1. Introduction

This Privacy Notice explains in detail the types of personal data we may collect about you when you interact with us. It also explains how we’ll store and handle that data and keep it safe.

2. Explaining the legal bases we rely on

The law on data protection sets out several different reasons for which a company may collect and process your personal data, including:

• Consent. In specific situations, we can collect and process your data with your consent. For example, when you tick a box to receive email newsletters. When collecting your personal data, we’ll always make clear to you which data is necessary in connection with a service.
• Contractual Obligations. In certain circumstances, we need your personal data to comply with our contractual obligations. For example, if you employ us we will collect your address details to issue invoices, send documentation or aggregate geographical enquiry data.
• Legal Compliance. If the law requires us to, we may need to collect and process your data. For example, we can pass on details of people involved in fraud or other criminal activity affecting the association to law enforcement.
• Legitimate Interest. In specific situations, we require your data to pursue our legitimate interests in a way which might reasonably be expected as part of running our business and which does not materially impact your rights, freedom or interests. For example, we will use your engagement history to send you or make available personalised offers.We also combine the engagement history of clients and potential clients to identify trends and ensure we can keep up with demand or develop new products/services.

3. When do we collect your personal data?

• When you complete an enquiry form via the website.
• When you contact us by anymeans with queries, comments etc.
• When you ask us to email you information about the service we provide.

4. What sort of personal data do we collect?

• If you are a client: your name, invoice / delivery address, email and telephone number.
• Details of your interactions with us through attendance at events (e.g. exhibitions).
• Copies of documents you provide to prove your corporate identity, status and place of work.
• We will also credit check new enquiries.
• Currently we do not use information gathered using cookies in your web browser.

5. How and why do we use your personal data?

We want you to have the best possible experience with us. One way to achieve that is to get the biggest picture we can of you by combining the data we have about you. We then use this to offer you products and services that aremost likely to interest you.

The data privacy law allows this as part of our legitimate interest in understanding our clients and potential clients and providing the highest levels of service. If you wish to change how we use your data, you will find details in the “What aremy rights?” section below. If you choose not to share your personal data with us, or refuse certain contact permissions, we might not be able to provide some services you’ve asked for.

Here is how we will use your personal data and why:

• Your details may need to be passed to a courier to deliver a product.
• To respond to your queries, refund requests and complaints. Handling the information you send enables us to respond. We may also keep a record of this to informany future communication between us and to demonstrate how we communicated with you throughout. We do this based on our contractual obligations to you, our legal obligations and our legitimate interests in providing you with the best service and understanding how we can improve our service based on your experience.
• To protect our business and your account from fraud and other illegal activities. This includes using your personal data to maintain, update and safeguard your account.We do this as part of our legitimate interest.
• To process payments and to prevent fraudulent transactions. We do this based on our legitimate business interests. This also helps to protect our clients from fraud.
• To send you relevant, personalised communications by email in relation to updates, offers, services and products. We will do this based on our legitimate business interest. You are free to opt out of hearing from us at any time.
• To send you communications required by law or which are necessary to inform you about our changes to the services we provide you. For example, updates to this Privacy Notice and legally required information relating to your orders. These service messages will not include any promotional content and do not require prior consent when sent by email or text message. If we do not use your personal data for these purposes, we would be unable to comply with our legal obligations.
• To comply with our contractual or legal obligations to share data with law enforcement.
• To process your meeting requests.

6. How we protect your personal data

Access to your personal data is password-protected and is accessible by our staff only. We regularly monitor our system for possible vulnerabilities and attacks, and we ensure that the latest updates are always current to further strengthen security.

7. How long will we keep your personal data?

We will only keep your personal data for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected. At the end of that retention period, your data will be deleted completely. Typically, when you employ us, we will keep the personal data you give us for six years, so that we can comply with our legal obligations.

8. Who do we share your personal data with?

We sometimes share your personal data with trusted third parties. For example, delivery couriers, IT, website and app technicians. Here’s the policy we apply to those organisations to keep your data safe and protect your privacy:

• They may only use your data for the exact purposes we specify in our contract with them. We work closely with them to ensure that your privacy is respected and protected always. If we stop using their services, any of your data held by them will either be deleted or rendered anonymous. Examples of the kind of third parties we work with are: IT companies who support our website and other business systems, operational companies such as delivery couriers, credit agencies and Companies House to verify your details given to us.

We do not share your data with third parties for their own purposes; however, for fraud management, we may share information about fraudulent or potentially fraudulent activity in our premises or systems. This may include sharing data about individuals with law enforcement bodies. We may also be required to disclose your personal data to the police or other enforcement, regulatory or Government body, in your country of origin or elsewhere, upon a valid request to do so. These requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis and take the privacy of our customers into consideration.

9. What are your rights over your personal data?

You have the right to request:

• Access to the personal data we hold about you, free of charge inmost cases.
• The correction of your personal data when incorrect, out of date or incomplete.
• That we stop using your personal data for direct contact.
• That we stop any consent-based processing of your personal data after you withdraw that consent.

You can contact us to request to exercise these rights at any time. To ask for your information please contact BDistinctive Limited, Melbury, Hazelbury Bryan, Sturminster Newton, Dorset DT10 2DS or email ben@bdistinctive.co.uk. If we choose not to action your request, we will explain to you the reasons for our refusal.

Your right to withdraw consent: Whenever you have given us your consent to use your personal data, you have the right to change your mind at any time and withdraw that consent.

Where we rely on our legitimate interest: In cases where we are processing your personal data based on our legitimate interest, you can ask us to stop for reasons connected to your individual situation.We must then do so unless we believe we have a legitimate overriding reason to continue processing your personal data.

10. Contacting the Regulator

If you feel that your data has not been handled correctly, or you are unhappy with our response to any requests you have made to us regarding the use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can contact them by calling 0303 123 1113 or by visiting www.ico.org.uk/concerns. If you are based outside of the UK, you have the right to lodge your complaint with the relevant data protection regulator in your country of residence.

Updated 20.10.2022