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Privacy policy

This Privacy Policy discloses the information gathering, use, storage, and dissemination practices of Birch Country Beads, and is only applicable to our website at birchcountrybeads.com (“the website”) and not to any websites of third parties, which may have data collection, storage and use practices and policies that differ materially from this Privacy Policy.

Your use of our website, registration on our website, or your providing to us any content or personal information constitutes your agreement to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use, which are incorporated herein by reference. If you do not understand the Terms of Use or this Privacy Policy, do not agree to be bound by the Terms of Use or this Privacy Policy, or if your jurisdiction will not honor them, you must immediately leave the website and refrain from using it. Each time you use the website, the then-current version of this Privacy Policy will apply.

Protecting the privacy and security of your personal information is a priority at Birch Country Beads, and we do our best to ensure that your personal information is always handled in a safe and responsible manner. For any questions regarding our Privacy Policy or any of our privacy practices, you may contact us at any time at privacy@BirchCountryBeads.com.

CHANGES TO TERMS AND PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to change the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy at any time with or without notice to you. In addition to posting a new version on our website, we will generally provide notice of changes through email reminders, or by a change notice on the website. Any changes or modifications will be effective immediately upon posting the updated Privacy Policy on the website, and you waive the right to receive specific notice of each such change or modification. It is your responsibility to review the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy periodically. If at any time you find either unacceptable, you must immediately leave the website and cease using it. You will be deemed to have agreed to any such change by your continued use of the website following the date of the change.

INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We collect information about you in several different ways, including information we collect from you directly and information we collect about you when you visit our website.

You can browse the website without submitting your personal information to us, although we may collect certain personal information automatically, as outlined in this Privacy Policy, including site analytics regarding our website, information your Internet browser automatically sends when you visit our websites, and information collected by cookies.

Furthermore, although you may use this website without submitting any personal information directly to us, because we are an e-commerce platform you will need to submit information to us in order to purchase our products. For example, when you place an order with birchcountrybeads.com we will need to know your full name, billing address, shipping address, e-mail address, phone number, credit card number, and credit card expiration date (“Order Information”) in order fulfill your order, including processing payment and shipping, and to notify you of your order status.

There are a number of circumstances in which you may need to provide us with your personal information.
The most common of these circumstances include: Making a purchase or placing an order, creating an account, contacting customer service, entering a sweepstakes or contest, sharing on Social Media, signing up for promotional communications, joining the mailing list, joining our rewards program, surveys, or information collected automatically.

Making a Purchase or Placing an Order

As mentioned, when you make a purchase through birchcountrybeads.com, we use your Order Information to fulfill your purchase order and send you the product you purchased. We may collect your name, billing address, shipping address, e-mail address, phone number, and payment card information when you place an order. If you choose not to set up an account, we still need your email to send you a receipt of your purchase. We also use this information to help facilitate returns and disputes when applicable.

Creating an Account

When you create an account with us, we collect your first and last name, email address, and allow you to create a password (“Account Information”). You are not required to create an account with us, but creating one allows you to make your shopping experience more streamlined in the future. You can change your account information at any time.

Contacting Customer Service

If you use request assistance by calling us or sending us an SMS text, we are exposed to the phone number from which you are calling or texting. We do not store this information or associate it with other information about you. When you send us an email requesting help, we may collect your name, email address, and any information you choose to put in the message. In order to help you, we may ask for more information including your name and address, your order number, your billing information, etc. We use this information to help provide you with the requested help.

Entering a sweepstakes or contest

If you enter a sweepstakes or contest offered by us, we may ask you to provide personal information so that we can consider your entry and, if you win, so that you may redeem your prize.

Sharing or Social Media

This website may include links to third party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.

You can access various social networking posting and sharing tools through our website that are operated by third parties, including a “share” button that allows you to post links to content and features that you believe will be of interest to others on your social network pages. When you visit a page that includes one of these sharing tools, the third-party company that operates the tool may be collecting information about your browser, device, and online activity through its own tracking technologies and subject to its own separate privacy policy.

Mailing List

When you sign up for an account or enter your email address, you have the option to opt-in to receipt of marketing and other communications from us via email. If you agree to these marketing emails, we will use your name and email address to send you promotions, updates, and other information about our us and our products.

