Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

SwitchFix Electrical ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website at switchfixelectrical.co.uk (the "Website") or use our services.

We are a data controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This means we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you.

By using our Website or services, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the practices described in this policy, please do not use our Website or services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide to Us

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

• Contact us through our contact form, including your name, email address, telephone number, and message content
• Request a quote or estimate for our services
• Communicate with us via email, telephone, or other means
• Engage our services as a customer

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our Website, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing behaviour, including:

• Internet Protocol (IP) address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages you visit on our Website
• Time and date of your visit
• Referring website addresses

This information is collected using cookies and similar tracking technologies. For more information about our use of cookies, please see Section 8 below.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To provide our services: To respond to your enquiries, provide quotes, and deliver electrical services
• To communicate with you: To respond to your questions, provide customer support, and send you service-related communications
• To improve our Website: To analyse how visitors use our Website and to improve its functionality and user experience
• To comply with legal obligations: To meet our legal and regulatory requirements, including maintaining records for tax and accounting purposes
• To protect our interests: To protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our customers or others

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a legal basis for processing your personal data. We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., when you submit a contact form)
• Contract: Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract
• Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject
• Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: We may share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as email service providers (EmailJS), web hosting services, and analytics providers. These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court or government agency)
• Business transfers: If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction
• With your consent: We may share your information with your explicit consent

6. Data Retention

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

To determine the appropriate retention period, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process it, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means.

Generally, we will retain:

• Contact form submissions and enquiries for up to 2 years after your last interaction with us
• Customer records and service documentation for at least 7 years to comply with legal and regulatory requirements
• Website analytics data for up to 26 months

7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: You have the right to request copies of your personal data
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or complete information you believe is incomplete
• Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions
• Right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions
• Right to object to processing: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions
• Right to data portability: You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organisation, or directly to you, under certain conditions
• Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 11. We will respond to your request within one month, though this may be extended by a further two months if your request is complex.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe we have not handled your personal data in accordance with UK GDPR. You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information about your preferences and browsing activity. Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website.

We may use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies: These are necessary for the Website to function properly and cannot be switched off
• Analytics cookies: These help us understand how visitors interact with our Website by collecting and reporting information anonymously
• Functional cookies: These enable enhanced functionality and personalisation

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our Website.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the ICO as required by UK GDPR.

10. Third-Party Links

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

11. Children's Privacy

Our Website and services are not directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to delete such information.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

13. Contact Us

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