Privacy Policy
About us and this policy
This policy explains how Matchetts Music collects, uses and protects your personal information when you use matchettsmusic.com, shop with us, apply for finance through us or join our mailing list. Last updated: 24 October 2026.
The business responsible for your personal information (the "data controller") is:
- Matchetts (Musical Instruments) Limited, trading as Matchetts Music
- Registered office: 38 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT1 6GF
- Company number: NI1106
- VAT number: 331 7697 43
- Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority as a credit broker, firm registration number 671753
We are an independent, family-run music shop in Belfast city centre and have been serving musicians since 1936. We handle your information in line with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
We use your information in two ways. Directly, for example to send your order, answer your question or, if you have opted in, send you things we think you will like. Indirectly, for example to see which parts of our site are most useful, so we can improve it for everyone. You do not have to give us any information to browse our website. If you have questions about this policy, see the Contact us and complaints section at the end.
What personal data we collect
We collect the following, mostly from you directly:
|
What |
Examples |
Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
|
Contact details |
Name, address, postcode, email address, phone number |
You, when you order, open an account, contact us or sign up to our mailing list |
|
Order and delivery details |
Items bought, delivery address, order history, returns and refunds |
You and our order system |
|
Payment details |
Payment method and billing address. We never see or store your full card number: payments are handled by Shopify and the payment provider you choose, such as PayPal, Klarna, Apple Pay or Google Pay |
You and the payment provider |
|
Finance application details |
The details you give when you apply for finance, and the outcome |
You and our finance provider |
|
Account details |
Login email, encrypted password, saved addresses |
You |
|
Marketing preferences |
Whether you subscribed, which emails you opened or clicked, and which pages and products you viewed on our site if you accept the relevant cookies |
You, Klaviyo and cookies |
|
Website and device information |
IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, how you found us, approximate location |
Cookies and similar technologies, with your consent where the law requires it |
|
Messages you send us |
Contact form messages, emails, call notes, social media messages, reviews |
You |
|
Competition entries |
Your details when you enter our monthly voucher draw |
You |
You do not have to give us personal information to browse our website. If you do not give us details we need to complete an order, we may not be able to fulfil it.
How we use your data and why
The law says we must have a valid reason, called a "lawful basis", for each way we use your personal data. These are ours:
|
What we use your data for |
Our lawful basis |
|---|---|
|
Taking, delivering and managing your orders, returns and refunds |
Contract: we need it to do what we agreed with you |
|
Taking payment and preventing fraud |
Contract, and legitimate interests in keeping our shop and customers safe |
|
Introducing you to finance and passing your application to our finance provider |
Contract (steps you ask us to take) and legal obligation (the rules that apply to us as an FCA-regulated credit broker) |
|
Answering your questions and helping after a sale |
Legitimate interests in looking after our customers, or contract where it relates to your order |
|
Sending marketing emails and texts, including through Klaviyo |
Consent: you opt in, and you can opt out at any time |
|
Running our monthly voucher draw |
Contract: running the draw you entered |
|
Analytics and advertising cookies |
Consent, given through our cookie settings |
|
Keeping our website and systems secure |
Legitimate interests in protecting our business and customers |
|
Keeping financial and tax records and dealing with legal claims |
Legal obligation, and legitimate interests in defending our legal rights |
|
Improving our shop, range and website using combined, non-identifying figures |
Legitimate interests in running and improving our business |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we first check that they are not outweighed by your rights and interests. You can object to this use at any time.
Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time, and withdrawing is as easy as giving it. Withdrawing does not affect anything we did before you withdrew.
Marketing emails and texts (Klaviyo)
We only send you marketing messages if you have opted in. You can opt in on our website, including the mailing list sign-up form and the marketing box at checkout. Each form tells you what you are agreeing to. If you are entered into our monthly voucher draw, for example by joining our mailing list, we use your details only to run the draw and contact the winner.
We use Klaviyo to store our subscriber details and to send our marketing emails and texts. Klaviyo is our "processor": it handles your data only on our instructions and for our purposes. Klaviyo is a US company and stores data in the United States. See the International transfers section for how that is protected.
Klaviyo holds the following about our subscribers:
- your name, email address and, if you give it for texts, your phone number
- when and how you signed up, and what you agreed to
- your order history with us
- whether you open our emails and click the links in them
If you accept marketing and analytics cookies, Klaviyo's website tracking can also link the pages and products you view on our site to your subscriber profile. We use this to make our messages more relevant to you. For example, if you have been looking at digital pianos, we may send you our piano buyer's guide instead of a general newsletter. If you do not accept those cookies, Klaviyo's website tracking should not run. Clicking a link in one of our emails may also let Klaviyo recognise you when you arrive on our site, where you have accepted those cookies.
