Privacy & Cookie Policy

1. Data Controller Information

For the purposes of applicable data protection legislation, the data controller is:

2. Information We Collect

We may collect, use, and process the following categories of personal information:

• Identity & Contact Data: Name, billing address, shipping/delivery address, email address, and telephone number.
• Order & Transaction Data: Details of bilingual books, dictionaries, languages selected, pre-order reservations (such as January 2027 releases), purchase order references, promotional codes applied (such as NEWDUAL2026), and records of payments received. (Note: We do not store full payment card numbers; all credit/debit card transactions are securely handled by PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment gateways including Shopify Payments, Stripe, and PayPal).
• School & Institutional Data: School, academy, local authority, or university name, authorized purchasing officer, and official department contact details.
• Technical & Usage Data: Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, time zone setting, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and navigation paths.
• Communications Data: Enquiries sent through our contact forms, email communications, and customer support records.
• Cookie & Consent Preferences: Records of your explicit consent choices provided through our on-site cookie banner and preference manager.

3. Legal Bases for Processing (UK/EU GDPR Article 6)

We only process your personal data where an applicable lawful basis exists under Article 6 of the UK and EU GDPR:

4. Data Retention Periods

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:

• Order & Transaction Records: Retained for 6 years following the end of the tax year of the transaction, pursuant to UK statutory accounting requirements (HMRC).
• Customer Support Enquiries: Retained for 2 years from the date of resolution to ensure quality assistance for repeat inquiries.
• Marketing Communications: Retained until you withdraw consent or unsubscribe (every marketing message includes an immediate opt-out link).
• Analytics & Cookie Consent Logs: Stored for up to 12 months, after which consent is re-evaluated.

5. Third-Party Services & Sub-Processors

We only share data with vetted third-party partners strictly necessary to operate our website and fulfill orders:

• E-Commerce & Hosting Platform: Shopify Inc. (processes transactions and stores catalog data under EU-US Data Privacy Framework and Standard Contractual Clauses).
• Payment Providers: Shopify Payments, Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay (PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment processing).
• Courier & Delivery Services: Royal Mail, DPD, and courier partners strictly to deliver your book packages.
• Analytics Tools: Shopify Analytics and Google Analytics (activated only if you grant affirmative consent via our cookie banner).

6. Your Data Protection Rights

Under Chapter III of the UK GDPR and EU GDPR, you have the following enforceable rights:

• Right of Access (Art. 15): Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Subject Access Request).
• Right to Rectification (Art. 16): Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to Erasure / "Right to be Forgotten" (Art. 17): Request deletion of your personal data where retention is no longer legally required.
• Right to Restriction of Processing (Art. 18): Ask us to restrict how we use your data in specific scenarios.
• Right to Data Portability (Art. 20): Request your data in a portable, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object (Art. 21): Object to processing carried out under legitimate interests or for direct marketing.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent (such as cookies or newsletters), withdraw consent at any time without penalty.

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at info@examdictionaries.uk. We respond to all verified requests within one calendar month, free of charge.

7. Cookie Policy & Management

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you browse our website. We categorize our cookies as follows:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies (Always Active): Essential for core website operations, shopping basket functionality, checkout processing, and security. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics & Performance Cookies (Optional): Help us understand how visitors browse our site, which bilingual editions are viewed, and identify technical issues. Disabled by default until you grant consent.
• Marketing & Targeting Cookies (Optional): Measure promotional campaigns and help deliver relevant information. Disabled by default until you grant consent.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy & Cookie Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact:

Exam Dictionaries (Unit of Star Books)
Data Protection Team
Lowther Road, Stanmore, HA7 1EP, United Kingdom
Email: info@examdictionaries.uk