Privacy Policy for The Curious Tome Booksellers
At The Curious Tome Booksellers, located at 14 High Street, London, Greater London, SW1A 1AA, UK, we are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you interact with our online platform, purchase our products, or engage with our services, including new and used book sales, rare and first edition acquisition and sales, literary events, author signings, book club hosting, cafe services, bespoke book recommendations, and local artisan crafts and gifts.
1. Information We Collect
We collect various types of information from and about users of our online platform and services, including:
- Personal Identification Information: Name, postal address, email address, telephone number, payment information (such as credit card details for purchases). This is collected when you make a purchase, create an account, register for an event, or sign up for our newsletter.
- Transaction Data: Details about products and services you have purchased from us, order history, and payment information.
- Interaction Data: Information you provide when you communicate with us, such as inquiries about rare books, bespoke recommendations, or feedback on our services.
- Usage Data: Information about how you use our online platform, including your browsing history, IP address, device information, and pages visited. This is collected through cookies and similar technologies.
- Event and Club Data: Information related to your participation in literary events, author signings, or book club activities.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:
- To process your orders and transactions, provide products and services you request, and manage your account.
- To provide customer support and respond to your inquiries.
- To send you marketing and promotional communications about our books, events, and services, strictly based on your consent where required.
- To personalise your experience on our online platform, including offering bespoke book recommendations.
- To improve our products, services, operations, and the functionality of our online platform.
- To administer literary events, author signings, and book club activities.
- To comply with legal obligations and protect our legal rights.
3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR Compliance)
We process your personal data under the following legal bases:
- Performance of a Contract: To fulfil orders, provide services, and manage your account (e.g., book purchases, event registrations).
- Legitimate Interests: To improve our services, personalise your experience, conduct marketing activities (where consent is not required), and ensure the security of our online platform, provided your rights are not overridden.
- Consent: Where you have given clear consent for specific processing purposes, such as receiving marketing communications. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
- Legal Obligation: When processing is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
4. Disclosure of Your Information
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your information with:
- Service Providers: Third-party companies that perform services on our behalf, such as payment processors, shipping companies, IT service providers, and marketing service providers. These providers are obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
- Legal and Regulatory Authorities: When required by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency).
- Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal data may be transferred as part of the transaction.
5. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. This includes using secure servers, encryption, and access controls. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. Data Retention
We 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. To determine the appropriate retention period, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process your personal data, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
7. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR Rights)
Under data protection laws, particularly the GDPR, you have certain rights regarding your personal data:
- Right to Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
- Right to Erasure ( "Right to be Forgotten"): You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data under certain circumstances.
- Right to Restrict Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
- Right to Data Portability: You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organisation, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
- Right to Object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data under certain conditions.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact details provided below. 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).
8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our online platform uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyse site traffic, and assist with our marketing efforts. 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 online platform.
9. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We encourage you to review this page periodically for the latest information on our privacy practices.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
- The Curious Tome Booksellers
- 14 High Street
- London, Greater London, SW1A 1AA
- United Kingdom
- Phone: +44 20 7946 0876
11. Complaints
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues, if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.