Privacy Policy
The person responsible for data processing is: MERKOL GmbH, Alexander-Meißner-Straße 1, Berlin 12526, email: info@merkol.de
We appreciate your interest in our online shop. Protecting your privacy is very important to us. Below, we provide detailed information about how we handle your data.
1. Access data and hosting
You can visit our website without providing any personal information. Each time you access a website, the web server automatically saves a so-called server log file, which contains, for example, the name of the requested file, your IP address, the date and time of access, the amount of data transferred, and the requesting provider. This access data is evaluated solely for the purpose of ensuring trouble-free operation of the site and improving our offering. This serves to safeguard our legitimate interests, which prevail within the framework of a balancing of interests, in the correct presentation of our offering in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.
All access data will be deleted no later than seven days after your visit to the site.
Hosting
The services for hosting and displaying the website are partially provided by our service providers as part of processing on our behalf. Unless otherwise stated in this privacy policy, all access data and all data collected in forms provided for this purpose on this website are processed on their servers. If you have any questions about our service providers and the basis of our collaboration with them, please contact them using the contact details described in this privacy policy.
2. Data processing for contract processing and contact
2.1 Data processing for contract execution
For the purpose of contract processing (including inquiries regarding and processing of any existing warranty and performance claims as well as any statutory updating obligations) in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR, we collect personal data when you voluntarily provide it to us as part of your order. Mandatory fields are marked as such, since in these cases we absolutely need the data to process the contract and without it we cannot ship the order. Which data is collected can be seen from the respective input forms. Further information on the processing of your data, in particular on the transfer to our service providers for the purpose of order, payment and shipping processing, can be found in the following sections of this privacy policy. After the contract has been fully processed, your data will be restricted for further processing and deleted after the expiry of the retention periods under tax and commercial law in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (c) GDPR, unless you have expressly consented to further use of your data in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR or we reserve the right to use the data in any other way that is permitted by law and about which we will inform you in this declaration.
merchandise management system
We use merchandise management systems from external service providers to process orders and contracts. Our service providers work for us as part of a contract processing agreement. If you have any questions about our service providers and the basis of our collaboration with them, please contact us using the contact details described in this privacy policy.
2.2 Customer account
If you have given your consent to this in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR by deciding to open a customer account, we will use your data to open the customer account and to save your data for future orders on our website. You can delete your customer account at any time and can do so either by sending a message to the contact option described in this privacy policy or via a function provided for this purpose in your customer account. After your customer account has been deleted, your data will be deleted unless you have expressly consented to further use of your data in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR or we reserve the right to use the data in any other way that is permitted by law and about which we will inform you in this policy.
2.3 Contact
As part of customer communication, we collect personal data in order to process your inquiries in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR if you voluntarily provide it to us when you contact us (e.g. via contact form or email). Mandatory fields are marked as such, since in these cases we absolutely need the data to process your contact. The data collected can be seen from the respective input forms. Once your inquiry has been fully processed, your data will be deleted unless you have expressly consented to further use of your data in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR or we reserve the right to use the data in any other way that is permitted by law and about which we will inform you in this declaration.
3. Data processing for the purpose of shipping
In order to fulfil the contract in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR, we will pass on your data to the shipping service provider commissioned with the delivery, insofar as this is necessary for the delivery of ordered goods.
4. Data processing for payment processing
When processing payments in our online shop, we work with these partners: technical service providers, credit institutions, and payment service providers.
4.1 Data processing for transaction processing
Depending on the payment method selected, we will pass on the data required to process the payment transaction to our technical service providers who work for us as part of order processing, or to the commissioned credit institutions or to the selected payment service provider, insofar as this is necessary to process the payment. This serves to fulfill the contract in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR. In some cases, the payment service providers collect the data required to process the payment themselves, e.g. on their own website or via a technical integration in the ordering process. In this respect, the data protection declaration of the respective payment service provider applies. If you have any questions about our payment processing partners and the basis of our cooperation with them, please use the contact option described in this data protection declaration.
4.2 Data processing for the purpose of fraud prevention and optimising our payment processes
If necessary, we will provide our service providers with additional data, which they will use together with the data necessary for processing the payment as our processors for the purposes of fraud prevention and optimizing our payment processes (e.g., invoicing, processing disputed payments, accounting support). Pursuant to Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR, this serves to safeguard our legitimate interests in protecting ourselves against fraud and in efficient payment management, which prevail within the framework of a balancing of interests.
5. Advertising by email
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we will use the data required for this purpose or separately provided by you to regularly send you our e-mail newsletter based on your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR.
You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time by sending a message to the contact option described below or via a link provided for this purpose in the newsletter.
After unsubscribing, we will delete your email address from the recipient list unless you have expressly consented to further use of your data in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR or we reserve the right to use the data in any other way that is permitted by law and about which we will inform you in this declaration.
6. Cookies and other technologies
General information
To make visiting our website more attractive and enable the use of certain functions, we use technologies on various pages, including so-called cookies. Cookies are small text files that are automatically stored on your device. Some of the cookies we use are deleted after the end of the browser session, i.e., after you close your browser (so-called session cookies). Other cookies remain on your device and allow us to recognize your browser the next time you visit (persistent cookies).
Protection of privacy on end devices
When you use our online services, we use technologies that are strictly necessary to provide the telemedia service you have expressly requested. Storing information on your device or accessing information already stored on your device does not require your consent.
For functions that are not absolutely necessary, the storage of information on your device or access to information already stored on your device requires your consent. Please note that if you do not grant your consent, parts of the website may not be fully usable. Your consent, if granted, will remain in effect until you adjust or reset the relevant settings on your device.
Any downstream data processing through cookies and other technologies
We use technologies that are absolutely necessary for the use of certain functions of our website (e.g., the shopping cart function). These technologies collect and process IP addresses, the time of visits, device and browser information, as well as information about your use of our website (e.g., information about the contents of your shopping cart). Within the framework of a balancing of interests, this serves the overriding legitimate interest in an optimized presentation of our offering in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.
We also use technologies to fulfill the legal obligations to which we are subject (e.g., to be able to prove consent to the processing of your personal data), as well as for web analytics and online marketing. Further information on this, including the respective legal basis for data processing, can be found in the following sections of this privacy policy.
You can find the cookie settings for your browser under the following links: Microsoft Edge™ / Safari™ / Chrome™ / Firefox™ / Opera™
If you have consented to the use of the technologies in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR, you can revoke your consent at any time by sending a message to the contact option described in the data protection declaration.
7. Use of cookies and other technologies
If you have given your consent in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR, we use the following cookies and other third-party technologies on our website. Once the purpose no longer applies and we no longer use the respective technology, the data collected in this context will be deleted. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. Further information on your options for revoking your consent can be found in the "Cookies and other technologies" section. Further information, including the basis of our cooperation with the individual providers, can be found under the individual technologies. If you have any questions about the providers and the basis of our cooperation with them, please use the contact option described in this privacy policy.
Use of Google services
We use the technologies of Google Ireland Ltd., Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (“Google”) shown below. The information automatically collected by Google technologies about your use of our website is usually transferred to a server of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043, USA and stored there. There is no adequacy decision from the European Commission for the USA. Our cooperation with them is based on standard data protection clauses of the European Commission. If your IP address is collected via Google technologies, it will be shortened before being stored on Google’s servers by activating IP anonymization. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google server and shortened there. Unless otherwise stated for the individual technologies, data processing is based on an agreement concluded for the respective technology between joint controllers in accordance with Art. 26 GDPR. Further information about data processing by Google can be found in Google’s privacy policy.
Google Analytics
For the purpose of website analysis, Google Analytics automatically collects and stores data (IP address, time of visit, device and browser information, as well as information about your use of our website). This data is used to create user profiles using pseudonyms. Cookies may be used for this purpose. Your IP address will not be merged with other Google data. Data processing is based on a contract processing agreement with Google.
Google Fonts
To ensure consistent presentation of content on our website, the "Google Fonts" script code collects data (IP address, time of visit, device and browser information), transmits it to Google, and then processes it. We have no influence on this subsequent data processing.
8. Social Media
8.1 Social Plugins from Facebook
Our website uses social buttons from social networks. These are simply embedded as HTML links, so no connection to the servers of the respective provider is established when you visit our website. Clicking on one of the buttons opens the website of the respective social network in a new browser window, where you can, for example, click the Like or Share button.
8.2 Our online presence on Facebook
If you have given your consent to this in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR to the respective social media operator, when you visit our online presence on the social media mentioned above, your data will be automatically collected and stored for market research and advertising purposes, from which user profiles will be created using pseudonyms. These can be used, for example, to place advertisements within and outside the platforms that presumably correspond to your interests. Cookies are generally used for this purpose. Detailed information on the processing and use of data by the respective social media operator, as well as a contact option and your related rights and setting options to protect your privacy, can be found in the data protection information of the providers linked below. If you still need help with this, you can contact us.
Facebook (by Meta) is a service provided by Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd., 4 Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2, Ireland (“Meta Platforms Ireland”). The information automatically collected by Meta Platforms Ireland about your use of our online presence on Facebook (by Meta) is generally transferred to a server of Meta Platforms, Inc., 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA and stored there. There is no adequacy decision from the European Commission for the USA. Our cooperation with them is based on standard data protection clauses of the European Commission. Data processing when you visit a Facebook (by Meta) fan page is based on an agreement between joint controllers in accordance with Art. 26 GDPR. Further information (information on Insights data) can be found here.
9. Contact options and your rights
9.1 Your rights
As a data subject, you have the following rights: pursuant to Art. 15 GDPR, you have the right to request information about your personal data processed by us, to the extent specified therein; pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR, you have the right to immediately request the rectification of incorrect or incomplete personal data stored by us; pursuant to Art. 17 GDPR, you have the right to request the erasure of your personal data stored by us, unless further processing is necessary to exercise the right to freedom of expression and information; to fulfil a legal obligation; for reasons of public interest or to assert, exercise or defend legal claims; pursuant to Art. 18 GDPR, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data if you contest the accuracy of the data; the processing is unlawful but you refuse to erase it; we no longer need the data but you need it to assert, exercise or defend legal claims or you have objected to the processing pursuant to Art. 21 GDPR; Pursuant to Art. 20 GDPR, you have the right to receive your personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, common, and machine-readable format or to request its transmission to another controller; Pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. As a rule, you can contact the supervisory authority of your usual place of residence or work or our company headquarters.
Right of objection
If we process personal data as explained above to protect our legitimate interests, which override ours in a balancing of interests, you can object to this processing with effect for the future. If the processing is carried out for direct marketing purposes, you can exercise this right at any time as described above. If the processing is carried out for other purposes, you only have the right to object if there are reasons related to your particular situation. After exercising your right of objection, we will no longer process your personal data for these purposes unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or if the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims. This does not apply if the processing is carried out for direct marketing purposes. In this case, we will no longer process your personal data for this purpose.
9.2 Contact options
If you have any questions about the collection, processing or use of your personal data, or if you wish to request information, correction, restriction or deletion of data, or if you wish to revoke any consent you have given or object to a specific use of your data, please contact our company data protection officer.
Data Protection Officer: Krystyna Mandzij, Alexander-Meißner-Straße 1, 12526 Berlin, Germany, info@merkol.de