Privacy Policy (POPIA)

1. Who we are

Stef's Embroideries is a 100% female-owned embroidery business operated by Stephanie Gerber from 23 Asbes Street, Kathu, 8446, South Africa. We are the "responsible party" for personal information processed through this website and our client portal, as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

2. What we collect

We collect the personal information you provide when requesting a quote or becoming a client: name, contact number, email address, business name, physical address, VAT number, and any details you include in messages.

For portal users we additionally store login credentials (securely managed by Google Firebase Authentication), your design files, and transaction records such as quotes, invoices and payments.

3. Why we collect it

To respond to quote requests and communicate about your orders; to produce and deliver embroidery work; to issue quotes, invoices, credit notes and statements; to meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations; and to store your embroidery design files so re-orders are quick and consistent.

4. How we protect it

Data is stored on Google Firebase (Firestore, Cloud Storage and Authentication) with access restricted by security rules — only Stephanie (administrator) and, where applicable, you as the client can access your own records. All traffic is encrypted in transit via HTTPS.

5. Sharing

We never sell personal information. We only share it with service providers necessary to operate (e.g. Google Firebase for hosting/storage, our email provider for sending documents) and where required by law.

6. Your rights

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information at any time by emailing info@stefsembroideries.co.za. You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa (inforeg.org.za).

7. Retention

Financial records (invoices, credit notes, payments) are retained for a minimum of 5 years as required by the Tax Administration Act. Design files are retained while you remain a client, or until you request deletion.