Privacy Policy
Vorteq Carbon (“Vorteq Carbon,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to handling your personal information responsibly and transparently. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect information about you when you visit vorteqcarbon.com (the “Site”) or make a purchase from us.
By accessing or using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and consent to the collection and use of your information as described herein. If you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy, you must discontinue use of the Site immediately.
This Privacy Policy is incorporated by reference into Vorteq Carbon’s Terms of Service. In the event of any conflict between this policy and the Terms of Service, the Terms of Service shall govern.
Vorteq Carbon does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their independent marketing or commercial purposes. Any sharing of information described in this policy is limited to what is necessary to operate our business and fulfill your orders.
INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We collect information in two ways: directly from you when you interact with the Site, and automatically through technology when you browse.
Information You Provide Directly:
- Identity information: Full name, email address, phone number.
Transaction information: Billing address, shipping address, payment information (processed securely through our payment processors; Vorteq Carbon does not store full card numbers). - Account information: If you create an account, your login credentials and account preferences.
- Communications: Any information you provide when contacting our customer support team, submitting a return or warranty claim, or engaging with us by email or through the Site.
- User-generated content: Reviews, comments, or other submissions you make through the Site, subject to the terms of our Terms of Service.
Information Collected Automatically:
When you visit the Site, we and our third-party service providers automatically collect certain technical and behavioral information, including:
- Device and browser information: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers.
- Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, search terms used, referring URLs, and interaction patterns.
- Location data: General geographic location inferred from your IP address.
- Cookie and tracking data: Information collected through cookies, web beacons, pixels, tags, and similar technologies (see the Cookies section below).
We collect this information to ensure the Site loads correctly, to analyze traffic patterns, to detect and prevent fraud, and to improve the overall customer experience.
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
Vorteq Carbon uses the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Order fulfillment: To process, confirm, ship, and deliver your orders, and to issue invoices, receipts, and tracking information.
- Payment processing: To authorize and process payments through our payment processors. Payment data is handled in accordance with PCI-DSS standards.
- Customer communications: To respond to inquiries, process return or warranty claims, provide order updates, and deliver customer support.
- Fraud detection and prevention: To screen orders for potential fraud, unauthorized transactions, or policy violations, and to maintain the security of the Site.
- Site improvement: To analyze usage data and improve the functionality, content, and performance of the Site.
- Legal compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, subpoenas, or lawful government requests, and to enforce our Terms of Service and other policies.
- Marketing communications: To send promotional emails, product updates, or special offers, where you have consented or where permitted by applicable law. You may opt out at any time (see Your Rights section below).
- Analytics and advertising: To understand how customers use the Site and to deliver targeted advertisements through third-party platforms, as described in the Behavioral Advertising section below.
We will not use your personal information for purposes materially different from those listed above without providing prior notice and, where required by law, obtaining your consent.
LAWFUL BASIS FOR PROCESSING (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, Vorteq Carbon processes your personal information under the following lawful bases as defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable national law:
- Contractual necessity: Processing required to fulfill the contract between you and Vorteq Carbon, including order processing, payment, and delivery.
- Legal obligation: Processing necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
- Legitimate interests: Processing for fraud prevention, site security, analytics, and business improvement, provided such interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.
- Consent: Where we rely on your consent (e.g., for marketing communications), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal.
- Vital interests: In rare circumstances, processing may be necessary to protect your vital interests or those of another person.
SHARING YOUR INFORMATION
Vorteq Carbon does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share your information only as necessary to operate our business, as described below:
Third Party | Purpose & Data Shared |
WooCommerce | E-commerce platform hosting our Site and processing order and account data. Privacy policy: automattic.com/privacy |
Payment Processors | To authorize and process payments. Payment data is handled under PCI-DSS compliance. We do not store full card numbers. |
Shipping Carriers (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL) | To fulfill and deliver orders. Name, shipping address, and order details are shared as required for delivery. |
Google Analytics | Website analytics and usage data. Opt-out: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout |
Advertising Platforms (Google, Meta/Facebook) | Behavioral advertising and retargeting. See Behavioral Advertising section. |
Legal Authorities | When required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Vorteq Carbon, our customers, or others. |
All third-party service providers we work with are required to handle your information in accordance with applicable data protection laws and their own privacy policies. Vorteq Carbon is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party platforms once data is transferred to them in accordance with this policy.
