Privacy policy

1) Information on the collection of personal data and contact details of the person responsible.

1.1 We are pleased that you are visiting our website and thank you for your interest. In the following, we inform you about the handling of your personal data when using our website. Personal data is any data with which you can be personally identified.

1.2 The controller of data processing on this website within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is Stephan Steins, Stephan Steins Services, Rheinlanddamm 201, 44139 Dortmund, Germany, Tel.: 0231 58 02 12 97, e-mail: info@stephan-steins.de. The controller of personal data is the natural or legal person who alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data.

1.3 For security reasons and to protect the transmission of personal data and other confidential content (e.g. orders or inquiries to the person responsible), this website uses an SSL or SSL protocol. TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the string “https://” and the lock symbol in your browser bar.

2) Data collection when visiting our website

During the mere informational use of our website, i.e. if you do not register or otherwise transmit information to us, we only collect such data that your browser transmits to our server (so-called “server log files”). When you visit our website, we collect the following data, which is technically necessary for us to display the website to you:

  • Our visited website
  • Date and time at the time of access
  • Amount of data sent in bytes
  • Source/reference from which you reached the page
  • Browser used
  • Operating system used
  • IP address used (if applicable: in anonymized form)

The processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO on the basis of our legitimate interest in improving the stability and functionality of our website. The data will not be passed on or used in any other way. However, we reserve the right to check the server log files retrospectively if there are concrete indications of illegal use.

3) Cookies

In order to make the visit to our website attractive and to enable the use of certain functions, we use so-called cookies on various pages. These are small text files that are stored on your terminal 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 terminal device and enable your browser to be recognized the next time you visit (so-called persistent cookies). If cookies are set, they collect and process certain user information such as browser and location data and IP address values to an individual extent. Persistent cookies are automatically deleted after a specified period of time, which may differ depending on the cookie. The duration of the respective cookie storage can be found in the overview of the cookie settings of your web browser.

In some cases, cookies are used to simplify the ordering process by storing settings (e.g. remembering the contents of a virtual shopping cart for a later visit to the website). If personal data are also processed by individual cookies used by us, the processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO either for the execution of the contract, according to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO in the case of granted consent or pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO to protect our legitimate interests in the best possible functionality of the website and a customer-friendly and effective design of the site visit.

Please note that you can set your browser in such a way that you are informed about the setting of cookies and can decide individually about their acceptance or can exclude the acceptance of cookies for certain cases or in general. Each browser differs in the way it manages cookie settings. This is described in the help menu of each browser, which explains how to change your cookie settings. You can find these for the respective browsers under the following links:

Internet Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies
Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/de/kb/cookies-erlauben-und-ablehnen
Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=de&hlrm=en
Safari: https://support.apple.com/de-de/guide/safari/sfri11471/mac
Opera: https://help.opera.com/de/latest/web-preferences/#cookies

Please note that if you do not accept cookies, the functionality of our website may be limited.

4) Contacting

4.1 Personal data is collected when contacting us (e.g. via contact form or e-mail). Which data is collected in the case of the use of a contact form can be seen from the respective contact form. This data is stored and used exclusively for the purpose of responding to your request or for contacting you and the associated technical administration. The legal basis for the processing of this data is our legitimate interest in responding to your request pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. If your contact aims at the conclusion of a contract, the additional legal basis for the processing is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR. Your data will be deleted after final processing of your request. This is the case if it is clear from the circumstances that the matter in question has been conclusively clarified and provided that there are no statutory retention obligations to the contrary.

4.2 WhatsApp Business

We offer visitors to our website the opportunity to contact us via the messaging service WhatsApp provided by WhatsApp Ireland Limited, 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland. For this purpose, we use the so-called “business version” of WhatsApp.

If you contact us via WhatsApp on the occasion of a specific transaction (for example, an order placed), we store and use the mobile phone number you use on WhatsApp as well as – if provided – your first and last name in accordance with Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b. DSGVO to process and respond to your request. On the basis of the same legal basis, we may ask you via WhatsApp to provide further data (order number, customer number, address or e-mail address) in order to be able to assign your request to a specific transaction.

