Privacy & Security Policy

Schwartz & von Halen places great importance on protecting your privacy and personal data.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we use it, with whom we may share it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

We process your data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), the French Data Protection Act ("Informatique et Libertés"), and other applicable data protection provisions.

This Privacy Policy applies to visitors of our website, our customers, holders of a customer account, people subscribed to our newsletter, and people who contact our customer service.

1. Identity of the data controller

The controller of your personal data is:

Company: Schwartz & von Halen B.V.
Registered office address:
Keizersgracht 482
1017 EG Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Legal form: Company under Dutch law
Dutch Chamber of Commerce registration number: 77403398
Intra-Community VAT number: NL860997406B01
Email: info@schwartz-vonhalen.com

The above address is our registered office. It is not a return address, a pickup point, a store, or a location open to the public.

2. Personal data we collect

We may collect different categories of personal data depending on how you use our website and services.

Identification and contact data

• First and last name;
• Billing address;
• Delivery address;
• Email address;
• Phone number, when provided; and
• Selected country, language, and market.
  
  

Order and transaction data

• Products ordered;
• Order number;
• Order amount;
• Currency used;
• Promotional codes or discounts applied;
• Selected payment method;
• Payment status;
• Shipping and delivery information;
• Information relating to returns, exchanges, and refunds; and
• Order history.
  
  

Payment data

Payments are processed by our secure payment providers.

Schwartz & von Halen does not directly store your full card details.

We may nonetheless receive and retain certain limited payment-related information, such as:

• The payment method used;
• The transaction status;
• A transaction identifier;
• The last four digits of a card, when shared with us; and
• The information necessary to prevent fraud, process a refund, or resolve a payment dispute.
  
  

Customer account data

• Account credentials;
• Password in encrypted or secured form;
• Saved addresses;
• Order history;
• Account preferences; and
• Wishlist or saved products, where this feature is available.
  
  

Customer service data

• Messages sent by email or chat;
• History of exchanges with our customer service;
• Reason for the request;
• Information relating to a complaint, return, exchange, or warranty claim;
• Photographs or documents you send us; and
• Any other information you choose to share with us.
  
  

Customer review data

• Displayed name or username;
• Rating given to the product;
• Review text;
• Photographs or videos attached to the review;
• Information used to verify the purchase; and
• Date the review was published.
  
  

Technical and usage data

• IP address;
• Browser type and version;
• Device type;
• Operating system;
• Technical identifiers or cookie identifiers;
• Pages viewed;
• Products viewed or added to cart;
• Date and time of visits;
• Approximate duration of the visit;
• Links and buttons used;
• Website or advertisement that led to our site;
• Data relating to interactions with our communications; and
• Approximate location information.

Marketing communication data

• Newsletter subscription;
• Marketing preferences;
• Date and method of consent;
• Opening of certain emails, where permitted;
• Clicks on links contained in our communications; and
• Date of an unsubscribe or objection request.

3. How we collect your data

We may collect your personal data in different ways.

Data you provide to us directly

We collect the information you share with us, in particular when you:

• Place an order;
• Create or manage a customer account;
• Subscribe to our newsletter;
• Use our contact form;
• Contact our customer service by email or chat;
• Register a return or exchange;
• Request a refund;
• Submit a complaint or warranty claim;
• Leave a review on a product; or
• Take part in an offer, survey, or promotion.

Data collected automatically

When you browse our site, certain technical and usage information may be collected automatically through cookies, pixels, tags, and similar technologies.

Where the law requires it, non-essential trackers are used only after we have obtained your consent.

Data received from third parties

We may receive certain information from third parties involved in providing our services, including:

• Payment providers;
• Fraud prevention providers;
• E-commerce platforms;
• Warehouses and logistics providers;
• Carriers and postal services;
• Returns management platforms;
• Customer review platforms;
• Customer service providers;
• Analytics and audience measurement providers; and
• Advertising platforms, when you have given your consent or where processing is otherwise permitted.

4. Purposes and legal bases of processing

We only process your personal data when a valid legal basis allows us to do so.

Depending on the processing concerned, we rely on:

• Performance of a contract or pre-contractual measures;
• Compliance with a legal obligation;
• Our legitimate interest, where your rights and freedoms do not override that interest; or
• Your consent.
  
  

Processing and fulfilling orders

We use your data in order to:

• Register and confirm your order;
• Process your payment;
• Prepare and ship your order;
• Send you delivery information;
• Track your parcel;
• Manage returns, exchanges, and refunds; and
• Answer questions directly related to your purchase.

