Southgate Florist Privacy Policy

Introduction

At Southgate Florist, we are dedicated to safeguarding and preserving your privacy when you visit our website, place an order with us, or communicate with us in relation to our products and services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This policy applies to all customers placing orders from Southgate and the surrounding districts.

What Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data when you interact with Southgate Florist:

• Identity Data: Name, title, and, in some cases, age (if required for specific promotions or legal compliance).
• Contact Data: Address (both billing and delivery addresses), telephone number, and any other contact details you provide.
• Order Data: Order details, delivery instructions, purchase history.
• Payment Data: Details necessary to process payment, such as payment method and transaction details (we do not store credit/debit card numbers ourselves; these are processed securely by our payment processors as described below).
• Communication Data: Information you provide when you communicate with us by phone, email, post, or other means, including customer queries and feedback.
• Technical Data: IP address, device type, browser type, referral source, time zone, and related technical information collected automatically when you use our website for the purpose of website analytics and security.

The Lawful Basis for Processing

Southgate Florist collects and processes personal data in accordance with the legal bases outlined in GDPR. The lawful bases we rely upon include:

• Contractual necessity: To fulfil your order and provide you with our products and services, including delivery of flowers and handling of payments.
• Legal obligations: Where we are required to do so by law, for example, in relation to accounting or tax requirements.
• Legitimate interests: For purposes such as reviewing and improving our service, direct marketing of similar products (where permitted), and website analytics, provided that our interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.
• Consent: Where you have given your explicit consent, for example, to receive marketing communications not covered by legitimate interest. You may withdraw your consent at any time.

How We Use Your Data

Your personal data is used for the following purposes:

• Processing, fulfilling, and delivering your flower orders.
• Contacting you with order confirmations, delivery updates, and to resolve any queries regarding your order.
• Managing customer relationships, including handling feedback, complaints, or requests for information.
• Conducting analytics to improve our products, services, and website experience.
• Complying with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Sending marketing communications about similar products and services, where permissible.

Data Retention

Your personal data will only be kept for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Typically, we retain customer order and contact data for up to seven years after your last order, unless legal obligations require us to retain it for longer or you request erasure where applicable.

After this period, personal data will be securely deleted or anonymised, so you can no longer be identified from the data.

Data Processors and Third-Party Processing

We may engage third-party service providers to process personal data on our behalf. These include:

• Payment service providers to process transaction payments securely.
• Delivery and courier companies to fulfil orders to your chosen address.
• IT and website support providers to ensure the smooth running and security of our online systems.
• Professional advisers such as accountants or legal consultants where required.

All third-party processors are required to implement appropriate security measures to protect your personal data and may only use your data in accordance with our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR.

We do not sell or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.

Your Rights Under GDPR

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, you have a number of important rights with respect to your personal data:

• Right of access: You are entitled to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data.
• Right to restrict processing: You may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to data portability: You can request your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to have it transferred to another controller where technically feasible.
• Right to object: You may object to our processing of your data where our lawful basis is legitimate interest or direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
• Right to complain: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided on our website or in-store. We may require you to verify your identity before processing your request.

Data Security

We are committed to ensuring your data is secure. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect. Where we engage third-party processors, we ensure that they, too, adhere to stringent data protection practices.

Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our legal obligations or the way we process your personal data. The "Last Updated" date will be shown at the end of this policy. We recommend that you review this policy regularly to stay informed of how we are protecting your data.

Last Updated: June 2024