Privacy Policy

Information on personal data protection

Privacy Policy of "BALKANIK 25" PLTD, headquartered at the office located at №30 "Tsar Simeon" Street, Entrance A, Blagoevgrad, with Unified Identification Code (EIK) 201798635 and tax number BG201798635 (from now on referred to as "BALKANIC")

In the information provided below, we inform you about using personal data by 'BALKANIC', 'we', and 'the administrator' following the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The information on data protection provided here applies to all websites, applications, and other services (referred to collectively as 'Services') offered by BALKANIC.

By accessing www.balkanic.com, you accept and agree to be bound by our Privacy Policy. If you disagree with the terms of this policy, you must immediately discontinue using the Platform and/or services.

This policy may be subject to change over time, and updates and news will be published on this page.

We guarantee that your personal information will be used and protected following this Privacy Policy.

Please thoroughly and carefully acquaint yourself with the information on protecting personal data in this section' Privacy Policy'.

Contact information for the administrator of BALKANIC responsible for processing personal data.

This current privacy policy for the protection of personal data is in force for the data processing by the legal entity:

"BALKANIK 25" PLTD, with a physical office at 30A "Tsar Simeon" Street, Blagoevgrad and a registered office in Dolna Gradeshnitsa, Blagoevgrad Province

Phone number: 087 99 44 116

Email: office@balkanic.com

Website: www.balkanic.com

BALKANIC is a data controller within the meaning of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

Categories of personal data processed by BALKANIC

1. BALKANIC may process the personal data you provide publicly. The types of personal data processed are as follows:

1.1. Information for personal identification (including name, email address, preferred communication language, and others);
1.2. Contact details (including postal and email addresses, phone numbers, virtual contact numbers, and others);
1.3. Financial information (bank account and others);
1.4. Data from the profile on the Platform (including name, postal and email addresses, phone number, date of birth, etc.).

2. BALKANIC has the right to process data generated and produced by databases in the process of providing tourism and marketing services:

2.1. Data about the type of device, operating system used, IP address, location (if enabled);
2.2. Data about your preferred services;
2.3. Communication data between you and our Platform (activity while using the services, feedback, complaints, requests, and similar);
2.4. Information regarding visits to BALKANIC and the use of the Platform, including Platform usage operations and history;
2.5. Video and audio recordings during visits to our central office, as well as voice recordings during calls made to the BALKANIC customer service centre;
2.6. Video recordings or photographs (in the form of a screenshot) created under previously announced conditions for participation in games and/or other promotional campaigns organised on social profiles or the BALKANIC platform.

BALKANIC has the right to process any information available in public registers and information obtained from third parties concerning the fulfilment of legal requirements regarding users on the Platform.
Personal data may be processed individually or grouped.

Purposes and legal basis for the processing of personal data by BALKANIC

BALKANIC uses and processes personal and company data necessary for the conclusion or performance of contracts with us as a service provider or in connection with the preparation for the conclusion of agreements between the two parties.

BALKANIC processes the data of each user and host for the following purposes:

