Privacy Policy
VapeGuard Limited respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we use it, who we may share it with, how long we retain it and your rights under UK data-protection law.
1. Who We Are
The organisation responsible for your personal information is:
VapeGuard Limited
Pine Cottage
Gateside
Lochfoot
Dumfries
United Kingdom
DG2 8NX
Email: robert@vapeguard.co.uk
2. Information We May Collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
- your name;
- billing address;
- delivery address;
- email address;
- telephone number where provided;
- order details;
- products purchased;
- payment status and transaction references;
- customer-account, email-verification and login-security records;
- communications between you and VapeGuard Limited;
- returns, refund and customer-service information;
- technical and analytics information necessary to operate, understand and secure our website; and
- other information you voluntarily provide to us.
Customer passwords are stored as one-way password hashes rather than readable passwords. We do not normally receive or retain your complete credit or debit card details where payments are processed by an external payment provider.
3. Why We Use Your Information
- process and fulfil orders;
- take and confirm payments;
- deliver products;
- provide order updates;
- respond to enquiries;
- process returns and refunds;
- provide customer service;
- prevent fraud and misuse;
- maintain accounting and business records;
- comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
- understand website use and improve our products and services; and
- protect our website and business.
4. Our Lawful Bases
Contract – processing is necessary to accept, fulfil and manage your order.
Legal obligation – processing is necessary to comply with accounting, tax, consumer-protection or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests – where reasonably necessary to operate, protect and improve our business, prevent fraud and provide customer support, provided those interests do not override your rights.
Consent – where we specifically ask for your consent, for example for certain marketing communications.
5. Marketing
When you buy from VapeGuard, the checkout provides a clear option to decline occasional news and offers about similar VapeGuard products. Where UK electronic-marketing rules permit the existing-customer “soft opt-in”, we may use the email address supplied during the sale for those messages unless you untick that option. You may object or unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe facility provided or by contacting us. Where consent is legally required instead, we will ask for it. Stopping marketing communications does not prevent us from sending communications necessary to fulfil an order or provide customer service.
6. Who We Share Information With
We may share information where necessary with service providers such as:
- payment processors;
- banks and financial institutions;
- delivery and postal companies;
- website hosting, analytics and technical-service providers;
- email and communications providers;
- accountants and professional advisers;
- fraud-prevention providers; and
- government, regulatory or law-enforcement authorities where legally required.
We only provide information reasonably necessary for those organisations to perform their services or satisfy legal requirements.
7. International Data Transfers
Some service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where applicable, we take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information receives appropriate protection and that legally required safeguards are used.
8. How Long We Keep Information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, accounting, tax and dispute-resolution requirements. Different records may therefore be retained for different periods. Once information is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it where appropriate.
9. Security
We take reasonable organisational and technical measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss or misuse. No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
10. Cookies and Analytics
Essential cookies are used to operate features such as the basket, checkout, customer account and administrator login. These are necessary for the website to work. Google Analytics is optional and is loaded only after you choose “Accept analytics” in the cookie notice. If you choose “Essential only”, Google Analytics is not loaded. Your choice is stored for approximately six months and can be changed at any time using “Cookie choices” in the website footer.
11. Your Data-Protection Rights
Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis involved, you may have rights including:
- the right to access personal information we hold about you;
- the right to have inaccurate information corrected;
- the right to request deletion of information in certain circumstances;
- the right to restrict certain processing;
- the right to object to certain processing;
- the right to data portability in certain circumstances; and
- the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Some rights are subject to legal exceptions. To exercise your rights, contact us using the details above.
12. Complaints
If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data-protection regulator.
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy where our practices or legal obligations change. The latest version will be published on our website with its updated date.