Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 1, 2025
Last Updated: July 11, 2025

Welcome to The Veranda! We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our website or services.

1. Who We Are
The Veranda is a creative studio space based in Sarnia, Ontario. Our website is hosted on Squarespace, and we use Acuity Scheduling for online bookings and Stripe or Square or PayPal for payment processing.

2. What Information We Collect
When you use our website or book a studio session, we may collect the following types of data:

  • Personal Information

  • Name

  • Email address

  • Phone number

  • Billing address

  • Payment information (processed securely via Stripe/Square/PayPal – we never store your full credit card details)

  • IP address and device/browser information

  • Automatically Collected Data

  • Pages visited

  • Time spent on pages

  • Device type, browser, and operating system

  • Cookies and usage tracking (see Section 6)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your data to:

  • Process and confirm your studio booking

  • Send booking confirmations and important updates

  • Respond to inquiries or customer service requests

  • Improve website performance and usability

  • Send optional newsletters or promotional emails (only if you opt in)

  • We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

We process your data under the following lawful bases:

  • Contractual necessity (e.g., booking a studio session)

  • Legitimate interests (e.g., improving our services)

  • Consent (for marketing emails)

  • Legal obligations (e.g., tax and business records)

5. Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

  • To access, update, or delete your personal data

  • To object to or restrict processing

  • To withdraw consent at any time (for marketing or cookies)

  • To request data portability

  • To know what personal data we collect and why (CCPA)

  • To opt out of the sale of your data (we do not sell data)

To exercise these rights, email us at theveradasarnia@gmail.com.

6. Cookies & Tracking

We use essential cookies and analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Squarespace analytics) to understand website traffic and performance. You can manage cookie preferences via your browser or consent banner (if enabled).

7. How We Share Your Information

We only share your data with trusted third parties to help us run our business:

  • Squarespace – website hosting

  • Acuity Scheduling – appointment scheduling

  • Stripe or Square or PayPal – payment processing

  • Google Analytics – website analytics

Each provider has its own privacy policy and is GDPR/CCPA compliant. We may also share information if legally required or in connection with legal proceedings.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal data as long as needed to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law (e.g., tax regulations).

9. Data Security

We use industry-standard safeguards, including HTTPS, firewalls, and secure third-party processors, to protect your data. However, no online transmission is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. International Users

Our site is operated in Canada. If you access it from outside Canada, you agree to the transfer and storage of your information in Canada or the U.S., as applicable.

11. Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe we have accidentally collected such information, please contact us.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.