You may opt-out of receiving marketing and promotional emails at any time. However, you may continue to receive emails and notifications relating to order confirmations, back order notifications, membership information, and/or other business-related communications.

Surveys

We may request your participation in online surveys via e-mail or web pages. Surveys are strictly voluntary and your participation and/or answers do not prohibit or influence your use of our website. Furthermore, if you do participate in a survey, you may decline to answer any question, and all answers are held in strict confidence according to our privacy standards. Individually identifiable survey information is for the use of Birch Country Beads only. Information you may be asked may include, but is not limited to, your name, e-mail address, type of business, product usage, and hobbies. Survey data is used to enhance birchcountrybeads.com to provide a better customer experience.

If the survey is provided by a third party, the third party’s privacy policy applies to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information.

Information We Collect Automatically

As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect “Technical Data” about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this Technical Data by using cookies and other similar technologies.

The most common sources of this information include: Web server logs, cookies, pixel tags or clear GIFs, third-party web analytics services, social media sites, business partners, contractors, and other third parties.

Web server logs – When you visit birchcountrybeads.com, our web servers may automatically log information that your browser sends us. For example, we may receive and collect: The name of the domain and host from which you access the Internet; the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer you are using; the date and time you access the Birch Country Beads website; and the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to the Birch Country Beads website.

Cookies – Like many online retailers, we and/or our third-party providers use cookies to recognize you as you use or return to the Birch Country Beads website. This is done so that we can personalize and enhance your browsing and shopping experience. “Cookies” are small files that are placed in your browser to collect information about your activities on a website. We may use both session cookies (which expire once a web browser is closed) and persistent cookies (which stay on a device until deleted).

Cookies help us to: Speed navigation, keep track of items in your shopping bag and provide you with content that is tailored to you; remember information you gave us so that you do not have to re-enter it; determine the effectiveness of some of our and our third-party partners’ marketing efforts and communications; and monitor the total number of visitors, pages viewed, and the total number of ads displayed.

Browsers are typically set to create cookies automatically. You can choose to have your browser notify you when cookies are being written to your computer or accessed, or you can disable cookies entirely. Persistent cookies may be removed by following instructions provided by your browser.

If you do not wish to have cookies placed on your computer, you should set your browser to refuse cookies before accessing this website, with the understanding that certain features and/or services may not function properly without the aid of cookies. If you refuse cookies, you assume all responsibility for any resulting loss of functionality.

Web Beacons – We may use sensing technologies that use pixel tags or clear GIFs (which are also called web beacons). These technologies allow us to determine the effectiveness of our e-mail and advertising and marketing efforts. For this purpose, we tie the pixel tags and clear GIFs to personally identifiable information. We may also collect information regarding the links within such marketing materials that you click on and purchase statistics regarding items you buy following receipt of such marketing.

Third-Party Web Analytics – We work with third-party service providers, such as Google Analytics, to help us better understand how you use the website. These third-party service providers will place cookies in your browser to collect information such as how you were referred to the Birch Country Beads website, how you navigate around the website, what you purchase and what traffic is driven by various marketing methods. This information will help us to better serve you and provide you with more personalized information and product offerings. We do not allow third-party service providers to collect your credit card information, e-mail address, or password information. These third-party service providers may only use your personal information to perform services for us and may not share your personal information with anyone else, or use it for any other purpose, except on an aggregated, non-personally identifiable basis.

Social media – We may provide you the ability to sign into the Birch Country Beads website using a social media account such as a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Google account, or use your social media accounts to share information from the Birch Country Beads website. In these cases, as well as when choose to join (or “like”) a Birch Country Beads page on a social media site, the social media site may provide us with certain information about you, including but not limited to your contacts and other “likes”. Please see the privacy policy for the applicable social media site to learn more about how these sites share your personal information.

