Last updated: August 21, 2026
Who we are
This Privacy Policy applies to the website Steve and Carole in Vence.
The website is operated from France. For questions about this Privacy Policy or about personal information we hold about you, you may contact us through the Contact page on this website or by email at steve@steveandcaroleinvence.com.
For purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the operator of this website is the data controller for personal information collected directly through the website.
What personal information we collect and why
We collect personal information only when it is necessary to provide a service you request, operate and secure the website, fulfill an order, communicate with you, or where you have given us consent.
Depending on how you use the website, this may include your name, email address, postal address, telephone number, IP address, browser and device information, order information, comments, messages submitted through forms, newsletter subscription information and information relating to payments or donations.
The legal basis for processing depends on the purpose. We may process information because it is necessary to perform a contract with you, because we have a legal obligation, because we have a legitimate interest in operating and protecting the website, or because you have given us consent.
Comments
When visitors leave comments, we collect the information entered in the comments form as well as the visitor’s IP address and browser user-agent information. This information is used to display and administer comments and to help detect spam and abusive activity.
Comments may be checked by Akismet, an automated spam-detection service operated by Automattic. Information sent to Akismet may include the commenter’s IP address, browser information, referring page, name, email address, website address and the comment itself.
If Gravatar is enabled, an anonymized version of your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service to determine whether you have a profile image associated with that address. If your comment is approved, that image may be displayed publicly with your comment.
Contact forms and correspondence
When you contact us through a form or by email, we collect the information you provide, which may include your name, email address, telephone number and the contents of your message.
We use this information to answer your inquiry, provide information or services you have requested, arrange tours or other services where applicable, and maintain reasonable records of our correspondence.
We do not use information submitted through a general contact form for unrelated marketing unless you have separately agreed to receive such communications.
Newsletter and email subscriptions
If you subscribe to our newsletter or email updates, we collect the information requested on the relevant subscription form, such as your name and email address.
Newsletter information may be processed through Mailchimp, and some email-subscription functions may be provided through Jetpack/Automattic, depending on the subscription method used.
We use this information only to send the communications for which you subscribed. The legal basis for this processing is your consent. You may unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link included in our emails or by contacting us.
Mailchimp and some other service providers we use may process information in the United States or other countries outside the European Economic Area.
Store, orders and customer accounts
Our online store is powered by WooCommerce.
When you purchase something from us, create an account or use the checkout, we may collect information such as your name, billing and shipping addresses, email address, telephone number, IP address, account information, products purchased, order value, delivery information and other information necessary to complete and administer your order.
We use this information to:
- process and fulfill orders;
- arrange delivery;
- communicate with you about your purchase;
- manage customer accounts;
- process refunds and resolve disputes;
- prevent fraud and abuse; and
- comply with accounting, tax and other legal obligations.
Processing of this information is generally necessary for performance of our contract with you and for compliance with our legal obligations.
Payments
Payments made through our store are processed using WooPayments, which works with Stripe.
Information necessary to process a transaction, such as your name, billing details, transaction amount and payment-related identifiers, may be provided to the payment processor.
Your complete credit or debit card number and security code are processed through the payment provider’s secure systems. We do not store complete card details on our own website server.
Payment providers may also process information for fraud prevention, security, regulatory compliance and payment administration.
Donations
If you make a donation through our website, the donation form and related services are provided by Donorbox.
Donorbox may process information you provide in connection with a donation, such as your name, email address, donation amount and transaction information. Payment information may also be processed by Donorbox’s payment-processing partners, such as Stripe or another payment provider made available through the donation service.
We may receive information necessary to record and administer the donation, but complete payment-card details are handled by the payment provider rather than stored by us.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics, implemented through MonsterInsights, to understand how visitors use the website. This may include information such as pages viewed, approximate geographic location, browser and device information, referral source and interactions with the website.
Analytics cookies and similar technologies that require consent are not intended to be activated until you have given the appropriate consent through our cookie banner.
