Privacy Policy

Your privacy is vitally important. Below I will outline how your data is used and stored by the various services I use in my business and on this website.

As privacy laws change, I will need to modify this policy to ensure I remain compliant, so please review it frequently. It was last updated December 2024.

 

Who Am I?

Everyone knows me as Woolly, and I’m the designer behind, and CEO of, Woolly Wormhead OÜ. My website address is https://woollywormhead.com. My business is a solopreneur limited company, and a registered publisher, incorporated in Estonia, company no. 14531037.

This website is built using WordPress, you can read their privacy policy here, and is hosted by Green Geeks, their privacy policy is here.

 

Cookies:

A cookie is a small amount of information that’s downloaded to your computer or device when you visit a website. Cookies make your browsing experience better by allowing the website to remember you, your actions and your preferences. This means you don’t have to re-enter this information each time you return to a site or browse from one page to another. Cookies can also provide information on how people use a website, for instance whether it’s their first time visiting or if they are a frequent visitor.

I will outline below which parts of this website uses cookies so you know what information is collected and why. All cookies used on this website are “first-party” or “essential” cookies, meaning they are directly related to your account, purchases, comments or subscription.

The length of time that a cookie remains on your computer or mobile device depends on whether it is a “persistent” or “session” cookie. Session cookies last until you stop browsing, i.e. you don’t have an account or are reading the blog without commenting, and persistent cookies last until they expire or are deleted, i.e. account log-in or subscription cookies. A mix of these are used on this site.

You can control and manage cookies in various ways. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can choose whether or not to accept cookies through your browser controls, often found in your browser’s “Tools” or “Preferences” menu. Please keep in mind that removing or blocking cookies can negatively impact your user experience and parts of this website may no longer be fully accessible.

 

Purchases:

The shopping cart is provided by WooCommerce, you can read their privacy policy here and their cookie policy here.

Whilst visiting this site, cookies are used to keep track of your cart contents. Your IP location will also be collected for tax purposes, to ensure I meet my legal obligations. If you delete these cookies the system will not remember you, your cart contents or your previous purchases.

This website, and my company, only provides digital items – primarily ePatterns, eBooks and eWorkshops. Printed books are available from 3rd party sellers, for which I provide links and you are taken off site to purchase them.

When you purchase a digital item from me, you’ll be asked to provide your name, billing address and email address. This information is needed to ensure the automated systems can complete your order, and to ensure that I can respond to any help requests or issues you may have. It is also used to send you notifications when a digital product has been updated, either due to errata or revisions. And it is also used to ensure I meet my legal obligations such as VATmoss.

Generally your information is stored indefinitely, so that you always have access to your digital purchases and any updates. If you would like me to delete your information, please let me know via the email form. However, please note that deleting your information may remove access to your digital purchases and future updates.

 

Creating an Account:

If you create an account on this website, your name, billing address and email address will be stored within your account, which will be used to help make the checkout process easier for future orders. Creating an account also makes it easier to access, and get updates to, your purchases.

Cookies are used to help the website remember who you are to make logging in easier. If you delete these cookies, you will need to re-enter your log-in details, including your username and password, each time you wish to access your account, your purchases or any updates.

All account owners can see, edit, or delete their own personal information at any time (except your cannot change your username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information. If you would like me to edit or delete your information, please let me know via the email form. However, please note that deleting your account information can remove access to your digital purchases and prevent you from receiving future updates.

 

Payments and Transactions:

All payments are processed either through PayPal, you can read their privacy policy here, or Stripe and you can read their privacy policy here. Both of these services need to collect your name, email and address – or at least country location – to ensure the correct tax is paid.

You can also read PayPal’s cookie policy here, and Stripe’s cookie policy here. Both PayPal and Stripe use cookies to help remember who you are for future purchases. If you delete these cookies, you’ll need to re-enter the details in future but it shouldn’t impact your previous purchases.

I have limited access to stored data with each payment processor and should an issue occur, such as a need for an exchange or refund, then I will need to consult my PayPal or Stripe accounts. The information I have access to is the amount paid, your name, your email address and your order number; Stripe doesn’t store your card details and I do not have access to any of your Paypal account details.

 

Accounting and VAT:

My accountant is Xolo and you can read their privacy policy here. No cookies are used by Xolo, and they have no involvement or interaction with this website.

For digital VAT and accounting purposes, my accounting service needs to collect and store your name, email address and country location to ensure the correct amount of tax is paid to the relevant authorities. They collect the information needed via PayPal and Stripe. I do not have access to the data stored by my accounting service or the tax authorities. Because this data is needed legally for tax purposes, it cannot be deleted upon request. It is held for 10 years.

 

Mailing List – The Woolly Hat Society:

This is provided by MailChimp, and you can read their privacy policy here. Cookies are kept to a minimum as no pop-ups are used on this website for subscription.

I do not receive notifications from MailChimp when users subscribe or unsubscribe. However, as MailChimp stores the data that you provide when you subscribe, I have access to it. Sign-ups to The Woolly Hat Society are voluntary, you are never added without your consent, and there’s a double opt-in system in place to ensure you wish to join and that your email address is correct. You can leave at any time by using the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of each newsletter.

 

Comments and Reviews:

If you leave a comment on any blog posts, or review a purchase, the data collected in the form fields is saved via cookies, making it easier to approve any follow-up or future comments automatically, instead of holding them for moderation. The system also saves your IP address and browser user information to help prevent you being marked as spam. The comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. If you delete these cookies you will need to re-enter your details for future comments, but it won’t delete or impact your past comments.

An anonymised string created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Reviews are also stored, if you choose to leave them. I do not use the information collected for comments or reviews in any way.

 

Contact Form:

When you get in touch with me you are required to provide your name and email address so that I can reply to you. Generally I only store these emails within my email provider, Gmail, so that I have a record of our discussion should you get in touch again about an issue, or should there be a need for me to act or make amendments to any information within a pattern, book, or on this website. These emails are never shared and your details remain private.

 

Disclosure:

I may need to disclose your personal information if I am required by law to do so, e.g. for tax purposes, or if you violate the Terms & Conditions.

 

Security:

To protect your personal information, I take reasonable precautions and follow industry best practices to make sure it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed. All of the systems I use are password protected and are not on a shared network.

 

GDPR:

I comply with the European Union General Data Privacy Directive (GDPR). This states that the personal information my company holds about you must be:

1. Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way
2. Collected only for valid purposes that have been explained to you and not in any way that is incompatible with those purposes
3. Relevant to the purpose I have told you about and limited only to those purposes
4. Accurate and kept up to date
5. Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes that I have told you about
6. Kept Securely