Privacy Policy

1. Introduction​

Welcome to patcystitches.com (hereinafter referred to as “we,” “us,” or “our”). We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect your personal data when you visit our website patcystitches.com, purchase our products, use our services, or interact with us in any other way (collectively, the “Services”). By accessing or using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of this Privacy Policy, including our data collection and processing practices. If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use our Services.​

2. Information We Collect​

We may collect various types of personal information from you to provide and improve our Services, process your orders, and enhance your shopping experience. The information we collect includes:​

2.1 Personal Identification Information​

• Contact details: Name, email address, phone number, shipping address, billing address, and other similar contact information you provide when placing an order, creating an account, subscribing to our newsletter, or contacting our customer service.​

• Account credentials: Username, password (encrypted and securely stored), and other information used to authenticate your account.​

• Payment information: Credit card details, debit card information, PayPal account details, or other payment method information (we do not store full payment card details; such information is processed through secure third-party payment processors in compliance with applicable payment card industry standards).​

2.2 Usage and Browsing Information​

• Device information: Type of device (e.g., computer, smartphone, tablet), operating system, browser type and version, device ID, IP address, and mobile network information.​

• Browsing data: Pages you visit on our website, products you view, search queries, time spent on each page, referral source (how you arrived at our website), and other similar usage data collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies (see Section 4 for more details on cookies).​

• Purchase history: Details of products you have purchased from us, including order numbers, product models, quantities, prices, and transaction dates.​

2.3 Voluntarily Provided Information​

• Information you submit through forms on our website, such as feedback, reviews, contest entries, or survey responses.​

• Communications with us: Emails, chat messages, phone calls, or other communications you have with our customer service team, including the content of such communications.​

2.4 Information from Third Parties​

• We may receive personal information about you from trusted third parties, such as:​

• Payment processors: To verify payment details and process transactions securely.​

• Shipping and logistics providers: To facilitate order delivery and track shipments.​

• Marketing partners (with your consent): To send you targeted promotions or offers that may be of interest to you.​

• Social media platforms: If you choose to log in to our website or share information through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), we may collect information from your social media profile in accordance with the platform’s terms of service and your privacy settings.​

3. How We Use Your Information​

We use the personal information we collect for the following legitimate business purposes:​

3.1 Process and Fulfill Orders​

• Verify your identity and process your orders, including processing payments, arranging shipping, and delivering products to your specified address.​

• Communicate with you about your order status, including confirmation emails, shipping notifications, and delivery updates.​

• Resolve any issues related to your orders, such as returns, exchanges, or refunds.​

3.2 Improve and Personalize Our Services​

• Analyze usage patterns and customer preferences to improve our website design, product selection, and service offerings.​

• Personalize your shopping experience by recommending products, promotions, and content based on your browsing history, purchase behavior, and preferences.​

• Conduct market research and surveys to better understand our customers’ needs and preferences.​

3.3 Communicate with You​

• Send you important updates, such as changes to our Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, or other legal notices.​

• Respond to your inquiries, feedback, or complaints submitted to our customer service team.​

• Send you marketing communications, such as newsletters, promotional offers, new product announcements, and exclusive discounts (you can opt out of marketing communications at any time; see Section 7 for details).​

3.4 Ensure Security and Prevent Fraud​

• Monitor and protect our website and Services from unauthorized access, data breaches, fraud, and other security threats.​

• Verify the authenticity of transactions and prevent fraudulent activities, such as identity theft or unauthorized purchases.​

• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.​

3.5 Other Legitimate Purposes​

• Use your information to provide customer support, including troubleshooting technical issues and assisting with account-related matters.​

• Facilitate contests, promotions, or other marketing activities (if you choose to participate) and notify winners.​

• Aggregate and anonymize data for statistical purposes (anonymized data cannot be linked to you and is not considered personal information).​

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies​

We use cookies, web beacons, pixels, and other similar tracking technologies to collect and analyze information about your use of our website. These technologies help us improve our website functionality, personalize your experience, and understand how visitors interact with our content.​

4.1 What Are Cookies?​

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognize your device and remember certain information about your preferences or past actions.​

4.2 Types of Cookies We Use​

• Essential cookies: These cookies are necessary for the proper functioning of our website and Services. They enable you to navigate the website, access secure areas, and process orders. You cannot disable essential cookies through your browser settings, as they are required for basic functionality.​

• Performance and analytics cookies: These cookies collect information about how you use our website, such as which pages you visit most frequently, how long you spend on each page, and if you encounter any errors. We use this data to analyze website performance, identify areas for improvement, and optimize the user experience.​

• Functionality cookies: These cookies allow our website to remember your preferences, such as your language settings, shipping address, or login information (if you choose to save it). They enhance the usability of our website by providing personalized features.​

• Marketing and targeting cookies: These cookies are used to deliver relevant advertisements to you based on your browsing history, purchase behavior, and interests. They may also be used to track the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns.​

