Privacy Policy for Gas Safety Manchester

Last Updated: 22 April, 2025

This Privacy Policy describes how Gas Safety Manchester ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares personal information when you use our website (https://gassafetymanchester.co.uk/) or our services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled in a secure and responsible manner. This policy has been developed in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide and improve our services, to communicate with you, and to comply with legal obligations. The types of information we collect include:

• Contact Information:

• Name
• Address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Any other contact details you provide when you:

• Make an enquiry
• Request a service
• Create an account (if applicable)
• Communicate with us

• Service Information:

• Details of the services you request or that we provide to you
• Property address
• Appliance details (e.g., boiler type, serial number)
• Service history
• Gas Safety Certificates (CP12) and other related documentation
• EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report) data

• Website Usage Data:

• IP address
• Browser type
• Operating system
• Referring URLs
• Pages visited
• Dates and times of visits
• Cookies and similar technologies (see section 7 below)
• Information about how you use our website

• Booking and Quotation Data:

• Information provided when booking services or requesting a quotation, including service preferences, dates, and property details.

• Communication Data: Records of our communications with you, including:

• Emails
• Phone calls
• SMS messages
• Online chat records
• Social media interactions (if applicable)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for a variety of purposes, including:

• To Provide and Manage Services:

• To schedule and perform gas safety checks, installations, repairs, and other services.
• To provide you with the services you have requested.
• To manage our relationship with you.
• To process payments.
• To issue Gas Safety Certificates and other necessary documentation.
• To carry out EICR inspections and provide reports.

• To Communicate with You:

• To respond to your enquiries.
• To provide updates about your appointments and service requests.
• To send you important information related to our services, including safety information and reminders.
• To provide customer service and support.
• To obtain feedback and reviews.

• To Improve Our Website and Services:

• To analyze website usage data to improve our website's functionality and user experience.
• To monitor and improve the quality of our services.
• To customize the website according to your interests.

• For Internal Record Keeping:

• To maintain accurate records of our services, customer interactions, and financial transactions.
• For administrative and business purposes.

• For Legal Compliance:

• To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.
• To respond to requests from law enforcement agencies or regulatory bodies.
• To establish, exercise or defend our legal rights.

• For Marketing Purposes (with your consent, where required):

• To send you promotional materials and information about our services that may be of interest to you.
• To provide you with information about special offers.
• You will have the option to opt-out of receiving such communications at any time.

3. Legal Basis for Processing Your Information

We will only use your personal information when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal information in the following circumstances:

• Contract: Where it is necessary for the performance of a contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
• Legitimate Interests: Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
• Legal Obligation: Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
• Consent: Where you have given us consent to use your personal information for a specific purpose.

4. How We Share Your Information

We may share your personal information with the following categories of recipients:

• Our Employees and Contractors: Our employees and contractors who need access to your information to provide services to you. They are subject to confidentiality agreements.
• Third-Party Service Providers:

• IT service providers (for website hosting, data storage, and software).
• Payment processors.
• Marketing service providers (where you have consented).
• Subcontractors who assist us in providing our services.
• We ensure that these providers comply with data protection laws and have appropriate security measures in place.

• Gas Safe Register: We may be required to share information with the Gas Safe Register as part of our regulatory obligations.
• Legal Authorities: If required by law or legal process, we may disclose your personal information to law enforcement agencies, government bodies, or other relevant authorities.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring entity.

5. Data Security

We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data where appropriate.
• Secure storage of data.
• Access controls and authentication.
• Regular security assessments.
• Employee training on data protection.
• Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.

While we strive to protect your personal information, please note that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure.

6. Data Retention

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The specific retention periods will vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for processing.

• We typically retain customer data, service records, and related documentation for a period necessary to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and for warranty purposes.
• We may retain some data for longer periods if required by law (e.g., for tax or accounting purposes) or in the event of a legal claim.
• Where you have consented to marketing, we will keep your data until you tell us to stop.

We have a data retention policy which sets out how long we keep your data. You can request a copy of this policy.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and personalize content.

• What are cookies? Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website.
• How we use cookies:

• Essential cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly.
• Performance cookies: These cookies help us understand how visitors use our website, so we can improve it.
• Functionality cookies: These cookies allow the website to remember your preferences (e.g., language settings).
• Targeting/advertising cookies: These cookies may be used to deliver targeted advertisements to you (if applicable).

• Your choices: You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Most web browsers allow you to control cookies, including whether or not to accept them and how to remove them. Please note that blocking all cookies may affect your ability to use some features of our website.

8. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

9. Your Rights

You have certain rights regarding your personal information, and we are committed to respecting those rights. These rights include:

• Right to Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten"): You have the right to request that we delete your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Right to Restriction of Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information under certain circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit that data to another controller.
• Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object to us processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: If we are processing your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
• Right to Complain: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe that we have not complied with data protection laws.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices or legal obligations. We will post any changes on this page and update the "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Where changes are significant, we may also notify you in other ways, such as by email.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at:

Gas Safety Manchester

Address: 428 Claremont Road, Manchester, England, M14 7PB

Email: info@gassafetymanchester.co.uk

Phone: 07546245568