BEHAVIORAL ADVERTISING
Vorteq Carbon uses third-party advertising platforms to deliver targeted advertisements that may be relevant to your interests, based on your browsing behavior, purchases, and interactions with the Site and our ads on other websites and platforms. This practice is commonly referred to as behavioral or interest-based advertising.
The platforms we currently use for this purpose include Google Ads and Meta (Facebook/Instagram). These platforms may use cookies, pixels, or other tracking technologies to collect and process data about your online activity across different websites and services.
Opt-Out Options:
- Google Ads: google.com/settings/ads/anonymous
- Facebook / Meta: facebook.com/settings/?tab=ads
- Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) opt-out portal: optout.aboutads.info
- Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) opt-out: optout.networkadvertising.org
Please note that opting out of targeted advertising does not prevent you from seeing advertisements altogether; it means that the ads you see will be less tailored to your interests. Opting out through these tools does not opt you out of all data collection on the Site.
COOKIES & TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES
Vorteq Carbon uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze traffic, enable shopping cart functionality, and support advertising efforts. A cookie is a small data file stored on your browser or device when you visit a website.
Types of Cookies We Use:
- Essential / Functional Cookies: Required for the Site to operate. These include cookies that manage your shopping cart, checkout process, and customer login sessions. These cannot be disabled without materially affecting Site functionality.
- Analytics Cookies: Used to collect information about how visitors interact with the Site, such as pages visited and time spent. This data is used in aggregate form to improve Site performance.
- Marketing / Advertising Cookies: Used to track browsing activity across websites to deliver targeted advertisements. These are placed by third-party advertising platforms including Google and Meta.
- Preference Cookies: Used to remember your settings and preferences, such as region or language selection.
Managing Cookies:
You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Instructions vary by browser; consult your browser’s help documentation for guidance. Please note that disabling certain cookies may impair the functionality of the Site, including the ability to complete purchases. Blocking marketing cookies will not prevent all data sharing with our advertising partners; please also use the opt-out tools described in the Behavioral Advertising section above.
Do Not Track:
Because there is no consistent industry standard for interpreting Do Not Track (DNT) signals from browsers, the Site does not alter its data collection or usage practices in response to DNT signals. We will update this practice if a uniform standard is adopted.
DATA RETENTION
Vorteq Carbon retains your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, and in accordance with applicable legal, regulatory, accounting, and reporting requirements. Our general retention practices are as follows:
- Order and transaction data: Retained for a minimum of five (5) years from the date of the transaction, to satisfy legal, tax, and dispute resolution obligations.
- Account information: Retained for the duration of your account’s existence and for a reasonable period thereafter in case of reactivation or dispute.
- Customer support communications: Retained for a minimum of three (3) years from the date of the interaction, to support dispute resolution and chargeback defense.
- Marketing data: Retained until you opt out of communications or request deletion, subject to legal retention obligations.
- Fraud and security data: Retained for as long as necessary to maintain the security of the Site and protect against fraud.
Upon expiration of the applicable retention period, personal information will be deleted or anonymized in a manner that prevents re-identification. You may request early deletion of your data as described in the Your Rights section below, subject to our legal retention obligations.
DATA SECURITY
Vorteq Carbon implements commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmissions, PCI-DSS compliant payment processing, and access controls limiting who within our organization can access personal data.
However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. Vorteq Carbon cannot guarantee the absolute security of your personal information. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Vorteq Carbon shall not be liable for any unauthorized access to, disclosure of, or loss of personal information that occurs despite our reasonable security measures, except to the extent such liability cannot be excluded under applicable law.