The legal basis for non-essential analytics processing is your consent. You may refuse analytics cookies or withdraw your consent at any time through the Cookie Preferences link available on the website.
Google services and conversion measurement
The website may use Google services connected with our WooCommerce store, including services used to display products through Google or measure the effectiveness of referrals and conversions.
Where these services use non-essential cookies or tracking technologies, they are subject to the choices you make through our cookie-consent system.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies for purposes such as maintaining a shopping cart, processing payments, remembering privacy choices, protecting the website and, with your consent, measuring website usage or marketing effectiveness.
Some cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function and do not require consent. Other cookies, including analytics and marketing cookies, are used only where appropriate consent has been obtained.
For detailed information about the individual cookies used on this website, their purposes and their duration, please see our Cookie Policy.
You can accept or reject non-essential cookies when the cookie banner first appears. You may change your decision later by using the Cookie Preferences link in the footer of the website.
Embedded content and third-party services
Some pages may contain content provided by third parties, such as videos, social-media features, maps, donation forms or other embedded services.
When third-party content is loaded, the provider may receive technical information such as your IP address and browser information and may use cookies or similar technologies. Where consent is legally required, we attempt to prevent such non-essential tracking from being activated until you have given consent.
When you interact directly with a third-party service, that provider’s own privacy policy also applies.
Security and spam prevention
We use hosting, security, anti-spam and website-management services to protect the website against spam, fraud, unauthorized access and other malicious activity.
These services may process technical information such as IP addresses, browser information, request information, timestamps and security logs where necessary to provide and secure the service.
Our anti-spam services include Akismet, and our hosting and security providers may also process limited technical information necessary to operate and protect the website.
Who we share personal information with
We do not sell your personal information.
We disclose information only where necessary to operate the website, provide services you request, comply with legal obligations or protect legitimate interests.
Service providers that may process information on our behalf or in connection with this website include WooCommerce and Automattic, WooPayments and Stripe, Mailchimp, Google, Donorbox, Akismet, our website hosting and security providers, and other technical service providers necessary to operate the website.
Each service receives only the information necessary for the relevant function, subject to its own contractual and legal obligations.
International transfers
Some of the service providers used by this website are located outside the European Economic Area or may process information in other countries, including the United States.
Where personal information protected by European data-protection law is transferred outside the European Economic Area, appropriate safeguards are used where required, such as an applicable adequacy decision, contractual protections including Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism.
How long we retain personal information
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and for any additional period required by law.
Comments and associated metadata may be retained indefinitely so that we can maintain the continuity of discussions and recognize previously approved commenters, unless deletion is requested and we have no overriding reason to retain the information.
Contact-form messages and ordinary correspondence are retained only as long as reasonably necessary to respond to the inquiry and maintain appropriate records.
Newsletter subscription information is retained while you remain subscribed. If you unsubscribe, we may retain limited information necessary to record and respect your opt-out request.
Customer-account information is generally retained while the account remains active and thereafter only for as long as required for administrative, legal or security purposes.
Order, invoice and accounting records may be retained for up to 10 years where required by French accounting and tax obligations.
Analytics information is retained according to the retention settings of the analytics service and our configuration of that service.
Security and technical logs are retained only for the period reasonably necessary for security, troubleshooting and protection of the website.
Your rights
If European data-protection law applies to you, you may have the right to:
- obtain access to personal information we hold about you;
- request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
- request deletion of your information in appropriate circumstances;
- request restriction of processing;
- object to certain processing based on legitimate interests;
- receive certain information in a portable format where the right to data portability applies;
- withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent; and
- lodge a complaint with a data-protection authority.
Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
If you are in France, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL).
To exercise your rights, contact us through the Contact page or at steve@steveandcaroleinvence.com. We may need to request sufficient information to verify your identity before acting on a request.
Certain information cannot always be deleted immediately where we are required to retain it for accounting, tax, fraud-prevention, legal-claims or other legal purposes.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when our website, services or legal obligations change. The date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was most recently updated.