Privacy Policy (2022)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Flare Audio Limited's privacy policy.

Flare Audio Limited respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. We understand how important your personal data is and this is why we want you to know exactly how we secure and apply your data to better serve you as a customer. We will always treat your data with the utmost care and we will never sell your data to any third party for marketing purposes.

This privacy policy will inform you as to how we look after your personal data when you visit our website (regardless of where you visit it from) and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

1. IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND WHO WE ARE

Purpose of this privacy policy.

This privacy policy aims to give you information on how Flare Audio collects and processes your personal data through your use of this website, including any data you may provide through this website when you sign up to our newsletter, create an account on our website, purchase a product, register a product or take part in a competition.

By "Personal Information" we mean any information relating to you and by which you can be identified directly (e.g. your name) or indirectly (e.g. your IP address which we collect when you purchase a product online).

This website is not intended for children and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.

It is important that you read this privacy policy together with any other privacy policy or fair processing policy we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. This privacy policy supplements other notices and privacy policies and is not intended to override them.

Controller

Flare is made up of Flare Audio Limited (company number: 06315305) and Flare Audio Technologies Limited (company number: 09770260). This privacy policy is issued on behalf of the Flare Audio Group so when we mention “Flare”, "we", "us" or "our" in this privacy policy, we are referring to the relevant company in the Flare Audio Group responsible for processing your data. We will let you know which entity will be the controller for your data when you purchase a product or service with us. Flare Audio Limited is the controller and responsible for this website.

We have appointed a data privacy manager who is responsible for overseeing questions in relation to this privacy policy. If you have any questions about this privacy policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact the data privacy manager using the details set out below.

Contact details

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or our privacy practices, please contact our data privacy manager in the following ways by:

Email: info@flareaudio.com

Postal address: Unit 11 Chartwell Business Centre, 42 Chartwell Road, Lancing, West Sussex, United Kingdom, BN15 8FB

You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.

Changes to the privacy policy and your duty to inform us of changes

We keep our privacy policy under regular review. This version was last updated in January 2022.

It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.

Third-party links

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 policy of every website you visit.

2. THE DATA WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:

    • Identity Data includes first name, last name, username or similar identifier, date of birth and gender.
    • Contact Data includes billing address, delivery address, email address and telephone numbers.
    • Financial Data includes bank account and payment card details.
    • Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other details of products and services you have purchased from us.
    • Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, your login data, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.
    • Profile Data includes your username and password, purchases or orders made by you, your interests, preferences, feedback and survey response.
    • Usage Data includes information about how you use our website and products.
    • Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties and your communication preferences.

We also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated Data could be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. For example, we may aggregate your Usage Data to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific website feature. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy policy.

We do not collect any Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, information about your health, and genetic and biometric data). Nor do we collect any information about criminal convictions and offences.

If you fail to provide personal data

Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you, and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you (for example, to provide you with goods or services). In this case, we may have to cancel a product or service you have with us but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.

3. HOW IS YOUR PERSONAL DATA COLLECTED?

We use different methods to collect data from and about you including through:

    • Direct interactions. You may give us your Identity, Contact and Financial Data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:
      • purchase our products;
      • create an account on our website;
      • subscribe to our service or publications;
      • request marketing to be sent to you;
      • enter a competition, promotion or survey; or
      • give us feedback or contact us.
    • Automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our website, we will automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies, server logs and other similar technologies. We may also receive Technical Data about you if you visit other websites employing our cookies. Please see our cookie policy (above) for further details.
    • Third parties or publicly available sources. We will receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources as set out:
      • Technical Data from the following parties:
        • analytics providers such as Google based outside the UK;
        • advertising networks such as Facebook (for a full list, please contact our Data Privacy Manager via the methods set out in paragraph 1 above).
    • Contact, Financial and Transaction Data from providers of technical, payment and delivery services such as:
      • Klarna Bank AB (publ) based outside the UK but inside the EEA. Your personal data is handled in accordance with applicable data protection law and in accordance with the information in Klarna’s privacy policy;
      • Shopify International Ltd based in Ireland. Your personal data is handled in accordance with applicable data protection law and in accordance with the information in Shopify’s privacy policy. Please note that Shopify process your financial data on our behalf however, we are not provided with a copy.
      • Huboo Technologies Ltd based inside the UK.
    • Identity and Contact Data from publicly available sources such as Companies House and the Electoral Register based inside the UK.

4. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

      • Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
      • Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
      • Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.

Generally, we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data although we will get your consent before sending third party direct marketing communications to you via email or text message. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing at any time by contacting us.

Purposes for which we will use your personal data

We have set out below, in a table format, a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have also identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.

Note that we may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. Please contact us if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out in the table below.

 Purpose/Activity Type of data Lawful basis for processing including basis of legitimate interest
To register you as a new customer (a) Identity
(b) Contact
Performance of a contract with you
To process and deliver your order including:
(a) Manage payments, fees and charges
(b) Collect and recover money owed to us
(a) Identity
(b) Contact
(c) Financial
(d) Transaction
(e) Marketing and Communications
(a) Performance of a contract with you
(b) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to recover debts due to us)
To manage our relationship with you which will include: (a) Notifying you about changes to our terms or privacy policy
(b) Asking you to leave a review or take a survey 
(a) Identity
(b) Contact
(c) Profile
(d) Marketing and Communications
(a) Performance of a contract with you
(b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation
(c) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to keep our records updated and to study how customers use our products/services)
To enable you to partake in a prize draw, competition or complete a survey (a) Identity
(b) Contact
(c) Profile
(d) Usage
(e) Marketing and Communications
(a) Performance of a contract with you
(b) Necessary for our legitimate interests (to study how customers use our products/services, to develop them and grow our business)
To administer and protect our business and this website (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data) (a) Identity
(b) Contact
(c) Technical
(a) Necessary for our legitimate interests (for running our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security, to prevent fraud and in the context of a business reorganisation or group restructuring exercise)
(b) Necessary to comply with a legal obligation
To deliver relevant website content and advertisements to you and measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we serve to you (a) Identity
(b) Contact
(c) Profile
(d) Usage
(e) Marketing and Communications
(f) Technical
Necessary for our legitimate interests (to study how customers use our products/services, to develop them, to grow our business and to inform our marketing strategy)
To use data analytics to improve our website, products, marketing, customer relationships and experiences (a) Technical
(b) Usage
Necessary for our legitimate interests (to define types of customers for our products and services, to keep our website updated and relevant, to develop our business and to inform our marketing strategy)
To make suggestions and recommendations to you about goods that may be of interest to you (a) Identity
(b) Contact
(c) Technical
(d) Usage
(e) Profile
(f) Marketing and Communications
Necessary for our legitimate interests (to develop our products/services and grow our business)
To prevent fraud (a) Identity
(b) Contact
(c) Profile
(d) Usage
Necessary to comply with a legal obligation

 

Marketing

We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around marketing and advertising.

Promotional offers from us

We may use your Identity, Contact, Technical, Usage and Profile Data to form a view on what we think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you. This is how we decide which products and offers may be relevant for you (we call this marketing).

You will receive marketing communications from us if you have requested information from us or purchased goods from us and you have not opted out of receiving that marketing.

Third-party marketing

We will get your express opt-in consent before we share your personal data with any third party for marketing purposes.

Opting out

You can ask us or third parties to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by following the opt-out links on any marketing message sent to you or by contacting us at any time.
Where you opt out of receiving these marketing messages, this will not apply to personal data provided to us as a result of a service purchase, warranty registration, product/service experience or other transactions.

Cookies

You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when websites set or access cookies. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this website may become inaccessible or not function properly. For more information about the cookies we use, please see our cookies policy (above).

Change of purpose

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If you wish to get an explanation as to how the processing for the new purpose is compatible with the original purpose, please contact us.
If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.
Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.

5. DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We may share your personal data with the parties set out below for the purposes set out in the table above.

    • service providers acting as processors based in the United Kingdom who provide IT and system administration services.
    • professional advisers acting as processors or joint controllers including lawyers, bankers, auditors and insurers based in the United Kingdom who provide consultancy, banking, legal, insurance and accounting services.
    • HM Revenue & Customs, regulators and other authorities acting as processors or joint controllers based in the United Kingdom who require reporting of processing activities in certain circumstances.
    • Specific third parties such as:
    • Klarna Bank AB (publ).
    • Shopify International Ltd.
    • Huboo Technologies Ltd.
    • Pure360.
    • Third parties to whom we may choose to sell, transfer or merge parts of our business or our assets. Alternatively, we may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this privacy policy.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

6. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Whenever we transfer your personal data out of the UK, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented:

    • We will only transfer your personal data to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data.
    • Where we use certain service providers, we may use specific contracts approved for use in the UK which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK. Please contact us if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by us when transferring your personal data out of the UK.

