Privacy Policy for The Mess

Last Updated: 8 July 2026

At The Mess (referred to as "we," "us," or "our"), we love baking incredible cakes, but we take your privacy just as seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our website, fill out our inquiry forms, or place an order with us.

1. Information We Collect

When you interact with our website or inquire about an order, we collect information that you voluntarily provide to us via our online forms or direct emails. This includes:

• Identity & Contact Data: Your name, email address, and phone number.

• Order & Event Logistics: Delivery or event addresses, event dates, guest numbers, cake design preferences, and dietary or allergy requirements.

• Billing Info: Payment records and transaction history (processed securely via our payment gateways).

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your data strictly for operational, one-off order logistics. Specifically, to:

• Provide you with quotes and respond to your inquiries.

• Design, bake, and safely deliver your custom cake.

• Communicate with you about your order details, updates, or pickup times.

• Manage invoicing, accounting, and tax obligations.

3. Third-Party Service Providers & International Transfers

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. To keep our business running smoothly, we securely pass your data only to the trusted infrastructure providers that power our business:

• Website and Form Infrastructure: Squarespace, which hosts our website and processes our online inquiry forms.

• Communication & Storage: Google Workspace (Gmail and Google Drive), where your inquiries, order details, and design schedules are received and stored.

• Overseas Data Transfers: Because Squarespace and Google utilize secure cloud-based servers located globally, your data may be transferred to and stored on servers located outside of Australia, primarily in the United States.

Overseas Data Transfers: Because our trusted software providers may utilize secure cloud-based servers located globally, your data may be transferred to and stored on servers located outside of Australia, primarily in the United States.

4. Data Retention & Anonymization ("Privacy by Design")

We believe in minimizing data risk. We only keep your personal contact details and delivery addresses for as long as necessary to fulfill your order and handle any follow-up customer service questions.

• Our 60-Day Policy: Approximately 60 days after your cake is delivered, we permanently delete or overwrite your identifiable personal data (your name, email, phone number, and specific street address) from our active operational files.

• Tax Exceptions: Please note that basic transaction records, invoices, and tax receipts must be retained securely for up to 5 years to comply with Australian tax laws (ATO).

• Historical Metrics: To help us track our business growth, we retain purely anonymous historical metrics (such as the order date, cake flavors, order value, and general suburb/postcode). Because this data is completely de-identified, it is no longer considered personal information.

5. Security of Your Data

We take reasonable technical and organizational steps to ensure your personal data is safe from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. This includes using multi-factor authentication (MFA) on our business email, database platforms, and website hosting accounts.

6. Your Rights

You can ask us to update, change, or completely delete your contact details at any time before our automatic 60-day cleanup window. If you'd like us to remove your emails or fix a spelling mistake, just drop us a line at info@cakesbythemess.com.au and we will update or delete it from our system manually.

7. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at:

• Business Name: The Mess

• Email: info@cakesbythemess.com.au

• Location: Melbourne, VIC, Australia