Who we are
Paws of Oz is an Australian online pet supplies store, trading at pawsofoz.com. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) set out in that Act.
This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we handle it, and what you can do if you have a concern.
Our details
What personal information we collect
We only collect information we need to run the store. In practice that is:
When you place an order
- Your name and delivery address
- Email address and, if you provide it, a phone number
- The items you ordered and what you paid
- Order and delivery status
When you create an account
- Your email address and a password (stored in encrypted form)
- Your order history and saved addresses
When you contact us
- Whatever you write to us, including any photos you send of a product or a delivery problem
When you browse the site
- Standard technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you viewed
- Cookie data — see the section below
We do not collect
- Your full card number. Card payments are handled by our payment providers, and card details never reach our servers.
- Sensitive information as defined in the Privacy Act (such as health, racial or religious information). If you volunteer something of that kind in a message, we will not use it for any other purpose.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 15. If you believe a child has given us their details, contact us and we will delete them.
How we collect it
We collect personal information:
- Directly from you, when you order, register, subscribe to our newsletter or contact us
- Automatically, through cookies and similar technologies while you use the site
- From third parties who help us take payment and deliver your order (for example, confirmation from a payment provider that a transaction succeeded)
Where we collect from a third party, we take reasonable steps to make sure you are aware of it. This policy is the main way we do that.
Why we use it
We use your personal information to:
- Process and deliver your order, and tell you where it is
- Take payment and handle refunds
- Answer your questions and resolve problems
- Manage your account and your order history
- Send you marketing about our products, if you have opted in
- Meet our legal obligations, such as tax and record-keeping
- Detect and prevent fraud
- Improve the site — understanding which pages are used and which are not
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not trade it with third parties for their own marketing.
Cookies
Cookies are small files your browser stores when you visit a site. We use them to:
- Keep items in your cart and remember that you are logged in (these are essential — the site does not work without them)
- Remember your preferences, such as currency
- Measure how the site is used, so we can improve it
- Measure whether our advertising is reaching the right people
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. If you block the essential ones, you will not be able to complete a purchase.
Where we use third-party analytics and advertising tools, those providers may set their own cookies. Their privacy policies govern how they use the data they collect.
Who we share it with
We share personal information only where it is needed to run the store. The categories of recipient are:
| Who | What they receive | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Payment providers (PayPal, Afterpay, and our card processor) | Name, order value, billing details | To take payment and handle refunds |
| Delivery carriers | Name, delivery address, phone if provided | To deliver your order and provide tracking |
| Our e-commerce platform and hosting provider | All data stored on the site | To run the store |
| Our email and marketing platform | Name, email address | To send order updates and, if you opted in, marketing |
| Professional advisers | As required | Accounting, legal and insurance purposes |
| Government or regulatory bodies | As required by law | To comply with a lawful request |
Overseas disclosure. Some of our service providers store and process data outside Australia — for example, our hosting infrastructure and email services. Where we disclose personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles it consistently with the APPs. The countries most likely to be involved are 【如：新加坡、美国、欧盟——请按实际填写服务商所在地】.
Marketing and your consent
We only send marketing emails where you have opted in — for example, by ticking the newsletter box or subscribing through the site. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link.
If you unsubscribe from marketing, you will still receive transactional messages about orders you have placed. Those are not marketing and cannot be turned off while an order is active.
This approach follows the Spam Act 2003 (Cth).
Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access and modification. These steps include:
- Encrypted (HTTPS/SSL) connections across the site
- Card details handled entirely by our payment providers and never stored on our servers
- Passwords stored in hashed form
- Access to customer data limited to staff who need it to do their job
No system is completely secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately so we can help.
Notifiable data breaches
If we experience a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to anyone whose information we hold, we will notify the affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) as required by the Privacy Act 1988.
Where a breach affects you, we will tell you what happened, what information was involved, and what you can do about it.
Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it if it is wrong.
- If you have an account, you can view and update most of your details by logging in and going to your account page.
- Otherwise, contact us at 【[email protected]】.
We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity first. There is no charge for making a request or for correcting your details; in limited circumstances we may charge the reasonable cost of providing access, and we will tell you before doing so.
If we cannot give you access to some information — for example, where it would affect another person's privacy — we will explain why.
Complaints
If you think we have breached the APPs, or you are unhappy with how we have handled your information:
- Contact us first at 【[email protected]】 or 【privacy contact phone】 with as much detail as you can.
- We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to resolve it within 30 days.
- If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the OAIC:
- Website: oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992
- Post: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time — for example, if we change providers or add a new feature that collects information. The "last updated" date at the top will change, and material changes will be flagged on the site.
Contact us
- Business: Paws of Oz
- Privacy email: 【[email protected]】
- General enquiries: 【[email protected]】
- Contact form: pawsofoz.com/contact-us