service queries unless a longer retention period is required by law.
Technical Data: Stored for analytic and security purposes, no longer than necessary, and in accordance with our cookie policy.

Once personal data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

Processors and Third Parties

East Finchley Flowers works with trusted third parties to provide and improve our services. When we share your personal data with external service providers (data processors), they are contractually bound to use your data only as instructed and to protect it in accordance with GDPR standards. Key categories of processors may include:

Payment Processing Services: Secure online payment gateways handle your payment transactions.
Delivery and Courier Partners: To ensure your order reaches you or your delivery recipient.
IT Service Providers: For secure website hosting, maintenance, and data storage.
Professional Advisors: Such as accountants or legal advisors, where required by law.

We will not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We do not transfer personal data outside the UK or European Economic Area unless that country ensures an adequate level of protection.

Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the GDPR, you have specific rights regarding your personal data:

Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: You may ask us to correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to Erasure: You can request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances, such as where it is no longer required.
Right to Restrict Processing: In some situations, you may request that we restrict how we process your data.
Right to Data Portability: You may request that we provide your data in a machine-readable format for transfer to another service provider.
Right to Object: You have the right to object to our processing of your data in some cases, including for marketing purposes.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us through the usual customer service channels. We will respond to your request within one month, except where the complexity or number of requests requires a longer period.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements or our business practices. The updated policy will be available on our website, with the effective date indicated.

Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions or concerns regarding how we handle your personal data or wish to exercise your rights, please reach out using our customer service contact options. If you remain dissatisfied, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the UK.

Scope of the Policy

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