The following are examples of information we may collect with these technologies:

  • Your browser type, operating system, and IP address
  • Device identifier data and device type
  • General advertising and usage analytics
  • Web pages you view and time spent on a page
  • Number of clicks made
  • The website you visited before coming to our website
  • URL’s of referring and exiting pages
  • Birch Country Beads emails you open and/or forward
  • Birch Country Beads offers or links you connect to via emails and/or online advertisements
  • Generalized, non-specific location data

When we collect data that does not identify you as a natural person, we are permitted to use and disclose this information for any purpose, notwithstanding anything contrary in this Privacy Policy, except where prohibited by law.

HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

Birch Country Beads will only use your personal data when allowed by law, and in a manner allowed by law. Generally, we will use your personal data:

  1. Where needed to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you;
  2. Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests; and
  3. Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

Birch Country Beads uses your personal information across our enterprise to provide you with a superior customer experience and, as necessary, to administer our businesses. For example, we may use information collected to:

  • Administer sweepstakes, promotions, and contests
  • Assist law enforcement and respond to subpoena
  • Compile anonymous statistical data and analysis for use internally or with third parties
  • Create and manage your account
  • Deliver targeted advertising, coupons, newsletters, and other information regarding promotions and the website to you
  • Email you regarding your account or order
  • Enable user-to-user communications
  • Fulfill and manage purchases, orders, payments, and other transactions related to the website
  • Generate a personal profile about you to make future visits to the website more personalized
  • Increase the efficiency, operation and security of the website
  • Monitor and analyze usage and trends to improve your experience with the website
  • Notify you of updates to the website
  • Notify you regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues
  • Offer new products, services, and/or recommendations to you
  • Perform other business activities as needed
  • Prevent fraudulent transactions, monitor against theft, and protect against criminal activity
  • Process payments and refunds
  • Provide customer service, by telephone and online
  • Request feedback and contact you about your use of the website
  • Resolve disputes and troubleshoot problems
  • Send you an email newsletter
  • Solicit support for the website

DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION

Birch Country Beads does not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to any third parties. We may only use your Personal Information in the ways we specified when it was collected (including as described in this Privacy Policy). Your information may be disclosed as follows: 

By Law or to Protect Rights

If we believe the release of information about you is necessary to respond to legal process, to investigate or remedy potential violations of our policies, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of others, we may share your information as permitted or required by any applicable law, rule, or regulation. This includes exchanging information with other entities for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Reasons for necessary release of information include the following:

  1. comply with the law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request;
  2. enforce or apply the terms of any of our policies or user agreements;
  3. establish or exercise our rights, to defend against a legal claim, to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding possible illegal activities, suspected fraud, safety of person or property, or a violation of our policies,
  4. protect the rights, property or safety of Birch Country Beads, our employees, our customers, users, or others; or
  5. to comply with your request for the shipment of products to or the provision of services by a third-party intermediary.

Third-Party Service Providers

We may share your information with third parties that perform services for us or on our behalf, including payment processing, data analysis, email delivery, hosting services, and marketing assistance. Their use of your information is not governed by this privacy policy.

Credit card transactions are handled by third-party financial institutions and their vendors and contractors who receive credit card numbers and other personal information from us to verify the credit card numbers and process transactions. Although Birch Country Beads’ treatment of this information is governed by this policy, the use of your information by the third-party financial institutions and their vendors and contractors will be subject to their own privacy policies.

Marketing Communications

With your consent, or with an opportunity for you to withdraw consent, we may share your information with third parties for marketing purposes, as permitted by law.

Online Postings

When you post comments, reviews, contributions or other content to the website, your posts may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside the website in perpetuity.

Third-Party Advertisers

We may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit the website. These companies may use information about your visits to the website and other websites that are contained in web cookies in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you.

Other Disclosures with Your Consent

We may ask if you would like us to share your information with other unaffiliated third parties who are not described elsewhere in this policy.

CHILDREN

We do not intentionally gather personal information about visitors to our web site who are under the age of 18 (“Minors”), or knowingly allow such persons to register for an online account or to post personal information on the website. We only offer the web site to persons 18 years of age and older. If you are a parent or legal guardian and learn that your child has provided us with his or her personal information, we ask that you contact us and we will delete that information.

Individuals under the age of 18 are not permitted to use the website without the supervision of a parent or legal guardian. Should we learn that someone under the age of 18 has provided any personal information to the website, we will remove that information as soon as possible.

Please contact privacy@BirchCountryBeads.com if you are a parent or guardian who believes your Minor has submitted personal information or other information to us without your consent. Once we verify that you are the parent or legal guardian, at your request, we will promptly provide to you information regarding what, if any, personal information we have collected about your child and how it has been used or shared. We will, at your request, remove personal information about your child from our database and request our third-party partners to do the same.

SECURITY OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION

Birch Country Beads takes every reasonable precaution to protect our users’ sensitive information ̶ including Personal Information and payment information ̶ from loss, theft, copying, unauthorized disclosure, use, or modification.

Unfortunately, however, no data transmission over the Internet and no method of data storage can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its security. In the event that we are required by law to inform you of a breach to your personal information we may notify you electronically, in writing, or by telephone, if permitted to do so by law.

If you opt to create an account on BirchCountryBeads.com you will be prompted to create a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your username and password, and you are responsible for any access to or use of your account by someone else that has obtained your password, whether or not such access or use has been authorized by you. You should notify us of any unauthorized use of your password or account.

When you use our website on your computing device, your information may be stored locally on that device as well. We cannot guarantee the security of such locally-stored information.

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS’ PRIVACY RIGHTS

California Civil Code 1798.115(c), 1798.130(a)(5)(c), 1798.130(c), and 1798.140 indicate that organizations should disclose whether certain categories of information are “sold” or transferred for an organization’s “business purpose” as those terms are defined under California law. You can find a list of the categories of information that we share here. Please note that because this list is comprehensive it may refer to types of information that we share about people other than yourself. If you would like more information concerning the categories of personal information (if any) we share with third parties or affiliates for those parties to use for direct marketing please submit a written request to us using the information in the “Contact Information” section below. We do not discriminate against California consumers who exercise any of their rights described in this policy.

California Civil Code Section 1798.83 permits users of our website that are California residents to request certain information regarding our disclosure of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, please contact us at privacy@BirchCountryBeads.com.

EU DATA SUBJECTS PRIVACY TERMS

EU data subjects have certain rights with respect to your personal data that we collect and process. We respond to all requests we receive from individuals in the EEA wishing to exercise their data protection rights in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

CONTROLLING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

When you use our website, we make a good faith effort to provide you with access to your Personal Information and to either correct this data if it is inaccurate or to delete such data at your request if it is not otherwise required to be retained by law or for legitimate business purposes. We provide a way for users to update their Personal Information on our website. Alternately, users can send an email to privacy@BirchCountryBeads.com and request updates or changes to Personal Information. We ask individual users to identify themselves and the information requested to be accessed, corrected, or removed before processing such requests, and we may decline to process requests that are unreasonably repetitive or systematic, require disproportionate technical effort, jeopardize the privacy of others, or would be extremely impractical (for instance, requests concerning information residing on backups), or for which access is not otherwise required.

Please be aware that if you delete your Personal Information, you may not be able to continue to use the website. Also, even if you request that we delete your Personal Information, we may need to retain certain information for a limited period of time to satisfy our legal, audit, and/or dispute resolution requirements.

Please address written requests and questions about your rights to privacy@BirchCountryBeads.com.

Note that, as required by law, we will require you to prove your identity. We may conduct an identity verification by phone call or email. Depending on your request, we will ask for information such as your name, the last item you purchased from us, or the date of your last purchase from us. We may also ask you to provide a signed declaration confirming your identity. Following a request, we will use reasonable efforts to supply, correct or delete personal information about you in our files.

HOW YOU CAN STOP RECEIVING COMMUNICATIONS FROM US

When you receive communications from us, including email, you may indicate a preference to stop receiving further communications from us by following the “unsubscribe” instructions provided in the e-mail you receive, or by contacting us directly. Once you have submitted your e-mail address to unsubscribe, please note that you may continue to receive emails for a short time while our system updates your request.

You may change any of the personal information in your account by editing your Account information.

HOW YOU CAN CONTACT US

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices please contact us at:

Birch Country Beads, P.O. Box 80972, Fairbanks, AK 99708

Email: privacy@BirchCountryBeads.com