Privacy policy
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## Privacy Policy - Totnes Gardening
Totnes Gardening ("we," "us," or "our"), owned and operated by Kevin Hare, is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our services or interact with our website, www.totnesgardening.co.uk.
We adhere to the principles of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
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### 1. Who We Are
Totnes Gardening provides professional gardening and grounds maintenance services in Totnes, England, United Kingdom.
**Contact Details:**
Kevin Hare (Data Controller)
Email: kevin@totnesgardening.co.uk
Website: www.totnesgardening.co.uk
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### 2. Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following types of personal data about you:
* **Contact Information:** Name, address, email address, phone number. This is primarily collected when you contact us for a quote, book a service, or make an enquiry.
* **Service Information:** Details about the services you request, your garden's specific needs, property access details, and any preferences you communicate to us.
* **Payment Information:** If you make payments directly to us, we may collect billing address details. **Please note: We do not store credit card details or sensitive financial information on our systems. Payments are processed via [mention your payment method, e.g., bank transfer, or a third-party payment processor like Stripe/PayPal – if so, add a note about their privacy policy].**
* **Correspondence:** Records of communications with you, including emails, phone calls, and messages through our website.
* **Website Usage Data (if applicable):** If our website uses analytics (e.g., Google Analytics), we may collect information about your Browse actions and patterns, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages visited. This data is typically aggregated and anonymized.
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### 3. How We Collect Your Information
We collect information in the following ways:
* **Directly from you:** When you fill out a contact form on our website, send us an email, call us, or provide information during a site visit or consultation.
* **Through our website:** Via cookies and analytics tools (as described in section 8).
* **From third parties:** In limited circumstances, such as referrals, or publicly available sources.
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### 4. How We Use Your Information (Lawful Basis for Processing)
We use your personal data for the following purposes, based on the specified lawful bases under GDPR:
* **To provide our services (Contractual Necessity):**
* To respond to your enquiries and provide quotes.
* To schedule and carry out gardening services at your property.
* To manage your account and communicate with you about your services.
* To process payments for services rendered.
* **For legitimate business interests (Legitimate Interests):**
* To improve our services and understand customer needs.
* To maintain our business records and for administrative purposes.
* To handle any complaints or feedback.
* To prevent fraud or other illegal activities.
* **To comply with legal obligations (Legal Obligation):**
* To maintain records for tax and accounting purposes.
* To comply with any legal or regulatory requirements.
* **With your consent (Consent):**
* For sending you marketing communications about our services, if you have explicitly opted in to receive them. You can withdraw your consent at any time.
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### 5. Sharing Your Information
We will not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:
* **Service Providers:** We may share your data with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business and providing our services (e.g., IT support, payment processors, waste removal contractors). These providers are contractually obliged to protect your data and only use it for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
* **Legal Requirements:** If required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency).
* **Business Transfers:** In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction.
* **With Your Consent:** We may share your information with third parties when we have your explicit consent to do so.
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### 6. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:
* Storing physical records in secure locations.
* Using secure computer systems and password protection for digital data.
* Limiting access to personal data to only those employees or contractors who need it to perform their job functions.
* Regularly reviewing our security practices.
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.
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### 7. Data Retention
We will retain your personal data 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.
Generally, we will retain:
* Client contact and service records for [e.g., 6 years] after the last service date to comply with tax and accounting obligations.
* Enquiry data for [e.g., 1 year] if no service is rendered.
* Marketing consent until you withdraw your consent.
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### 8. Cookies and Website Analytics
Our website may use "cookies" to enhance your experience. Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We may use cookies for:
* **Essential functionality:** To make our website work correctly.
* **Analytics:** To understand how visitors use our website, which helps us improve its content and functionality (e.g., Google Analytics). This data is typically anonymized.
You have the option to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. However, this may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
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### 9. Your Rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
* **The right to be informed:** About how we collect and use your personal data. This Privacy Policy serves this purpose.
* **The right of access:** To request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
* **The right to rectification:** To request that inaccurate or incomplete data we hold about you is corrected.
* **The right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"):** To request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
* **The right to restrict processing:** To request that we limit the way we use your data in certain circumstances.
* **The right to data portability:** To receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit that data to another controller.
* **The right to object:** To our processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, particularly for direct marketing.
* **Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling:** We do not engage in automated decision-making or profiling.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at kevin@totnesgardening.co.uk. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights).
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### 10. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us in the first instance at kevin@totnesgardening.co.uk. We will do our best to resolve your query.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent authority for upholding information rights:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
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### 11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be posted on our website with the "Effective Date" updated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.
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**Totnes Gardening**
www.totnesgardening.co.uk
Totnes, England, UK
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