This Privacy Policy describes how The Choir of Essentials, a business registered in British Columbia, Canada (Suite 368, 186-8120 No. 2 Road, Richmond, BC V7C 5J8, “we,” “our,” or “us”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information from customers and website visitors.

This policy applies to information collected through our website and through any related order, communication, or customer service interaction.

Applicable Law

We are subject to Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA, S.C. 2000, c. 5) in respect of personal information collected, used, or disclosed in the course of commercial activity, including interprovincial and cross-border transactions.

As a business operating in British Columbia, we are also subject to British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (BC PIPA, S.B.C. 2003, c. 63) in respect of the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information within British Columbia. Where BC PIPA applies and its requirements differ from PIPEDA, we apply the requirements of BC PIPA to those activities.

Where customers in Québec interact with us, we apply the requirements of Québec’s Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Law 25) to the extent they are applicable to those transactions and our operations.

For customers in the United States, applicable US federal and state privacy laws may also apply to the handling of your personal information.

Information You Provide Directly

•  Name and contact information — email address, phone number, mailing address

•  Billing and shipping address

•  Payment information — processed securely through our payment providers; we do not store full card numbers

•  Order history and purchase details

•  Communications you send us, including support inquiries and return requests

•  Email marketing preferences, where you choose to subscribe

Information Collected Automatically

•  IP address and approximate geographic location

•  Browser type, device type, and operating system

•  Pages visited, time on page, and navigation paths

•  Referring website or search query

•  Cookie and session data — see the Cookies section below

Information from Third-Party Service Providers

We receive limited information from the service providers we use to operate our business, including our e-commerce platform, payment processors, fulfillment partners, shipping carriers, and analytics and marketing tools. We receive only the information necessary to fulfill orders and communicate with you.

We collect and use personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances, including:

•  Processing and fulfilling your orders

•  Sending order confirmation, shipping notification, and delivery follow-up communications

•  Responding to customer service inquiries, return requests, and support communications

•  Sending marketing emails where you have provided consent — you may withdraw consent at any time

•  Improving our website, product selection, and customer experience

•  Detecting and preventing fraud — see Automated Processing below

•  Complying with applicable legal and regulatory obligations

Our e-commerce platform and payment processors use automated systems to screen orders and transactions for fraud and unauthorized activity. This screening may result in an order being flagged for review or declined. These processes are operated by our platform and payment providers under their own terms and privacy policies.

We do not otherwise use your personal information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects without human involvement.

We obtain your consent to collect and use personal information at or before the time of collection. By placing an order, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this policy for the purposes of fulfilling that order and related communications.

For marketing emails, we obtain express consent before sending commercial electronic messages, in accordance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL, S.C. 2010, c. 23). You may withdraw consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email, or by contacting us at hello@thechoirofessentials.com. Withdrawal of consent does not affect transactional communications related to orders you have placed.

Service Providers

We share personal information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business, including our e-commerce platform, payment processors, fulfillment partners, shipping carriers, and analytics and email marketing tools. These providers are permitted to use your information only to perform services on our behalf and are required to protect it appropriately.

Cross-Border Transfer of Personal Information

Some of our service providers, including our e-commerce platform and payment processors, store and process personal information outside Canada, including in the United States and other countries. When your personal information is processed outside Canada, it may be subject to the laws of the country where it is held or processed, including laws that may permit government or law enforcement access to that information.

We take reasonable contractual and organizational steps to ensure that service providers outside Canada protect your information consistently with Canadian privacy law standards.

Legal Disclosure

We may disclose personal information where required by law, court order, or the lawful direction of a government authority. We will notify you of such disclosures where legally permitted to do so.

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of our business, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. You will be notified by a notice on our website prior to the transfer taking effect, and the acquiring entity will be required to honour this policy or obtain fresh consent.

No Sale of Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes.

What We Use

•  Essential cookies — required for the website to function, including shopping cart and checkout

•  Analytics cookies — to understand how visitors use our site

•  Marketing and remarketing cookies — where you have provided consent

•  Preference cookies — to remember your settings

Cookie Consent

Where required by applicable law, we obtain your consent before setting non-essential cookies. A cookie-consent banner is displayed on your first visit to our website. You may manage or withdraw cookie consent at any time through the consent tool on our website or through your browser settings.

Your Choices

A cookie-consent tool is displayed on your first visit to our website. You may manage or withdraw cookie preferences at any time through this tool or through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies may affect your ability to complete a purchase.

We send marketing emails only to recipients who have provided express or implied consent in accordance with CASL. Every marketing email includes clear identification of The Choir of Essentials as the sender, our mailing address (Suite 368, 186-8120 No. 2 Road, Richmond, BC V7C 5J8), and a functional unsubscribe mechanism. Unsubscribe requests are processed within 10 business days.

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law:

•  Order and transaction records: generally retained for six years from the end of the applicable tax year, or longer where required by the Canada Revenue Agency or other applicable law

•  Customer service communications: retained for two years following the last interaction

•  Marketing email consent records: retained while consent is active and for a reasonable period following unsubscribe, as required to demonstrate CASL compliance

•  Website analytics data: retained in anonymised or aggregated form

We implement reasonable security safeguards to protect your personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, and modification, including SSL/TLS encryption, secure payment processing, and access controls limiting personal information to those who require it.

In the event of a privacy breach that creates a real risk of significant harm to individuals, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as required under PIPEDA.

Under PIPEDA and applicable provincial privacy legislation, you have the right to know whether we hold personal information about you, to request access to it and receive a copy, to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information, and to withdraw consent to its collection, use, or disclosure, subject to legal and contractual restrictions.

You may also file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Customers in British Columbia may also contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer at hello@thechoirofessentials.com. We will respond within 30 calendar days as required under PIPEDA.

Our website is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children without the consent required under applicable law. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without appropriate consent, please contact us at hello@thechoirofessentials.com and we will promptly address it.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify customers by email before the changes take effect and update the date at the top of this page. The version of this policy in effect at the time you provided your personal information governs how that information is handled. We will seek fresh consent where required by applicable law before applying material changes to previously collected personal information.

The Choir of Essentials: 

Privacy Officer:  hello@thechoirofessentials.com

Mailing Address:  Suite 368, 186-8120 No. 2 Road, Richmond, BC  V7C 5J8

Please note: This address is provided for privacy and legal correspondence only and is not a product return address. Please do not send merchandise to this address. For returns or exchanges, please contact us first at hello@thechoirofessentials.com to receive the appropriate return instructions and return address. Unauthorized returns may not be accepted.