Privacy Policy
How DesignAxis collects, uses, and protects your personal information.
This Privacy Policy is governed by the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA) of the Republic of South Africa. By using our website or placing an order, you agree to the terms of this policy.
1. Who We Are
DesignAxis is a South African business offering custom 3D printing, CAD design, and reverse engineering services. We operate an online shop and provide services to individuals and businesses across South Africa.
Information Officer
2. Personal Information We Collect
When you interact with our website or place an order, we may collect the following personal information:
| Category | Information Collected | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Full name | Order processing & communication |
| Contact | Email address, phone number | Order updates, quotes, support |
| Delivery | Physical/shipping address | Courier dispatch via Pudo / 2Ship |
| Payment | Payment confirmation details (not card numbers — processed by PayFast) | Order fulfilment & accounting |
| Technical | IP address, browser type, pages visited | Website analytics (Google Analytics) |
| Design Files | STL, STEP, OBJ, DXF or other CAD files you upload | Manufacturing your order |
We do not collect South African ID numbers, passport numbers, or biometric information.
3. How We Collect Your Information
- Directly from you when you place an order, request a quote, or contact us
- Through our website via cookies and analytics tools
- Via WhatsApp Business when you communicate with us through that channel
- Through our payment gateway (PayFast) during checkout
4. How We Use Your Information
We process your personal information only for lawful purposes, including:
- Processing and fulfilling your orders
- Communicating with you about your order status, quotes, and support queries
- Arranging delivery through Pudo or courier partners (currently transitioning to 2Ship)
- Processing payments via PayFast, EFT, or cash on delivery
- Complying with our legal and tax obligations under South African law
- Improving our website and services through analytics
- Sending you relevant updates if you have opted in to marketing communications
5. Third Parties We Share Information With
We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with the following third-party service providers solely to deliver our services:
| Third Party | Purpose | Data Shared |
|---|---|---|
| PayFast | Payment processing | Name, email, order amount |
| Pudo / 2Ship | Courier & delivery management | Name, delivery address, contact number |
| Google Analytics | Website usage analytics | Anonymised browsing data |
| Meta (Facebook Pixel) | Advertising & remarketing | Browsing behaviour (cookied) |
| WhatsApp Business (Meta) | Customer communication | Messages you send us |
All third parties are required to handle your data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
6. Cookies
Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. These include:
- Essential cookies — required for the website and shop to function
- Analytics cookies — Google Analytics, to understand how visitors use our site
- Marketing cookies — Meta Pixel, to show relevant ads on Facebook and Instagram
You may disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect certain features of our website.
7. How Long We Keep Your Information
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and as required by South African law:
- Order and payment records — 5 years, in compliance with SARS requirements under the Tax Administration Act
- Customer communications — up to 3 years from last interaction
- Design files you submitted — deleted upon your written request, unless retention is required for a dispute or legal matter
- Analytics data — as per Google Analytics retention settings (maximum 26 months)
8. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Payment card data is never stored on our servers — all card transactions are handled directly by PayFast on their PCI-DSS compliant platform.
9. Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the right to:
- Be notified that your personal information is being collected
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
- Request deletion of your personal information (subject to our legal retention obligations)
- Object to the processing of your personal information
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@designaxis.co.za. We will respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.
10. Information Regulator
If you believe we have not handled your personal information lawfully, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:
- Website: www.inforegulator.org.za
- Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent update. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.