Belmont Florist Data Protection & GDPR Privacy Policy

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Belmont Florist (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, retains and protects personal data belonging to all customers who place orders with Belmont Florist from Belmont and the surrounding districts. At Belmont Florist, we are committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of our customers, and we operate in accordance with the principles of transparency, fairness and lawfulness as set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and related data protection laws.

What Personal Data We Collect

When you place an order with Belmont Florist, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Contact Information: Full name, address (billing and delivery), and telephone number.
• Payment Information: Details required to process your payment, such as card number, expiry date and security code (processed securely via our payment providers; we do not store this information).
• Order Details: Products ordered, delivery instructions, occasion and gift messages.
• Communication Data: Any correspondence or communication you send to us, including feedback, complaints or questions.
• Technical Information: IP address, browser type, and device information when visiting our website (if applicable).

We do not knowingly collect children’s data or special categories of data (such as health or sensitive information) unless provided by you as part of gift instructions or communications, in which case such data will be treated with additional care.

Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. The lawful bases we rely on include:

• Contractual Necessity: Processing your data is necessary to fulfil your order or provide the services you request.
• Legal Obligation: We may process data to comply with legal or regulatory requirements, especially for tax, accounting or fraud prevention purposes.
• Legitimate Interests: Where necessary, we process your information for our legitimate interests, such as improving services, responding to your queries or ensuring our website’s security, unless your interests or fundamental rights override those interests.
• Consent: In certain cases, such as for marketing, we only process your data if you have provided clear and specific consent. You always have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

How We Use Your Data

Belmont Florist uses your personal data to:

• Process and fulfil your flower orders, including arranging delivery and providing customer support.
• Communicate with you regarding your order status, any changes, or customer service enquiries.
• Improve our products and customer experience, including monitoring website usage and service levels.
• If you opt in, to send occasional updates, special offers or marketing communications (you can unsubscribe at any time).
• Comply with legal, regulatory, or contractual requirements.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes specified above. This means:

• Order Data: Retained for up to 7 years for accounting and legal compliance.
• Marketing Data: Retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw your consent, and for a reasonable period thereafter to comply with your request.
• Communication Data: Retained for up to 2 years to resolve disputes or provide customer support.

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

Our Data Processors and Third Parties

To fulfil your order and manage our operations, we may share your personal data with trusted third-party service providers ("data processors") who act on our behalf. These may include:

• Payment processors handling secure transactions.
• Delivery partners arranging and tracking your floral delivery.
• IT support services and website hosting companies ensuring the security and proper functioning of our online systems.

We ensure that these processors are compliant with GDPR and have appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. We do not sell or share your data with any unrelated third parties for their own marketing purposes. Your information will only be disclosed to regulatory authorities if we are legally required to do so.

International Transfers

We primarily process and store your data within the UK and European Economic Area (EEA). If your data is transferred outside these regions, we will ensure that adequate safeguards (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or similar) are in place to protect your privacy rights.

Your Rights Under GDPR

You have rights regarding your personal data. These include:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: Ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure: Request the deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances.
• Right to Restrict Processing: Ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a common format, and/or request we transfer it to another organisation.
• Right to Object: Object to certain types of processing, including marketing. You may opt out at any time.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent where processing is based on consent.
• Right to Complain: Lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data is being mishandled.

To exercise any of these rights or request further information on how your data is used, please contact us using the details provided on our website or in your order correspondence. We will respond to your request as promptly as possible, in accordance with legal requirements.

Security of Your Data

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We use technical and organisational measures to protect against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage of your data. This includes secure storage, encrypted payment systems, and access controls for staff and processors.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes in our procedures, changes in the law, or improvements to our services. The most recent update date will be shown at the top of this policy.

Contact Details

If you have any questions about how we use your data, wish to exercise your data protection rights, or need further clarification, please get in touch with Belmont Florist using the contact details provided on our website or with your order. We are committed to helping you understand and exercise your rights under data protection law.