Privacy Policy for Chinatown Flowers

Introduction

This Privacy Policy outlines how Chinatown Flowers collects, uses, retains, and protects your personal data when you place orders with us from Chinatown and surrounding districts. We are committed to ensuring that your information is handled securely and in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This policy applies to all customers who purchase goods or services from Chinatown Flowers.

Data We Collect

When you place an order or interact with Chinatown Flowers, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

  • Identity Information: such as your full name, title, and contact details.
  • Contact Details: including delivery addresses, billing addresses, and telephone numbers.
  • Order Information: details regarding products you have ordered, dates of orders, and preferred delivery times.
  • Payment Information: transactional data, such as payment method and payment status (but not your credit/debit card numbers, which are handled through our payment processors).
  • Communication Records: correspondence when you contact our customer service for enquiries, complaints, or order changes.
  • Technical Data: such as your IP address, browser type, and usage data (when accessing our website or digital ordering systems).

We may also collect limited personal information about recipients of flower deliveries (such as their names and delivery addresses) to fulfill your order.

Lawful Basis for Processing Your Data

We process your personal data lawfully and in compliance with GDPR. The principal lawful bases under which we process your data include:

  • Performance of Contract: Most of the data we collect from you is necessary for us to fulfill our contract, process your orders, take payment, and deliver flowers to you or your recipients.
  • Consent: In some instances, such as for direct marketing communications (e.g., newsletters) or use of certain cookies, we will request your explicit consent.
  • Legitimate Interests: We may process data for legitimate business interests such as improving our services, fraud prevention, or responding to customer requests, provided that such interests do not override your fundamental rights.
  • Legal Obligations: We may need to process your data if required by legal or regulatory authorities.

How We Use Your Data

Chinatown Flowers uses your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To process, manage, and deliver your order efficiently.
  • To communicate with you regarding order progress, delivery times, feedback, or queries.
  • For record-keeping and internal business operations, including accounting and security.
  • To improve our products, services, and customer experience.
  • If you have given consent, to send you product updates, offers, or marketing messages.

Retention of Your Data

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or as required by law. Typically, we keep order and transaction records for up to seven years for financial and audit requirements. Communication records are retained for up to three years to assist with customer service management. Where data is processed based on your consent and you withdraw that consent, we will delete such data unless we have another legal basis to retain it.

Processors and Sharing of Data

Chinatown Flowers may share your information with selected trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. Examples of such processors include:

  • Payment Service Providers: for secure payment processing and fraud detection.
  • IT and Hosting Service Providers: to support our website, order management, and customer communication infrastructure.
  • Delivery Partners: to help deliver flowers and gifts to your specified addresses.
  • Professional Advisors: including accountants and legal consultants for compliance, auditing, or legal purposes.

All third-party service providers are contractually obligated to manage your data securely, only for the agreed purposes, and in compliance with GDPR. We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties for their own purposes.

Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a range of rights relating to your personal data held by Chinatown Flowers, including:

  • Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to Erasure: You may request that we delete your data in certain circumstances (often referred to as the 'right to be forgotten').
  • Right to Restrict Processing: You can request the restriction or suppression of your personal data in specific situations.
  • Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
  • Right to Object: You can object to us processing your personal data in certain situations, such as for direct marketing purposes or where processing is based on legitimate interests.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: If you have provided consent for a specific data processing activity, you have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, or to raise a concern or complaint, please contact us using the details provided on our official communication channels. We will respond to all legitimate requests within one month in accordance with GDPR.

Data Security

We implement a range of technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include secure IT systems, staff training, and periodic reviews of our data protection practices.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect legal, technical, or operational changes to our business. Changes will be posted on this page with a new effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how your data is protected.

Effective Date

This policy is effective as of 1 June 2024 and applies to all customers placing Chinatown Flowers orders from Chinatown and the surrounding districts.