Forest Gate Florist Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Forest Gate Florist ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, protects, and manages your personal data when you place orders with us in Forest Gate and the surrounding districts. We are committed to complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ensuring the privacy and security of your information.

Scope of Policy

This policy applies to all customers, both individual and business, who order flowers or related products from Forest Gate Florist. It covers orders placed within Forest Gate and its surrounding districts.

What Data We Collect

To provide our flower delivery and related services, we may collect the following types of personal data:

• Contact Information: Name, delivery address, billing address, phone number.
• Order Information: Details about your order, message for card, recipient details.
• Payment Information: Payment method (such as card details), transaction status, but not full card numbers as payments are processed securely by third-party providers.
• Communication Data: Any correspondence, inquiries, or feedback you provide through our communication channels.
• Device Information: IP address, browser type, and operating system where interactions occur online, for operational, security and analytical purposes.

Lawful Basis for Processing Data

Forest Gate Florist is committed to processing your personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently. Our processing is based on one or more of the following legal grounds as required by the GDPR:

• Contractual Necessity: To fulfil our contract with you, such as processing and delivering your orders.
• Legal Obligation: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Legitimate Interests: To manage our business, respond to your queries, improve our services, and protect against fraud, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
• Consent: Where we ask for your explicit consent (such as for marketing communications), you have the right to withdraw this at any time.

How We Use Your Data

Your personal data is used for the following purposes:

• Processing and delivering your flower orders.
• Communicating order confirmations, updates, and responding to inquiries.
• Providing customer support.
• Improving our products, services, and website experience.
• Complying with legal and regulatory obligations.

Retention of Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet our legal and regulatory obligations. Typically, we keep order and transaction records for up to six years, in line with accounting practices and applicable law. If your data is no longer needed for these purposes, it will be securely deleted or anonymised.

Sharing and Processing Your Data

Forest Gate Florist may share your personal data with trusted third-party service providers ("processors") who assist in delivering our services. These may include:

• Payment processors (for handling card and online payments)
• Delivery partners or couriers (for ensuring successful delivery of your order)
• IT service providers (for operational support, website hosting, data backup and security)
• Accountants or legal advisers (for compliance and audit purposes)

These third parties act only on our instructions and are required to treat your information in accordance with this policy and applicable laws. We do not sell or rent your personal data to any third parties for marketing purposes.

How We Safeguard Your Data

We take the security of your personal data seriously. Our technical and organisational safety measures include the use of secure servers, data minimisation, staff training, encryption and regular reviews of our data handling practices. While we work to protect your information, no online service can guarantee absolute security.

User Rights Under GDPR

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

• Access: The right to request a copy of your personal data held by us.
• Rectification: The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure: The right to request deletion of your data where there is no valid reason for its retention.
• Restriction: The right to ask us to restrict processing until accuracy or grounds are verified.
• Portability: The right to receive your data in a commonly used format and have it transmitted to another controller, where feasible.
• Objection: The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Withdrawal of Consent: Where processing is based on consent, this can be withdrawn at any time without affecting previous processing.

Children's Privacy

Forest Gate Florist does not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 16. If we become aware that a child under 16 has provided us with personal data without parental consent, we will take steps to remove such information promptly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements or how we process your data. The latest version of this policy will be made available to customers upon request and presented prior to new data collected where required.

Contact and Concerns

If you have any questions or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact Forest Gate Florist using the details provided with your order confirmation or contact us at our premises. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority.

This Privacy Policy was last updated in June 2024.