Privacy & Cookie Policy

These Privacy and Cookie Policies set out how this website (hereafter “the Store”) uses and protects any information that you give the Store while using this website. The Store is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. The Store may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.

Privacy Policy

Tong Privacy Notice

We keep our privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated on the 22nd May 2018.

Introduction

Tong Garden Centre is committed to protecting the privacy of all our customers, employees and suppliers. We take our duty to process your personal data very seriously. We would never sell your data to a third party. This privacy policy tells you how and why we collect information, how we use it and what controls we have in place to protect your personal data.

We may change this document from time to time to reflect the latest view of what we do with your information. Please check back frequently; you will be able to see if changes have been made by the date it was last updated.

Who is TGC (2015) Ltd?

We are Tong Garden Centre / TGC (2015) Limited, a company registered in England under number 09409991. Our registered office is Tong Lane, Bradford BD4 0RY. We are registered under the Information Commissioner’s Office under registration reference ZA136522

Tong Garden Centre is the Data Controller. Get in touch by contacting the Data Protection Officer in writing at the above address, emailing us at privacy@tonggardencentre.co.uk or you can contact the centre on 0113 285 3506 to ask any questions you may have.

Explaining the legal bases we rely on

The law on data protection sets out a number of different reasons for which a company may collect and process your personal data, including:

Consent: In specific situations, we can collect and process your data with your consent, for example when you tick a box to receive email newsletters.

Contractual obligations: In certain circumstances, we need your personal data to comply with our contractual obligation, for example we’ll collect your address details to deliver a purchase for home delivery and pass them to our courier.

Legal compliance: If the law requires us to, we may need to collect and process your data. For example, we pass on details of people involved in fraud or other criminal activity affecting Tong Garden Centre to law enforcement.

Legitimate interest: In specific situations, we require your data to pursue our legitimate interests in a way which might reasonably be expected as part of running our business and which does not materially impact your rights, freedom or interests.

When do we collect your personal data?

  • When you join our mailing list ‘Grow With Us’
  • When you sign up for an Evergreens card
  • When you visit our website to buy products online and browse our content
  • When you contact us by any means with queries, complaints etc.
  • When you order a product in store or by phone
  • When you engage with us on social media
  • When you ask us to contact you with information about a product or service.
  • When you enter prize draws or competitions
  • When you book to attend an event, for example the grotto or afternoon tea
  • When you sign in to Grass Hoppers
  • When you choose to complete any surveys we send you
  • When you comment on or review our products and services
  • When you fill in any forms For example, if an accident happens in store, we may collect your personal data
  • When you use our carpark and centre, we have a CCTV system

What sort of personal data do we collect?

  • The information you provide us with when signing up for an Evergreens card or to join our mailing list ‘Grow With Us’. This includes contact details including name, address, email and telephone number, gender, date of birth and any preferences you tell us about
  • The information you provide us with in store or online when you order a product or book to attend an event including contact details, payment information and IP address
  • The information you provide when entering a competition or prize draw
    • Your comments and feedback including complaints, surveys and product reviews
    • The information you provide when completing any form – for example an accident report
    • Your image may be recorded on CCTV when you visit the garden centre or use our carpark
    • Your social media username, if you interact with us through those channels, to help us respond to your comments, questions or feedback
    • Information gathered by the use of cookies in your web browser. Learn more about how we use cookies and similar technologies here
    • To deliver the best possible web experience, we look at your browsing history and habits by collecting technical information about your internet connection and browser as well as the country where your computer is located, the web pages viewed during your visit, the advertisements you clicked on, and any search terms you entered.

How and why we use your personal data?

We primarily use data to keep in touch with you, process any orders you place with us and to improve our customer experience. The data privacy law allows this as part of our legitimate interest in understanding our customers and providing the highest levels of service. You are in control of the data you share with us on this basis so you can manage your preferences at any time, choose not to share your personal data with us and you can opt out at any time.

