Privacy Notice

1. Scope

This Privacy Notice explains how Akako House collects, uses, shares, protects, and retains personal information through akakohouse.com, customer and partner accounts, quote and ceremony services, communications, payments, reviews, media submissions, and related operations.

This notice applies to customers, prospective customers, website visitors, event contacts, and guests who communicate directly with Akako House. Separate workforce and partner notices may apply to employment, contractor, compliance, payout, identity, permit, insurance, and training records.

2. Information we collect

Depending on the interaction, Akako House may collect:

- Identity and contact information: name, email, telephone number, account identifiers, mailing or event address, and authorized contact information.
- Event and quote information: event type, date, time, location, guest count, indoor or venue conditions, access details, service preferences, notes, customer communications, quote amount, deposit, and acceptance status.
- Accommodation and safety information: allergy, dietary, accessibility, religious, language, or guest-safety information voluntarily provided for planning. Please provide only information reasonably necessary for service.
- Account and authentication information: password hashes, email-verification status, login and security records. Akako House does not have access to a user's readable account password.
- Payment and transaction information: payment status, amount, dates, processor references, receipts, refunds, disputes, and billing-related records. Complete payment-card information is handled by the payment provider and is not stored in the Akako House booking database.
- Policy and contract records: accepted policy titles, versions and text, acceptance date and time, customer identity, and available IP-address information.
- Service and operational records: partner availability, assignments, attendance, incident, complaint, cancellation, service-recovery, outcome, and ceremony-history records.
- Content and feedback: reviews, ratings, testimonials, photographs, videos, captions, consent records, and related moderation information when submitted or authorized.
- Technical and analytics information: IP address, browser or device information, pages or interactions, referral information, security logs, cookies, and analytics identifiers when those tools are enabled.

3. How we use information

Akako House uses personal information to:

- respond to inquiries and prepare custom quotes;
- evaluate service area, scheduling, partner capacity, venue and safety feasibility;
- create and administer customer or partner accounts;
- coordinate ceremonies, accommodations, access, assignments, payments, cancellations, and support;
- communicate confirmations, quotes, availability requests, payment notices, reminders, policy records, and operational updates;
- process payments, refunds, receipts, disputes, payouts, accounting, and tax records;
- maintain safety, food-service, insurance, incident, complaint, and compliance records;
- prevent fraud, misuse, unauthorized access, and scheduling conflicts;
- moderate and publish authorized reviews or media;
- measure service quality and improve operations using information appropriate for that purpose; and
- comply with law, legal process, insurance requirements, and enforceable agreements.

Akako House does not sell personal information for money and does not use allergy or accommodation information for advertising.

4. How we share information

Akako House may share information only as reasonably necessary with:

- Assigned Cultural Ambassadors and operational partners, who receive event, contact, access, safety, and service information necessary to evaluate availability or deliver the ceremony.
- Hosting and storage providers, including DigitalOcean infrastructure and object storage used to operate the website and retain authorized files.
- Email providers, including Zoho, used to send and receive account and service communications.
- Payment providers, including Stripe when enabled, used to process payments, refunds, and disputes.
- Analytics providers, including Google Analytics when enabled, subject to the site's configured analytics and consent practices.
- Professional advisers and insurers when reasonably necessary for accounting, legal, insurance, risk, or claim handling.
- Authorities or other parties when required by law, legal process, safety need, fraud prevention, protection of rights, or enforcement of an agreement.
- A successor organization in a merger, financing, reorganization, or transfer of business assets, subject to appropriate confidentiality and notice where required.

Service providers are expected to use information for the services they provide to Akako House and to protect it appropriately.

5. Cookies and analytics

The website may use essential cookies for sessions, account security, forms, and preferences. These cookies are necessary for core functionality.

If optional analytics is enabled, Akako House may collect information about visits and interactions to understand site performance and customer journeys. Where required, optional analytics will be controlled through an appropriate notice or consent mechanism. Browser controls may also limit cookies, although disabling essential cookies can prevent account or form features from working.

6. Marketing communications

Service communications concerning a request, quote, payment, assignment, policy, cancellation, safety matter, or ceremony are not marketing and may be sent when necessary to administer the relationship.

Promotional email is sent only where Akako House has an appropriate basis, such as an opt-in. A recipient may unsubscribe from marketing without affecting necessary service communications.

7. Reviews, photographs, and testimonials

Submitting a booking does not authorize public use of identifiable event content. Akako House obtains appropriate permission before publishing identifiable photographs, video, testimonials, private-event details, or customer logos.

Customers and participants may decline marketing capture. Consent records may be retained with the related content. Withdrawal requests will be reviewed promptly according to the authorization already granted and applicable law. Content already lawfully printed, distributed, archived, or used under an irrevocable authorization may not always be fully recoverable.

8. Retention

Akako House retains information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described above, including service delivery, account administration, financial and tax obligations, payment disputes, insurance, incidents, contracts, legal claims, consent verification, security, and legitimate operational records.

Retention periods vary by record type. Legal holds, disputes, safety incidents, insurance requirements, and statutory obligations may extend retention. When information is no longer required, Akako House will take reasonable steps to delete, destroy, anonymize, or restrict it according to its records practices.

9. Security

Akako House uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards appropriate to the information and the size of the business. Measures may include named accounts, role-based access, secure connections, restricted private-document storage, password hashing, provider access controls, backups, logging, and removal of access when roles end.

No online system or transmission method is completely secure. Customers should use a unique password, protect verification links, and promptly report suspected account or communication misuse to [email protected].

10. Customer choices and requests

Depending on applicable law and the nature of the record, a customer may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information; request a copy; withdraw optional marketing consent; or ask questions about sharing and retention.

Submit a request to [email protected]. Akako House may verify identity and authority before responding. A request may be limited or denied when information must be retained for payment, tax, contract, safety, insurance, fraud prevention, legal claims, another person's rights, or another lawful reason. Akako House will explain material limitations where required.

Akako House does not discriminate against a customer for exercising an applicable privacy right.

11. Children

Akako House services may occur at family events, but the website and customer account services are not directed to children under 13. A parent, guardian, host, school, or other authorized adult should provide any information necessary for a child's accommodation or event participation. Do not submit unnecessary information about minors.

12. Data incidents

Akako House investigates suspected loss, unauthorized access, mistaken transmission, or compromise. When notification is legally required, Akako House will provide notice to affected persons and authorities in accordance with applicable requirements.

13. Changes to this notice

Akako House may update this notice to reflect changes in services, providers, practices, or law. The active notice will display its version and effective date. Material changes will be communicated as required. A policy version accepted with a quote remains preserved with that booking record.

14. Contact

For privacy questions or requests, contact:

Akako House
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://akakohouse.com

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