Privacy Policy

At AUMINT ("we", "us", or "our"), your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website at aumint.co.za(the "Site"), make a purchase, create an account, or interact with us through any of our channels.

By using our Site, you consent to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this policy, please do not access the Site.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Personal Information You Provide

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Create an account (name, email address, password via Clerk authentication)
• Make a purchase (billing address, shipping address, phone number)
• Contact us through our contact form, email, or WhatsApp (name, email, message content)
• Subscribe to our newsletter (email address)
• Engage with us on social media (public profile information)

1.2 Payment Information

Payment processing is handled by our secure third-party payment processor. We do not store your full credit card number, CVV, or banking details on our servers. We may retain the last four digits of your card number and card type for order reference purposes only.

1.3 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our Site, we may automatically collect certain information, including:

• Device information (browser type, operating system, device type)
• IP address and approximate geolocation
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation paths
• Referring website or source
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see our Cookie Policy)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Order fulfilment: Processing and delivering your orders, sending order confirmations and shipping updates
• Account management: Creating and managing your user account, authenticating your identity
• Customer service: Responding to your enquiries, providing support, and resolving disputes
• Marketing communications: Sending promotional emails and newsletters (only with your consent; you may opt out at any time)
• Site improvement: Analysing usage patterns to improve our website, products, and services
• Legal compliance: Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes
• Fraud prevention: Detecting and preventing fraudulent transactions and protecting our users

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: Trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website, processing payments, fulfilling orders, and delivering communications (e.g., payment gateways, courier services, email providers)
• Authentication services: Clerk, our authentication provider, to securely manage your account credentials
• Legal obligations: When required by law, regulation, or legal proceedings
• Business transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (you will be notified of any such change)

All third-party service providers are contractually obligated to protect your personal information and may only use it for the specific purpose for which it was shared.

4. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers
• Secure, hashed password storage through our authentication provider
• Regular security assessments and updates to our systems
• Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to maintaining the highest standards of data protection.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including:

• Account data: Retained while your account is active. You may request account deletion at any time.
• Order records: Retained for a minimum of 5 years to comply with tax and accounting regulations.
• Communication records: Retained for up to 2 years after your last interaction with us.

6. Your Rights

In accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and other applicable data protection laws, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements
• Objection: Object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent to the processing of your personal information at any time
• Data portability: Request your personal information in a structured, commonly-used format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at aumintcollection@gmail.com. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

7. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., Instagram, WhatsApp). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.