1.1. Identifying the host/partner when entering into a new contract or modifying an existing one with our business; clarifying services used; executing a concluded contract.
1.2. Preparing proposals before entering into contracts and sending pre-contractual information.
1.3. Data obtained with your consent for exercising rights and ensuring performance under contracts between you and BALKANIC;
1.4. Administration and response to customer complaints/queries/grievances/reviews/comments; refunds and compliments in situations warranting these actions;
1.5. Technical assistance in creating an account(s) and recovering the forgotten password(s) for access to our Platform, including assisting in electronically servicing electronic invoices.
1.6. Payment of obligations, deferred payment of due amounts, management of debt collection.
In fulfilling its legal obligations, BALKANIC processes data for the following purposes:
2.1. Issuing invoices, reports, statements, and internal corporate analyses;
2.2. For conducting tax and insurance audits by the relevant competent authorities;
2.3. Fulfilling obligations related to reservations and sales made under the Consumer Protection Act;
2.4. Providing information to the Commission for Personal Data Protection regarding obligations specified in the regulations for personal data protection – the Personal Data Protection Act, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of April 27, 2016, and others;
2.5. Obligations stipulated in the Accounting Act, the Tax and Social Security Procedure Code, and other related regulatory acts for the proper and lawful conduct of accounting.
BALKANIC processes the relevant data provided with the customer's explicit consent for their processing for administrative and marketing purposes, which occurs after accepting the general rules and conditions at www.balkanic.com. Based on the consent of each registered user and host, BALKANIC processes personal data for the following purposes.
3.1. Creating and managing a personal profile on the Website; technical support for profile creation/recovery of forgotten password for access to our Website;
3.2.Direct and digital marketing of products and services;
3.3.Participation in surveys, gift
Processing is necessary for the legitimate interests pursued by BALKANIC.
4.1. Assessment and analysis of user behaviour on the platform www.balkanic.com, as well as the effectiveness of the advertising we direct and offer to users and our partners;
4.2. Analysis of reservation history data, user behaviour on the Platform, and the way they prefer to complete their reservation to enhance the UX and UI design of BALKANIC;
4.3. Ensuring quality of service for users (technical support for forgotten passwords, username replacement, and administrative settings for a user's account).
Third parties with access to and process personal data collected and stored by BALKANIC.
5.1. Logistic/courier companies postal operators, to fulfil our contractual obligations (BALKANIC and hosts), send correspondence, email printouts, and communications related to the contract between us;
5.2. Persons authorised by BALKANIC to maintain billing software, payment, and maintenance of the entire balkanic.com platform used for processing your personal data;
5.3. Service providers for debt collection, notaries, lawyers, enforcement officers, or other third parties if the host has breached the obligation arising from the contract with us;
5.4. Banks servicing payments made to and from you as a user and/or host/partner;
5.5. Persons to whom BALKANIC has outsourced part of the activities or obligations related to administrative services and the operation of the balkanic.com platform owed to you as a user and/or host/partner;

These individuals are part of the “BALKANIK 25” PLTD. team, employed under an employment contract, and carry out their duties and specifications related to the business's activities and clients.
The administrator is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body processing personal data on our behalf, for which we remain responsible for data processing. Administrators do not use the data for their purposes but solely process data for the person responsible.

5.6. Persons providing consultancy services in various fields – lawyers, accountants, marketing agencies, etc.;
5.7. Government bodies and institutions to which we must provide personal data under applicable legislation.

Personal Data Retention Period

The duration and retention period of personal data depends on the purposes for which they were collected:

Personal data processed to enter/modify and execute contracts between BALKANIC and a host/partner is retained within the contract period until the final settlement of all financial relations between the parties.
BALKANIC may retain some of the personal data of hosts and partners for a more extended period until the expiration of the relevant statute of limitations to protect against potential claims by clients in connection with the performance/termination of contracts with us, as well as for an extended period in the event of an ongoing legal dispute until its final resolution by a legally binding court/arbitration decision;
Personal data processed for issuing accounting/financial documents for tax and insurance control, not limited to – invoices, debit, credit notices, delivery-acceptance protocols, and service/goods provision contracts, are retained for at least 11 years after the expiration of the limitation period for the public claim settlement unless the applicable legislation provides for a more extended period.
Personal data is processed for participation in newsletters, the BALKANIC platform, and management of the profile on www.balkanic.com until explicit withdrawal of consent or receipt of objection to processing personal data for profile management purposes and email marketing.
Personal data processed for direct and digital marketing – until the explicit withdrawal of consent for direct and digital marketing or receipt of objection for processing personal data for direct and digital marketing.

