Privacy & Cookies
Updated: 13th February, 2023
We would like to thank you for taking the time to read our Security and Privacy policy.
The information outlined below is a comprehensive overview of our privacy and security policy; we hope you find it easy to read and should you have any further queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.
Smart Grooming is committed to ensuring that your experience on our website is safe and secure. We also pride ourselves on ensuring that the information you freely consent to share with us, is utilised strictly for the purposes outlined in our policy.
The following policy and information applies to: Smart Grooming Ltd
This website complies with all UK national laws and requirements for user privacy.
Data Protection
To help us provide the best possible customer service, we may need to collect some personal data and in doing so, we are absolutely committed to complying with the Data Protection Act 1998. Please note, you can browse our website at any time without disclosing any personal data. We have outlined our data collection practices and procedures below:
Why we collect personal Data
· To process orders made in store and on our website. This includes the dispatch of goods and delivery of an order confirmation and invoice.
· To manage any enquiries or complaints including any issues covered by warranty.
· To provide advertising and marketing campaigns that include informative articles and details about our latest offers and promotions. All campaigns are relevant to the customer’s specified interests in the following areas: Pet, Equine, solar and Veterinary.
· To provide a comprehensive after-care service.
How we collect personal Data
· Orders details entered at the checkout will be collected and utilised as necessary. You will also be given the choice to opt-in to receive correspondence from us via email – please note, there is no obligation to opt-in and subscribers will have done so at their own discretion. You are free to unsubscribe at any time.
· Customers that have entered competitions or other promotions that have required customer information from our social media platforms will be collected and utilised accordingly, providing consent has been provided.
· Through the Newsletter sign up points on our website – data from this will be directly sent to our Mailchimp marketing account. As mentioned previously, there is no obligation to sign-up and subscribers will have done so at their own discretion. You are free to unsubscribe at any time.
· Any information relating to customer queries, complaints or warranty returns may be collected.
· For customers who leave a review on one of our products, the inputter name and Email address will be stored in the providers database for a short period of time.
What personal data we hold
· The Personal Data we collect during our online and in-store checkout process includes the customer’s name and contact details as inputted/dictated at the point of sale. This data is stored for a maximum of 5 years for our records. Strictly no payment details are stored online or in-store and although our website gives you the option to ‘remember’ your card details, no persons can gain access to view and/or utilise these.
· Any personal data entered through competitions or newsletter sign-ups will be stored in our Mailchimp marketing account. Details will invariably include a name and/or email address, unless any other information has been requested.
· You can remove your details from our databases at any time by: deleting your website account, unsubscribing from our newsletters or by contacting us directly.
How we seek your consent
· For subscriptions to our Newsletters, consent is usually requested in the form of a tick box at our online checkout or on one of our competition forms. If consent is provided in the newsletter sign-up box on our website, an Email address is sufficient to conclude that full consent has been provided.
· For purchase orders, the act of submitting order details provides a mutual understanding between the data holder and the customer that the information provided is necessary to successfully complete the order.
· For customers who use the live chat and/or review functions on our website, the act of submitting your query/review confirms consent.
Who we share your personal data with
· Relevant details necessary to complete a successful transaction on our website are submitted via encryption to our payment gateway, Sage pay. These details are stored exclusively by them to keep a record of the transaction. Any information relating to card details cannot be accessed at any point.
· Shipping information is submitted to our delivery companies of choice which include Royal Mail and UK Mail (and occasionally DHL, Parcelforce and DPD for international deliveries). This information is stored on their systems solely for the purpose of tracking a shipment and ensuring it reaches the correct destination.
· On the rare occasion that products are drop-shipped directly from the supplier, the necessary information will be forwarded for shipment processing only. The information will not be stored by the supplier and the customer will be informed in advance that their items are being drop-shipped.
As a customer of Smart Grooming, you have the right to access your personal data at any time to amend and/or delete, as you see fit. Should you request for your information to be permanently erased from our databases, we will gladly oblige by deleting all relevant records from our websites CMS, Mailchimp and Shopify Pay accounts. We welcome any feedback or comments you may have regarding our data protection policy.
Security
Whilst we strive to ensure that maximum security is a paramount feature of our website, any information submitted over the internet, is not entirely secure. We would recommend adopting a number of best practices to ensure that these risks are kept to a minimum, including:
· Closing your web browser after successful payment has been made
· Using unique passwords that contain a variety of letters, numbers and symbols
· Using safe and secure methods of storage for your passwords
We have partnered with trade-renowned merchant service providers, PayPal and Sage Pay to provide a secure payment gateway for our shoppers. This ensures that payment details are encrypted using SSL technology before transmission occurs, giving you peace of mind that your payment information cannot be examined, utilised or modified by any third-parties. Sage Pay is the preferred choice for orders taken over the telephone, unless specified otherwise by the customer. Please note, we do not accept responsibility for web pages made accessible by links on our website.
What are Cookies?
Cookies are small files that are downloaded onto your computer or mobile device when you visit a website and by accessing our website, you are agreeing to the act of placing these files on your device. They store a small amount of information that can be utilised at a later stage to help improve your shopping experience; when adding items to your shopping cart, for example.
How do we use Cookies?
We use cookies to collect information about your computer, including where available your IP address, operating system and browser type. We also use cookies to obtain information about your general Internet usage. They help us to improve the Smart Grooming Site and to deliver a better and more personalised service.
In addition to uses for analytical purposes and for system administration, we also use cookies to report aggregate information to our advertisers. This is statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns, and does not identify any individual. It is important to note that they cannot be used to identify you personally and the use of cookies on your device can be de-activated at any time.
Cookie and Privacy Practises of Third Parties
The Smart Grooming Site may contain links to and from the websites of our partner networks, data partners, advertisers and affiliates. It may also contain links to third party social media sites. These third parties may place their own cookies or other technological devices on your Internet browser. We have no control over these third parties and no responsibility for the technologies they employ. To learn how a particular website collects and uses your information, you should read the privacy policy of that website.
For more information about how to manage cookies, please visit aboutcookies.org
For a comprehensive list of the cookies we use on our website, please click here
