This policy explains how Benson Stringz LLC collects, uses, stores and shares information when you use this website, contact the workshop or bring an instrument to the bench.
Effective date: 1 January 2026
Benson Stringz LLC respects the privacy of every player, parent, teacher and visitor who comes to this website or to the workshop bench. This Privacy Policy describes the kinds of information we receive, the reasons we hold it, the choices you have and the steps we take to keep it safe. It applies to the website at www.bensonstringz.buzz and to the services offered from the workshop address listed below.
This policy was prepared for the workshop operated by the developer Benson Stringz on behalf of Benson Stringz LLC. The business is a small stringed instrument workshop serving players of the violin family, and the information we handle is modest in volume and close to the craft. Most of what we keep exists so that an instrument can be repaired correctly, so that an owner can be told what was done and so that a future visit can begin from a known point rather than from guesswork.
By using this website, sending us a message or leaving an instrument with us, you acknowledge that you have read this policy. If you do not agree with the practices described here, please do not submit information through the website and contact us before bringing an instrument to the bench so that alternative arrangements can be discussed.
Benson Stringz LLC
3287 E Bengal Blvd
Cottonwood Heights - 84121-5306
United States (US)
Benson Stringz LLC is a limited liability company operating a luthier workshop in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Our work covers hand cut bridges and soundposts, fingerboard dressing and planing, peg fitting and neck resets, bow rehairs and recambering, varnish touch up and restoration, and player setups with tonal adjustment. The workshop is the place where information about instruments and owners is gathered, and it is the place where that information is stored.
For the purposes of applicable data protection law, Benson Stringz LLC is the controller of the personal information described in this policy. That means the company decides why information is collected and how it is used. Questions about this policy, about the information we hold or about the choices available to you should be sent to the contact address below.
We do not operate a chain of stores, a call centre or a large online marketplace. The workshop is run by a small team, and the person who answers your email is very likely the person who will later fit the bridge on your instrument.
The information we collect falls into a few practical groups. We try to collect only what is needed for the work in front of us, and we do not gather information simply because a form makes it possible.
When you write to us, call us or use the contact form, we receive your name, email address, telephone number and any other contact details you choose to include. We use these details to reply, to confirm appointments and to let you know when an instrument is ready for collection.
For each instrument we receive, we record the type, maker if known, approximate age, serial or label information, measurements, string brand and gauge, bridge and post dimensions, and a description of the work requested. Photographs are taken before, during and after many repairs so that the condition of the instrument is documented and so that the owner can see what changed.
We keep emails, text messages and notes from telephone calls that relate to an instrument or an appointment. This record protects both the owner and the workshop and helps us give consistent advice when a question comes up months later.
Where a payment is made by card, the transaction is handled by a payment processor and we receive only a confirmation and the last few digits needed for reconciliation. We do not store full card numbers in our own systems.
Like most websites, our hosting environment may record technical details such as the browser type, the pages requested, the date and time of a request and a coarse location derived from an internet address. We use this information to keep the site available and to understand which pages are useful.
Most information reaches us because you provide it. You may fill in the contact form, send an email to studio@bensonstringz.buzz, call the workshop on +12709473257, speak with us at the bench or hand over a written note with an instrument. Teachers and ensemble directors sometimes send information on behalf of a student or a section, and parents send information on behalf of a child.
A smaller amount of information is generated by the work itself: measurements taken at intake, photographs of a repair, notes about how an instrument responded to a post adjustment and the date on which work was completed. Some technical information is recorded automatically by the web server when a page is requested.
We do not buy contact lists, we do not scrape social media profiles and we do not use hidden tracking that follows you from site to site. If you send us a link to a video or a recording of your playing, we treat that material with the same care as the rest of your correspondence.
We use personal information for a short list of purposes, all of them connected to running a workshop honestly.
We do not sell personal information. We do not use instrument records to build advertising profiles. We do not share the details of a customer repair with another customer, even when the two instruments are similar and the question is interesting.
Where the law requires a stated basis for processing personal information, we rely on the following grounds. Performance of a contract covers the work needed to assess, quote and carry out repairs and setups you have asked for. Legitimate interests cover the ordinary running of a small business, including correspondence, record keeping, security and the honest defence of legal claims. Consent covers optional communications such as occasional workshop news, which you may withdraw at any time. Legal obligation covers tax, accounting and other records that we are required to retain.
When information is sensitive, for example a note that a player has an injury affecting how an instrument should be set up, we use it only to adjust the work and only with your knowledge. We do not ask for medical information, and we ask you to share only what is necessary for the setup to be comfortable and safe.
An instrument record is one of the most useful things a workshop can keep. It allows a future repairer to see the bridge height that was chosen, the post position that was found to suit the player and the exact nature of an earlier crack repair. It also protects an owner who may need to explain the history of an instrument to an insurer or to a buyer.
Records include the name of the owner and, where relevant, the name of the player if different. They include measurements, photographs and written notes. We keep these records for as long as the instrument is likely to return to the bench and for a reasonable period afterwards. If you ask us to delete a record, we will do so unless we are required to keep it for accounting or legal reasons or unless the record is needed to defend a claim.
Photographs are taken on workshop devices, stored in a folder linked to the instrument file and never published without written permission. If we would like to show a repair on the website, we will ask first and we will not include an owner name, a serial number or any detail that could identify the instrument without consent.
