Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Hair by Sham is a sole trader providing hair styling and braiding services in Leicester, UK. For any privacy-related questions, you can contact us via WhatsApp or Instagram (details in the footer).

2. What information we collect

We only collect information that you provide directly to us. This includes:

• Your name, when you submit a review or make a booking enquiry via WhatsApp
• Your WhatsApp number or Instagram handle, when you contact us through those platforms
• Your review text and star rating, if you choose to submit a review on this website
• Your email address and Instagram handle, if you choose to provide these when submitting a review (both are optional)

We do not collect payment information. All payments are handled in person or through third-party platforms subject to their own privacy policies.

3. How we use your information

We use the information you provide only to:

• Respond to your booking enquiries and confirm appointments
• Display your review on this website (only after your explicit submission, and only once approved)
• Contact you about your appointment if needed

We do not use your information for marketing, and we do not share it with third parties for commercial purposes.

4. Reviews

If you submit a review through this website, your name and review text may be published publicly on hairbysham.online. Your email address is never published. Your Instagram handle is only shown if you provide it and consent to it being displayed.

Reviews are stored in Upstash (a Redis database service). You can request removal of your review at any time by contacting us.

5. Third-party services

This website uses the following third-party services:

• Vercel - website hosting. Your IP address and request data may be processed by Vercel as part of serving the website. See Vercel's privacy policy.
• Upstash - database storage for submitted reviews. See Upstash's privacy policy.
• Google Fonts - fonts are loaded from Google's servers. See Google's privacy policy.
• WhatsApp - booking and contact. When you click a WhatsApp link, you are subject to Meta's privacy policy.

We do not use cookies for tracking, advertising, or analytics. No cookies are set by this website beyond what is technically required for the site to function.

6. Data retention

Booking messages sent via WhatsApp are retained within WhatsApp's platform according to their own policies. Reviews submitted through this website are stored until you request deletion. We do not keep records beyond what is needed to provide the service.

7. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Object to how we use your data

To exercise any of these rights, contact us via WhatsApp or Instagram. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy occasionally. The date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent update. Continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.