Privacy Notice

DRAFT. This notice should be reviewed before launch and your ICO registration position confirmed.

Who We Are

Consumer Protection UK (CPUK) is registering as a community interest company in England and Wales (company number pending), Suite 801, 80A Ruskin Ave, Welling, DA16 3QQ. Contact: info@consumer-protection.org.uk.

What We Collect

The details you enter in our forms: your name, contact details, and the information you give about your complaint or report. Please do not send card numbers, passwords or other security details.

Why We Use It

To review your case, contact you about it, and where you ask us to, communicate with the business concerned. We rely on your consent and our legitimate interest in running our service.

Who Sees It

Our team, and our hosting and email providers who process it on our behalf. We share it with a business or other organisation only where needed for your case and with your agreement.

How Long We Keep It

Only as long as needed to handle your case and meet legal obligations.

Cookies

This website does not use advertising or analytics cookies. If we add them in future we will ask for your consent first.

Your Rights

You can ask to see, correct or delete your information, or withdraw consent, by emailing us. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Your Case Page, Evidence Uploads and Messages

When you send us a help request or scam report we create a case record with the details you give us, and we send you a reference number and access code by email. If you use the case page you can send messages and upload evidence. Files you upload are stored privately away from the public part of the website and can be opened only by you and by CPUK staff. We limit the type and size of files, but we cannot scan them for viruses, so please do not upload anything you do not need. Please do not upload card numbers, passwords or full identity documents. You can ask us to delete or export your data from your case page or by emailing us.

Email Updates (Alerts and Newsletter)

If you subscribe we store your email address and the date you confirmed. We use it only to send CPUK updates such as scam warnings, recalls and consumer-law changes. We rely on your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email.

Accessibility Tools and Translation

The read-aloud tool uses your own device’s voice and does not send the page to us. Display settings (text size, contrast and similar) and your letter-template preferences are saved only in your browser on your device if you choose them. The translate option opens a machine-translated copy of the page through Google Translate. Google then receives the web address of the page you are viewing. Translations are automatic and may contain mistakes.

Who We Share Data With

Our website hosting and email provider (IONOS) processes data on our behalf so the site and email work. Our directors and staff who work on cases can see case information. We do not sell personal data. This section is a draft and must be checked against how we actually work before launch.

Accounts

You can create a free account using your email address. We email you a one-time code to sign in. We do not ask you to create a password. If you create an account we hold your email address, the time you created it and last signed in, any action plans, letters and evidence files you choose to save, your reminder choices, and the link between your email address and any cases you open with that address. We use this to run your account and to show you your cases. The lawful basis is performing the service you ask for (a contract) and, for contacting you about your cases, our legitimate interests. You can download your data or delete your account at any time in My account. Accounts not used for two years are deleted automatically. Cases are separate records and are kept under our data retention rules. You do not need an account to use our free tools.

Complaint Files and Evidence Packs

If you save your work from one of our guides, we create a complaint file in your account. It holds what you choose to enter or upload: your answers, the letter you wrote, your evidence checklist, any files you add, your own notes and a timeline of updates you log. We keep it so you can come back to it and so you can build an evidence pack. The lawful basis is performing the service you ask for (a contract). We ask you to agree before we create an account, and you can withdraw by deleting your complaint or your account. We do not sell your complaint files or use them for advertising. You decide whether to share a file. An evidence pack is a document you download and send yourself, to an advice service, an ombudsman or anyone else you choose. We do not send it for you. Please keep your files free of other people's personal details where you can, and do not upload anything you do not need. You can download everything we hold, delete a complaint, or delete your account at any time in My account.

Paid Case Handling, Payments and Debts

If you choose our paid case handling we use your name, contact details, postal address, the details of your complaint, our agreement with you and the record of your acceptance (the time, the name you typed and your IP address), outcome and payment information, and our messages with you. We use this to carry out the agreement, to contact the business for you, and to collect fees we are owed. The lawful basis is performing our contract with you; keeping accounting and tax records is a legal obligation. If a fee is not paid, we may share your name, contact details, the agreement and the amount owed with a debt recovery agency or the court, so that we can recover money you owe us. The lawful basis for that is our legitimate interests in recovering a debt; you can object to this, and we will consider your objection. We take payments through a payment provider, who handles your card or bank details. We never see your full card number. We do not hold or take your compensation: the business pays you directly.

Automatic Checks on Your Request

When you send a help request we run simple automatic checks (for example the type of complaint, the amount, and whether you tell us it involves a credit card, loan, finance or injury) to decide quickly whether we can offer paid case handling. This is not a decision about your rights, and you still get our free tools and guides either way. A member of our team will look again if you ask us to, by replying to our email or messaging us from your case page.

Health Information

We ask whether your complaint involves illness or injury. This is health-related information. Answering is your choice. We use your answer only to check whether we can handle your case, and by answering you agree to us using it for that. You can withdraw that agreement at any time by contacting us, and we will delete the answer.

Text Messages and Emails About Your Case

We email you, and send text messages if you have given us a mobile number and have not turned texts off on your case page, about your case: reminders, requests for evidence, offers from the business, and payment notices. These are service messages about a case you asked us to open. Our text message provider processes your mobile number and the message for us; if that is outside the UK we use approved safeguards. You can turn texts off on your case page at any time.

Reviews and the Monthly Prize Draw

If you tick the box on our help form, we may email you once after your case closes to ask for a review. We rely on your consent for that email, and every such email has a link to opt out. If you send a review we publish it only if you tick the box giving permission, shown with the name style you choose (first name, initials or no name). We publish reviews whatever the rating. If you enter our free monthly prize draw we use your review and contact details to run the draw and tell the winner, and we say on the published review that it entered the draw. You can ask us to remove your published review at any time.

More About Who We Share Data With

As well as our hosting and email provider, we share only what is needed with: the business you ask us to contact for you (the complaint details and what you want); our payment provider; our text message provider; debt recovery agencies and courts if a fee is unpaid; our accountants and professional advisers; and our insurers if a claim is made against us. We do not sell personal data.

Case Progress, Check-in Emails and Company Response Times

When you use our free route we record what you tell us about your complaint: the date you sent your letter, whether the business replied and when, any offer, and whether it was sorted. We use this to keep your key dates right, to email you check-ins and milestone reminders, and so that we can pick your case up straight away if you ask us for more help. Each email has an Email preferences link where you can switch these off or stop all contact. The one-tap links in our emails are private to your case, so please do not forward the email.

We also use these records, with your name and details removed, to count how quickly businesses reply to complaints. We may publish totals and averages for a business, never anything that identifies you. We rely on our legitimate interest in showing how complaints are handled, and you can object at any time by emailing us.