Privacy policy

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 23, 2026

Last Updated: September 23, 2026

At Meester Smeets Tegelhandel B.V., we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR / Algemene Verordening Gegevensbescherming - AVG), Dutch data privacy laws, and Google Merchant Center (GMC) guidelines for responsible data collection.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, process, store, and protect your personal information when you visit or make a purchase from meestersmeets.shop.

1. Data Controller

Meester Smeets Tegelhandel B.V. is the official data controller responsible for your personal data collected through this website.

Legal Business Name: Meester Smeets Tegelhandel B.V.
Registered Address: Vredenhofweg 5A, 1051 LM Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Email: info@meestersmeets.shop
Phone: +31 20 684 1111

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal information that is necessary to fulfill your orders, provide customer support, and ensure a secure shopping experience:

Customer & Order Information: Full name, billing address, shipping address, email address, and phone number.
Payment Details: Information necessary to verify transaction completion. We do not store or process complete credit card numbers, passwords, or banking credentials on our servers. All transactions are handled securely by third-party processors (PayPal, Afterpay).
Technical & Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device details, and site interaction data gathered via secure server logs and functional cookies.
Support Inquiries: Correspondence records, return requests, or live chat conversations submitted to our service team.

3. Lawful Basis & Purpose of Processing

Under GDPR Article 6, we process your information based on clear legal grounds:

Purpose of Processing	Lawful Basis (GDPR)	Data Types Involved
Order Processing & Fulfillment: Dispatching orders, generating shipping labels, and handling deliveries	Performance of a Contract	Name, delivery address, email, phone number
Payment Processing & Fraud Prevention: Authorizing payments and preventing unauthorized chargebacks	Legal Obligation & Legitimate Interest	Billing details, transaction tokens via PayPal/Afterpay
Customer Support & Returns: Managing 30-day returns, warranty claims, and inquiries	Performance of a Contract	Order history, contact details, correspondence
Tax & Financial Compliance: Generating sales invoices and maintaining required audit trails	Legal Obligation (Dutch tax legislation)	Invoices, purchase records, address, VAT data
Store Security & Optimization: Protecting the site against malicious automated traffic and ensuring checkout stability	Legitimate Interest	IP address, browser logs, technical session cookies

4. Third-Party Data Sharing & Sub-Processors

We never sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We only share necessary data with trusted service providers to fulfill our obligations:

Payment Providers: PayPal and Afterpay (PCI-DSS compliant gateways that handle payment authorization securely).
Shipping & Logistics Carriers: Dedicated national transport services (e.g., PostNL, DHL) receive your delivery address, name, and contact details to deliver parcels and provide tracking updates.
Technical & Hosting Infrastructure: Certified cloud and e-commerce server providers operating under strict EU standard contractual clauses.
Legal & Regulatory Authorities: Dutch tax authorities (Belastingdienst) or law enforcement entities when required by statutory law.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses standard cookies to ensure functionality:

Essential / Technical Cookies: Required for basic operations such as remembering items in your cart, navigating checkout pages, and managing session authentication.
Analytics Cookies: Used to evaluate website usability and technical performance. You can manage or disable cookies at any time via your browser settings.

6. Data Security & Storage Standards

We implement technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data:

SSL Encryption: All website communications and checkout data transfers are encrypted with 256-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.
Access Controls: Only authorized personnel handling order logistics and customer support have access to customer records.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary:

Order & Financial Records: Retained for 7 years in accordance with Dutch statutory commercial accounting and tax requirements (Belastingdienst).
Customer Support Records: Retained for up to 24 months following resolution to handle any recurring warranty or return requests.
General Website Logs: Technical session logs are routinely purged after 30 to 90 days.

8. Your Data Protection Rights (GDPR)

If you reside within the European Union, you hold the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: You can request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete details.
Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): You can request the deletion of your data, provided it is not required for pending fulfillment or statutory tax retention.
Right to Restriction of Processing: You can request that we pause processing your data in certain scenarios.
Right to Data Portability: You can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Right to Object: You can object to data processing carried out under legitimate interest.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@meestersmeets.shop. We respond to all verified requests within 30 calendar days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens).