Bethnal Green Florist Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy outlines how Bethnal Green Florist collects, uses, protects, and processes personal data when you place an order with us. We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all customers placing orders with Bethnal Green Florist from Bethnal Green and the surrounding districts.

What Data We Collect

To process and fulfil your order, we may collect the following types of personal data:

• Identity Data: Includes your full name, and, if you are ordering for someone else, the recipient's name.
• Contact Data: Such as your address, email address, and telephone number; and recipient's address, if relevant for delivery.
• Transaction Data: Details of your order, including products purchased, delivery instructions, billing information, and payment details (limited to non-sensitive payment references as payments are processed through secure third-party processors).
• Correspondence: Any information you provide when you contact us for support or queries, including communications through our website or in person.
• Technical Data: Such as IP address, browser type, and device information gathered by cookies if you interact with us online, to improve website functionality and secure our services. These are not used to personally identify you, unless required for fraud prevention.

Lawful Basis for Processing Your Data

We collect and process your personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently for the following legal bases:

• Contractual Necessity: The majority of the data we process is required to deliver the products and services you request, including contacting you about your order and delivering flowers to your chosen recipient.
• Legitimate Interests: We may use your data to improve our services, maintain accurate records, respond to enquiries, and prevent fraud or misuse of our services, where these actions do not override your rights and interests.
• Legal Obligation: Where required by law, we may need to process certain personal details for tax records, accounting, or other statutory requirements.
• Consent: For optional services, such as sending you marketing communications or customer feedback requests, we rely on your explicit consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data to:

• Process and fulfil your flower and gift orders, including arranging deliveries within Bethnal Green and surrounding districts
• Contact you about your order status, delivery queries, or customer service issues
• Maintain our customer records accurately and securely
• Improve the quality of our products, services, and website
• Comply with our legal obligations
• Send you marketing or promotional communications if you have opted in to receive them

How Long We Keep Your Data (Retention)

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Typically, we keep transaction and contact data for up to 7 years to comply with tax and financial record-keeping obligations. Non-essential data is deleted or anonymised when no longer needed. Where you have opted in for marketing, we retain your contact details for as long as you remain subscribed, unless you opt out.

Data Processors and Third Parties

To provide efficient services, we sometimes need to share your personal data with trusted third parties (data processors), including:

• Payment service providers to process transactions securely (we do not store full card details)
• Delivery partners who help deliver your order to the intended recipient
• IT and website service providers who support our business technology infrastructure
• Accountancy and compliance consultants for legal and financial requirements

All third-party service providers are required to respect the security of your personal data and process it only for specific purposes and in accordance with our instructions and the law. We never sell or disclose your personal data for unrelated marketing purposes.

Your Rights Under the GDPR

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right to Access: You can request a copy of your personal information we hold.
• Right to Rectification: You may ask us to correct any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you.
• Right to Erasure: You can request that we delete your personal data where there is no justified reason for us to continue processing it. This is sometimes called ‘the right to be forgotten’.
• Right to Restriction: You can ask us to temporarily or permanently stop processing your personal data under certain circumstances.
• Right to Object: You have the right to object to processing if we are relying on our legitimate interests, and also to direct marketing at any time.
• Right to Data Portability: You may ask us to provide your personal data in a structured, commonly-used, machine-readable format for transfer to another organisation.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where you have given consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before that withdrawal.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data is being misused.

To exercise any of these rights, you can contact us using our contact form or visit the shop in person. Please note that, in some cases, we might require proof of identity to fulfil your request and ensure data security.

Data Security

We implement suitable technical and organisational measures to keep your personal data secure, prevent unauthorised access, misuse, loss, or disclosure. These measures include secure physical storage, encrypted records, password-protected systems, and staff training in data protection.

Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements or our operations. The most recent version is always available in our store and on our website.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how your data is processed, you can contact us via our website contact form or by visiting our shop. We are committed to responding promptly to any queries or requests related to your data privacy.