Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are and How to Reach Us

Crochet Cuddle Buds LLC is a small handcrafted crochet studio that designs and makes soft goods, blankets, home decor and yarn products. For the purposes of this policy, the terms we, us and our refer to Crochet Cuddle Buds LLC. The company is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy, which means the company decides why and how that information is used. The company name, address, contact email and contact phone number appear at the end of this document and at the top of every page that carries the plain legal header.

We are a United States based business and the studio operates from a workshop table in Springville, Utah. If you have any question about this policy, the best way to reach us is by email at notify@crochetcuddle.buzz or by telephone at +19133996591 during studio hours. Written enquiries may be sent to Crochet Cuddle Buds LLC, 2487 W 500 S Unit 3, Springville - 84663-5779, United States (US). We read every message and aim to reply within a small number of business days.

2. The Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to personal information that we collect through the website at crochetcuddle.buzz, through the contact form, through email or telephone conversations, and through the ordinary course of taking a commission or selling a studio product. It also applies to information collected when you subscribe to a yarn box, request a pattern design quote or ask us to mend a textile.

This policy does not apply to websites operated by other companies, even when we link to them. It also does not cover information that you share with a payment processor on that processor own checkout pages. Each of those services publishes a separate privacy notice, and we encourage you to read it before you submit information. Our own notice is limited to the data practices of Crochet Cuddle Buds LLC.

3. Information You Give to Us Directly

Most of the information we hold about you is information you choose to give us. When you send a message through the contact form, you may provide your name, your email address, the subject of your enquiry and the content of your message. When you commission a piece, you may also give us a delivery address, a phone number, color preferences, size measurements and, in some cases, photographs or sketches of a design you would like us to make.

When you subscribe to a yarn box or join a client list, you give us the details needed to send the box and to tell you when new slots open. When you purchase a finished studio make, you give us the details needed to process the order and ship it to your door. The exact fields vary with the service, but we try to ask only for the information we genuinely need to complete the work you requested.

Please do not send us sensitive information that we do not need, such as government identification numbers, medical information or financial account credentials. We do not require that kind of information to make a crochet piece, and we would rather not store it.

4. Information We Collect Automatically

When you visit our website, some information is collected automatically by the browser and by the server that hosts the site. This may include the type of device you use, the browser and operating system version, the pages you view, the date and time of your visit, the referring page that brought you to us and a shortened or full internet protocol address. This information is used in aggregate to keep the site working, to understand which pages are useful and to detect technical problems.

We do not use automatic collection to build a personal profile of you for unrelated advertising. Where a hosting provider keeps server logs, those logs are maintained by the provider for security and reliability purposes. We may review summarized reports about traffic so that we can improve the wording, layout and accessibility of our pages, but we do not attempt to identify individual visitors from those reports unless a security incident requires it.

5. How We Use Personal Information

We use personal information for a limited set of purposes that are directly connected to running a small crochet studio. The main purposes are to answer your enquiries, to prepare quotes, to make and deliver the pieces you commission, to process payments, to manage subscriptions, to provide customer care and to keep accurate business records for accounting and tax purposes.

We also use information to improve our services. For example, if several clients ask about the same size option, we may add that option to our standard list. If a care instruction is unclear, we may rewrite the care card. That kind of improvement is based on general patterns and feedback rather than on intrusive monitoring of any one person. We may use your email address to send updates that are part of a service you requested, such as a shipping confirmation or a notice that a commission slot is opening.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not rent your contact details to other businesses. We do not use your information to make automated decisions that produce legal effects for you, and we do not use it to create advertising profiles for sale.

6. The Legal Bases for Processing

Where the law requires a legal basis for processing personal information, we rely on one or more of the following. We process information to perform a contract with you, such as making and shipping a commissioned piece or delivering a yarn box that you ordered. We process information based on your consent, such as when you clearly ask to join a mailing list or a client list. We process information for our legitimate interests in running a lawful business, such as keeping records, preventing fraud and improving our services, provided those interests are not outweighed by your rights.

We may also process information to comply with a legal obligation, such as retaining accounting records for the period required by tax law, or to protect the vital interests of a person in an emergency. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time, and the withdrawal will not affect processing that already took place before the withdrawal.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website is a simple set of static pages, and we keep our use of cookies to a minimum. A cookie is a small file that a website asks your browser to store so that the site can remember something on a later visit. We may use strictly necessary cookies or local storage to keep basic site features working properly, and we may rely on the hosting provider for security related functions.

If we ever add analytics or embedded content that sets additional cookies, we will describe that use here and, in the appropriate places, ask for your consent. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how a website behaves, but the core content of our pages is designed to remain readable without them.

8. Payment and Billing Information

When you pay for a commission, a product or a subscription, the payment is normally handled by a third party payment processor. In that case the processor collects and stores your card details or bank details directly, and we do not receive or keep your full card number. We may receive a confirmation that a payment succeeded, the last few digits of a card for reconciliation, the amount paid and the billing name and address connected to the transaction.

We keep basic invoice records so that we can answer questions about an order and meet our accounting obligations. If we ever accept a payment method that requires us to handle sensitive data directly, we will apply the same standards described in this policy and will limit access to the information to the few people who need it to process the transaction.

9. How We Share Information

We share personal information only in the limited circumstances described in this policy. We may share the information needed to complete a delivery with a postal or courier service, which means a name, a delivery address and sometimes a phone number for delivery notifications. We may share invoice and payment details with a payment processor as described above. We may share information with professional advisers such as an accountant where it is necessary for lawful business administration.

We may disclose information if we are required to do so by law, by a valid legal request, or to protect the rights, property or safety of Crochet Cuddle Buds LLC, our clients or the public. If the business is ever reorganised, sold or merged, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, and we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the receiving party honours this policy. We do not otherwise sell, trade or disclose personal information to third parties for their own marketing.

10. Service Providers and Processors

Like most small businesses, we rely on a few service providers to operate. These may include a website hosting provider, an email provider, a payment processor and a postal or courier service. Each provider processes information on our instructions or as an independent controller of the limited data required for its own service. We choose providers that are widely used and that maintain reasonable security practices.

We ask our processors to protect personal information and to use it only for the purpose for which it was shared. We do not authorise a provider to sell your information or to use it for unrelated advertising. If you would like to know the categories of providers we use for a particular service, you can ask us using the contact details in this policy, and we will describe them as specifically as we reasonably can without compromising security.

11. Data Retention and Storage

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purpose for which it was collected, plus any additional period required by law. Enquiry messages are usually kept long enough to resolve the question and to keep a short record in case you write again. Commission details are kept while the project is active and for a reasonable period afterward so that we can support repairs, repeat orders and color matching. Accounting records are kept for the period required by tax and business regulations.

When information is no longer needed, we delete it or make it anonymous so that it can no longer be linked to you. If you ask us to delete information that we are not legally required to keep, we will do so within a reasonable time. Some records, such as a completed invoice, may need to remain for a defined retention period, and we will explain that if it applies to your request.

12. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. These steps include using reputable service providers, keeping software reasonably current, limiting access to personal information to the people who need it for their work, and storing paper records in a controlled workspace. Our studio is small, which helps us keep a close eye on who can see what.

No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, and we cannot promise absolute security. If we become aware of a breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights or interests, we will notify affected people and any relevant authority as required by applicable law. We also encourage you to protect your own accounts with strong passwords and to be careful about the information you send by email.

13. International Data Transfers

Our studio is based in the United States, and the information we collect is generally stored and processed in the United States. If you contact us from another country, your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your home country. By using our website and services, you understand that this transfer is necessary for us to respond to you and to provide the products or services you request.

Where we use a service provider that stores data in more than one region, we rely on the safeguards offered by that provider, such as standard contractual clauses or an equivalent mechanism. If you have a question about where a particular piece of information is stored, contact us and we will do our best to explain the arrangement in plain terms.

14. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have rights over your personal information. These rights can include the right to know what information we hold about you, the right to request a copy, the right to ask us to correct inaccurate information, the right to ask us to delete information, the right to object to or restrict certain processing, and the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. You may also have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

To exercise a right, contact us using the details in this policy and describe your request clearly. We may need to verify your identity before we act, so that we do not disclose information to the wrong person. We will respond within the time required by applicable law. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to complain to a data protection authority in your jurisdiction, and we would welcome the chance to resolve the matter with you first.

15. Privacy for Children

Our website and services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age required for lawful consent in their jurisdiction. Many of our products are made for children, but the order is placed by a parent, guardian or other adult, and the personal information we hold belongs to that adult. We do not ask a child to create an account or to submit information directly.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us without appropriate consent, please contact us immediately. We will review the situation and delete the information if it was collected in error. Privacy for children matters to us, and we would rather remove information quickly than keep it without a valid reason.

16. Email and Marketing Communications

We send two broad kinds of email. The first is service email, which is necessary to complete something you asked for, such as a quote, an order confirmation, a shipping notice or a care instruction. The second is optional marketing email, such as a note that commission slots are opening or that a new seasonal collection has launched. You can opt out of the optional marketing email at any time by using the unsubscribe method included in the message or by contacting us directly.

If you unsubscribe from marketing, we may still send you service email that is necessary to complete an active order or to respond to a question you asked. We do not add people to a marketing list without a clear reason, and we try to keep the number of messages low so that each one is worth opening.

17. Third Party Links and Social Media

Our pages may link to third party websites or social media profiles. When you follow such a link, you leave our site and become subject to the privacy practices of the destination. We are not responsible for the content or the data practices of those third parties, and a link does not mean that we endorse everything they do. We recommend that you read the privacy notice of any site before you submit personal information to it.

If we embed content from another service on one of our pages, that service may collect information about your visit in accordance with its own policies. Where the law requires it, we will ask for your consent before such content loads, and we will describe the content in plain terms so that you can make an informed choice.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our providers or the law. When we make a change, we will update the effective date at the top of the page. If the change is significant, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to your attention, such as a notice on the website or a message to active clients. The version that applies to your use of the site is the version that is live when you use it.

We encourage you to review this page occasionally so that you stay familiar with how we handle personal information. Continuing to use our website or services after an update means that you accept the revised policy to the extent permitted by law.

19. How to Contact Us About Privacy

If you have a question, a request or a concern about privacy, please contact us. We take privacy seriously and a real person will read your message. Writing is often the clearest way to reach us, and email usually produces the fastest reply.