Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Time Told™ Letters is the data controller for the personal information you provide to us. If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at:

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process the following categories of personal data:

2.1 Subscriber Information

• Full name
• Postal address (for delivery of your monthly letter)
• Email address
• Phone number (if provided)
• Payment information (processed securely via our payment provider; we do not store card details)

2.2 Website Usage Data

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Pages visited and time spent on site
• Referring website
• Cookie data (see our separate Cookie Policy)

2.3 Contributor Information

If you contribute a personal story or letter to our service, we also collect:

• Your name (or chosen pen name)
• Contact details
• The content of your story or letter, including any personal information contained within it

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

3.1 Providing Our Subscription Service

• Processing and managing your subscription
• Delivering your monthly letter to your postal address
• Sending you service-related communications (e.g. subscription confirmation, renewal reminders)
• Processing payments and managing billing

Legal basis: Performance of a contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR).

3.2 Marketing Communications

• Sending you newsletters or promotional emails about Time Told™ Letters, if you have opted in

Legal basis: Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR). You may withdraw your consent at any time by clicking 'unsubscribe' in any marketing email or by contacting us directly.

3.3 Improving Our Service

• Analysing website usage to improve user experience
• Understanding how subscribers engage with our content

Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR). We have a legitimate interest in understanding how our service is used so we can improve it.

3.4 Legal Compliance

• Complying with legal obligations, including tax and accounting requirements

Legal basis: Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR).

4. How Long We Keep Your Data

We do not keep your personal data for longer than is necessary. Our standard retention periods are:

• Subscriber data: for the duration of your subscription, plus 6 years after it ends (for accounting and legal purposes)
• Website usage data: up to 24 months
• Marketing consent records: until you withdraw consent, plus 1 year
• Contributor information and stories: retained indefinitely unless you request deletion, as these form part of our archive

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We may share your data with:

• Payment processors (e.g. Stripe or PayPal) to handle subscription payments securely
• Email service providers to send service and marketing communications
• Website hosting and analytics providers
• Royal Mail or other postal carriers, where your address is required for delivery
• Professional advisers (e.g. accountants or solicitors) where necessary

All third parties we work with are required to handle your data securely and in accordance with UK data protection law.

6. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers may be based outside the UK. Where this is the case, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the ICO.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access: you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure: you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances
• Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability: you can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Rights related to automated decision-making: we do not use automated decision-making or profiling

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 1. We will respond within one calendar month.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and to help us understand how the site is used. For full details of the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our separate Cookie Policy.

9. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Payment information is handled by our payment provider and is never stored directly by us.

If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately using the details in Section 1.

10. Children's Privacy

Our service is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the 'Last updated' date at the top of this page. Where changes are significant, we will notify you by email.

12. How to Complain

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator:

This policy was prepared for Time Told™ Letters in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.