Please contact us if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by us when transferring your personal data out of the UK.

7. DATA SECURITY

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed (for example, we provide training to all of our staff, ensure data is kept secure by installing firewalls, using passwords, keeping our building secure locked and alarmed) etc.). In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

8. DATA RETENTION

How long will you use my personal data for?

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements. We may retain your personal data for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or other requirements.

By law we have to keep basic information about our customers (including Contact, Identity, Financial and Transaction Data) for six years after they cease being customers for tax purposes.

In some circumstances you can ask us to delete your data: see “your legal rights” (below) for further information.

In some circumstances we will anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes, in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you.

9. YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. Please click on the links below to find out more about these rights:

    • Request access to your personal data: (commonly known as a "data subject access request"). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
    • Request correction of your personal data: This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.
    • Request erasure of your personal data: This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.
    • Object to processing of your personal data: where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.
    • Request restriction of processing your personal data: This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data, for example if you want us to establish the data's accuracy.
    • Request transfer of your personal data: We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.
    • Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us.

No fee usually required

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we could refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

What we may need from you

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). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

Time limit to respond

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it could take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.


FLARE AUDIO LIMITED’S COOKIES POLICY

At Flare, we respect your concerns about privacy and value the relationship we have with you.

For the purposes of this policy, Flare is made up of Flare Audio Limited (company number: 06315305) and Flare Audio Technologies Limited (company number: 09770260). This privacy policy is issued on behalf of the Flare Audio Group so when we mention Flare, "we", "us" or "our" in this privacy policy, we are referring to the relevant company in the Flare Audio Group responsible for processing your data. We will let you know which entity will be the controller for your data when you purchase a product or service with us. Flare Audio Limited is responsible for this website.

Like many companies, we use technology on our website to distinguish you from other users of our website and collect information that helps us enhance your online experience and improve our website.
The cookies we use at Flare allow our website to work, and to help us to understand what information and advertising is most useful to visitors.

THIS COOKIE POLICY EXPLAINS:

    • What cookies are
    • What information we collect and why
    • The type of cookies we use
    • How long cookies are stored on your device
    • How to manage cookies
    • What happens if you reject all cookies
    • Changes to the cookie policy
    • How to contact us

WHAT COOKIES ARE

A cookie is a text file containing information which is downloaded to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are useful because they allow websites to recognise a user's device. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognises that cookie. You can find more information about cookies at: www.allaboutcookies.org.

When we refer to Cookies throughout this Policy, we intend to cover all similar devices including web beacons and log files. For more information on those additional tools, please read our Glossary.

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND WHY

Part of creating an enjoyable and lasting experience for our customers is to use cookies to process information in order to better understand what you want from our site.

Examples of the types of information we collect via cookies may include:

    • how many users visit the Flare website, how often the site is visited, the pages visited on the site, click-through on the site and the total time spent on the site;
    • whether you have visited our website before or if you are a new visitor;
    • the website visited before the Flare site;
    • your viewing preferences (e.g. layout, sizing preferences, language, etc.);
    • your purchases and orders; and
    • your username, password, browser type and IP address, so we can recognise you on future visits.

Please note that we do not collect your name or e-mail address via cookies.
In addition, cookies help us to:

    • customise your visit: we may use information from your visit to help improve your next visit to our site;
    • customise the advertising and marketing messages you receive on this site either from ourselves or from third parties. This could involve identifying website features in which you have an interest, and recommending accessories for your Flare products. Our goal is to provide you with what you want as quickly and easily as possible; and
    • look at customer trends: we compile information from thousands of customer visits and analyse it as a whole. This kind of study focuses on identifying trends among the many visitors to our site rather than analysing information about any individual customer.

THE TYPE OF COOKIES WE USE

When you use our website, the following categories of cookies may be set on your device:

FIRST-PARTY COOKIES

These cookies are set by Flare. For the most part, they are strictly necessary to enable you to move around the website and use its features.

