Privacy Policy
Great Lakes Teardrops (the “Company”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of privacy and data protection. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, https://greatlakesteardrops.com (“Website”), or otherwise interact with us.
Protecting your personal information is a priority, and our privacy practices are designed to give you transparency, confidence, and control over how your data is used. This Policy applies in compliance with all applicable data protection and privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), and related laws.
1. Scope of Policy and Role of Data Controller
This Privacy Policy governs your access and use of our Website and all associated features, services, and communications. For the purposes of data protection laws, Great Lakes Teardrops is the “data controller” of your personal information, meaning we determine the purposes and means of processing your data.
This policy applies to personal information that we collect:
– When you visit greatlakesteardrops.com;
– When you contact us, make a purchase, or engage with us through forms or email;
– When you interact with us through third-party platforms, referral programs, or advertisements.
2. Categories of Personal Data We Process
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:
a. Usage Data:
Includes data about your interactions with the Website such as IP address, browser type, referral URLs, timestamped pages visited, search queries, session duration, click activity, and other diagnostic data.
b. Account Data:
Includes name, billing/shipping address, email address, phone number, and other details you provide when registering or placing an order.
c. Profile Data:
Includes your preferences, account settings, user behavior, product interests, and order history.
d. Communication Data:
Includes records of your interactions with us, such as support emails, contact form submissions, service inquiries, and customer satisfaction feedback.
e. Technical Data:
Includes details about the devices you use to access our Website (e.g., device type, operating system, browser version, IP addresses, unique identifiers, and system configuration data).
f. Transaction Data:
Includes records of products or services you purchase from us, payment method used (note: actual card details are processed by our payment gateway and not stored by us), and shipping/delivery data.
g. Preference Data:
Includes your communication preferences, language settings, and marketing consents.
3. Legal Bases for Processing
We rely on several legal grounds for processing your personal data under GDPR and other applicable laws:
– Consent: Where you have expressly provided consent (e.g., subscribing to newsletters, accepting cookies).
– Contractual Necessity: To fulfill a contract with you, including terms of sale and account management.
– Legitimate Interest: For business improvement, fraud prevention, marketing (where permitted), and customer service.
– Legal Obligation: To comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements.
4. Your Rights Under GDPR and CCPA
You have the following rights with respect to your personal data:
a. Right to Access – You may request access to the personal data we hold about you.
b. Right to Rectification – You may request correction or update of inaccurate or incomplete information.
c. Right to Erasure – You may request deletion of your data where applicable.
d. Right to Restriction – You may request that we restrict processing under certain circumstances.
e. Right to Data Portability – You may request the transfer of your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
f. Right to Object – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in cases of legitimate interest or direct marketing.
For California residents:
– You have the right to know what categories of personal information we collect and for what purposes.
– You have the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data (note: we do not “sell” personal data within the meaning of the CCPA).
– You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to exceptions under CCPA.
– You have the right to not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].
5. Security Measures
We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized access, or disclosure. These include:
– SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmissions;
– Segmented access control and role-based permissions;
– Periodic backups and disaster recovery readiness;
– Regular employee training in data protection and access policies.
6. International Data Transfers
Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside your country of residence. Where personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area or the UK, we ensure adequate safeguarding measures are in place, including reliance on Standard Contractual Clauses or compliance with applicable data protection adequacy decisions.
7. Data Retention
We retain your data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy or where legally required. Retention periods include:
– Account and Transaction Data: retained for up to 7 years for legal and tax compliance;
– Communication Data: retained for up to 3 years following last contact;
– Marketing/Preference Data: retained until you withdraw consent;
– Technical and Usage Data: anonymous or aggregated after 12 months;
Upon expiry of applicable retention periods, we securely delete or anonymize your data.
8. Cookie Policy
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance user experience, analyze Website traffic, and tailor content and advertisements. These include:
a. Essential Cookies – Necessary for the Website to function (e.g., cart, login).
b. Functional Cookies – Enable personalization features (e.g., language settings).
c. Analytics Cookies – Collect aggregate data on how visitors use the Website (e.g., page views, time on site).
d. Performance Cookies – Measure Website performance and usage speed.
9. Cookie Management
Upon first visit to the Website, you will be prompted to accept or manage cookie preferences in compliance with GDPR and CCPA. You may modify your preferences at any time using our cookie control banner or via browser settings.
Users may choose to disable non-essential cookies without affecting core operations of the site. However, disabling certain cookies may limit functionality and personalization.
10. Children’s Privacy
Our services are intended for users over the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal data from children under 13. If we become aware that such data has been collected without verifiable parental consent, we will take immediate steps to delete it. Parents or guardians who believe their child’s data has been collected may contact us at [email protected].
11. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal obligations, operational requirements, or changes to our services. Material changes will be notified via Website announcements or direct communication where required by law. Continued use of the Website constitutes your acceptance of any updated terms.
12. How to Contact Us
For inquiries related to this Privacy Policy, your data rights, or to submit a request regarding your personal information, please contact us at:
Great Lakes Teardrops
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://greatlakesteardrops.com
We are committed to honoring your privacy rights and ensuring that your personal data is handled with the utmost care.
This Privacy Policy demonstrates our commitment to uphold the standards required by GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant data protection laws. If you have any concerns, questions, or wish to exercise your rights, we encourage you to reach out to us through the contact details provided above.