4.3 Managing Cookies​

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to accept or reject cookies, delete existing cookies, or set preferences for certain types of cookies. However, please note that disabling certain cookies (especially essential cookies) may affect the functionality of our website and prevent you from accessing certain features or completing transactions.​

For more information on how to manage cookies, please refer to your browser’s help documentation:​

• Google Chrome​

• Mozilla Firefox​

• Safari​

• Microsoft Edge​

We may also use third-party cookies from service providers such as Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or other marketing platforms. These third parties have their own privacy policies governing the use of cookies, and we are not responsible for their practices.​

5. Disclosure of Your Information​

We do not sell, rent, or lease your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes without your explicit consent. However, we may disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:​

5.1 Third-Party Service Providers​

We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business, providing our Services, or fulfilling your orders. These service providers include:​

• Payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) to process payments securely.​

• Shipping and logistics partners (e.g., FedEx, UPS, DHL) to deliver your orders.​

• IT service providers to maintain our website, host data, and provide technical support.​

• Marketing and analytics providers to help us analyze customer behavior and run marketing campaigns.​

These third-party service providers are only authorized to use your personal information to perform the specific services we request of them, and they are obligated to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.​

5.2 Legal and Regulatory Requirements​

We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, regulation, legal process (such as a court order or subpoena), or government request. We may also disclose your information to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of our customers or others. This includes responding to claims of copyright infringement, preventing fraud, or addressing other legal or security issues.​

5.3 Business Transfers​

In the event of a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, bankruptcy, or other business transfer, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring or successor entity as part of the business transaction. We will notify you of any such transfer through a prominent notice on our website or via email, and the acquiring entity will be bound by the terms of this Privacy Policy.​

5.4 With Your Consent​

We may disclose your personal information to third parties with your explicit consent. For example, if you agree to receive marketing communications from our partners, we may share your contact information with them.​

6. Data Security​

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect your data from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Our security measures include:​

• Encryption of sensitive data (such as payment information and personal identification details) using industry-standard encryption protocols (e.g., SSL/TLS) when transmitted over the internet.​

• Secure storage of data on servers protected by firewalls, access controls, and other security technologies.​

• Regular security audits and assessments to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.​

• Restricting access to personal information to authorized personnel only, who are required to maintain the confidentiality of your data.​

• Training our employees on data protection best practices and privacy compliance.​

However, no method of data transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You acknowledge and accept that there is a risk of unauthorized access to your information despite our reasonable security measures. We are not liable for any damages resulting from a data breach due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control.​

7. Your Rights and Choices​

You have certain rights regarding your personal information under applicable data protection laws (such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for users in California). These rights include:​

7.1 Access and Correction​

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to ask for corrections if the information is inaccurate or incomplete. To exercise this right, please contact us using the information provided in Section 10.​

7.2 Erasure (“Right to Be Forgotten”)​

In certain circumstances, you may request the erasure of your personal information, such as when the information is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or you withdraw your consent. We will comply with such requests unless we have a legal obligation to retain the information.​

7.3 Data Portability​

You have the right to request a copy of your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format and to transfer that information to another data controller, where technically feasible.​

7.4 Restriction of Processing​

You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal information in certain situations, such as when you dispute the accuracy of the information or object to the processing.​

7.5 Objection to Processing​

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes at any time. You can opt out of marketing communications by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in our emails, adjusting your account settings, or contacting us directly.​

7.6 Withdrawal of Consent​

If you have provided consent for the processing of your personal information, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.​

To exercise any of these rights, please submit a request using the contact information provided in Section 10. We may require you to provide proof of identity to verify the authenticity of your request. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time frame as required by applicable law.​

8. Data Retention​

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. The retention period for each type of information depends on the purpose of collection:​

• Order information: We retain order details, payment records, and shipping information for a minimum of 7 years to comply with tax and accounting regulations, and to address any potential disputes or warranty claims.​

• Account information: If you create an account with us, we retain your account information until you request its deletion, unless we are required by law to retain it for a longer period.​

• Marketing information: We retain your contact information for marketing purposes until you opt out of receiving marketing communications.​

• Usage and browsing data: We retain anonymized usage data for statistical purposes indefinitely, but personal browsing data is retained for a maximum of 12 months unless required by law.​

When your personal information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with our data retention policies and applicable laws.​

9. Third-Party Links​

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or social media platforms that are not owned or controlled by us. This Privacy Policy applies only to our website and Services, and we are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit through links on our website.​

10. Contact Us​

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal information, please contact us at:​info@patcystitches.com

We will review your inquiry and respond to you as soon as possible, typically within 30 days.​

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy​

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data processing practices, legal requirements, or business operations. When we make changes, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your personal information.​

Your continued use of our Services after the updated Privacy Policy is posted constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree with the updated policy, please stop using our Services.