Barking Flowers Privacy Notice for Customers

Introduction

This privacy policy explains how Barking Flowers ('we', 'us', 'our') collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects your personal data when you place orders with us, either online, over the phone, or in person, in Barking and the surrounding districts. As part of our commitment to safeguarding your privacy, we comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Scope of this Policy

This policy applies to all customers placing Barking Flowers orders within Barking and its neighbouring areas. It outlines how we handle your information from the moment you contact us or place an order, until your data is deleted or anonymised in accordance with our retention policy.

The Information We Collect

When you interact with Barking Flowers, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Contact details: Your full name, phone number, postal address, and (if provided) email address.
• Order details: Any information relating to your order, such as recipient’s name, delivery address, message card content, and product selection.
• Payment information: Payment or transaction data required to process orders. Please note that we do not store your full payment card details; these are processed securely through our payment providers.
• Communication history: Records of your communications with us, including enquiries, complaints, or feedback.
• Technical data: If you use our website, we may gather limited technical information (such as IP address, browser type, and device information) to ensure website functionality and security.

Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the GDPR, we must have a valid lawful basis for each type of personal data processing. The lawful bases we rely on are:

• Contractual necessity: Most information is collected to fulfil our contract with you, such as delivering your order or contacting you about your purchase.
• Legal obligation: Where necessary to comply with laws and regulations, such as obligations to retain tax records or prevent fraudulent transactions.
• Legitimate interests: We may process data for our legitimate interests, such as improving our products and services, communicating with our customers, or handling customer queries, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
• Consent: For certain purposes, such as sending marketing information when required by law, we rely on your explicit consent. You have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

How We Use Your Information

Your personal data is used in the following ways:

• To process, fulfil, and deliver your orders
• To communicate with you regarding your order or any queries you may have
• To process payments and prevent fraudulent transactions
• To maintain business records and meet legal and regulatory obligations
• To improve our products, services, and customer interactions
• If you have given consent, to send marketing offers or updates about our services

Sharing Your Personal Data

We only share your personal information when it is necessary for the purposes outlined in this policy, and we ensure your data remains protected. Typical recipients of your personal data include:

• Payment processors: Secure third-party providers who handle payment card transactions on our behalf.
• Delivery partners: Couriers or local drivers responsible for delivering your order.
• IT service providers: Vendors helping to manage our website, communication tools, or order management systems.
• Professional advisers: Such as accountants or legal professionals, if necessary, for compliance or business purposes.

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

International Transfers

In most cases, your personal data is stored and processed within the United Kingdom (UK). If we need to transfer your data outside the UK or European Economic Area (EEA), we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information, as required by data protection legislation.

Data Retention

We keep your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected:

• Order and payment information is retained for up to seven years to comply with legal and accounting requirements.
• Communications and queries are retained for a maximum of three years, unless required for a longer period for dispute resolution or legal compliance.
• Where data is held by consent, such as for marketing purposes, it is retained until you withdraw consent or opt out.

After these periods, your data will be securely deleted or anonymised.

Your Rights as a Data Subject

Under the UK GDPR, you have a number of important rights over your personal data, including:

• The right to access – Request a copy of the information we hold about you.
• The right to rectification – Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• The right to erasure – Ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
• The right to restrict processing – Ask us to limit the processing of your personal data in certain cases.
• The right to object – To object to our processing when it is based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• The right to data portability – Obtain and reuse your personal data for your own purposes across different services.
• The right to withdraw consent – You may withdraw your consent at any time for processing that relies solely on your consent.

To exercise your rights or for any privacy-related queries, please contact us using the contact details on our website or at our physical store in Barking.

How We Protect Your Data

We endeavour to protect your personal data through a combination of physical, technical, and organisational measures. Access to personal data is strictly controlled and limited to those who need it. Our systems are regularly reviewed for security vulnerabilities. Where possible, we ensure that personal data is pseudonymised or encrypted.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. When we do so, we will update the effective date at the top of this document and, where appropriate, notify you of significant changes.

Contacting Us

If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your personal data, please use the appropriate contact details published on our website or enquire at our Barking store. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for further information about your rights.