Privacy Policy

Local Fridge Repairs Ltd, trading as Cold Rooms Chelmsford, is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you use our website, book our commercial refrigeration services, or interact with us.

We are the data controller for the personal information we collect about you. Our registered office is at Saxon House, 27 Duke Street, Chelmsford, CM1 1HT.

This Privacy Policy should be read alongside our Terms of Service, which govern your use of our services.

2.1 Information You Provide to Us:

• Booking Information: Name, phone number, email address, business address, location area
• Service Details: Equipment problems, urgency level, preferred service dates and times
• Business Information: Type of business, equipment details, special requirements
• Communication Records: Messages, additional details, service history, feedback
• Payment Information: Billing details, payment records (we do not store card details)

2.2 Information We Collect Automatically:

• Website Usage: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited
• Location Services: General location data for service area determination (via Mapbox)
• Technical Information: Access times, referring websites, system configuration

2.3 Information from Third Parties:

• Email Services: Delivery confirmation and interaction data from our email service provider
• Mapping Services: Location verification through mapping service providers

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

3.1 Service Delivery (Legal Basis: Contract Performance):

• Processing and confirming service bookings
• Contacting you to arrange appointments and confirm details
• Providing commercial refrigeration repair and maintenance services
• Managing service schedules and engineer dispatching
• Generating invoices and processing payments

3.2 Business Operations (Legal Basis: Legitimate Interest):

• Maintaining service records and equipment history
• Improving our services and customer experience
• Managing customer relationships and support
• Training staff and quality assurance
• Website functionality and security

3.3 Legal Compliance (Legal Basis: Legal Obligation):

• Maintaining business records for tax and accounting purposes
• Complying with health and safety regulations
• Warranty and liability record keeping
• Responding to legal requests and court orders

3.4 Marketing Communications (Legal Basis: Consent):

• Sending service reminders and maintenance notifications (with consent)
• Providing information about relevant services and offers (with consent)
• Customer satisfaction surveys and feedback requests (with consent)

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

4.1 Service Providers:

• Email Communications: Resend.com for sending booking confirmations and service communications
• Mapping Services: Mapbox for location services and service area verification
• Payment Processing: Secure payment processors for handling transactions
• Web Hosting: Hosting providers for website and data storage

4.2 Legal Requirements:

• When required by law, court order, or government request
• To protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of others
• In connection with legal proceedings or investigations

4.3 Business Transfers:

If our business is sold or merged, your information may be transferred to the new owners, but only under the same privacy protections.

5.1 Data Security: We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. This includes encryption, secure servers, and access controls.

5.2 Data Location: Your data is stored on secure servers within the UK and EU. When we use third-party services, we ensure they provide adequate data protection.

5.3 Retention Period: We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

• Active Customers: Throughout the business relationship and for 6 years after the last service for tax and legal purposes
• Enquiries/Quotes: 2 years from last contact for business development purposes
• Marketing Consent: Until consent is withdrawn or 3 years of inactivity
• Website Usage: Up to 2 years for analytical purposes

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

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Right to Rectification: Ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations)
• Right to Restrict Processing: Ask us to limit how we use your information
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for marketing purposes
• Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making: We do not use automated decision-making or profiling

How to Exercise Your Rights: To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 9. We will respond to your request within one month.

Right to Complain: If you're not satisfied with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

7.1 Essential Cookies: Our website uses essential cookies that are necessary for the website to function properly, including session management and security features.

7.2 Third-Party Services: We use Mapbox for location services, which may set cookies for functionality purposes. Please refer to Mapbox's privacy policy for more information.

7.3 Managing Cookies: You can control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Notify existing customers of material changes via email or website notice
• Maintain previous versions for reference if requested

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.