If you have reason to believe that your interaction with us is no longer secure, please contact us immediately at support@vorteqcarbon.com.
CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
The Site is not directed to, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from, individuals under the age of eighteen (18). If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a minor under 18 without verifiable parental consent, we will take prompt steps to delete that information from our records.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us at support@vorteqcarbon.com with sufficient detail to identify and remove the data.
YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information. To exercise any of these rights, submit a written request to support@vorteqcarbon.com with the subject line “Privacy Rights Request.” Vorteq Carbon will respond within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt. We may require verification of your identity before processing any request.
Rights Available to All Users:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal information Vorteq Carbon holds about you.
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations.
- Opt-Out of Marketing: Unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or contacting us directly. Opting out of marketing does not affect transactional communications related to your orders.
Additional Rights for California Residents (CCPA / CPRA):
If you are a California resident, you have the following additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
- Right to Know: The right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources from which it was collected, the business or commercial purposes for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
- Right to Delete: The right to request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions permitted by law.
- Right to Correct: The right to request correction of inaccurate personal information.
- Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing: Vorteq Carbon does not sell your personal information. We do share certain data with advertising partners for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes; you may opt out of this sharing using the tools described in the Behavioral Advertising section.
- Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information: To the extent we collect sensitive personal information as defined under CPRA, you have the right to limit its use to the purposes expressly permitted by law.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: Vorteq Carbon will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA/CPRA rights.
To submit a CCPA/CPRA request, contact us at support@vorteqcarbon.com with the subject line “CCPA Request.” We will respond within forty-five (45) calendar days as required by law, with the option to extend by an additional forty-five (45) days where reasonably necessary.
California residents may also designate an authorized agent to submit requests on their behalf. We may require written proof of authorization and verification of your identity before honoring requests submitted by an agent.
Additional Rights for EEA, UK, and Swiss Residents (GDPR):
If you are located in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or Switzerland, you have the following additional rights under the GDPR and applicable national legislation:
- Right to Portability: Request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
- Right to Object: Object to processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
- Right to Lodge a Complaint: Lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority. For EEA residents: edpb.europa.eu. For UK residents: ico.org.uk.
Your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the EEA, including the United States. Where such transfers occur, Vorteq Carbon ensures appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data protection law, including reliance on standard contractual clauses or other transfer mechanisms approved under GDPR.
THIRD-PARTY LINKS
The Site may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, or services that are not owned or controlled by Vorteq Carbon. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by Vorteq Carbon through the Site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or data handling of any third-party websites or services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit before providing any personal information.
SMS & TEXT MESSAGE COMMUNICATIONS
If you opt in to SMS or text message communications from Vorteq Carbon, you consent to receive text messages related to your orders, shipping updates, or promotional offers at the mobile number provided. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP to any text message from us. For help, reply HELP or contact support@vorteqcarbon.com. Opting out of SMS communications does not affect your receipt of transactional email communications related to your orders.
Vorteq Carbon does not share your mobile number with third parties for their independent marketing purposes. Mobile numbers provided for SMS communications are used solely to send the communications to which you have consented.
CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
Vorteq Carbon reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and, where required by applicable law, provide additional notice such as a prominent banner on the Site or a direct notification to affected users. Your continued use of the Site following any posted update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.
We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed of how we collect, use, and protect your information. The version of this policy in effect at the time of your interaction with the Site governs how we handle your data collected during that interaction.
CONTACT
For questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, contact Vorteq Carbon directly:
Email: support@vorteqcarbon.com
Website: vorteqcarbon.com
Subject Line for Rights Requests: “Privacy Rights Request”
Subject Line for CCPA Requests: “CCPA Request”
Vorteq Carbon will make reasonable efforts to respond to all legitimate privacy inquiries within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt. Where a longer response time is required by the nature or volume of requests, we will notify you of the expected timeline.
The policy in effect at the time of your use of the Site or placement of an order governs the handling of your information collected during that interaction.
