Privacy Policy

At CHARA Garden Shop, we believe in nurturing trust just as we nurture our gardens. This Privacy Policy explains how we cultivate and protect your personal information while you grow your sustainable gardening journey with us.

1. The Information We Gather

Like carefully selected seeds for your compost, we only collect information that helps us serve you better:

• Planting Basics: Your name, email address, shipping address, and contact details when you make a purchase or create an account.
• Growth Tracking: Order history, product preferences, and browsing behavior to help your garden (and our service) flourish.
• Nutrient Boosters: Payment information processed securely through our partners (Visa, MasterCard, JCB, PayPal) – we never store full payment details.
• Garden Tools: Device information and IP address for security and to improve your browsing experience.

2. How We Use Your Information

We treat your data like premium compost – using it to help your gardening experience thrive:

• To process orders for your compost bins, wormeries, and gardening essentials
• To provide personalized recommendations (like suggesting compost tumblers for balcony gardeners)
• To improve our products and grow our sustainable gardening community
• To send seasonal gardening tips and offers (only if you’ve opted in)
• To protect against weeds (fraudulent activity) in our garden shop

3. Sharing Your Information

We’re as selective about sharing data as we are about our compost ingredients:

• Delivery Partners: Only what’s needed to get your compost accessories to your garden
• Payment Processors: Essential transaction details to secure your payment
• Legal Requirements: When necessary to comply with laws or protect our gardening community
• Never to Third-Party Advertisers: We don’t believe in invasive practices – just like we avoid chemical pesticides

4. Data Storage & Security

We protect your information with the same care as a premium wormery protects its inhabitants:

• Industry-standard encryption (SSL) for all data transmissions
• Secure servers with limited access – like a locked compost bin
• Regular security audits to keep our digital garden pest-free
• Data retention only as long as needed – we practice digital composting

5. Your Gardening Rights

You have control over your information, just as you do in your garden:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data we hold
• Correction: Update inaccurate information (help us keep your garden deliveries on track)
• Deletion: Request removal of your data, subject to legal requirements
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications anytime
• Complaints: Contact us or your local data protection authority

6. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies as judiciously as organic fertilizer – just enough to help our website grow:

• Essential Cookies: For basic functions like adding compost bins to your cart
• Performance Cookies: To understand how gardeners navigate our site
• Preference Cookies: To remember your settings (like your preferred currency)
• Marketing Cookies: Only with consent, to show relevant gardening offers

You can manage cookie preferences in your browser settings – we respect your choices.

7. International Transfers

While we ship compost products globally (with some exceptions), we ensure your data is protected when crossing borders through standard contractual clauses or other approved mechanisms.

8. Policy Updates

As our garden grows, we may update this policy. Significant changes will be communicated through our website or email (for active customers).