  • To action any orders that you make on our website or in store in order to process your order and comply with our legal obligations
  • To respond to your queries, refund requests and complaints. Handling the information you sent enables us to respond. We may also keep a record of these to inform any future communication with us and to demonstrate how we communicated with you throughout. We do this on the basis of our contractual obligations to you, our legal obligations and our legitimate interests in providing you with the best service and understanding how we can improve our service based on your experience.
  • To process payments and to prevent fraudulent transactions. We do this on the basis of our legitimate business interests. This also helps to protect our customers from fraud.
  • To protect our customers, premises, assets and team from crime, we operate CCTV systems in store and car parks which record images for security. We do this on the basis of our legitimate business interests.
  • If we discover any criminal activity or alleged criminal activity through our use of CCTV, fraud monitoring and suspicious transaction monitoring, we will process this data for the purposes of preventing or detecting unlawful acts. We aim is to protect the individuals we interact with from criminal activities.
  • With your consent, we will use your personal data, preferences and details of your transactions to keep you informed by email, web, text, telephone or post about relevant products and services including special offers, discounts, promotions, events, competitions and so on. You are free to update your preferences or opt out at any time.
  • To send you communications required by law or which are necessary to inform you about our changes to the services we provide you. For example, updates to this Privacy Notice, product recall notices, and legally required information relating to your orders.
  • To display the most relevant content to you on our websites, we’ll use data and browsing history. We do so on the basis of your consent for our website to place cookies or similar technology on your device.
  • To administer any of our prize draws or competitions which you enter, based on your consent given at the time of entering.
  • To develop, test and improve the systems, services and products we provide to you. We’ll do this on the basis of our legitimate business interests.
  • To comply with our contractual or legal obligations to share data with law enforcement.
  • To send you survey and feedback requests to help improve our services. These messages will not include any promotional content and do not require prior consent when sent by email or text message. We have a legitimate interest to do so as this helps make our products or services more relevant to you.
  • To process your booking/appointment requests (for example a grotto visit or afternoon tea booking). Sometimes, we’ll need to share your details with a third party who is providing a service (such as delivery couriers or guest presenter). We do so to maintain our appointment with you. Without sharing your personal data, we’d be unable to fulfil your request.

How we protect your personal data?

We know how much data security matters to all our customers. With this in mind we will treat your data with the utmost care and take all appropriate steps to protect it.

  • We have processes in place to ensure personal data stored digitally or physically onsite is protected and handled securely by the relevant people
  • We use Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol to transfer data between your browser and our website in order to ensure all communications including transactions are encrypted.
  • Access to your personal data is password-protected, and sensitive data such as payment card information is secured and encrypted to ensure it is protected.
  • We regularly monitor our system for possible vulnerabilities and attacks, and identify ways to further strengthen security.

How long will we keep your personal data?

Whenever we collect or process your personal data, we’ll only keep it for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

At the end of that retention period, your data will either be deleted completely or anonymised, for example by aggregation with other data so that it can be used in a non-identifiable way for statistical analysis and business planning.

Who will we share your personal data with?

We sometimes share your personal data with trusted third parties, for example delivery couriers, complaint handling or for fraud management. When working with any third party, we will take all the necessary steps to keep your data safe and protect your privacy.

  • We provide only the information they need to perform their specific services
  • They may only use your data for the exact purposes we specify in our contract with them
  • We work closely with them to ensure that your privacy is respected and protected at all times
  • If we stop using their services, any of your data held by them will be requested to be deleted or rendered anonymous.
  • Examples of the kind of third parties we work with are:
    • Operational companies such as delivery couriers
    • IT companies who support our website and other business systems
    • Direct marketing companies who help us to manage our communications with you
    • Google/Facebook to show you products that might interest you while you’re browsing the internet. This is based on either your marketing consent or your acceptance of cookies on our websites. See our Cookies Policy for details.
    • Data insight companies to ensure your details are up to date and accurate
  • With your consent, given at the time you supply your personal data, we may pass that data to a third party for their direct marketing purposes, for example to receive a free photographic sitting when you book a child’s party at Grass Hoppers
  • For fraud management, we may share information about fraudulent or potentially fraudulent activity in our premises or systems. This may include sharing data about individuals with law enforcement bodies.
  • We may also be required to disclose your personal data to the police or other enforcement, regulatory or government body, in your country of origin or elsewhere, upon a valid request to do so. These requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis and take the privacy of our customers into consideration.
  • We may, from time to time, expand, reduce or sell the business and this may involve the transfer of divisions or the whole business to new owners. If this happens, your personal data will, where relevant, be transferred to the new owner or controlling party, under the terms of this privacy notice.

The Third Parties we currently share your data with

What are your rights over your personal data?

You have a number of rights in relation to your information, and can make a number of choices about how we collect and use it. For example, you can decide not to receive marketing material from us, tell us how you want to receive marketing communications from us, and object to some of the ways in which we use your information.

Note that some of the choices or changes you make may impact our ability to communicate with you in the way you may expect or process an order, complaint or request you have made

  • The right to be informed – This privacy notice outlines how we capture, store and use your data. If you have any questions about any elements of this policy, please contact us
  • The right of access – If you wish to obtain a record of the personal data we hold about you, through a Subject Access Request, we will respond within one month
  • The right to rectification – If we have captured information about you that is inaccurate or incomplete, we will update it
  • The right to erase – You can ask us to remove your personal details from our records
  • The right to restrict processing – You can ask us to stop using your personal data
  • The right to data portability – You can ask to obtain your personal data from us for your own purposes
  • The right to object – You can ask to be excluded from marketing activity
  • Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling – We respect your right not to be subject to a decision that is based on automated processing

To protect the confidentiality of your information, we will ask you to verify your identity before proceeding with any request you make under this Privacy Notice. If you have authorised a third party to submit a request on your behalf, we will ask them to prove they have your permission to act.

For more information on your individual rights, please see the Information Commissioner’s Office.

If you feel that your data has not been handled correctly, or you are unhappy with our response to any requests you have made to us regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

You have right of access to your personal information. If you wish to make a subject access request,

please write to: The Data Protection Officer, Tong Garden Centre, Tong Lane, Bradford BD4 0RY.

HR and Employment Privacy Policy

Any personal data captured, processed and stored for our existing and potential employees is detailed in our HR and Employment Privacy Policy. To request a copy of our HR and Employment Privacy Policy, please email hello@tonggardencentre.co.uk

Cookies Policy

Cookies are small text files that we transfer to your computer’s hard drive to enable our systems to recognise your browser and help us to track visitors to our websites and digital services so we can better understand what portions of the website to best serve you. It may not be possible to place orders and purchase goods and services using the Website or Digital Services unless you have cookies turned on and we suggest that you leave them turned on for this purpose.

Our cookies enable us to provide features such as the ability to store items in your Shopping Basket between visits.

To find out more about the types of cookies we use on the websites and digital services, how we use them and how you can change your cookies settings, please read our Cookies Policy.

These Privacy and Cookie Policies set out how this website (hereafter “the Store”) uses and protects any information that you give the Store while using this website. The Store is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. The Store may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.

COOKIE POLICY

What we collect

We may collect the following information:

  • name
  • contact information including email address
  • demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests
  • other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers

What we do with the information we gather

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

  • Internal record keeping.
  • We may use the information to improve our products and services.
  • We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided consent.
  • From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.
  • We may tailor our online promotions to you through partner sites and networks based on your browsing history

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

How we use cookies

This website use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc (“Google”). The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage.

Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google you may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.

To enable cookies you will be provided with a notification when you visit the Store, requesting for you to “Allow Cookies”

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us. You can choose 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. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

For further information about Cookies and how to turn off or on, please see here.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Controlling your personal information

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

  • whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes
  • if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by letting us know using our Contact Us information

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). If you would like a copy of the information held on you please email us this request to data@tonggardencentre.co.uk our use our Contact Us information form.

If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address or use our Contact Us information.) We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

If you would like us to delete information we store about you, please email us at the address above or make the request using our Contact Us information. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

List of Cookies we collect

The table below lists the cookies we collect and what information they store.

Cookie Name Cookie Description
FORM_KEY Stores randomly generated key used to prevent forged requests.
PHPSESSID Your session ID on the server.
GUEST-VIEW Allows guests to view and edit their orders.
PERSISTENT_SHOPPING_CART A link to information about your cart and viewing history, if you have asked for this.
STF Information on products you have emailed to friends.
STORE The store view or language you have selected.
USER_ALLOWED_SAVE_COOKIE Indicates whether a customer allowed to use cookies.
MAGE-CACHE-SESSID Facilitates caching of content on the browser to make pages load faster.
MAGE-CACHE-STORAGE Facilitates caching of content on the browser to make pages load faster.
MAGE-CACHE-STORAGE-SECTION-INVALIDATION Facilitates caching of content on the browser to make pages load faster.
MAGE-CACHE-TIMEOUT Facilitates caching of content on the browser to make pages load faster.
SECTION-DATA-IDS Facilitates caching of content on the browser to make pages load faster.
PRIVATE_CONTENT_VERSION Facilitates caching of content on the browser to make pages load faster.
X-MAGENTO-VARY Facilitates caching of content on the server to make pages load faster.
MAGE-TRANSLATION-FILE-VERSION Facilitates translation of content to other languages.
MAGE-TRANSLATION-STORAGE Facilitates translation of content to other languages.
REMARKETING TAG Facilitates creation of an audience to retarget with advertisements
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