Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
Return OS (operated by [FOUNDER: company legal name], [FOUNDER: registered address]) provides returns management for online stores. This policy explains what we process, why, and for how long.
Who we are in the data flow
For shopper data handled through a store's return portal, the store (merchant) is the data controller and Return OS is a processor acting on the merchant's instructions under our Data Processing Agreement. For merchant account data (your login, billing), Return OS is the controller.
What we process
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Merchant account: email, name, password hash | Sign-in, notifications about return requests |
| Store credentials (WooCommerce API keys) | Executing refunds you approve; encrypted at rest |
| Shopper: email, order number, ordered items, return reason | Processing the return the shopper requested |
| Order snapshots (items, amounts, currency) | Showing the merchant what was ordered; computing refund amounts |
We do not store payment card details — refunds run through the store's own payment gateway. We do not sell data and we do not use it for advertising.
Retention
Shopper personal data on a return is anonymized 180 days after the return reaches a terminal state. Financial records of executed refunds are kept as required for accounting. When a merchant's subscription ends, their data is retained 90 days and then deleted or anonymized.
Erasure requests
Shoppers can request erasure via the store they bought from, or from us directly. Erasure anonymizes the return and its order snapshot; records that a refund of a given amount was executed are retained, without personal data, as financial records.
Subprocessors
| Provider | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Hetzner Online GmbH | Hosting and databases | Germany (EU) |
| Backblaze, Inc. | Encrypted backups, uploaded return labels | EU region |
| Resend, Inc. | Transactional email delivery | USA |
| Functional Software, Inc. (Sentry) | Error monitoring | USA |
| Paddle.com Market Ltd | Merchant billing (merchant of record) | UK |
| Cloudflare, Inc. (Turnstile) | Abuse protection on the shopper portal | USA/global |
Contact
Privacy questions and requests: [FOUNDER: contact email].