If you use our WhatsApp contact for general inquiries (such as about the range of services, availability or our website), we store and use the mobile phone number you use on WhatsApp and – if provided – your first name and surname in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO on the basis of our legitimate interest in the efficient and timely provision of the requested information.

Your data will only ever be used to respond to your request via WhatsApp. A transfer to third parties does not take place.

Please note that WhatsApp Business obtains access to the address book of the mobile device we use for this purpose and automatically transfers phone numbers stored in the address book to a server of the parent company Facebook Inc. in the USA. To operate our WhatsApp business account, we use a mobile device whose address book only stores the WhatsApp contact data of those users who have also contacted us via WhatsApp.

This ensures that each person whose WhatsApp contact data is stored in our address book already consents to the transmission of his WhatsApp telephone number from the address books of his chat contacts when using the app on his device for the first time by accepting the WhatsApp terms of use pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO has consented. A transmission of data of such users who do not use WhatsApp and/or have not contacted us via WhatsApp is excluded in this respect.

For the purpose and scope of the data collection and the further processing and use of the data by WhatsApp, as well as your rights in this regard and setting options for protecting your privacy, please refer to WhatsApp’s privacy policy: https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/?eea=1#privacy-policy

5) Data processing when opening a customer account and for contract processing

According to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO, personal data will continue to be collected and processed if you provide it to us for the performance of a contract or when opening a customer account. Which data is collected can be seen from the respective input forms. Deletion of your customer account is possible at any time and can be done by sending a message to the above address of the responsible person. We store and use the data you provide for the purpose of processing the contract. After complete processing of the contract or deletion of your customer account, your data will be blocked with regard to tax and commercial law retention periods and deleted after expiry of these periods, unless you have expressly consented to a further use of your data or a legally permitted further use of data has been reserved on our part.

6) Data processing for order processing

As far as necessary for the execution of the contract for delivery and payment purposes, the personal data collected by us will be processed in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b DSGVO to the contracted transport company and the contracted credit institution.

Insofar as we owe you updates for goods with digital elements or for digital products on the basis of a corresponding contract, we process the contact data (name, address, e-mail address) provided by you when placing the order in order to inform you within the scope of our statutory information obligations pursuant to Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. c DSGVO by appropriate means of communication (e.g. by mail or e-mail) about upcoming updates in person within the period provided for by law. Your contact data will be used strictly for the purpose of notifying you of updates we owe you and will be processed by us for this purpose only to the extent necessary for the information in question.

In order to process your order, we also work together with the following service provider(s), who support us in whole or in part in the execution of concluded contracts. Certain personal data is transferred to these service providers in accordance with the following information.

7) Use of social media: videos

Youtube video use

This website uses the Youtube embedding function to display and play videos from the provider “Youtube”, which belongs to Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (“Google”).

The extended data protection mode is used here, which, according to the provider, only triggers the storage of user information when the video(s) is/are played. If the playback of embedded Youtube videos is started, the provider “Youtube” uses cookies to collect information about user behavior. According to information from “Youtube”, these are used, among other things, to collect video statistics, improve the user experience and prevent abusive behavior. If you are logged in to Google, your data is directly assigned to your account when you click on a video. If you do not want the assignment with your profile at YouTube, you must log out before activating the button. Google stores your data (even for users who are not logged in) as usage profiles and evaluates them. Such an evaluation is carried out in particular in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO on the basis of Google’s legitimate interests in the display of personalized advertising, market research and/or the design of its website in line with requirements. You have the right to object to the creation of these user profiles, and you must contact YouTube to exercise this right. In the course of using Youtube, personal data may also be transmitted to the servers of Google LLC. come in the USA.
Independently of a playback of the embedded videos, a connection to the Google network is established each time this website is called up, which may trigger further data processing operations without our influence.

For further information on data protection at “Youtube”, please refer to the Youtube terms of use at https://www.youtube.com/static?template=terms and Google’s privacy policy at https://www.google.de/intl/de/policies/privacy.