Payments may be made by card, bank transfer or another method agreed at the bench. Card payments are processed by a regulated payment provider, which receives the card details directly. Benson Stringz LLC receives a transaction reference and a small amount of summary information, such as the amount paid and the date. We do not see or store the full card number, the security code or the billing address beyond what the processor returns for reconciliation.
Invoices and receipts contain the customer name, the work performed, the amount and the tax information required by law. These records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting rules and are shared with our accountant only to the extent needed to prepare the required filings.
Service providers act on our instructions and are expected to protect information and to use it only for the purpose for which it was shared. Examples include the company that hosts this website, the provider that handles email, the payment processor and the accounting practice that prepares our records. Each is chosen with care, and each is expected to apply appropriate technical and organisational safeguards.
We review access to customer information from time to time. Where a provider no longer needs the information, we ask for it to be deleted or returned. Where a provider processes information outside the United States, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer is lawful and that protection travels with the data.
We keep information only for as long as it serves the purpose for which it was collected, or as long as the law requires. Enquiries that do not lead to work are typically removed within two years. Appointment records are kept for three years. Instrument files are kept for the life of the relationship with the owner and for a reasonable period afterwards, because the history of a repair remains useful for many years.
Financial records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law, which is normally seven years in the United States. Website server logs are kept for a short rolling period and then discarded. When information is no longer needed, it is deleted from active systems and from backups within a reasonable cycle.
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. Access to customer records is limited to the people who need it for the work. Devices are protected with passwords and full disk encryption, backups are kept in a controlled location and paper notes are stored in the workshop rather than left on the bench overnight.
No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and no storage system is perfect. We cannot promise absolute security, but we do promise to act quickly if something goes wrong. If a breach affects your information and creates a risk to your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law, describing what happened and what you can do.
If you believe that your information has been mishandled, please contact us at studio@bensonstringz.buzz or call +12709473257 so the matter can be investigated without delay.
The workshop is located in the United States, and information collected through this website and at the bench is processed in the United States. If you visit from another country, you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your home jurisdiction.
Where we receive information from a jurisdiction with specific transfer requirements, we will take reasonable steps to provide an appropriate level of protection, including contractual protections with service providers. You may contact us for more information about the safeguards used for a particular transfer.
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, to ask for corrections, to ask for deletion, to restrict or object to certain processing, to receive a portable copy of information you provided and to withdraw consent where processing relies on consent. You also have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising a privacy right.
To make a request, write to studio@bensonstringz.buzz with enough detail for us to identify you and the information concerned. We may ask for reasonable verification before acting, so that records are not released to the wrong person. We aim to respond within thirty days, and we will tell you if a request needs more time. If we cannot fully meet a request, we will explain the reason and any appeal route available to you.
An authorised agent may submit a request on your behalf where the law allows. We may ask the agent to provide written authority and may still need to confirm your identity directly. You may also complain to your local data protection authority, although we would appreciate the chance to resolve the matter with you first.
Many instruments belong to children and young players, and their privacy matters just as much as that of adults. Information about a child is normally provided by a parent or guardian, who remains the contact for the file. We do not knowingly collect information from a child under thirteen through this website without parental involvement.
If a child writes to us directly, we will reply only as needed to answer the question and will ask for a parent or guardian to be included before any work is booked. If we learn that information has been collected from a child without the required involvement, we will delete it promptly. Parents may ask to review, correct or delete information about their child at any time by contacting the workshop.
We do not run a large mailing list and we do not send frequent promotional messages. From time to time we may send a short note about the workshop calendar, a change in opening hours or a service that may be useful to existing customers. These notes are sent only to people who have asked for them or who have an existing relationship with the workshop.
Every marketing message includes a simple way to opt out, and opting out never affects the service messages that are needed to complete work on an instrument. You may also ask us at any time to stop sending non essential messages by emailing studio@bensonstringz.buzz or calling +12709473257.
This website may include links to the sites of suppliers, teachers, ensembles or other resources that a visitor may find useful. Those sites are not controlled by Benson Stringz LLC, and their privacy practices may differ from ours. We encourage you to read the privacy notice of any site you visit before providing personal information.
A link does not mean that we endorse every practice of the destination site. If you follow a link from our pages and are asked for information that seems unusual for the purpose, please pause and contact us so that we can review the link.
This policy may be updated when our practices change, when we adopt a new service provider or when the law requires a different disclosure. The effective date at the top of the page shows when the current version began to apply. Material changes will be described on this page, and where the change is significant and we hold your contact details we will send a short notice.
We encourage you to review this page occasionally. Continuing to use the website or the workshop services after an update means that you accept the revised policy. If you do not accept a change, you may ask us to delete the information that is not required to be retained and you may stop using the services.
Questions, requests and concerns about privacy should be directed to the workshop. Please include your name, the best way to reach you and a clear description of the request so that it can be handled without unnecessary back and forth.
Benson Stringz LLC
3287 E Bengal Blvd
Cottonwood Heights - 84121-5306
United States (US)
Email: studio@bensonstringz.buzz
Phone: +12709473257
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the data protection or consumer protection authority in your jurisdiction. We will cooperate fully with any lawful investigation and will work to resolve the matter directly wherever possible.