Cookies
Our websites use cookies. A cookie is a file containing an identifier (a string of letters and numbers) that is sent by a web server to a web browser and is stored by the browser. The identifier is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.
Cookies may be either "persistent" cookies or "session" cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed.
Adventure Balloons Ltd use the following categories of cookies:
- Strictly necessary cookies: These are vital to make the website work properly. This category of cookie may include those which allow online shopping baskets to function.
- Performance cookies: These cookies generally help us fix bugs or glitches on the website. They may also provide analytics on which web pages are popular, allowing the website operator to improve the quality of the user's experience.
- Functionality cookies: These may include settings like language settings, text size and anything that remembers the particular settings chosen by the user.
How we use cookies
We use both session and persistent cookies on our website. Cookies are used for the following purposes:
- Identifying users when they sign into a website, allowing them to see a customised version and therefore eliminating the need to re-enter their log-in details.
- Tracking usage of our websites to better develop it in the future.
- To speed up searches.
Cookies do not typically contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that we store about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies.
Blocking cookies
Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies, for example:
- In Internet Explorer (version 10) you can block cookies using the cookie handling override settings available by clicking "Tools", "Internet Options", "Privacy" and then "Advanced"
- In Firefox (version 24) you can block all cookies by clicking "Tools", "Options", "Privacy", selecting "Use custom settings for history" from the drop-down menu, and unticking "Accept cookies from sites"
- In Chrome (version 29), you can block all cookies by accessing the "Customise and control" menu, and clicking "Settings", "Show advanced settings" and "Content settings", and then selecting "Block sites from setting any data" under the "Cookies" heading
- In MACOS Safari, you can block cookies by navigating to Safari > Preferences, click Privacy, then choose Always block.
Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites. If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.
You can delete cookies already stored on your computer, for example:
- In Internet Explorer (version 10), you must manually delete cookie files (you can find instructions for doing so at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278835)
- In Firefox (version 24), you can delete cookies by clicking "Tools", "Options" and "Privacy", then selecting "Use custom settings for history", clicking "Show Cookies", and then clicking "Remove All Cookies"
- In Chrome (version 29), you can delete all cookies by accessing the "Customise and control" menu, and clicking "Settings", "Show advanced settings" and "Clear browsing data", and then selecting "Delete cookies and other site and plug-in data" before clicking "Clear browsing data"
- In MACOS Safari, you can block cookies by navigating to Safari > Preferences, click Privacy, then select Remove stored cookies and data.
Deleting cookies will have a negative impact on the usability of many websites. You can see details of the cookies we use and why here:
