Privacy Policy

Our posture

Hearstead is built around trust and data minimization. We collect and use personal information only as needed to operate the site, process orders, provide support, improve the experience, protect the service, and comply with legal and business obligations.

Information we collect

Depending on how you use Hearstead, we may collect identifiers and contact information such as name, email, phone number, shipping address, billing address, and ZIP code; order information such as products, quantities, prices, taxes, shipping method, order status, return/RMA status, refund status, and support history; payment metadata from payment processors; support messages and product questions; Cathy/Product Expert conversation and product-guidance records where those features preserve history; Connect/contact submissions; and site, device, security, and basic analytics information.

We do not intentionally collect full payment-card numbers on Hearstead systems. Payment processing is handled by payment processors.

Sensitive health information

Hearstead is not a medical provider. Please do not submit sensitive medical details, emergency information, detailed hearing-health narratives, or clinical records through ordinary order, support, Cathy, Product Expert, or contact channels unless we specifically ask for information needed for a support issue.

We do not send Connect form details, hearing-screen answers, or sensitive hearing-health narratives to Google Analytics.

How we use information

• operate and secure the site;
• process orders, payments, taxes, shipping, fulfillment, returns, refunds, warranty support, and customer service;
• communicate about orders, support requests, policy questions, privacy requests, accessibility issues, and product questions;
• provide Cathy/Product Expert guidance within approved boundaries;
• prevent fraud, abuse, unauthorized orders, and security incidents;
• maintain business, accounting, tax, legal, compliance, and operational records;
• improve content, navigation, product information, and site performance.

How we share information

We may share information with service providers and partners who help us operate Hearstead, including payment processors, ecommerce infrastructure providers, tax tools, email providers, hosting and security providers, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, fulfillment partners, carriers, support and operational tools, analytics and performance tools, and professional advisors where needed.

Supplier-fulfilled orders may require us to share shipping and order information with the approved supplier or fulfillment partner. We do not sell personal information.

Retention

We keep information as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, including order records, accounting and tax records, support history, warranty/RMA records, security logs, legal compliance, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, and service improvement. Retention periods may vary by record type and legal requirement.

Your choices and requests

You may contact Hearstead about privacy questions, access, correction, deletion, or other rights that may apply in your jurisdiction. Use hello@hearstead.com or the support/contact path and include privacy request in your message. We may ask for information needed to verify and process your request.

California notice

California residents should review Hearstead's California Privacy Notice for additional information about California privacy rights.