To the extent legally required, we have obtained your consent to the processing of your data as described above in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO obtained. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. To exercise your revocation, disable this service in the “Cookie Consent Tool” provided on the Website.

8) Online marketing

Google Ads Conversion Tracking
This website uses the online advertising program “Google Ads” and, within the scope of Google Ads, the conversion tracking of Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (“Google”). We use Google Ads to draw attention to our attractive offers on external websites with the help of advertising media (so-called Google Adwords). We can determine how successful the individual advertising measures are in relation to the data of the advertising campaigns. Our aim is to show you advertising that is of interest to you, to make our website more interesting for you and to achieve a fair calculation of the advertising costs incurred.
The conversion tracking cookie is set when a user clicks on an ad placed by Google Ads. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your terminal device. These cookies usually lose their validity after 30 days and are not used for personal identification. If the user visits certain pages of this website and the cookie has not yet expired, Google and we can recognize that the user clicked on the ad and was redirected to this page. Each Google Ads customer receives a different cookie. Cookies can therefore not be tracked through the websites of Google Ads customers. The information collected using the conversion cookie is used to generate conversion statistics for Google Ads customers who have opted in to conversion tracking. Clients learn the total number of users who clicked on their ad and were redirected to a page tagged with a conversion tracking tag. However, they do not receive any information with which users can be personally identified.
In the context of the use of Google Ads, personal data may also be transmitted to the servers of Google LLC. come in the USA.
Details on the processing triggered by Google Ads Conversion Tracking and Google’s handling of data from websites can be found here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
All processing described above, in particular the setting of cookies for the reading of information on the end device used, will only be carried out if you have given us your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO have given your express consent to this. You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future by deactivating this service in the “Cookie Consent Tool” provided on the website.
You can also permanently object to the setting of cookies by Google Ads conversion tracking by downloading and installing the Google browser plug-in available at the following link:
https://www.google.com/settings/ads/plugin?hl=de
Please note that certain functions of this website may not be available or may be restricted if you have deactivated the use of cookies.
Google’s privacy policy can be viewed here: https://www.google.de/policies/privacy/

9) Web analytics services

9.1 Google (Universal) Analytics
This website uses Google (Universal) Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (“Google”). Google (Universal) Analytics uses so-called “cookies”, which are text files that are stored on your terminal device and enable an analysis of your use of the website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States and other countries. come in the USA.
This website uses Google (Universal) Analytics exclusively with the extension “_anonymizeIp()”, which ensures an anonymization of the IP address by shortening and excludes a direct personal reference. By extension, your IP address will be truncated beforehand by Google within member states of the European Union or in other states party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be transmitted to a Google LLC.server in the USA and shortened there. On our behalf, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. The IP address transmitted by your browser within the scope of Google (Universal) Analytics is not merged with other Google data.
Google Analytics also enables the creation of statistics with statements about the age, gender and interests of site visitors based on an evaluation of interest-based advertising and using third-party information via a special function known as “demographic characteristics”. This allows the definition and differentiation of user groups of the website for the purpose of targeting marketing measures. However, data records collected via the “demographic characteristics” cannot be assigned to a specific person.
Details on the processing triggered by Google Analytics and Google’s handling of data from websites can be found here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
All processing described above, in particular the setting of Google Analytics cookies for the reading of information on the end device used, will only be carried out if you have notified us in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO have given your express consent to this. Without this consent, Google Analytics will not be used during your visit to the site.
You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. To exercise your revocation, please deactivate this service in the “cookie consent tool” provided on the website. We have concluded an order processing agreement with Google for the use of Google Analytics, which obliges Google to protect the data of our site visitors and not to pass it on to third parties.
For the transfer of data from the EU to the USA, Google refers to so-called standard data protection clauses of the European Commission, which are intended to ensure compliance with the European level of data protection in the USA.
Further information on Google (Universal) Analytics can be found here: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de&gl=de

