1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy applies to bargainbooks.co.za and all online services provided by Bargain Books. It should be read together with our Terms & Conditions.
By using our website, registering for an account, joining the Bargain Club, entering a competition or placing an order, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and consent to the processing of your personal information as described in it.
2. Who is responsible for your information
The responsible party (data controller) for the processing of personal information described in this Privacy Policy is:
- Books, Magazines and Stationery CC trading as Bargain Books
- Physical address: 10 Mymoena Crescent, Athlone Industrial Park, Athlone, Cape Town, 7764
- Telephone: +27 21 706 1461
- Customer service email: customerservice@bargainbooks.co.za
Information Officer: John O’Sullivan — john@bargainbooks.co.za
Deputy Information Officer: Stacy Staudt — stacy@bargainbooks.co.za
3. What information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal information:
3.1 Information you give us
- Account & identity: name, surname, email address, phone number, password (stored as a one-way salted hash);
- Order details: billing and delivery address, items purchased, gift messages, special instructions;
- Payment information: processed by our third-party payment providers — we do not store full card numbers on our systems;
- Bargain Club: your membership profile, points balance, redemption history and reading preferences you choose to share;
- Customer service: the content of emails, online chats and call recordings when you contact our support team;
- Competitions and surveys: answers you provide when entering competitions or completing feedback forms;
- User-generated content: reviews, ratings, comments and any other content you choose to submit;
- Job applications: CV, cover letter, work history and other recruitment information you choose to share with us through the careers section.
3.2 Information we collect automatically
- Device & technical: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, referrer URL;
- Usage: pages viewed, products clicked, searches performed, time on page, scroll depth and click patterns;
- Cookies and similar technologies: see section 13 below.
3.3 Information from third parties
We may receive limited information from third parties that help us run the Website, for example payment-verification results from payment providers, fraud signals, courier tracking events, and aggregated analytics from advertising partners.
4. How we collect your information
We collect personal information when you:
- create an account or join the Bargain Club;
- place an order, request a quote or track a delivery;
- subscribe to our newsletter or marketing communications;
- enter a competition or respond to a survey;
- contact our customer service team;
- apply for a vacancy through our careers section;
- browse the Website (via cookies and similar technologies);
- interact with us on social media (where the platform permits us to receive that information).
5. Why we process your information
We process your personal information for the following purposes:
- To provide our services: create and manage your account, process orders, take payment, arrange delivery, handle returns and refunds, run the Bargain Club and respond to customer-service queries;
- To improve our services: understand how the Website is used, fix bugs, prevent fraud and abuse, and develop new products, features and recommendations;
- To communicate with you: send transactional emails (order confirmations, dispatch notifications, password resets, customer-service replies) and, where you have opted in, marketing emails;
- To run competitions and promotions: administer entries, identify winners and deliver prizes;
- To recruit: assess your application for an advertised role and contact you about the recruitment process;
- To comply with the law: meet our tax, accounting, consumer-protection and other legal obligations;
- To protect our legitimate interests: for example detecting fraud, securing our systems and enforcing our Terms.
6. Legal basis for processing
We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under section 11 of POPIA when processing your personal information:
- Consent — for example when you opt in to marketing emails or accept non-essential cookies;
- Performance of a contract — to complete your order, deliver the goods and provide post-sale support;
- Compliance with a legal obligation — for tax, accounting and consumer-protection records;
- Legitimate interest — to operate, secure and improve our service in ways that are reasonably expected and that do not unduly impact your rights.
8. International transfers
Some of our service providers operate or store data outside of South Africa (for example in the European Union, United Kingdom or United States). Where we transfer your personal information across borders, we do so only if section 72 of POPIA permits the transfer, including where:
- the recipient country has substantially similar data protection laws;
- the recipient is bound by binding corporate rules or contractual safeguards that provide an adequate level of protection; or
- you have consented to the transfer.
9. How long we keep your information
We keep your personal information for only as long as we need it for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or for a longer period if the law requires it (for example, tax and VAT records must be kept for a minimum of five years).
Indicative retention periods:
- Account and order data: for as long as your account is active, plus a further period as required by tax and consumer-protection laws;
- Bargain Club data: for as long as you are a member, plus a reasonable period to allow re-activation;
- Marketing data: until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent;
- Customer-service correspondence: typically up to 36 months;
- Recruitment data: typically up to 12 months after the recruitment process ends, unless you ask us to retain it longer.
When we no longer need your personal information, we will securely delete or de-identify it.
10. How we protect your information
We take reasonable, appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, unauthorised access, disclosure or alteration. These include:
- encryption in transit (HTTPS) and at rest where feasible;
- strict access controls and least-privilege permissions;
- password hashing and multi-factor authentication for staff;
- regular security reviews, patching and monitoring;
- contractual safeguards with all third-party processors.
No system is completely secure. If a security compromise occurs that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by section 22 of POPIA.
11. Your rights under POPIA
You have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you and ask for the identities of third parties with whom we have shared it;
- Correct or delete personal information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, out of date or no longer needed;
- Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds, including for direct marketing;
- Withdraw consent previously given (this will not affect the lawfulness of processing already carried out);
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (see section 16 below).
To exercise any of these rights, please email us at customerservice@bargainbooks.co.za. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request and will respond within the timeframes prescribed by POPIA.
12. Marketing communications
We will only send you marketing communications if you have opted in (or where the law otherwise permits us to). You can opt out at any time by:
- clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any marketing email we send;
- visiting our unsubscribe page; or
- emailing customerservice@bargainbooks.co.za.
Opting out of marketing does not stop transactional emails that we are required to send to fulfil your orders, manage your account or comply with the law.
14. Children’s information
The Website is not directed at children under 18 and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children without the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.
15. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version will always be available at bargainbooks.co.za/privacy and the “Last updated” date at the top of the page will indicate when it was last revised. Where a change materially affects your rights, we will use reasonable efforts to bring it to your attention before it takes effect.
16. Complaints
If you have a privacy concern, please contact us first at customerservice@bargainbooks.co.za so that we have an opportunity to put things right.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint directly with the Information Regulator of South Africa:
- Website: inforegulator.org.za
- Email: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
17. Contact us
For any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
- Email: customerservice@bargainbooks.co.za
- Telephone: +27 21 706 1461
- Online: bargainbooks.co.za/help#contact