You can stop marketing at any time:
- click "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any marketing email
- or email info@matchettsmusic.com
We keep your email address or phone number on a "do not contact" list after you unsubscribe, so we do not message you again by mistake. Unsubscribing does not stop messages about an order you have placed, such as confirmations, delivery updates and finance paperwork.
For more about how Klaviyo handles data, see Klaviyo's privacy information.
Who else receives your data
We share your personal data only with organisations that need it to do their job for us, or that you ask us to share it with. Some act on our instructions. Others, such as payment and finance providers, are responsible for your data themselves and have their own privacy policies.
|
Who |
What they do |
What they receive |
Their privacy information |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Shopify |
Hosts our website and shop, runs our checkout and holds our order and customer records |
Contact, order, delivery and payment details |
|
|
Payment providers you choose, such as PayPal, Klarna, Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay |
Take your payment |
Payment and billing details |
Their own privacy policies |
|
Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, trading as Novuna Personal Finance |
Our finance provider: assesses your application and may carry out credit and identity checks |
Details you give in your finance application |
Novuna's privacy notice, also shown when you apply |
|
Klaviyo |
Sends our marketing emails and texts |
Subscriber details described above |
|
|
Google Analytics |
Shows us how our website is used, if you accept analytics cookies |
Cookie identifiers, pages viewed, device and approximate location |
|
|
Hotjar |
Shows us how visitors use our pages, if you accept analytics cookies |
Cookie identifiers, pages viewed, clicks, scrolling and device details |
Their own privacy policy |
|
Rapid Search |
Runs our website search |
Your search terms, a visitor ID and a session ID, and device details |
Their own privacy policy |
|
Advertising partners, such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, Snapchat and X |
Show our adverts to you on their sites, if you accept advertising cookies |
Cookie identifiers and the pages you viewed |
Their own privacy policies |
|
Delivery companies |
Deliver your order |
Name, delivery address, phone number and email |
Their own privacy policies |
|
Reputon and Instafeed |
Show our Google reviews and Instagram posts on our website |
Your IP address and browser details when a page loads |
Their own privacy policies |
|
Other apps that run on our website, such as our product bundles app |
Provide features on our shop pages |
Your IP address and browser details when a page loads |
Their own privacy policies |
We may also share your data with our accountants and other professional advisers, and with the police, courts or regulators where the law requires us to. If our business is sold or merged, we may pass your details to the new owner, who must use them in line with this policy.
Finance
Matchetts Music is a credit broker, not a lender. If you choose to apply for finance, we pass your application details to our finance provider, currently Novuna Personal Finance (a trading name of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC), who decides whether to lend to you. Any credit decision, including one made by automated means, is made by the lender and not by us, and you can ask the lender about it directly. We do not make decisions about you using only automated means that have a legal or similarly significant effect.
Our site may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, so please read their privacy policies. Once you leave our site, this policy no longer applies.
Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small files that a website saves on your device. We also use similar technologies, such as tracking pixels and scripts. Some are essential to make our shop work. Others help us understand how our site is used or show you relevant marketing, and we only use those if you say yes. For example, analytics cookies tell us which products and guides are most popular and whether our pages load quickly.
When you first visit, our cookie banner lets you accept, decline or choose Manage preferences, where you can switch Analytics, Marketing and Personalization cookies on or off. You can change your choices at any time using "Cookie Preferences" at the bottom of any page on our website. You can still browse and buy from us if you decline the optional cookies.
Essential cookies
These keep our shop working, for example by remembering what is in your basket. They are shown as Required in our cookie settings and are always on. They do not need your consent.
|
Cookie |
Set by |
What it does |
How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
|
_shopify_essential |
Shopify |
Keeps your session and checkout working and protects against tampering |
1 year |
|
cart |
Shopify |
Remembers what is in your basket |
2 weeks |
|
cart_currency |
Shopify |
Starts a new basket in the same currency after you check out |
2 weeks |
|
localization |
Shopify |
Sets your basket to the right country |
1 year |
|
discount_code |
Shopify |
Holds a discount code from a link until you check out |
Until you close your browser |
|
_shopify_test |
Shopify |
Checks that your browser accepts cookies |
1 minute |
|
__Host-Http-shop_binding |
Shopify |
Secures sign-in if you use Login with Shop |
3 hours |
We also use a cookie to remember your cookie choices.