Rights regarding the processing of personal data of users, hosts, and partners

General Rights

Regarding processing personal data, you have the following rights, which you can exercise at any time while we store or process your data by sending a request to the address of BALKANIC provided above or via email: office@balkanic.com.
You have the right to request that our team process your data:
A copy of your data;
Correction of your data with updated information;
Permanent deletion of your data without undue delay if one of the legal grounds exists;
To restrict the processing of your data, in which case the data will only be stored but not processed. Our refusal to restrict will be explicitly in writing, and we are obliged to provide a lawful reason for it;
You also have the right to: withdraw your consent for processing your data at any time by a separate request sent to BALKANIC when the processing is based on your consent.

Personal Data Security

BALKANIC does not transmit, share, or distribute personal data to foreign countries or individuals who are not part of the BALKANIC partner network. The partners have already been specified: administrative staff at BALKANIC, state institutions, banks, accounting and legal bodies, marketing agencies, and the technical support department.

In the Event of Personal Data Rights Violations

In any situation that compromises the personal data of our users, BALKANIC commits to promptly informing all affected individuals and assisting with technical matters related to deleting a user’s profile or ensuring additional protection.

BALKANIC is not obligated to notify users when implementing technical and organizational security measures concerning data affected by a personal data security breach.

Automated Processing and Profiling

While using our Platform, www.balkanic.com, we employ automated processing to tailor products and services to the user's needs in the best possible way. Therefore, you can easily benefit from the Platform's automation in your user profile.

Objection to use for direct marketing

You have the right to object to future processing of your data for direct and online marketing purposes, as well as their disclosure to third parties and their use on behalf of third parties for direct and digital marketing purposes, by withdrawing your consent at any time. To exercise this right, you can send an electronic message requesting to cease using your data for direct and digital marketing purposes to office@balkanic.com.

How does BALKANIC protect personal data?

BALKANIC implements organisational, physical, and information technology measures to ensure the security and protection of personal data.

Some of our activities related to data protection include:

BALKANIC, as a legal entity, has established requirements for the processing, registration, and storage of personal data within internal procedures, compliance with which is constantly monitored in a natural environment.
Access to personal data by BALKANIC employees and their permission to process personal data in the database are limited based on their responsibilities.
BALKANIC has confidentiality obligations for its employees.
Access to office equipment at BALKANIC and each employee's laptop is restricted.
BALKANIC applies all necessary organizational and technical measures, as provided in the Law on the Protection of Personal Data, as well as best practices from international standards, to ensure the security of our service.

Our security measures are subject to continuous improvement and enhancement with the most cutting-edge technologies.

No Show by the Client

The “No Show” situation—when a client has made a reservation, paid for it, but did not show up—activates BALKANIC’s internal policy, which processes personal data: name, surname, phone number, email, correspondence address, and recent payments.

An administrator will contact the client/user in a “No Show” situation after the second day of non-attendance, as there are cases where guests arrive a day late due to unforeseen circumstances.

Reservation Cancellation in BALKANIC

Each user can cancel their reservation by logging into their personal account, selecting the property from upcoming reservations, and clicking the cancellation button. In the case of cancellation, BALKANIC’s internal policies apply, allowing for a refund of up to 80% of the total reservation value via bank transfer.

If the reservation is canceled 14 days before the check-in date, we will refund 80% of the reservation price.
If the reservation is canceled 7 days before the check-in date, we will refund 70% of the reservation price.
In case of force majeure circumstances, the user must communicate with our team, explaining the situation and providing contact information. The case will be reviewed within 3 (three) business days, and a relevant response will be provided.

Complaint to a Supervisory Authority

You have the right to exercise your rights as a user. If, for any legal reason, you are dissatisfied with BALKANIC’s actions regarding your personal data, we would appreciate it if you first informed us so that we can understand your issue and try to resolve it. Our data protection officer will review your request and will commit to answering all your questions. However, if you feel that BALKANIC has not adequately addressed your concern or that your rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint with a supervisory authority. The relevant authority in the Republic of Bulgaria is the Commission for Personal Data Protection.