Legal basis: performance of the contract concluded with you or implementation of pre-contractual measures at your request.

Managing your customer account

We use your data in order to create, secure, and manage your account, save your preferences, and allow you to view your order history.

Legal basis: performance of the contract and, for certain optional features, our legitimate interest in facilitating your shopping experience.

Customer service

We use your data in order to:

• Answer your questions;
• Advise you on our products;
• Handle a complaint;
• Manage a request relating to a delivery, return, or refund;
• Review a warranty claim; and
• Keep a reasonable record of our exchanges.

Legal basis: performance of the contract, compliance with our legal obligations, and legitimate interest in providing efficient customer service and defending our rights.

Fraud prevention and security

We may use certain data in order to:

• Verify the authenticity of a transaction;
• Detect unusual or fraudulent orders;
• Prevent unauthorized payments;
• Protect our customers, our site, and our systems;
• Prevent abuse, attacks, and security incidents; and
• Establish, exercise, or defend our rights.

Legal basis: our legitimate interest in preventing fraud, protecting our services, and securing transactions, as well as compliance with certain legal obligations.

Compliance with our legal obligations

We may process and retain certain data in order to comply with our:

• Accounting obligations;
• Tax obligations;
• Administrative obligations;
• Customs obligations;
• Regulatory obligations;
• Consumer protection obligations; and
• Obligations relating to valid requests from public authorities.

Legal basis: compliance with a legal obligation.

Improving our site and services

We may use aggregated, statistical, or pseudonymized data in order to:

• Understand how our site is used;
• Identify errors and technical issues;
• Improve navigation and the checkout process;
• Develop our products and services;
• Measure our site's performance; and
• Assess customer satisfaction.

Legal basis: our legitimate interest in improving our business and services or, where the law requires it for the use of trackers, your consent.

Marketing communications

When you subscribe to our newsletter or give your consent, we may send you:

• News about our products;
• Promotional offers;
• Information about new collections;
• Reminders relating to viewed products or your cart, where permitted; and
• Other relevant commercial communications.

Legal basis: your consent where required or, in cases permitted by law, our legitimate interest in presenting customers with products similar to those they have already purchased.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in each email or by contacting us at info@schwartz-vonhalen.com.

Personalized advertising and ad measurement

Subject to your consent where required, we may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies in order to:

• Measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns;
• Understand whether an advertisement led to a visit or a purchase;
• Create advertising audiences;
• Exclude certain customers from irrelevant campaigns;
• Limit the repetition of certain advertisements; and
• Display advertisements that may match your interests.

Legal basis: your consent.

You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the cookie management tool available on our site.

Customer reviews

We may invite you to leave a review after a purchase and use the information provided to publish, manage, and verify reviews.

Legal basis: our legitimate interest in gathering authentic feedback on our products and services or your consent where required to publish certain content, such as photographs.

5. Whether providing data is mandatory or optional

Some data is necessary to conclude and perform the contract with you.

Without this information, we may be unable to:

• Process your order;
• Accept or verify your payment;
• Deliver the products;
• Inform you of delivery tracking;
• Manage a return, exchange, or refund; or
• Respond properly to your request.

Mandatory information is normally marked as such on the relevant forms.

Other information is optional. Not providing it does not necessarily prevent you from using our site or making a purchase.

6. Recipients of your personal data

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

We may share certain data with our staff and trusted service providers only when necessary to provide our services, run our business, or comply with our obligations.

E-commerce platform

Our store is operated using Shopify. Shopify may process data necessary for hosting the site, operating the store, processing orders, and securing the platform.

Payment providers
Depending on the payment method chosen, your data may be processed by providers such as:

• Shopify Payments;
• PayPal;
• Klarna;
• Apple Pay;
• Google Pay;
• Shop Pay; and
• Other providers offered at checkout.

These providers may act as independent data controllers for certain operations. Their own privacy policies may then apply.

Warehouses, logistics partners, and carriers

We may share the information necessary to prepare, ship, and deliver your order with:

• Our warehouses and order fulfillment providers;
• Our logistics partners;
• DHL;
• FedEx;
• UPS;
• National postal services; and
• Local carriers responsible for final delivery.

The information shared may include your name, delivery address, email address, phone number, and the information necessary to track the parcel.

