Privacy Policy
Last updated: TODO(owner): date this version is approved and published
Draft — to be reviewed by the owner (and ideally a legal professional) before publishing.
This policy explains what personal data Samathvam collects when you use this website, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over it. It is written with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) in mind.
In short: we only ask for what we need to answer your enquiry and fulfil your order, we don't take payments on this website, and you can ask us at any time to see, correct or delete your data.
1. Who we are
Samathvam is a Bengaluru-based business selling return gifts, imitation jewelry and customized gifts, owned bySpoorthi Athreyas. For the purposes of the DPDP Act, Samathvam is the "data fiduciary" — the business that decides why and how your personal data is used.
Legal name of the business: Samathvam, a sole proprietorship of Spoorthi Athreyas.
Contact person: Spoorthi Athreyas
WhatsApp: +91 63648 16184 (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
Email: [email protected]
2. What we collect and why
We collect personal data only in the situations below, and only for the purpose listed next to each.
| When | What we collect | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You send an enquiry using our enquiry form | Your name and phone number. Optionally: event date, quantity, budget, delivery pincode, notes, the product you're interested in, and whether you'd like occasional offers from us. | To reply to your enquiry, prepare a quote, and arrange your order and delivery. If you tick the optional offers box, also to send you occasional offers on WhatsApp (see section 3). |
| You add items to your enquiry basket | The products and quantities you choose. This stays only in your own browser (localStorage) — it is not sent to us until you choose to send it on WhatsApp. | So your basket is still there when you come back to the site. |
| You message us on WhatsApp | Your WhatsApp name and number, and whatever you choose to share in the conversation (for example your order details or delivery address). | To answer your questions, confirm prices and availability, and fulfil your order. |
| You pay for an order by UPI | The details your UPI app shares with us for the payment, such as your name, UPI ID and the transaction reference. | To match your payment to your order and keep our order records. |
| You submit a review | Your name, your review text and your star rating. | To show customer feedback on the site. Reviews are published only after we approve them, and are then public. (Review submission is currently paused.) |
| You visit any page | Standard technical information that your browser sends, such as IP address, browser type and the page requested. This is handled by our hosting and image providers (see section 5). | To deliver the website and its images to you and to protect the site against abuse. |
We do not take payments on this website and never ask for card or bank details on it. Prices are confirmed with you on WhatsApp, and payment is made by UPI outside the website.
We do not sell your personal data.
TODO(dev): if Firebase App Check / Google reCAPTCHA is enabled on the enquiry or review forms, add it to the table and to section 5 before publishing.
3. Your consent
We process your personal data on the basis of your consent. You give it when you submit the enquiry form, send us a message on WhatsApp, or submit a review — each time for the purpose described in section 2. We will not use your data for any other purpose without asking you first.
You can withdraw your consent at any time (see Your rights). Withdrawing consent does not affect anything we did before you withdrew it, but we may no longer be able to process an open enquiry or order.
Offers on WhatsApp
We may sometimes send offers on WhatsApp, but only to people who tick the separate, optional "send me occasional offers" box on our enquiry form, or who agree to it on WhatsApp. Sending an enquiry or placing an order does not sign you up. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP or simply telling us.
TODO(dev): before publishing, check that the optional "send me occasional offers" checkbox is live on the enquiry form and that its wording matches this section.
4. Cookies, browser storage and analytics
Browser storage
Your enquiry basket is saved in your browser's local storage so it isn't lost between visits. It never leaves your device unless you send it to us on WhatsApp. You can clear it at any time by emptying the basket or clearing your browser's site data.
Analytics
At present this website does not use analytics or advertising cookies. We plan to use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages are useful. When we do, analytics cookies will be set only if you accept themin the cookie banner; if you decline, no analytics cookies are used. You will be able to change your choice at any time.
TODO(dev): update this section when GA4 goes live with the consent banner (Phase 6) — name the cookies, link the "change cookie settings" control, and remove "At present…".
Fonts
The website's fonts are served from our own site, so loading a page does not contact Google Fonts.
5. Service providers we use
We don't share your personal data with anyone for their own purposes. We use the following providers to run the website; they process data on our behalf, under their own terms and security practices:
- Google Firebase (Cloud Firestore) — stores enquiries and reviews submitted through the site.
- WhatsApp (Meta) — carries the messages you send us. Your WhatsApp conversations are also governed by WhatsApp's own privacy policy (opens in a new tab).
- Cloudinary — serves our product photos.
- Netlify — hosts the website.TODO(dev): change to Cloudflare once the site moves.
- Google Analytics 4 — only once it is live, and only if you accept analytics cookies (see section 4).
We may also disclose personal data if the law requires it, for example in response to a valid request from a government authority.
Delivery partners:TODO(owner): courier partner not decided yet — once it is, name it here (it will see customers' names, phone numbers and delivery addresses).
6. Where your data is stored
Enquiries and reviews submitted through the website are stored in Google Cloud Firestore in Google's Mumbai region (asia-south1), in India. Some of the other providers listed in section 5 (such as WhatsApp, Cloudinary and our hosting provider) may process data on servers outside India.
7. How long we keep it
We keep personal data only for as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected for, or as long as the law requires (for example, for tax or accounting records).
- Enquiries: kept for 12 months after your last contact with us, then deleted.
- Order records: kept for as long as Indian tax law requires (we expect this to be up to 8 years).TODO(owner): confirm the period with your accountant.
- WhatsApp chats: not routinely deleted. You can ask us to delete yours at any time.
- Reviews: kept while they are published; you can ask us to remove yours at any time.
- Enquiry basket: stays in your browser until you clear it — we never receive it unless you send it.
8. How we protect it
Enquiries stored in Firebase can be read only by the owner of Samathvam. Access is protected by sign-in and database security rules, and the website is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. No method of storing or sending data over the internet is completely secure, but we take reasonable care to protect your data.
If a personal data breach affects you, we will inform you and the Data Protection Board of India as the DPDP Act requires.
9. Your rights
Under the DPDP Act you have the right to:
- Access — ask for a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how we use it.
- Correction — ask us to correct, complete or update inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erasure — ask us to delete your data when it is no longer needed, unless the law requires us to keep it.
- Withdraw consent — at any time, as easily as you gave it.
- Grievance redressal — complain to us, and get a response (see section 11).
- Nominate — name another person to exercise these rights on your behalf in case of death or incapacity.
How to make a request
- WhatsApp: +91 63648 16184 (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
- Email: [email protected]
We may need to confirm your identity (for example, by asking you to write from the phone number you used) before acting on a request. We aim to respond withinTODO(owner): response time, e.g. "30 days".
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India once it is accepting complaints.
10. Children
Our website and enquiry form are meant for adults placing orders. If you are under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to contact us on your behalf. If we learn that we have collected a child's personal data without a parent's or guardian's consent, we will delete it.
11. Grievance officer
For any complaint about how your personal data is handled, please contact:
- Name: Spoorthi Athreyas
- Phone / WhatsApp: +91 63648 16184 (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
- Email: [email protected]
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our website or our practices change — for example when analytics or online features are added. The "Last updated" date at the top shows when it last changed. If a change affects how we use data you have already given us, we will ask for your consent again where the law requires it.