Florist East Ham Privacy Policy

Introduction

At Florist East Ham, we recognise the importance of protecting our customers' personal data. This Privacy Policy is designed in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and sets out how we collect, use, store, and protect your information. The policy applies to any individual or organisation placing orders with Florist East Ham from within East Ham and neighbouring districts.

What Data We Collect

When you place an order with Florist East Ham, we may collect the following types of personal data, depending on the service you use and your method of contact:

• Contact Information: Name, address (including delivery address), postcode, contact preferences
• Order Information: Details of the products purchased, order notes, special occasion details (if provided)
• Payment Information: (We do not directly store card details; these are processed securely by third-party payment providers)
• Communication History: Correspondence through phone, web forms, or social media messages for customer service and support
• Technical Information: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, and other technical data (when using our website)
• Marketing Preferences: Opt-in or opt-out choices regarding receiving marketing materials

Lawful Bases for Processing

Under GDPR, every processing activity must be based on a lawful basis. At Florist East Ham, we process your personal data using the following lawful bases:

• Contractual Necessity: To fulfil your orders, send confirmations, deliver products, and provide customer support in accordance with our contract with you.
• Legal Obligations: To comply with statutory and regulatory requirements, including tax, fraud prevention, and record keeping.
• Legitimate Interests: For improving our services, addressing customer queries, and direct marketing to existing customers, provided that these do not override your fundamental rights and interests.
• Consent: Where required, especially for sending marketing communications, we will request your explicit consent, which can be withdrawn at any time.

How We Use Your Data

Your personal data is used solely for the purposes outlined below:

• Processing and fulfilling orders placed with Florist East Ham
• Managing customer accounts and delivery arrangements
• Responding to your queries, requests, and complaints
• Sending transactional emails and service updates
• Communications regarding offers or new products, only where permission has been granted
• Complying with legal obligations and assisting with law enforcement requests where required

Retention Period

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for fulfilling our legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. In general:

• Order-related information, including invoices and delivery records, is kept for six years from the end of the accounting period in accordance with tax law requirements.
• Contact data, marketing preferences, and correspondence are reviewed every three years and maintained only as long as you continue to interact with our services or until you request deletion (unless legal reasons require longer retention).
• Technical data is anonymised for analytics purposes and retained only as long as necessary for statistical analysis.

When your personal data is no longer required, it will be deleted securely and irreversibly, or in some cases, anonymised for non-identifiable analytical use.

Processors and Third Parties

Florist East Ham works with carefully selected third-party data processors to support aspects of our business operations. These may include:

• Payment processors who handle your transactions securely (we do not store card details ourselves)
• Email services for order confirmations and updates
• IT infrastructure providers including web hosting services
• Delivery and logistics partners
• Professional advisors such as accountants or legal consultants as part of our business operations

Each processor has been vetted to ensure GDPR compliance and is only permitted to process your personal data under our instructions. We do not sell or trade your personal data with third parties for marketing or commercial purposes.

Security Measures

We are committed to ensuring the security of your personal data. We employ appropriate organisational and technical security measures, such as encryption, access controls, and regular security training for staff. Our systems are monitored and updated to reduce the risk of unauthorised access, use, loss, or disclosure of your data.

Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data processed by Florist East Ham:

• Right to Access: Request confirmation of what personal data we hold on you and to access it.
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your information (subject to the need to retain data for legal and legitimate purposes).
• Right to Restrict Processing: Ask us to limit how your data is processed under certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: Request your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or transfer it to another controller.
• Right to Object: Object to specific processing activities where we rely on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw this at any time without affecting previous processing based on such consent.

To exercise any of your rights, or for questions or concerns about your data, please contact us using the methods provided on our website or in store. We will respond to all requests within one month, in line with GDPR requirements.

Updates to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be reviewed and updated from time to time to reflect any changes in our data practices or changes in legislation. The latest version will always be available on our website and in store. Regularly reviewing this policy ensures you are always aware of how your information is processed and protected by Florist East Ham.

Contact and Complaints

If you have any questions or concerns about how your data is handled by Florist East Ham, please contact us using the details available on our website or in store. If you believe your data has not been handled in accordance with this policy or the applicable laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

This Privacy Policy applies to all customers placing orders with Florist East Ham located in East Ham and the surrounding districts.