PRIVACY POLICY

This privacy policy explains how Protea Poms ('we', 'us', 'our') collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you visit our website or purchase from us. We are committed to handling your data responsibly and in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We are the data controller for the purposes of this policy. You can contact us at: hello@proteapoms.com.

1. What data we collect

We collect personal data in the following ways:

a) When you make a purchase:

Name and billing/delivery address
Email address and phone number
Payment information (processed securely, we do not store full card details)
Order history

b) When you sign up to our newsletter:

Email address
Name (if provided)

c) Automatically when you visit our website:

IP address and browser type
Pages visited and time spent on site
Referring website
Device and operating system

This data is collected via cookies and analytics tools (see Section 5).

2. How we use your data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To process and fulfil your orders and send you order confirmations
To handle returns, refunds, and customer service queries
To send you marketing emails, if you have opted in (you can unsubscribe at any time)
To improve our website and understand how visitors use it
To comply with legal obligations

3. Legal basis for processing

We rely on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

Contract: to process and deliver your orders
Legitimate interests: to improve our website and prevent fraud
Consent: for marketing emails and non-essential cookies, you can withdraw consent at any time
Legal obligation: where we are required to retain data by law (e.g. for tax purposes)

4. How we share your data

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business:

Wix (our website platform and payment infrastructure) see Wix's privacy policy at wix.com/about/privacy
(email marketing) see Wix's privacy policy at wix.com/about/privacy
Google (analytics) see Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy
Meta / Facebook (advertising pixel) see Meta's privacy policy at facebook.com/policy
Delivery and fulfilment partners, who receive your name and delivery address only

All third parties are required to handle your data securely and only for the purposes we specify.

5. Cookies

Our website uses cookies, small text files placed on your device. We use:

Essential cookies: required for the website to function (e.g. your shopping basket)
Analytics cookies: Google Analytics, to understand how visitors use our site. Data is anonymised where possible.
Marketing cookies: Meta Pixel, to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and show relevant ads on Facebook and Instagram.

When you first visit our site, you will be asked to consent to non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time via our cookie settings, or by adjusting your browser settings.

6. Data retention

We retain your data for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

Order and transaction records: up to 7 years (to comply with HMRC requirements)
Marketing preferences and email history: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your data
Analytics data: as set by Google Analytics (typically 26 months)

7. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you
Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
Request erasure of your data ('right to be forgotten'), subject to legal obligations
Object to or restrict how we process your data
Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
Receive your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@proteapoms.com. We will respond within one month.

8. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version will always be available on this page, with the date it was last updated.

10. Contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at hello@proteapoms.com.