Harlington Florist Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Harlington Florist ('we', 'our', or 'us') collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards the personal information of individuals who place flower orders with us in Harlington and the surrounding districts. Compliance with data protection laws, particularly the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is central to our approach to privacy. Please read this policy in full to understand your rights and our responsibilities when handling your personal data.

Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all customers of Harlington Florist who place orders for floral arrangements or related products and services, either through our shop, over the phone, or via our website, and who reside in Harlington and its surrounding districts. By using our services, you acknowledge the practices described in this policy.

What Personal Data We Collect

When you interact with Harlington Florist, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

• Contact information: Name, delivery address, billing address, and telephone number.
• Order details: Information relating to your flower orders, such as messages for cards, delivery instructions, and product preferences.
• Payment information: Details necessary to process payments (note: we do not store full payment card numbers, which are handled by our secure payment processors).
• Communication records: Records of correspondence, including order confirmation, customer service inquiries, and feedback.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, and other information collected through cookies or similar technologies when using our website.

Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Data

Under the GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases for processing your personal information:

• Performance of a contract: Most of the data we process is necessary to fulfill your order and provide you with the requested service.
• Legal obligation: Certain data may be retained and used to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.
• Legitimate interests: We may use your personal data for our legitimate interests, such as improving our services, preventing fraud, or handling customer complaints, while ensuring these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
• Consent: In situations where none of the above apply, we will seek your explicit consent, particularly in relation to marketing communications.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use the personal data collected for the following purposes:

• Processing and fulfilling your floral orders and special requests.
• Providing delivery services to specified addresses in Harlington and the surrounding districts.
• Communicating order updates, confirmations, and customer service responses.
• Fulfilling legal and regulatory compliance obligations.
• Managing returns, complaints, and after-sales support.
• Improving our products and customer experience through feedback analysis and service improvements.

How We Share Your Data (Processors and Recipients)

We may share your personal data with third-party service providers acting as data processors. These processors are contracted to handle your information only as necessary and in accordance with strict confidentiality and security arrangements. They include:

• Delivery and courier companies: To ensure your flowers and gifts are delivered to the correct recipient and address.
• Payment processors: To securely process your payment transactions.
• IT and technical support providers: To host, maintain, and support our website, order processing systems, and customer management databases.
• Professional advisers: For necessary legal, accounting, or regulatory compliance.

We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

International Data Transfers

As a local florist, we aim to process your data within the United Kingdom. Where transfer of data outside the UK or European Economic Area occurs (for example, cloud hosting providers), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with GDPR requirements.

Data Retention

Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the satisfaction of any legal, regulatory, or accounting requirements. Typically, we keep customer order and contact data for up to six years to comply with financial and tax obligations, after which it is securely deleted or anonymized. Records used for marketing purposes will be kept until you withdraw your consent or opt out.

Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification: Ask us to correct incomplete or inaccurate information.
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it.
• Restriction: Request that we restrict the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Portability: Ask for your data to be provided in a machine-readable format or transferred to another provider.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw this at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you can contact us (see our website or in-store for contact details). We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Data Security

We employ a range of measures to protect your personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, and alteration. These include secure payment processing, encrypted storage, access controls, and regular staff training.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our operations or legal requirements. Any changes will be made available on our website and in-store. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed.

Contacting Harlington Florist

If you have any questions or concerns regarding how your personal data is handled, please get in touch with us via the contact methods advertised on our website or speak to a member of staff in our shop.