9.2 Google (Universal) Analytics without cookies
This website uses Google (Universal) Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (“Google”).
This website uses Google (Universal) Analytics exclusively without the use of cookies, which means that the service does not set cookies on your terminal device at any time.
Instead, the local memory of your browser is used to store there an individual ID assigned by Google (Universal) Analytics, which enables an analysis of your use of the website. For this purpose, certain user information is processed via the ID.
The information generated by the ID about your use of this website (including the abbreviated IP address) is usually transmitted to a Google server and stored there; this may also involve transmission to the servers of Google LLC. come in the USA.
This website uses Google (Universal) Analytics exclusively with the extension “_anonymizeIp()”, which ensures an anonymization of the IP address by shortening and excludes a direct personal reference. By extension, your IP address will be truncated beforehand by Google within member states of the European Union or in other states party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases, the full IP address is sent to a server of Google LLC. transferred to the USA and shortened there. On our behalf, Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. In the process, the IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google (Universal) Analytics is merged with other data from Google.
Google Analytics also enables the creation of statistics with statements about the age, gender and interests of site visitors based on an evaluation of interest-based advertising and using third-party information via a special function known as “demographic characteristics”. This allows the definition and differentiation of user groups of the website for the purpose of targeting marketing measures. However, data records collected via the “demographic characteristics” cannot be assigned to a specific person.
Details on the processing triggered by Google Analytics and Google’s handling of data from websites can be found here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites
All processing operations described above will only be carried out if you have given us your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO have given your express consent to this. Without this consent, Google Analytics will not be used during your visit to the site.
You can revoke your consent at any time with effect for the future. To exercise your revocation, you can download and install the browser plugin available at the following link:
https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=de
As an alternative to the browser plugin or within browsers on mobile devices, you can revoke your consent by clicking on the following link to set an opt-out cookie that will prevent collection by Google Analytics within this website in the future (this opt-out cookie only works in this browser and only for this domain. If you delete your cookies in this browser, you must click this link again):
Deactivate Google Analytics
We have concluded an order processing agreement with Google for the use of Google Analytics, which obliges Google to protect the data of our site visitors and not to pass it on to third parties.
For the transfer of data from the EU to the USA, Google refers to so-called standard data protection clauses of the European Commission, which are intended to ensure compliance with the European level of data protection in the USA.
Further information on Google (Universal) Analytics can be found here: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=de&gl=de

10) Tools and other

10.1 CookieBot
This website uses the cookie consent tool of Cybot A/S, Havnegade 39, 1058 Copenhagen, Denmark (“CookieBot”), which sets technically necessary cookies to store your cookie preferences. This data processing is carried out in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO based on our legitimate interest in providing a cookie consent management service to website visitors.

10.2 – FontAwesome
This site uses so-called web fonts from “FontAwesome”, a service of Fonticons, Inc, 710 Blackhorn Dr, Carl Junction, 64834, MO, USA (“FontAwesome”), for the uniform display of fonts. When you call up a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into its browser cache in order to display texts and fonts correctly.
For this purpose, the browser you use must connect to FontAwesome’s servers. This may also involve the transmission of personal data to FontAwesome’s servers in the USA. In this way, FontAwesome becomes aware that our website has been accessed via your IP address. FontAwesome Fonts are used in the interest of a uniform and appealing presentation of our online offers. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. If your browser does not support web fonts, a default font is used by your computer.
For more information about FontAwesome, please visit: https://fontawesome.com/privacy
– Google Web Fonts
This site uses so-called web fonts provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (“Google”) for the uniform display of fonts. When you call up a page, your browser loads the required web fonts into its browser cache in order to display texts and fonts correctly.
For this purpose, the browser you use must connect to Google’s servers. This may also result in the transmission of personal data to the servers of Google LLC. come in the USA. In this way, Google obtains knowledge that our website was accessed via your IP address. Google Web Fonts are used in the interest of a uniform and appealing presentation of our online offers. This constitutes a legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. If your browser does not support web fonts, a default font is used by your computer.
For more information on Google Web Fonts, please visit https://developers.google.com/fonts/faq and see Google’s privacy policy: https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/

