1. Introduction
Family Group Buy BD ("we", "us" or "our") operates the website https://familygroupbuybd.com and organises community group buying for households in Sylhet, Bangladesh. We are committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who visits our website or contacts us.
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and the choices and rights available to you. Please read it alongside our Terms & Conditions.
Our group buying platform is still under development. Today we coordinate group buys manually through Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, email and phone. This policy describes our practices as they stand now, and we will update it before we launch any new feature that changes how we handle your information.
By using our website or contacting us through any of our channels, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our website or services.
2. Information We Collect
We only collect information that we genuinely need in order to organise a group buy and to answer your questions. We do not ask for more than that.
2.1 Information you give us directly
When you message us on Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, email us, call us, or take part in a group buy, you may provide:
- Your name, or the name you use on Facebook or WhatsApp
- Your phone number and email address
- Your delivery area, neighbourhood or pickup point preference
- The products and quantities you wish to order
- Messages, questions, feedback and complaints you send us
- Payment confirmation details, such as a mobile financial service transaction reference, where you have paid for an order
We do not collect or store your full payment card numbers, bank account credentials, mobile wallet PINs or passwords. Never send these to us in a message.
2.2 Information collected automatically
When you visit our website, our hosting provider automatically records limited technical information as part of operating the service securely:
- Your IP address and approximate region derived from it
- Browser type, device type and operating system
- The pages you viewed and the date and time of your visit
- The referring website or link that brought you to us
This information is used to keep the site available and secure and to diagnose faults. It is not used to build a profile of you.
2.3 Information from Meta Platforms
If you contact us through our Facebook Page, Messenger or WhatsApp, we receive the information Meta makes available to us in that conversation. This typically includes your public profile name, profile picture and the content of your messages. Your interaction with Meta's own services is also governed by Meta's privacy policy, which we do not control.
2.4 Information we do not collect
We do not knowingly collect sensitive personal information such as religious beliefs, political opinions, health data or biometric data. Please do not send us this kind of information.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information only for the purposes set out below.
- Organising group buys
- To register your interest, confirm your share of an order, calculate the amount you owe, place the combined order with a supplier and arrange delivery or pickup.
- Communicating with you
- To answer your questions, confirm arrangements, notify you when a group buy is forming in your area, and tell you about delays or changes affecting an order you joined.
- Handling payments and records
- To reconcile contributions against an order, resolve disputes about amounts, and keep accurate business records.
- Improving our service
- To understand which products families want and how to run group buys more efficiently. Wherever possible we use aggregated information that does not identify you.
- Security and prevention of misuse
- To protect our website, our team and our customers against fraud, abuse and unauthorised access.
- Meeting legal obligations
- To comply with applicable law in Bangladesh, including tax and accounting requirements, and to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.
Marketing messages
We will only send you promotional messages about upcoming group buys if you have asked us to, and every such message will tell you how to stop receiving them. You can opt out at any time by replying to the message or by emailing us. Opting out of marketing does not stop service messages about an order you have already joined.
Automated decision-making
We do not use your personal information to make automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects for you.
5. Sharing With Third Parties
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We share it only where it is necessary to deliver our service, and only to the extent required.
5.1 Service providers we rely on
Meta Platforms, Inc.
Facebook Page, Messenger and WhatsApp, through which we receive and answer customer enquiries and run our advertising.
Their privacy policyWebsite hosting provider
Hosts this website and processes the technical log data described in section 2.2 in order to serve pages and keep the site secure.
Email service provider
Delivers and stores email correspondence between you and our team.
Suppliers and wholesalers
Receive the combined order details needed to fulfil a group buy. They are given order quantities and delivery arrangements, not your personal contact details, unless delivery genuinely requires it.
Delivery and logistics partners
Receive the name, phone number and delivery or pickup location needed to hand over your order.
5.2 Other group members
Group buying is a shared activity. Other members of a group buy you join may be able to see the name you use and the quantity you have claimed, so the group can confirm it has reached the bulk target. We do not disclose your phone number, email address or home address to other members without your permission.
5.3 Legal and safety disclosures
We may disclose personal information where we are required to do so by law, court order or a lawful request from a public authority, or where disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, or to protect the rights, property or safety of our customers, our team or the public.
5.4 Business transfers
If our business is merged, acquired or reorganised, personal information may be transferred to the new owner as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
5.5 International transfers
Some of the providers above, including Meta and our hosting provider, operate servers outside Bangladesh. Where your information is transferred abroad, we take reasonable steps to ensure it remains protected by appropriate safeguards and is handled in line with this policy.
6. How Long We Keep Your Information
We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy.
- Enquiries that do not lead to an order
- Kept for up to 12 months so we can follow up if a group buy forms in your area, then deleted.
- Order and payment records
- Kept for as long as required to meet accounting, tax and legal obligations in Bangladesh, and to resolve any dispute arising from the order.
- Messenger and WhatsApp conversations
- Retained within the Meta platform according to Meta's own retention practices, and in our own records for as long as needed to service your order.
- Website technical logs
- Kept for a short period for security and troubleshooting, then deleted or aggregated so they no longer identify you.
When information is no longer needed, we delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.
7. How We Protect Your Information
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure and alteration. These measures include:
- Encrypted connections (HTTPS) across the entire website
- Restricting access to customer information to the members of our team who need it to do their work
- Using reputable service providers with their own recognised security practices
- Not storing payment credentials, card numbers or wallet PINs at any time
- Reviewing our practices as the platform develops and new features are introduced
No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we work to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security, and any transmission is at your own risk.
If we become aware of a security breach that affects your personal information and is likely to put your rights at risk, we will notify you and any relevant authority without undue delay, using the contact details we hold for you.
8. Your Rights and Choices
You have meaningful control over the personal information we hold about you. Subject to applicable law, you may exercise the following rights:
- Right of access
- Ask us to confirm whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of it.
- Right to correction
- Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete.
- Right to deletion
- Ask us to delete your personal information where we no longer need it, subject to records we are legally required to retain.
- Right to withdraw consent
- Withdraw any consent you have given at any time, including consent to receive marketing messages. Withdrawal does not affect processing carried out before you withdrew.
- Right to object or restrict
- Object to, or ask us to limit, our use of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Right to complain
- Raise a concern with us directly, or with the relevant supervisory authority, if you believe we have handled your information improperly.
How to exercise your rights
Email us at support@familygroupbuybd.com or write to us at the address in section 11, stating clearly which right you wish to exercise. We may need to verify your identity before we act, so that we do not disclose your information to someone else. We will respond within 30 days of receiving a valid request, and we do not charge a fee for this.
9. Children's Privacy
Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as our service develops, particularly when the online group buying platform launches. The date at the top of this page always shows when it was last revised.
If we make a material change to how we handle your personal information, we will take reasonable steps to notify you, for example by posting a prominent notice on this website or messaging you directly. Continuing to use our website or services after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have any question about this Privacy Policy, about how we handle your personal information, or if you wish to exercise any of the rights described in section 8, please contact us:
- Business name
- Family Group Buy BD
- support@familygroupbuybd.com
- Phone
- +880 1985187359
- Address
- Zindabazar, Sylhet 3100, Bangladesh
- Facebook Messenger
- https://m.me/familygroupbuybd
We aim to acknowledge every privacy enquiry within two business days.