Flowers Bellingham Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy outlines how Flowers Bellingham processes your personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable data protection laws. This policy applies to all customers placing orders for Flowers Bellingham from Bellingham and the surrounding districts. Our commitment is to transparency, security, and respecting your rights over your personal information.

What Data We Collect

When you order flowers or related products and services from Flowers Bellingham, we collect information necessary to process your order efficiently and securely. The types of personal data we may collect include:

• Contact Information: such as your name, delivery address, billing address, and telephone number
• Order Details: including details about the flowers, arrangements, or gifts ordered, delivery instructions, and card messages
• Payment Information: such as payment card details and billing information (payment processing is handled by secure third-party providers and we do not store your full payment card details)
• Account Information: if you choose to create an account with us, we may store your username, order history, delivery preferences, and communication preferences
• Communications: records of communications with us, for example when you contact our customer service
• Technical Data: including IP address, device type, and browsing information collected via cookies or similar technologies when using our website (see our separate Cookie Policy for details)

Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following lawful bases under GDPR:

• Contractual Necessity: Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party, for example to process and deliver your orders or to communicate with you about your purchases.
• Legal Obligations: Certain information must be processed to meet our legal and regulatory obligations, such as for tax or accounting purposes.
• Legitimate Interests: We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services, managing relationships with our customers, maintaining the security of our services, or direct marketing (where permitted).
• Consent: Where required by law, we will request your explicit consent before processing your data, for example for certain types of marketing communications. You may withdraw this consent at any time.

Data Retention

Flowers Bellingham will retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Typically, we retain:

• Order data and related information for up to seven years to comply with tax regulations and to manage after-sales customer service
• Account data for as long as your account is active or until you request deletion
• Marketing preferences until you withdraw your consent or change your preferences

Once data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised in accordance with our data retention procedures.

Data Processors and Third Parties

In the course of providing our services to you, Flowers Bellingham engages selected third-party service providers (data processors) to perform certain functions on our behalf. These may include:

• Payment processors who handle your card or online payment transactions securely
• Delivery and logistics partners responsible for delivering your orders to your chosen address
• IT and hosting providers maintaining our website and customer databases
• Marketing services providers assisting with communications (if you have opted in)

All data processors are required to act only on our instructions and to implement appropriate security measures to protect your data. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

In some cases, we may be required by law to share your data with government authorities or regulatory agencies.

User Rights

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

• Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You can request corrections to any incomplete or inaccurate data we have about you.
• Right to Erasure: In certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your personal data.
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can request that we suspend the processing of your personal data in certain situations.
• Right to Data Portability: You can request the transfer of your personal data to another party.
• Right to Object: You can object to our processing of your personal data, including for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where you have provided consent for data processing, you have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

If you exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with the GDPR and other applicable laws. Please note that certain rights may be limited where we have legitimate reasons or legal obligations to retain your data.

Security of Your Data

We take the protection of your personal data seriously. Flowers Bellingham uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your data against loss, misuse, or unauthorised access. This includes the use of secure hosting environments, encrypted payment processing, and internal policies for data minimisation and staff access control.

International Data Transfers

Your personal data is generally processed and stored within the United Kingdom and European Economic Area (EEA). Should it become necessary to transfer your data outside of these regions, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with GDPR standards.

Changes to This Policy

Flowers Bellingham may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect advice from regulatory bodies, changes to our practices or new legal requirements. Significant updates will be communicated to customers where appropriate. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy to remain informed about how we are protecting your information.

Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, or if you would like to exercise any of your GDPR rights, please contact us using the information available on our website. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

Date of last update: 6 June 2024