Customer service

We use Gorgias to manage certain communications with our customer service, including emails, chats, and order-related requests.

Returns and exchanges

We may use ReturnGO or another returns management provider to register and process return, exchange, and refund requests.

Customer reviews

We may use Yotpo or a comparable platform to collect, verify, manage, and publish customer reviews.

Marketing and communications

We may use providers such as Shopify Email and Klaviyo to manage our newsletters, commercial communications, and marketing preferences.

Analytics and advertising

Subject to your cookie choices, certain data may be processed by:

• Google Analytics;
• Google Ads;
• Meta, including through the Meta Pixel; and
• Other analytics or advertising partners listed in our cookie management tool.

Professional advisors and authorities

Where necessary, we may share certain data with:

• Our accountants;
• Our lawyers or other professional advisors;
• Our insurers;
• Our auditors;
• Tax or customs authorities;
• Courts;
• Supervisory authorities; and
• Law enforcement services.

Such sharing only occurs when necessary to defend our rights, comply with a legal obligation, or respond to a legally valid request.

7. Sale and sharing of personal data

Schwartz & von Halen does not sell your personal data in the everyday sense of the term and does not hand over its customer lists to third parties for them to use freely for their own commercial activities.

We may, however, share limited data with our providers and partners when necessary to:

• Process an order;
• Complete a payment;
• Prepare and deliver a parcel;
• Manage a return;
• Provide customer service;
• Analyze our site's performance; or
• Measure and personalize advertising, where you have consented.

When information is used for personalized advertising purposes, you can withdraw your consent or change your choices using our cookie management tool.

8. Retention periods

We only keep your personal data for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

The exact duration may depend on the nature of the data, our relationship with you, our legal obligations, and the need to establish, exercise, or defend rights.

Order and billing data

Data necessary to evidence transactions and comply with our accounting and tax obligations is retained for the period required by applicable legislation.

Customer account data

Account data is retained for as long as the account is in use, then for a reasonable period after it is closed where necessary to comply with our obligations, prevent fraud, or defend our rights.

Customer service data

Exchanges with our customer service are retained for as long as necessary to process the request, then for a reasonable period to allow follow-up, handle any complaints, and defend our rights.

Warranty, complaint, and dispute data

This data may be retained for the duration of the warranty or complaint, then until the applicable limitation periods expire.

Direct marketing data

Data used for direct marketing is retained until you withdraw your consent, object, or for the period authorized by applicable legislation and guidance.

We may retain minimal information to permanently honor an unsubscribe or objection request.

Cookies and technical data

The lifespan and retention period of cookies depends on their purpose.

The applicable durations are specified in our cookie management tool or in the cookies section of this Policy.

When data is no longer necessary, it is deleted, anonymized, or securely archived where its retention remains legally required.

9. International data transfers

Some of our providers, systems, or partners may process personal data outside of France or the European Economic Area.

When we transfer data to a country outside the European Economic Area, we ensure an appropriate legal mechanism is used.

These safeguards may include, among others:

• An adequacy decision adopted by the European Commission;
• The standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission;
• Binding corporate rules; or
• Another transfer mechanism recognized by applicable legislation.

Where necessary, additional technical, organizational, or contractual measures may be implemented to protect the transferred data.

You can contact us to obtain more information about the safeguards applicable to a specific transfer.

10. Security of personal data

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

• Unauthorized access;
• Loss;
• Destruction;
• Alteration;
• Disclosure;
• Misuse; and
• Any other unauthorized or unlawful processing.

These measures may include, among others:

• Encryption of transmitted data using secure technologies such as TLS or SSL;
• Access controls;
• Passwords and authentication procedures;
• Limiting access to people who need the data to perform their duties;
• Securing and monitoring our systems;
• Selecting providers that offer appropriate safeguards; and
• Security incident management procedures.

No electronic transmission or storage system can guarantee absolute security.

We therefore regularly reassess our security measures based on the nature of the data, identified risks, and evolving technologies.

11. Cookies and similar technologies

Our site uses cookies, pixels, tags, identifiers, and other similar technologies to ensure it functions properly, remember your preferences, analyze its use, and, subject to your consent, personalize content and advertising.

A cookie is a small file saved on your computer, tablet, or phone when you visit a website.

Some cookies are strictly necessary for our store to function. Others are optional and are only used after we have obtained your consent where the law requires it.

Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are necessary for the site to function and generally cannot be disabled using our cookie management tool.

They may be used in particular to:

• Keep products in your cart;
• Enable the checkout process to work;
• Secure the site and transactions;
• Detect and prevent fraudulent activity;
• Remember your cookie choices;
• Keep your session active; and
• Ensure the general operation of the store.

Legal basis: technical necessity, performance of the contract, and legitimate interest in ensuring the site's operation and security.

Functional cookies

These cookies allow the site to remember certain choices in order to offer you a more personalized experience.

They may remember, in particular:

• Your language;
• Your country or market;
• Your currency;
• Your display preferences;
• Certain recently viewed products; and
• Certain information linked to your account.

Legal basis: your consent, where required.

Audience measurement and analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to understand how visitors use our site and improve its performance.

They may collect information relating to:

• Pages viewed;
• Products viewed;
• Length of visits;
• Links used;
• Errors encountered;
• Source of the visit; and
• Type of device or browser used.

Legal basis: your consent, where required by applicable regulations.

Advertising cookies

These cookies may be used by Schwartz & von Halen or by advertising partners in order to:

• Measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns;
• Attribute a visit or order to an advertisement;
• Create advertising audiences;
• Show more relevant advertisements;
• Limit the repetition of an advertisement; and
• Assess interactions with our ads.

Legal basis: your consent.

Managing your preferences

On your first visit, a cookie management tool allows you to accept, refuse, or customize the use of non-essential cookies.

You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the link or cookie management tool available on our site.

Withdrawing your consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

You can also manage or delete cookies in your browser settings. Refusing certain strictly necessary cookies may, however, prevent the cart, customer account, or checkout process from working properly.

Cookie retention period

Cookies are retained for a period suited to their purpose and within the limits set by applicable regulations.

The exact duration of each cookie can be viewed in our cookie management tool.

Your consent choice may also be kept for a limited period to avoid asking you again on every visit.

12. Analytics, advertising, and social media

Subject to your cookie preferences, we may use certain analytics, advertising, and social media services.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics may help us understand how visitors use our site.

The information processed may include:

• Pages viewed;
• Events performed on the site;
• Device or browser type;
• Source of the visit;
• An IP address or information derived from it; and
• Statistical or pseudonymized information about site usage.

Google may process some of this information in accordance with its own terms and policies.

Google Ads

Google Ads may be used to measure conversions, create audiences, and display advertisements that may match users' interests.

These features are only used based on your cookie and consent choices.

Meta Pixel

The Meta Pixel may be used to measure the effectiveness of our advertisements on Meta services, create audiences, and understand certain interactions between our ads and our site.

Meta may process certain data as an independent data controller in accordance with its own policies.

Advertising audiences

Where you have consented and where the law allows it, we may share limited data, such as a hashed email address or a technical identifier, with certain advertising platforms in order to:

• Create personalized audiences;
• Identify similar audiences;
• Exclude certain customers from irrelevant campaigns;
• Measure the effectiveness of ads; and
• Present more relevant commercial communications.

This processing is carried out on the basis of your consent where required.

You can withdraw your consent using our cookie management tool.

Social media

Our site may contain links, buttons, or content from social media platforms.

When you interact with these services, the relevant social media platform may collect information about your visit in accordance with its own privacy rules.

Schwartz & von Halen does not control processing carried out independently by these platforms.

13. Location, language, and currency conversion

Our site may use your IP address, your approximate location, your language, or other technical information in order to select or suggest:

• The applicable country or market;
• The site language;
• The currency displayed;
• The payment methods available;
• The applicable delivery methods; and
• Commercial information suited to your region.

Your choice of country, language, or currency may be saved in a cookie or in your browser's storage so that it stays active during your browsing session or on a future visit.

Technical providers may process your IP address or limited technical data to provide these features.

14. Fraud prevention and automated decisions

In order to protect our customers, our company, and our payment providers, we may use automated systems to analyze certain orders and transactions.

These systems may take various factors into account, including:

• IP address;
• Billing and delivery addresses;
• Order amount;
• Payment method used;
• Transaction history;
• Inconsistencies between certain pieces of information;
• Signals communicated by payment providers; and
• Other indicators reasonably linked to the risk of fraud.

An order may be flagged for verification, temporarily suspended, refused, or canceled when a reasonable risk of fraud, unauthorized use, or non-payment is detected.

Where necessary, a human review may be carried out before a final decision is made.

We may ask you for additional information to confirm your identity, your address, or your authorization to use the selected payment method.

