Privacy Policy

Metro Blooms Member and Customer Privacy Policy

We value your privacy and will not sell your information to any other organization.  We use secure server transactions to protect your credit and identity.  We have procedures in place for safeguarding your informtion from theft, misuse, and unauthorized access.  If you have any concerns about your privacy, please read the rest of this section to learn about our information practices and our safeguards for your personal protection.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why does Metro Blooms collect personal information?  A user profile gives you easy access to our programs and services.  It also provides us with your contact information.  This allows us to send confirmation reminders and invite you to future special events.
• What personal information is collected?  We ask for your contact information when you are registering for a workshop or seminar, sending an online evaluation of one of our programs, setting up an on-site rain garden consultation, signing up to volunteer or become a member, or purchasing a product.  We ask for your credit card information when you purchase a service, make a contribution, or become a member.
• Why do you need my email address?  We prefer to do as much correspondence electronically as possible.  It is better for the planet, faster, and allows us to use funds to improve the services we provide to the community that would otherwise need to be used on postage and staff.
• Can I opt out of receiving emails?  Yes.  In fact, you can also opt out of receiving newsletters and information on garden publications and other services.  Just click here to update your personal contact information and preferences.
• Can I pay for services (e.g. workshops) by check or money order?  Metro Blooms can process a transaction by mail.  You may call us at 651-699-2426 for further information.  To submit a mailed order, describe the item you wish to purchase, and mail this description with your check or money order to Metro Blooms in a stamped envelope to this address:  Metro Blooms, P.O. Box 17099, Minneapolis, MN  55417.  You must include your name, address, zip, area code and phone number, and email address (if available).  If an email address is provided, Metro Blooms will send you a confirmation and e-ticket (if you are purchasing a workshop).  Note: If you do not have a printer, please let us know and the workshop ticket will be mailed to you.

Credit Card and Personal Information Security

Metro Blooms, in partnership with the Northeast Bank, has designed our payment systems with Authorize.Net, a leading payment gateway since 1996, to offer safe and secure credit card transactions for our members, visitors and purchasers. The www.metroblooms.org site is registered with the Authorize.Net Verified Merchant Seal program.

The page that collects your payment information does use the "HTTPS://" URL prefix that indicates a secure connection to the server. However, you cannot see it in your browser's address bar because we display the payment page within a separate "frame" on our site in order to maintain our site's design. This does not mean it is not there. It is coded into the Authorize.Net payment gateway system that manages the routing needed to protect sensitive customer information for credit card processing. To see a diagram of this process, go to www.authorize.net/resources/howitworksdiagram/. For additional information regarding the privacy of your sensitive credit cardholder data, please read the Authorize.Net Privacy Policy at www.authorize.net/company/privacy/. The company adheres to strict industry standards for payment processing, including the following: 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology for secure Internet Protocol (IP) transactions. Leading industry encryption hardware and software methods and security protocols to protect customer information. Compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard.