> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.florists.digital/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Deleting a Customer (GDPR)

> Handle right-to-be-forgotten requests — what gets removed, what is kept for legal and accounting reasons.

Under UK GDPR a customer can ask you to delete their personal data, known as the **right to erasure** or **right to be forgotten**. Deleting a customer removes their personal information while keeping the order, transaction, and invoice records you're legally required to retain.

<Warning>
  Make sure you have proper consent before exporting or sharing customer data. Follow your shop's data protection policy.
</Warning>

## Before you delete

Take a moment to confirm:

* **Identity** — make sure the request is genuine. Verify the requester is the person whose data you're being asked to delete.
* **Outstanding business** — if the customer has open orders, an unpaid balance, or an active event booking, resolve those first. Digital Florists does not block the delete for you.
* **Marketing lists** — deletion only affects records inside Digital Florists. Remove the customer from any external email or marketing tool you've already exported their details to.

## What gets removed

Running the delete removes the customer record and the personal details attached to it: name, email, phone, address book, notes, and marketing preferences.

## What is kept

Orders, transactions, invoices, events, and tasks remain in Digital Florists. They are reassigned to a single shared placeholder customer called **Deleted Customers**, so your financial reports stay accurate. Loyalty balances, credit transactions, marketing reminders, and any repeat-order schedules attached to the customer are removed.

## Running a delete

Customer deletion is a bulk action. You can delete up to ten customers at once from a dedicated page.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the bulk delete page">
    On the **Customers** page, open the options menu and choose **Delete Customers**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the customers">
    Search for and add each customer you want to delete. You can include up to ten at a time. Click a selected customer to remove them from the list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Delete Selected Customers** and confirm the prompt. Digital Florists reassigns each customer's records to the **Deleted Customers** placeholder, removes the personal details, and writes an audit log entry.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Customer deletion is **irreversible**. The personal data is permanently removed and can't be restored. Digital Florists does not warn you about open orders or unpaid balances before the delete runs, so check those yourself first.
</Warning>

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can the customer ask for a data export instead?">
    Digital Florists currently exports customers in bulk by date range, not individually. If you receive a subject access request, contact [support](mailto:hello@digitalflorists.com) and they'll help you produce the data set the requester is entitled to.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long do we have to respond to a request?">
    Under UK GDPR you have one calendar month from the verified request. Extensions are possible for complex cases but you must tell the requester.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if the customer is a business contact rather than a private individual?">
    Personal data about an identifiable person is covered by UK GDPR even when they're acting in a business capacity. Delete their personal contact details as you would any other request. Records that don't identify a person — for example a company name on past invoices — can stay.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I delete a customer from the Digital Florists App?">
    No. Customer deletion is a web-only action on the desktop dashboard.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What's next?

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Customer merge" icon="merge" href="/business/customer-merge">
    Consolidate duplicate customer records.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Reports" icon="file-export" href="/analytics/reports">
    Export customer and order data in bulk.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit logs" icon="shield-halved" href="/settings/audit-logs">
    Review the record of GDPR request handling.
  </Card>
</Columns>