If you believe that an automated decision has unfairly affected you, you can contact us to request:

• Further information;
• Human intervention;
• The opportunity to present your views; and
• A review of the decision, where applicable law grants you this right.

15. Data relating to children

Our site and services are not intended for children under the age of 16.

We do not knowingly collect personal data relating to children without the required authorization from a parent or legal representative.

If you believe that a child has provided us with personal data without appropriate authorization, please contact us at: info@schwartz-vonhalen.com.

We will review the situation and delete the relevant data where appropriate and legally required.

16. Your rights regarding your personal data

Subject to the conditions and exceptions set out in applicable legislation, you may have the following rights.

Right of access

You can ask us to confirm whether or not we process personal data about you and, where this is the case, obtain access to that data as well as certain information about its processing.

Right to rectification

You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to erasure

You can ask us to delete your personal data where the legal conditions are met.

This right may not apply, in particular, where retaining the data remains necessary to:

• Comply with a legal obligation;
• Keep accounting or tax records;
• Prevent or investigate fraud;
• Establish, exercise, or defend a right in court; or
• Handle an ongoing dispute or complaint.

Right to restriction of processing

You can ask us to temporarily limit the use of your data in certain situations provided for by law.

Right to object

You can object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to certain processing based on our legitimate interest.

You can also object at any time to the use of your data for direct marketing purposes.

When an objection to direct marketing is exercised, we stop using the relevant data for that purpose.

Right to data portability

Where processing is based on your consent or on the performance of a contract and is carried out by automated means, you can ask to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

Where technically possible, you can also ask for this data to be transmitted directly to another controller.

Right to withdraw your consent

Where processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

Withdrawing your consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Rights relating to automated decisions

Where the law grants you this right, you can ask not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that produces legal effects concerning you or significantly affects you.

You can also request human intervention, express your point of view, and contest the decision.

Directives regarding your data after your death

Where French legislation allows it, you can set general or specific directives regarding the retention, deletion, and disclosure of your personal data after your death.

Unsubscribing from commercial communications

You can unsubscribe from our commercial emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of each message.

Even after you unsubscribe, we may continue to send you non-commercial communications necessary to fulfill your order, secure your account, or comply with our legal obligations.

17. How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of your rights regarding your personal data, you can contact us at:

Email: info@schwartz-vonhalen.com

Postal address:
Schwartz & von Halen B.V.
Keizersgracht 482
1017 EG Amsterdam
The Netherlands

The postal address above is our registered office and is not a product return address.

To process your request, please provide enough information for us to identify you and clearly understand the right you wish to exercise.

We may ask you to confirm your identity, for example by means of:

• Confirmation sent from the email address associated with your account or order;
• Certain information relating to your order;
• Proof of address; or
• Another reasonable and proportionate means.

We will only ask you for the information necessary to verify your identity.

We will respond to your request within the period set out in applicable legislation, generally within one month of receiving it.

This period may be extended where the request is complex or where multiple requests are received. In that case, we will inform you of the extension and its reasons.

Exercising your rights is generally free of charge.

Where requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive, in particular because of their repetitive nature, we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to act on them, within the limits set by law.

18. Complaints to the CNIL, changes, and contact

Complaint to a supervisory authority

If you believe that the processing of your personal data does not comply with applicable regulations, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data protection authority.

For individuals residing in France, the competent authority is:

Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés — CNIL
3 Place de Fontenoy
TSA 80715
75334 Paris Cedex 07
France

You can also refer the matter to the supervisory authority of your place of residence, your place of work, or the place where you believe a breach occurred.

We nonetheless encourage you to contact us first so that we can review your request and try to resolve your concern.

Links to third-party sites

Our site may contain links to websites, platforms, or services operated by third parties.

Schwartz & von Halen is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of these external services.

We recommend that you review their privacy policy before providing them with personal data.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may amend this Privacy Policy to reflect:

• Changes to our business;
• The addition or modification of services;
• Changes relating to our providers;
• New technologies;
• New legal or regulatory requirements; or
• Recommendations issued by competent authorities.

The most recent version will always be published on this page.

Where changes are significant, we may also inform you by email, through a notice on the site, or by any other appropriate means.

Contact

For any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, the use of your personal data, or the exercise of your rights, you can contact:

Schwartz & von Halen B.V.
Keizersgracht 482
1017 EG Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Email: info@schwartz-vonhalen.com
Chat: available on our website