Our use of cookies We take your privacy very seriously. This privacy policy explains how we look after your personal data when you use our website www.aquaswitch.co.uk (regardless of where you use it from) and when you communicate with us by email, telephone or otherwise.
It also tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
This policy is divided into the following sections (you can click on the links to go straight to more information on each area):
- Important information and who we are
- Personal data we collect about you
- How your personal data is collected
- How and why we use your personal data
- Marketing communications
- Third-party marketing
- Who we share your personal data with
- Transferring your personal data out of the UK
- Cookies and other tracking technologies
- How long your personal data will be kept
- Keeping your personal data secure
- Your rights
- How to complain
- How to contact us
- Changes to this privacy policy
- Purpose of this privacy policy
Important information and who we are
Purpose of this privacy policy
This privacy policy aims to give you information on how Aquaswitch Limited collects and processes your personal data through your use of this Website, including any data you may provide when you make an online enquiry, request business water rates comparison information or communicate with us by email, phone or otherwise.
Our Website is not intended for children and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.
It is important that you read this privacy policy together with any other privacy notice/policy we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. This privacy policy supplements other notices/policies and is not intended to override them.
Who we are
This Website is provided by Aquaswitch Limited (‘we’, ‘our’ or ‘us’). We are a company registered in England and Wales with company number 12532531. Our registered office is at Lytchett House 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole, Dorset, England, BH16 6FA.
We are a “data controller” for the purposes of your personal data obtained via our Website. This means we determine the purpose and means of the processing of your personal data.
You will find our contact details here.
Personal data we collect about you
Personal data is any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual.
The personal data we collect, use, store and transfer about you will depend on how you interact with us and our Website. It may include:
- your name, job title, address and contact information, including email address and telephone number;
- your business name and the name of your employer or the organisation you represent;
- any information, feedback or other matters you give us by phone, email, post, via social media or through the Website such
- as if you submit an online enquiry, request water rates comparison information or complete a survey undertaken by us;
- technical information from when you visit our Website or otherwise interact with us including internet protocol (IP)
- address, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access our Website and interact with us;
- information about how you use our Website; and
- marketing and communications information including your preferences in receiving marketing from us and other third parties, your communication preferences and information about how you interact with such communications.
If you do not provide personal data we ask for where it is indicated to be ‘required’ at the point of collection this may mean we cannot provide you with the related service/assistance.
We also collect, use and share aggregated data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated data could be derived from your personal data but is not considered personal data in law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity.
For example, we may aggregate data about how you use our Website to calculate the percentage of users accessing a particular feature. However, if we combine or connect aggregated data with your personal data so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as personal data which will be used in accordance with this privacy policy.
How your personal data is collected
Depending on the circumstances, we use different methods to collect personal data from and about you including:
- Directly from you. You may give us your personal data by filling in forms on our Website or by communicating with us by email, telephone or otherwise.
- Using automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our Website, we may automatically collect technical data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using cookies and other similar technologies. Please see our Cookie Policy for further details
- Other sources. We may receive personal data about you from various third parties as set out below:
- from an employee or representative of the organisation for whom you work;
- from analytics providers, advertising networks and search information providers; and
- from third parties e.g. water contract brokers and water companies.
How and why we use your personal data
Under data protection law, we can only use your personal data if we have a proper reason, e.g;
- where you have given consent;
- to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations;
- for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or
- for our legitimate interests or those of a third party.
- A legitimate interest is when we or a third party have a business or commercial reason to use your information, so long as this is not overridden by your own rights and interests.
The table below explains what we use your personal data for and why.
| What we use your personal data for | Our reasons |
|---|---|
| For individual customers/users for corresponding with you about services we offer and to respond to your queries or requests | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party |
| For individuals who work for or represent corporate customers/users (or prospective corporate customers/users), for corresponding with you about services we offer and to respond to your queries. | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party |
| For individual suppliers with whom we have contracts, for corresponding with you about the products and/or services you offer, to obtain a price quote and to take steps under the contract with you. | Necessary for the performance of our contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract with you. |
| For individuals who work for or represent corporate suppliers (or prospective corporate suppliers) e.g. for corresponding with you about the products and/or services your organisation offers and obtain a price quote. | Necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party e.g. to deal with pre-contractual enquiries or issues. |
| To enforce legal rights or defend or undertake legal proceedings. | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| To manage our relationship with you which will include (where appropriate) notifying you about changes to our terms or privacy notice. | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| To prevent and detect fraud against you or us. | Necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party i.e. to minimise fraud that could be damaging for us and for you. |
| To customise our Website and its content to your particular preferences based on a record of your selected preferences or on your use of our Website. | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| Retaining and evaluating information on your recent visits to our Website and how you move around different sections of our Website for analytics purposes. This helps us to understand how people use our Website so that we can make it more intuitive or to check our Website is working as intended. | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| Protecting the security of systems and data | To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. We may also use your personal data to ensure the security of systems and data to a standard that goes beyond our legal obligations, and in those cases our reasons are for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, i.e. to protect systems and data and to prevent and detect criminal activity that could be damaging for you and/or us. |
| Statistical analysis to help us manage our business, e.g. in relation to our financial performance, customer base, service offering or efficiency measures. | For our legitimate interests or those of a third party, i.e. to be as efficient as we can so we can deliver the best service to you at the best price. |
| Updating and maintaining customer and supplier records. | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| Disclosures and other activities necessary to comply with legal and regulatory obligations that apply to our business, e.g. to record and demonstrate evidence of your consents where relevant. | To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations. |
| External audits and quality checks. | For our legitimate interests or a those of a third party, i.e. to maintain our accreditations so we can demonstrate we operate at the highest standards. |
| To share your personal data with other third parties where you agree to this e.g. where you have requested information, products, services and/or marketing from them through us. | With your consent. |
| To share your personal data with other third parties in connection with a significant corporate transaction or restructuring, including a merger, acquisition, asset sale, initial public offering or in the event of our insolvency. In such cases information will be anonymised where possible and only shared where necessary. | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| Other processing necessary to comply with legal and regulatory obligations that apply to our business or as otherwise permitted or required by law. | Necessary to comply with our legal obligations. |
| Gathering and providing information required by or relating to audits, enquiries or investigations by regulatory bodies. | Necessary to comply with our legal obligations. |
| Ensuring business policies are adhered to e.g. policies covering data security. | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| Operational reasons, such as improving efficiency, training and quality control. | Necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party e.g. to be as efficient as we can so we can deliver the best service for you at the best price. |
| Ensuring the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information. | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| To make suggestions and recommendations to you about services that may be of interest to you (including updates and modifications). | Depending on the circumstances:
|
| To administer and protect our business and our Website (including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data). | Depending on the circumstances;
|
| To deliver relevant website content to you and measure or understand the effectiveness of the content. | For our legitimate interests e.g. to study how customers use our Website and services, to develop them, to grow our business and to inform our marketing strategy. |
| To trial services which we consider may improve our service offering to you or our business processes. | For our legitimate interests e.g. to develop our services, grow our business and ensure that we can deliver the best service we are able to. |
| To use data analytics to improve our Website, and services, marketing, customer relationships and experiences. | For our legitimate interests e.g. to define types of customers for our services, to keep our Website updated and relevant, to develop our business and inform our marketing strategy. |
Where we rely on consent as a lawful basis to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. To do this, please telephone, email or write to us (see below: “How to contact us”).
Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent where this is required or permitted by law.
Marketing communications
We may use your personal data to send you updates (by email, text message, telephone or post) about our services, including exclusive offers, promotions or new services.
We have a legitimate interest in using your personal data for marketing purposes, this is how and why we use your personal data.
This means we do not usually need your consent to send you marketing information. However, where consent is needed, we will ask for this separately and clearly.
You have the right to opt-out of receiving marketing communications at any time by:
- contacting us here.
- using the ‘unsubscribe’ link in emails
We may ask you to confirm or update your marketing preferences if you ask us to provide further services in the future, or if there are changes in the law, regulation, or the structure of our business.
For more information on your right to object at any time to your personal data being used for marketing purposes.
Third party marketing
We will get your express consent before we share your personal data with any other company for marketing purposes.
Who we share your personal data with
Depending on the circumstances, we may share your personal data with:
- certain third parties (e.g. water contract brokers and water companies) where you have given us your express consent to this or where we reasonably believe a third party is acting on your behalf; and
- external service providers we use to help run our business e.g. email service provider, marketing service providers, IT system providers, analytics and search engine providers and postal service providers.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our external service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our external service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
We or the third parties mentioned above may also need to share personal data with:
- professional advisers including lawyers, bankers, loss adjusters, insurers, auditors, technical consultants and experts;
- law enforcement agencies, courts, tribunals and regulatory bodies to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations; and
- other parties in connection with a significant corporate transaction or restructuring, including a merger, acquisition, asset sale, initial public offering or in the event of our/their insolvency, usually information will be anonymised but this may not always be possible.
If you would like more information about who we share our data with and why, please contact us.
Transferring your personal data out of the UK
Some of the organisations we share your personal data with are based outside the UK so their processing of your personal data will involve a transfer outside of the UK.
These transfers are subject to special rules under data protection laws.
Whenever we transfer your personal data out of the UK, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards or other grounds set out in data protection laws applies:
- your personal data is transferred to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data in accordance with data protection laws;
- the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract between you and us;
- the transfer is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
- there are adequate safeguards in place between us and the organisations receiving it (e.g. by use of approved contractual terms); or
- you have provided explicit consent to the proposed transfer after being informed of the potential risks.
Please contact us below if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by us when transferring your personal data out of the UK.
Cookies and other tracking technologies
A cookie is a small text file which is placed onto your device (e.g. computer, smartphone or other electronic device) when you use our Website. We use cookies and similar technologies on our Website. These help us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our Website and also allows us to improve our Website.
For further information on the cookies and similar technologies we use, when we will request your consent before placing them and how to disable them, please see our Cookie Policy.
How long your personal data will be kept
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including;
- to respond to any questions, complaints or claims made by you or on your behalf;
- to provide you with any service or information you have requested;
- to show that we treated you fairly; and
- to keep records required by law to comply with our legal obligations.
We will not retain your data for longer than necessary for the purposes set out in this notice. Different retention periods apply for different types of personal data.
Keeping your personal data secure
We have put in place appropriate security measures to endeavour to prevent personal data from being accidentally lost, or used, accessed, altered or disclosed in an unauthorised way. We limit access to your personal data to those who have a genuine business need to access it. Those processing your personal data will only do so in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.
Throughout our Website we may provide links to third party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control those third party websites/services and are not responsible for their privacy policies. When you leave our Website we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.
Your rights
You generally have the following rights, which you can usually exercise free of charge:
| Access | The right to be provided with a copy of your personal data. |
| Rectification | The right to require us to correct any mistakes in your personal data. |
| To be forgotten | In certain situations, the right to require us to delete your personal data. |
| Restriction of use | In certain circumstances, the right to require us to restrict use of your personal data, e.g. if you contest the accuracy of the data. |
| Data portability | In certain circumstances, the right to ask us to transfer any personal data you provided to us to another organisation. |
| To object | The right to object at any time to your personal data being used for direct marketing (including profiling) and in certain other situations to our continued use of your personal data, e.g. where we use your personal data for our legitimate interests. |
| Not to be subject to decisions without human involvement | The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (including profiling) that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you We do not make any such decisions based on data collected by our Website. |
For further information on each of those rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, please contact us below.
You may also find it helpful to refer to the guidance from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on your rights under the UK GDPR available here.
If you would like to exercise any of those rights, please email, call or write to us below. When contacting us please let us have enough information to identify you e.g. your full name and address and let us know which right you want to exercise and the information to which your request relates.
How to complain
Please contact us if you have any queries or concerns about our use of your personal data see below.
We hope we will be able to resolve any issues you may have. However, if we are not able to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK. Further information about how to make a compliant to the ICO can be found on the ICO website www.ico.org.uk.
How to contact us
You can contact us by post, email or telephone if you have any questions about this privacy policy or the information we hold about you, to exercise a right under data protection law or to make a complaint.
Our contact details are shown below:
Email address: contact@aquaswitch.co.uk
Postal address: Lytchett House 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole, Dorset, England, BH16 6FA
Telephone number: 0203 086 8225.
Changes to this privacy policy
We may change this privacy policy from time to time, when we make significant changes we will take steps to inform you, for example by including a prominent link to a description of those changes on our Website for a reasonable period or by other means, such as email.
This policy was published on 10 August 2021 and last updated on 10 August 2021.