Privacy Policy

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Privacy Notice: How We Collect and Use Your Personal Data

Please take a moment to read this section of our Privacy Notice to understand how we collect, use, and process your personal data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Who We Are

We act as the Data Controller for any personal data you provide to us for the purpose of Portable Appliances Testing providing services to you [GDPR, Art. 6(b)]. 

Information We Collect

• Personal Data: refers to any information that identifies an individual. It excludes data where identity has been removed (anonymous data). The types of Personal data we may collect, use, store, and transfer include:
• Identity Data: title, first name, last name.
• Contact Data: billing address, residential address, delivery address, email address, and telephone numbers.
• Transaction Data: payment details and records of products and services you’ve purchased from us.
• Technical Data: information collected through Google Analytics about your device and website interactions.
• Profile Data: your personal details, purchase history, and service interactions.
• Usage Data: details about how you use our website, services, and products.
• Marketing and Communications Data: your preferences for receiving marketing materials from us.

Additionally, we may gather and use Aggregated Data— statistical or demographic data derived from personal information, which is not considered Personal data by law as it does not directly or indirectly identify you. However, if we combine Aggregated Data with your personal data, we will treat it as Personal data under this Privacy Notice.

We do not collect any Special Categories of Personal Data (e.g., race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, health information, or biometric data) as part of our service agreements.

If You Do Not Provide Personal Data

Where Personal data is necessary to perform a contract and you do not provide it when requested, we may be unable to deliver the service you’ve requested. If this happens, we will notify you at the time.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect Personal data through:

• Direct interactions: when you fill out forms (e.g. online booking forms) or contact us via post, phone, email, or other means. This includes when you:
  • Apply for our services
  • Complete a booking
  • Make an enquiry
  • Subscribe to updates
  • Request marketing materials
  • Enter promotions or competitions
  • Provide feedback

• Automated technologies: as you interact with our website or third-party services, we may automatically collect data through:
  • Analytics services (e.g. Google Analytics)
  • Search information providers
  • Technical and payment service provider

• How We Use Your Information

We will only use your Personal data where there is a lawful basis to do so, most commonly:

• To perform a service or to take steps at your request before providing our services. 
• To comply with legal or regulatory obligations
• To prevent or detect crime, including fraud

We generally do not rely on consent as a lawful basis for processing Personal data.

Your Personal data will only be used for the original purpose it was collected unless we reasonably determine it needs to be used for another compatible purpose. If we need to use it for a purpose unrelated to the original reason, we will notify you and explain the legal basis for doing so. In certain circumstances, we may process your Personal data without your knowledge or consent where this is required or permitted by law.

Sharing Your Data

We may share your Personal data with:

• Representatives of the Data Controller for service delivery
• IT hosting providers within the UK
• Our website provider will fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, tax, or insurance obligations.

To determine the appropriate retention period, we consider:

• The nature and sensitivity of the data
• The potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure
• The purposes for which we process your data
• Legal and regulatory requirements

By law, we are required to retain basic customer and supplier information (including Contact, Identity, Financial, and Transaction Data) for a specified period after the end of our business relationship for tax and insurance purposes.

We will retain your data for 2 years from the date your contract is fulfilled.

Data Deletion Requests

You have the right to request deletion of your Personal data by contacting the Data Controller. If you make this request before the service is fulfilled, we may be unable to provide the requested service and may have to cancel your booking. We will inform you if this applies.

In some instances, we may anonymise your data for research or statistical purposes, in which case it may be used indefinitely without further notice.

Your Rights

If you have concerns about how your Personal data is handled, you are entitled to raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk/.

Cookie Policy

Portable Appliances Testing website uses cookies, which are small text files placed on your device by a web server. These files serve as a type of tracking tool, enabling us to tailor the information and experience you receive based on your preferences.

Cookies collect information such as which pages you visit, how long you spend on the site, and which files you download. This enables us to make future visits more seamless by presenting you with relevant content and enhancing the functionality of our site. Additionally, cookies provide us with anonymous statistical data, such as which search engines are used to find us and how visitors navigate through the site — helping us identify areas for improvement.

Please note that cookies cannot access data from your hard drive or read cookie files created by other websites, and they do not harm your computer. You have the option to manage how your browser handles cookies — you can set it to reject them or to alert you when a website attempts to place a cookie on your device. Please note, however, that disabling cookies may limit certain features of our website and impact your browsing experience.

We do not use single-pixel images (also known as "web bugs" or "web beacons") on our website.

Third-Party Cookies

During your visit to our website, you might encounter cookies that are not placed by Portable Appliances Testing. For example, pages containing embedded content, such as videos from YouTube, may send you cookies from those external websites. As we do not control these cookies, we recommend reviewing the cookie policies of the respective third-party sites for further information and guidance on managing their cookies.

Please note that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of external websites.