The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) proposed by the European Commission will strengthen and unify data protection and export of personal data for individuals within the European Union (EU) in this digital age.

Following these chanes, from 25th May 2018, if you have provided us with your email address we will be asking you to ‘opt-in’ to receiving future marketing communications from us.

We would love to keep in touch with our customers by email to advise of any offers, discounts, referral schemes and the odd bit of news. We promise we will NEVER SELL your information to a third party, your email will purely be used to keep you updated on Architectural Panel Solutions (APS) news. You can find out more in our detailed Privacy Notice below.

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.

We know that there’s a lot of information here, but we want you to be fully informed about your rights, and how APS uses your data.

We hope the following sections will answer any questions you have but if not, please do get in touch with us at claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com with any queries.

It’s likely that we’ll need to update this Privacy Notice from time to time. We’ll notify you of any significant changes, but you’re welcome to come back and check it whenever you wish.

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

2. Consent

In specific situations, we can collect and process your data with your consent.

For example, when you tick a box to receive a download or submit an enquiry on our web form.

When collecting your personal data, we’ll always make clear to you how to opt-in to receiving marketing communications.

3. Contractual obligations

In certain circumstances, we need your personal data to comply with our contractual obligations.

For example, If you have an outstanding quote, enquiry or are a previous customer of ours, we may from time to time want to inform you of any discounts, offers or customer referral/incentive schemes, but only if you ‘opt-in’ to receiving marketing communications from us.

4. 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 Partnership to law enforcement.

5. 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 enquiry to send you or make available personalised offers.

We will also use your email address details to send you direct marketing information by email, telling you about products and services that we think might interest you.

6. When might we collect your personal data?

• When you visit any of our websites and submit any of our web forms (newsletter sign up, enquiry form, downloads etc.).
• When you call us on the phone to make an enquiry.
• When you engage with us on social media.
• When you download one of our brochures.
• When you contact us by any means with queries, complaints etc.
• When you enter prize draws or competitions.
• When you book any kind of appointment with us.
• When we see you at an exhibition or show and you have shown an interest in our products.
• When you choose to complete any surveys we send you.
• When you comment on or review our products and services.
• When you’ve given the third-party permission to share with us the information they hold about you.


7. What sort of personal data do we collect?

• If you have completed a web form on our website: your name, address, email and telephone number.
• Your email address from any of our web form sign-ups.
• Details of your visits to our websites and which site you came from to ours.
• Information gathered by the use of cookies in your web browser. You can learn more about cookies here https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/online/cookies/
Alternatively, you can change your cookie settings on this website by clicking here.
• Payment card information, if you’ve ever ordered from us.
• To deliver the best possible web experience, we collect technical information about your internet connection and browser as well as the country and telephone code where your computer is located, the web pages viewed during your visit, the advertisements you clicked on, and any search terms you entered.
• Your social media username, if you interact with us through those channels, to help us respond to your comments, questions or feedback.

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

It is important to APS that we give you the best possible customer experience and only contact you about relevant products or services we feel you may be interested in. We use data collected to offer you promotions, products and services that are most likely to interest you.

The data privacy law allows this as part of our legitimate interest in understanding our customers and providing the highest levels of service.

Remember, it is important to consider whether you truly want to opt-out completely, as doing so may mean we cannot provide all of the services or information you have asked for.

Changing preferences is often a better way to manage contacts, rather than opting out altogether. Here’s how we’ll use your personal data and why:
• To process any enquiries that you make by using our website. If we don’t collect your personal data during this process, we won’t be able to visit your home/project site to carry out the survey and comply with our legal obligations.
• For example, your details may need to be passed to a third party to supply or deliver the product or service that you ordered, and we may keep your details for a reasonable period afterwards to fulfil any contractual obligations, such as guarantees and so on.
• To respond to your queries, refund requests and complaints. Handling your information enables us to respond. We may also keep a record of these to inform any future communication with 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 customer account from fraud and other illegal activities. This includes using your personal data to maintain, update and safeguard your account. We’ll also monitor your browsing activity with us to quickly identify and resolve any problems and protect the integrity of our websites. We’ll do all of 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 customers from fraud.
• With your consent, we will use your personal data, preferences and details of your transactions to keep you informed by email, about relevant products and services including tailored special offers, discounts, promotions, events, competitions and so on.
• Of course, you are free to opt-out of hearing from us by any of these channels 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, product recall notices, 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 administer any of our prize draws or competitions, which you enter, based on your consent given at the time of entering.
• To develop, test and improve the systems, services and products we provide to you. We’ll do this on the basis of our legitimate business interests.
• To comply with our contractual or legal obligations to share data with law enforcement.
• To send you survey and feedback requests to help improve our services. These messages will not include any promotional content and do not require prior consent when sent by email or text message. We have a legitimate interest to do so as this helps make our products or services more relevant to you.
• Of course, you are free to opt-out of receiving these requests from us at any time by updating your preferences which are accessible at the bottom of every marketing email or contacting us on claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com and requesting to be removed.
• To process your booking/appointment requests. Sometimes, we’ll need to share your details with a third party who is providing a service. We do so to maintain our appointment with you. Without sharing your personal data, we’d be unable to fulfil your request.

9. How we protect your personal data

We know how much data security mattrs to all our customers. With this in mind, we will treat your data with the utmost care and take all appropriate steps to protect it.

We secure access web form submission areas on our website.

Access to your personal data is password-protected, and sensitive data (such as payment card information) is secured by encryption.

We regularly monitor our system for possible vulnerabilities and attacks, and we carry out penetration testing to identify ways to further strengthen security.