10.3 Google Customer Reviews (formerly Google Certified Merchant Program)

We work with Google as part of the “Google Customer Reviews” program. The provider is Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, 4 Barrow St, Dublin, D04 E5W5, Ireland (“Google”). This program gives us the opportunity to obtain customer reviews from users of our website. Here, after making a purchase on our website, you will be asked if you would like to participate in an email survey from Google. If you give your consent in accordance with Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO, we transmit your email address to Google. You will receive an email from Google Customer Reviews asking you to rate the buying experience on our website. The review you submit is then aggregated with our other reviews and displayed in our Google Customer Reviews logo and in our Merchant Center dashboard. Also, your review will be used for Google seller reviews. Within the scope of the use of Google Customer Reviews, personal data may also be transmitted to the servers of Google LLC. come in the USA.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by sending a message to the data controller or to Google.

For more information about Google’s privacy practices in connection with the Google Customer Reviews program, please visit the following link: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7188525?hl=de

You can read more information about the privacy of Google Seller Ratings at this link: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2375474

11) Rights of the data subject

11.1 The applicable data protection law grants you the following data subject rights (rights of access and intervention) vis-à-vis the controller with regard to the processing of your personal data, whereby reference is made to the stated legal basis for the respective exercise prerequisites:

  • Right to information according to Art. 15 DSGVO;
  • Right to rectification pursuant to Art. 16 DSGVO;
  • Right to erasure according to Art. 17 DSGVO;
  • Right to restriction of processing pursuant to Art. 18 DSGVO;
  • Right to information pursuant to Art. 19 GDPR;
  • Right to data portability according to Art. 20 DSGVO;
  • Right to revoke consent given in accordance with Art. 7 para. 3 GDPR;
  • Right to lodge a complaint pursuant to Art. 77 GDPR.

11.2 RIGHT OF OBJECTION

IF, IN THE CONTEXT OF A BALANCING OF INTERESTS, WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA ON THE BASIS OF OUR OVERRIDING LEGITIMATE INTEREST, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT TO THIS PROCESSING WITH EFFECT FOR THE FUTURE AT ANY TIME ON GROUNDS ARISING FROM YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION.
IF YOU EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT, WE WILL STOP PROCESSING THE DATA CONCERNED. HOWEVER, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO FURTHER PROCESSING IF WE CAN DEMONSTRATE COMPELLING LEGITIMATE GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING THAT OVERRIDE YOUR INTERESTS, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, OR IF THE PROCESSING IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSERTING, EXERCISING OR DEFENDING LEGAL CLAIMS.

IF WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIRECT MARKETING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT AT ANY TIME TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR SUCH MARKETING. YOU CAN EXERCISE THE OBJECTION AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

IF YOU EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT, WE WILL STOP PROCESSING THE DATA CONCERNED FOR DIRECT MARKETING PURPOSES.

12) Duration of the storage of personal data

The duration of the storage of personal data is determined on the basis of the respective legal basis, the purpose of processing and – if relevant – additionally on the basis of the respective statutory retention period (e.g. retention periods under commercial and tax law).

When processing personal data on the basis of explicit consent pursuant to Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a DSGVO, this data is stored until the data subject revokes his/her consent.

If there are legal retention periods for data that are required in the context of legal transactions or obligations similar to legal transactions on the basis of Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. b DSGVO, this data is routinely deleted after expiry of the retention periods, provided that it is no longer required for the fulfillment of the contract or the initiation of the contract and/or there is no legitimate interest on our part to continue storing it.

When processing personal data on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO, this data is stored until the data subject exercises his or her right to object pursuant to Art. 21 Para. 1 DSGVO, unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override the interests, rights and freedoms of the data subject, or for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

When processing personal data for the purpose of direct marketing on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f DSGVO, this data is stored until the data subject exercises his or her right to object pursuant to Art. 21 Para. 2 GDPR exercises.

Unless otherwise stated in the other information in this statement about specific processing situations, stored personal data will otherwise be deleted when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise processed.