Optional cookies we only use with your consent
|
Category |
Cookie |
Set by |
What it does |
How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Analytics |
_shopify_analytics |
Shopify |
Collects analytics data about how you use our shop and checkout |
1 year |
|
Marketing |
_shopify_marketing |
Shopify |
Collects marketing data about your visit |
1 year |
|
Marketing |
__kla_id |
Klaviyo |
Recognises your browser and, once you are a subscriber, links your activity on our site to your Klaviyo profile |
Up to 2 years, or less in some browsers |
|
Analytics |
_ga and _ga_ followed by an ID |
Google Analytics |
Counts visits and shows how people move around our site |
Up to 2 years |
|
Analytics |
_hjSessionUser_ and _hjSession_ followed by a number |
Hotjar |
Records how visitors use our pages, such as clicks and scrolling, so we can improve the site |
About 1 year, and up to 1 hour |
|
Analytics |
Visitor and session IDs stored in your browser, with names starting rps_ |
Rapid Search, our site search app |
Gives your visit an ID so the search app can measure and improve our site search |
Until you clear your browser data |
|
Marketing |
Advertising cookies |
Advertising partners, such as Facebook, Instagram, Google, Snapchat and X |
Recognise you on other sites so we can show you our adverts and measure them |
Varies by provider: see their privacy policies |
Your choices
- Use Cookie Preferences at the bottom of any page to accept or decline optional cookies, and to change your mind later.
- Most browsers let you block or delete cookies in their settings. Here is how in Chrome and Firefox. Other browsers have similar help pages. If you block essential cookies, parts of our shop, such as your basket and checkout, may not work.
- To stop Google Analytics collecting data about you, you can install Google's opt-out browser add-on.
- Advertising partners let you opt out of personalised adverts on their own sites. Their privacy policies explain how.
Sending your data outside the UK
Some of our providers are based outside the UK. For example, Klaviyo is a US company and stores its data in the United States. When your data is sent abroad, UK law requires a safeguard to keep it protected. For the United States, this is usually one of:
- the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, often called the UK-US data bridge, which covers US companies that have certified under it. Klaviyo is certified.
- standard contractual clauses with the UK addendum, which are legal terms approved for this purpose. Klaviyo's data processing agreement includes them.
Our other providers that handle data outside the UK, such as Shopify and Google, use approved safeguards of this kind. You can contact us for more details of the safeguards that apply to your data.
How long we keep your data
We keep personal data only as long as we need it for the reasons we collected it. These are our usual periods:
|
Information |
How long we keep it |
|---|---|
|
Orders, invoices, delivery and refund records |
6 years after the order, for tax, accounting and legal reasons |
|
Finance application records we hold |
As long as our regulatory duties require, usually up to 6 years |
|
Your online account |
Until you close it or ask us to delete it. We then keep only the order records above |
|
Marketing subscriber details |
Until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them. We also remove subscribers who have not opened or clicked anything for about 2 years |
|
"Do not contact" records |
For as long as needed to make sure we do not message you again |
|
Messages and enquiries |
2 years after we last dealt with you |
|
Voucher draw entries |
Until the draw is finished and the prize claimed |
|
Cookie and analytics data |
For the periods shown in the cookie tables, and no longer than 2 years |
When the time is up, we delete your data or make it anonymous so it can no longer identify you. We may keep data for longer if the law requires it, or if we need it to deal with a legal claim.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- be told how we use your personal data, which is what this policy is for
- ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- ask us to correct data that is wrong or incomplete
- ask us to delete your data, in some circumstances
- ask us to limit how we use your data, in some circumstances
- receive the data you gave us in a format you can reuse, where we use it because of a contract or your consent
- object to us using your data for our legitimate interests, and object at any time to direct marketing
- withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on it
- ask for a person to review any important decision made about you using only automated means
To use any of these rights, email info@matchettsmusic.com or write to us at the address in the Contact us and complaints section. We may need to check who you are first. There is normally no charge.
We will reply within one month of having what we need to confirm who you are and what you are asking for. If your request is complex, we may take up to two more months, and we will tell you why. In some cases the law lets us refuse a request, and if we do we will explain.
Security, children and changes to this policy
Security. We take reasonable steps to protect your personal data from being lost, misused, accessed without permission, changed or destroyed. Our shop runs on Shopify, which follows the PCI DSS standard for card payments. We never see or store your full card number. No online system is completely secure, but if a data breach is likely to seriously affect you, we will tell you and the Information Commissioner's Office as the law requires.
Children. Our website is aimed at adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. Finance is only available to people aged 18 or over. If you think a child has given us personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.
Changes. We review this policy regularly and may update it, for example if the law or the services we use change. The date at the top shows when it was last updated. If we make material changes, we will say so on this page.
Contact us and complaints
For questions about this policy, to use your rights, or to make a complaint, contact our Privacy Compliance Officer:
- Email: info@matchettsmusic.com
- Phone: +44 (0) 28 9032 6695
- Post: Privacy Compliance Officer, Matchetts Music, 38 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT1 6GF
Complaints. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please tell us and we will look into it. You can complain by email, phone, post, in the shop or through our social media pages. You do not have to use a particular form or use legal words. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days of receiving it, look into it without undue delay, and keep you informed of what we find.
Complaining to the regulator. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator. The ICO will normally ask you to raise your complaint with us first.
- Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
- Phone: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF