Privacy policy

PRIVACY POLICY

EchoWave Music is the trading name of ECHO WAVE MUSIC (PTY) LTD
(Reg. 2020/482460/07), 153 Ontdekkers Road, Horison Park, Roodepoort,
1724. We are the responsible party for the personal information
described here, as that term is used in the Protection of Personal
Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").

This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, how
long we keep it, and what you can ask us to do about it. It applies to
echowavemusic.co.za, to our store, and to our dealings with you by
email, phone and WhatsApp.

1. WHAT WE COLLECT

1.1  Information you give us. Your name, email address, telephone
number, billing and delivery addresses, the contents of your order,
and anything you tell us in an enquiry, a repair booking, a trade-in
or consignment submission, or a warranty claim.

1.2  Payment information. Card payments are processed by our payment
providers. We do not receive or store full card numbers. We receive
confirmation of payment, the payment method, and the last four digits
of the card.

1.3  Information collected automatically. When you use the site we
collect your IP address, device and browser type, language and time
zone, referring page or search term, the pages and products you view,
and how you interact with the site. We collect this through cookies,
log files and tracking pixels.

1.4  Information from others. Our payment and fraud-screening
providers may give us risk indicators about a transaction. Where you
apply for a layby or credit arrangement, we may receive information
from the relevant provider.

2. WHY WE PROCESS IT, AND ON WHAT BASIS

2.1  To perform our contract with you: taking and fulfilling orders,
arranging delivery or collection, processing payment, issuing invoices,
handling returns, repairs, warranty claims, trade-ins and consignment.

2.2  To comply with our legal obligations: tax and accounting records,
consumer protection obligations, and responding to lawful requests from
authorities.

2.3  For our legitimate interests, being the proper running of the
business: fraud screening and risk management, securing our systems,
stock and demand planning, understanding how the site is used,
improving what we offer, recovering amounts owed, and establishing,
exercising or defending legal claims.

2.4  With your consent, where consent is what the law requires — for
example certain marketing to people who are not existing customers,
and non-essential cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time,
without affecting processing already carried out.

3. MARKETING

3.1  If you have bought from us, section 69(3) of POPIA permits us to
send you marketing about our own similar products and services, because
your details were obtained in the course of that sale. Every message
includes a way to opt out, and we offer you that choice when we first
collect your details.

3.2  If you have not bought from us, we will only send you electronic
marketing if you have asked us to.

3.3  You may opt out at any time using the unsubscribe link in any
message, by replying STOP to a WhatsApp or SMS message, or by emailing
info@echowavemusic.co.za. Opting out of marketing does not stop
transactional messages about an order, repair or account, which we
send because we have to.

4. COOKIES AND TRACKING

4.1  Essential cookies keep the site working — your cart, your session,
security. The site cannot function without them.

4.2  Analytics and advertising cookies and pixels help us understand
how the site is used and let us show you relevant advertising on
platforms including Meta and Google. These are not essential and you
can decline or later withdraw consent to them.

4.3  You can also control these through your browser settings, and
through the advertising preferences of the relevant platform.

4.4  We do not currently respond to browser "Do Not Track" signals, as
no common standard for them has been settled.

5. WHO WE SHARE IT WITH

5.1  Operators who process personal information on our behalf, under
written contract and only on our instructions. These include our
e-commerce platform, point-of-sale and accounting systems, payment
providers, couriers and freight forwarders, email and messaging
providers, analytics and advertising platforms, and our IT and hosting
providers.

5.2  Third parties where necessary to deliver what you asked for:
manufacturers and distributors handling a warranty claim or special
order, and independent technicians carrying out a repair.

5.3  Professional advisers, insurers, and debt recovery agents, where
relevant.

5.4  Authorities, where we are required by law or where disclosure is
necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

5.5  A purchaser or successor, if the business or part of it is sold or
restructured.

5.6  We do not sell your personal information.

6. INFORMATION SENT OUTSIDE SOUTH AFRICA

Some of our providers process information outside South Africa,
including in the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States
and Canada. Where that happens we rely on section 72 of POPIA: the
recipient is subject to a law, binding corporate rules or a binding
agreement providing an adequate level of protection, or the transfer
is necessary to perform our contract with you.

7. HOW LONG WE KEEP IT

7.1  Order, invoice and payment records: five years from the end of the
relevant tax year, as required by the Tax Administration Act.

7.2  Repair, service, warranty and trade-in records: five years, so we
can honour warranties, evidence work carried out, and trace instrument
history.

7.3  Customer account and contact details: while your account is active
and for three years afterwards, matching the general prescription
period for contractual claims.

7.4  Marketing contact details: until you opt out, after which we keep
a minimal suppression record so that we do not contact you again.

7.5  Website and analytics data: up to 26 months.

7.6  Records relevant to a dispute, claim or investigation: until it is
finally resolved and any appeal period has passed.

7.7  Where you ask us to delete information, we will do so unless we
are required or entitled to keep it under 7.1 to 7.6, in which case we
will restrict its use to those purposes and tell you.

8. YOUR RIGHTS

8.1  You may ask us to confirm what personal information we hold about
you and to provide a copy of it; correct or update it; delete it, where
we are not required or entitled to keep it; and object, on reasonable
grounds, to processing we carry out on the basis of legitimate
interests.

8.2  Requests should be made in writing to our Information Officer at
info@echowavemusic.co.za. Access requests are handled under the
Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 and must be submitted
on the prescribed form. A prescribed fee may be payable.

8.3  We will verify your identity before acting on a request, and will
respond within the period the law allows, ordinarily 30 days.

8.4  Objecting to processing, or asking us to delete information we
need to complete a transaction, may mean we can no longer fulfil an
order, honour a warranty or provide a service.

9. SECURITY

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect
personal information against loss, damage and unauthorised access,
appropriate to the risk. No system is entirely secure and we cannot
guarantee absolute security. If a security compromise affecting your
personal information occurs, we will notify the Information Regulator
and affected individuals as POPIA requires.

10. CHILDREN

Our site and services are intended for people aged 18 and over. Orders
must be placed by a person of 18 or older, or by a parent or guardian
on a minor's behalf. We do not knowingly collect the personal
information of a child without the consent of a competent person. If
you believe we have, contact us and we will delete it.

11. CHANGES

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices or in
the law. The current version is always published on our site, with the
date it took effect.

12. CONTACT AND COMPLAINTS

Information Officer
EchoWave Music — ECHO WAVE MUSIC (PTY) LTD
153 Ontdekkers Road, Horison Park, Roodepoort, 1724
info@echowavemusic.co.za · 079 857 0779

Please raise any concern with us first. You also have the right to
complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa:
JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
complaints.IR@inforegulator.org.za · inforegulator.org.za

Effective date: 11 September 2026
Previously published under the name Fouche Guitars.