    • Strictly necessary cookies – These cookies are set by Flare and enable you to move about the site or to receive certain requested features, such as allowing you to place orders on the website.
    • Analytics or performance cookies – These cookies are set by Flare to collect statistical (aggregated and anonymous) information about the use of the website by you and other visitors. This information allows Flare to enhance the functionality of the website.
    • Functionality cookies- These are used to recognise you when you return to our website. This enables us to personalise our content for you, greet you by name and remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or region).
    • Targeting cookies - These cookies record your visit to our website, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed. We will use this information to make our website and the advertising displayed on it more relevant to your interests. We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose.

THIRD-PARTY COOKIES

In addition to our use of these applications, certain third parties and affiliates may set and access cookies on your computer, and in conjunction with web beacons.

    • Strictly necessary cookies – These cookies enable useful services and functionalities, for example the online chat support.
    • Online behavioural advertising cookies – These cookies collect information about your browsing habits, product and services preferences. This information will allow Flare and advertising networks we work with to display relevant ads in the most appropriate places on partner websites and on Flare's websites. For example, third parties or affiliates may administer Flare banner advertising programs on a non-Flare website.

HOW LONG COOKIES ARE STORED ON YOUR DEVICE

The length of time cookies are stored on your machine can vary, but they generally fall into two categories: temporary or persistent.

TEMPORARY COOKIES

We use temporary session cookies on all of our secure pages to assign and store a session ID to you so that you can move uninterrupted between the areas of our site. This session ID is also used for internal reporting purposes. It is not personally identifiable to you, and this type of cookie does not leave any retrievable information on your hard drive. Most of our first party cookies are session cookies which expire when you close your internet browser.

PERSISTENT COOKIES

Our first party analytics cookies and third-party cookies are persistent cookies because they are used to help us understand visitor patterns over a longer term or to provide additional functions you have requested in relation to site customisation and saved or stored content. They can be stored on your computer for 24 hours, a week, or several years, depending on the function they're helping to perform.

HOW TO MANAGE COOKIES

If you don't want to receive certain categories of cookies on our websites, you can use the following tool to opt-out of them. Please note that we will need to set a cookie so that we can remember your choices when you next visit the website from the same browser.

At the present time it is not technically possible for us to allow you to carry your settings with you between your browsers and devices (i.e. your computer or smartphone) so you will need to change these settings independently on each browser/device you use. You will need to set these preferences every time you use a new browser or a new device.

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES

These cookies are set by Flare and enable you to move about the site or to receive certain requested features, such as allowing you to place orders on the website.

ANALYTICS COOKIES

These cookies are set by Flare in order to collect statistical (aggregated and anonymous) information about the use of the website. This information allows Flare to enhance the functionality of the website.

STRICTLY NECESSARY COOKIES SET BY THIRD PARTIES

These cookies enable useful services and functionalities, for example the online chat support, and are offered by Flare's partners.

ONLINE BEHAVIOURAL ADVERTISING COOKIES

These cookies are set by Flare or by advertising partners in order to collect several pieces of information about your browsing habits, product and services preferences. This information will allow Flare and partners to display relevant ads on partner websites and on Flare's websites.

In addition, you are free to manage your cookies via your web browser. You can always set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, which gives you the option to decide whether or not to accept it. You can remove cookies from your machine at any time.

If you are concerned about having cookies on your device, you can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our website (see below).

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU REJECT ALL COOKIES?

You'll still be able to use some parts of our websites. But some useful features will not work if you disable cookies. For example, you will not be able to make purchases.

CHANGES TO THE POLICY

This policy may be revised from time to time. We will post changes on this website. This policy is specific to Flare operations and applies to information you submit online as well as through other channels. This policy is here for your convenience and is not intended to create a binding obligation. Should you have any questions, please contact us.

HOW TO CONTACT US?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our use of cookies, or if you want to exercise your right to access your data and/or have any information we hold about you rectified, you may contact us.

GLOSSARY

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognises that cookie.
Log files are web server files (such as domain name or IP address, URL, the http response code, the website from where you visit us and/or the date and duration of your visit) that are automatically created when an internet user visits a site.

Certain pages on our website contain "web beacons" (also known as Internet tags, pixel tags and clear GIFs). A web beacon is an electronic file that usually consists of a single-pixel image. It can be placed on a web page or in an email to transmit information, which could include Personal Information such as the IP address of the computer that downloaded the page on which the beacon appears, the URL of the page on which the beacon appears, the time the page containing the beacon was viewed, the type of browser used to view the page, and the information in cookies sent by a third party.