Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains how CU Aquatics (cuaquatics.co.uk, “we”, “us”) collects, uses and protects your personal information when you use our website, place an order or join our mailing list. We are the data controller for this information. If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please email us at admin@cuaquatics.co.uk.

We may update this policy from time to time, so please check this page occasionally.

When you place an order, create an account or contact us, we collect information such as your name, email address, phone number, billing and delivery address and order history. Card payments are handled securely by our payment provider, Stripe, and we do not see or store your full card details.

When you use our website, we also collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information and the pages you visit. If you join our mailing list, we keep your email address, your subscription preferences and a record of how you interact with our emails.

• To process, pack and deliver your orders, and to send order confirmations, dispatch and tracking updates.
• To manage your account and respond to your questions, returns and refund requests.
• To prevent fraud and protect our website and customers.
• To send you offers and news about new stock, but only where you have opted in. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• To send basket reminders and, if you tick the consent box at checkout, a single follow-up email after your order is completed inviting you to review your purchase.
• To understand how our website and emails are used so we can improve them.

Under UK data protection law we must have a legal basis for using your information. We use it:

• To perform our contract with you, when processing and delivering your order.
• To meet legal obligations, such as keeping accounting and tax records.
• For our legitimate interests, such as preventing fraud, keeping our website secure and improving our service.
• With your consent, for marketing emails and review requests. You can withdraw consent at any time.

We do not sell your personal information. We only share it with trusted service providers who help us run our business, and only as far as they need it to provide their service:

• Payments: Stripe, to take payments securely.
• Delivery: ShipStation, which we use to manage dispatch, and our couriers (such as Royal Mail, DX and APC), who receive your name, address and contact details to deliver your order.
• Email: MailPoet, which sends our order and marketing emails, and our review platform, which sends review requests where you have agreed to receive them.
• Website services: our hosting, security and analytics providers.
• Fraud checks: to protect against unauthorised transactions, we may verify the details you provide at checkout using secure third-party systems. These checks do not affect your credit score.

Some of these providers may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information.

We use cookies to enable essential website functionality such as login, basket management and checkout, as well as to analyse site usage and improve performance. Some third-party features, such as social media sharing, may also use cookies. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings, however this may affect your ability to use certain parts of the website, including completing a purchase.

Our marketing emails are sent using MailPoet. When you open one of our emails or click a link in it, this is recorded against your subscriber record so we can see which emails are useful to you. If you click a link in one of our emails and then visit our website, MailPoet may also set a cookie in your browser. This lets us see which emails lead to purchases and helps us send basket reminders that are relevant to you. This information is not sold or shared for advertising. You can stop this tracking at any time by unsubscribing using the link at the bottom of any of our emails, or by blocking or clearing cookies in your browser settings.

• Order records are kept for six years, as required for tax and accounting purposes.
• Account details are kept until you ask us to close your account.
• Mailing list details are kept until you unsubscribe. We may also stop emailing and remove subscribers who have not opened our emails for a long period.
• Customer service emails are kept for as long as needed to deal with your query and any follow-up.

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete.
• Ask us to delete your information, where we no longer need to keep it.
• Object to or ask us to restrict how we use your information.
• Ask for your information in a format you can pass to another organisation.
• Withdraw your consent to marketing at any time.

To use any of these rights, email admin@cuaquatics.co.uk. We will respond within one month. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk, although we would appreciate the chance to put things right first.

We take appropriate physical, electronic and managerial measures to safeguard your information and prevent unauthorised access. While we take security seriously, no method of sending data over the internet is completely secure.

Our website may contain links to other websites for your convenience. Once you leave our site, we have no control over those websites and are not responsible for their content, security or privacy practices. We recommend reviewing their policies before providing any personal information.