Privacy Policy from Verandah Candies
At Verandah Candies, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect the information you provide when interacting with our online platform and services. We adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) as set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and other applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where relevant to our operations.
1. Information We Collect
We collect various types of information to provide and improve our confectionery retail and specialty food services. This information may include:
- Personal Identification Information: Your name, email address, postal address, phone number, and payment details (such as credit card information or other payment service details) when you make a purchase, create an account, or subscribe to our newsletter.
- Order Information: Details about the artisanal lollies, gourmet chocolates, novelty sweets, bespoke candy gift baskets, or other products you purchase, including transaction history, delivery preferences, and special instructions.
- Correspondence: Information you provide when you communicate with us via email, phone, or online chat support, including inquiries, feedback, and customer service requests regarding corporate confectionery customisation or event candy buffet design.
- Technical Data: Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access our online platform.
- Usage Data: Information about how you use our website, products, and services, such as pages visited, products viewed, and search queries.
- Marketing and Communications Data: Your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences.
2. How We Collect Your Information
We collect information through various methods:
- Direct Interactions: You provide us your personal data directly when you create an account, place an order, subscribe to our newsletter, request bespoke candy gift baskets, or contact customer service.
- Automated Technologies or Interactions: As you interact with our online platform, we may automatically collect Technical Data and Usage Data about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs, and other similar technologies.
- Third Parties or Publicly Available Sources: We may receive personal data about you from various third parties, such as analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics), advertising networks, and payment service providers.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
- To Process and Fulfil Orders: To manage your purchases of artisanal lollies, gourmet chocolates, and traditional Australian sweet treats, including payment processing, order confirmation, and delivery services from our online candy shop.
- To Manage Your Account: To set up and manage your online account, provide customer support, and communicate with you about your orders or inquiries.
- To Improve Our Services: To analyse user behaviour, enhance the functionality and user experience of our website, and develop new product offerings, including corporate confectionery customisation and event candy buffet designs.
- For Marketing and Promotional Purposes: To send you newsletters, promotions, and updates about new products, special offers, or events that may be of interest to you, based on your preferences. You can opt-out of marketing communications at any time.
- To Ensure Security: To protect our website, customers, and business from fraud, unauthorised access, and other security threats.
- To Comply with Legal Obligations: To meet our legal and regulatory requirements, including reporting and auditing obligations.
4. Disclosure of Your Information
We may share your personal information with:
- Service Providers: Third-party companies that perform services on our behalf, such as payment processors, shipping companies for delivery, IT and system administration services, and marketing and advertising partners. These third parties are obligated to protect your information and can only use it for the specific purposes for which it was provided.
- Legal and Regulatory Authorities: When required by law, court order, or governmental regulation, or if we believe such action is necessary to protect and defend the rights, property, or safety of Verandah Candies, our customers, or others.
- Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity.
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for their independent marketing purposes.
5. Data Security
We implement a range of technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. This includes using secure servers, encryption technology (SSL/TLS), firewalls, and access controls. While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your location and applicable data protection laws, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): Request the deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances.
- Right to Restrict Processing: Request the restriction of processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
- Right to Data Portability: Request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
- Right to Object: Object to the processing of your personal data in certain situations, including for direct marketing.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided below.
8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our online platform uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance user experience, analyse website usage, and support marketing efforts. Cookies are small data files placed on your device when you visit a website. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly.
9. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.
10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Verandah Candies
147 King Street, Level 1
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Australia