Suppliers who receive your data from us for processing purposes, such as delivery companies, are also GDPR reviewed periodically to ensure their data is maintained appropriately under the same, strict access and storage conditions.

10. How long will we keep your personal data?

Whenever we collect or process your personal data, we’ll only keep it for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

At the end of that retention period, your data will either be deleted completely or anonymised, for example by aggregation with other data so that it can be used in a non-identifiable way for statistical analysis and business planning.

Some examples of customer data retention periods:

Orders

When you place an order, we’ll keep the personal data you give us indefinitely. Given the life span of our products, plus our company guarantees, we want to retain your information should you ever need to call us out to discuss any further works or problems with historic works.

Guarantees

As we provide guarantees on all our work, the associated personal data will be kept until the end of the warranty period, up to and including 10 years.

Marketing

For marketing purposes, your information will be maintained for 10 years as long as you are an active customer or have opted-in via preferences.

11. Who do we share your personal data with?

We sometimes share your personal data with trusted third parties.

For example, delivery couriers, Sales Agents/Surveyors, for fraud management, or to handle complaints.

Here’s the policy we apply to those organisations to keep your data safe and protect your privacy:
• We provide only the information they need to perform their specific services.
• 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 at all times.
• If we stop using their services, any of your data held by them will either be deleted or rendered anonymous.
• We have reviewed all GDPR policies to ensure their practices in storage and access of data are acceptable.

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.
• Direct marketing companies who help us manage our electronic communications with you.
• APS partners who cover specific geographic areas for us under the APS brand, who are contractually obliged to comply with our business processes & standards.
• For fraud management, we may share information about fraudulent or potentially fraudulent activity on our premises or systems. This may include sharing data about individuals with law enforcement bodies.

For further information please contact claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com.

12. Where your personal data may be processed

When transacting through our websites, by email or by telephone, your data is transacted and stored in the EU according to legislation. Any external suppliers are fully compliant with GDPR and internal systems are fully secure and protected.

Any transfer of your personal data will follow applicable laws and we will treat the information under the guiding principles of this Privacy Notice.

13. What are your rights over your personal data?

An overview of your different rights.

You have the right to request:
• Access to the personal data we hold about you, free of charge in most cases.
• The correction of your personal data when incorrect, out of date or incomplete.
• For example, when you withdraw consent or object and we have no legitimate overriding interest, or once the purpose for which we hold the data has come to an end (such as the end of a warranty).
• That we stop using your personal data for direct marketing (either through specific channels, or all channels).
• That we stop any consent-based processing of your personal data after you withdraw that consent.
• Review by a Partner of any decision made based solely on automatic processing of your data (i.e. where no human has yet reviewed the outcome and criteria for the decision).

You have the right to request a copy of any information about you we hold at any time, and also to have that information corrected if it is inaccurate. To ask for your information, please contact;

Data Protection Officer
Architectural Panel Solutions
5 Wainwright Close

Churchfields Industrial Estate
Saint Leonards-on-Sea
East Sussex
TN38 9PP

or on email at claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com.

To ask for your personal information to be amended such as your name, or telephone number, please contact our Customer Services team on +44(0)1424 852 641 or claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com.

To change your contact preferences for marketing emails, please click on the preferences link at the bottom of a previous email we have sent you and change the settings to your requirement, or email us at claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com.

If we choose not to action your request, we will explain to you the reasons for our refusal.

14. 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.

In cases where we are processing your personal data on the basis of 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.
• Direct marketing – You have the right to stop the use of your personal data for direct marketing activity through all channels, or selected channels. We must always comply with your request.
• Checking your identity – To protect the confidentiality of your information, we will ask you to verify your identity before proceeding with any request you make under this Privacy Notice. If you have authorised a third party to submit a request on your behalf, we will ask them to prove they have your permission to act.

15. How can you stop the use of your personal data for direct marketing?

There are several ways you can stop direct marketing communications from us:
• Click the ‘unsubscribe’ link in any marketing email communication that we send you. We will then stop any further emails from that particular division.
• Write to our Marketing Department at

Architectural Panel Solutions
5 Wainwright Close

Churchfields Industrial Estate
Saint Leonards-on-Sea
East Sussex
TN38 9PP

or on email at claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com.

Please note that you may continue to receive communications for a short period after changing your preferences while our systems are fully updated.

16. Questions

We hope this Privacy Notice has been helpful in setting out the way we handle your personal data and your rights to control it.

If you have any questions that haven’t been covered, please contact our Data Protection Officer who will be pleased to help you:
• Email us at claddings@architecturalpanelsolutions.com.
• Or write to us at;

Data Protection Officer
Architectural Panel Solutions
5 Wainwright Close

Churchfields Industrial Estate
Saint Leonards-on-Sea
East Sussex
TN38 9PP

COOKIES

1.      INTRODUCTION

1.1    Our website uses cookies.
1.2    Insofar as those cookies are not strictly necessary for the provision of our website and services, we will ask you to consent to our use of cookies when you first visit our website.

2.      CREDIT

2.1    This document was created using a template from Docular (http://seqlegal.com).

3.      ABOUT COOKIES

3.1    A cookie is a file containing an identifier (a string of letters and numbers) that is sent by a web server to a web browser and is stored by the browser. The identifier is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server.
3.2    Cookies may be either “persistent” cookies or “session” cookies: a persistent cookie will be stored by a web browser and will remain valid until its set expiry date, unless deleted by the user before the expiry date; a session cookie, on the other hand, will expire at the end of the user session, when the web browser is closed.
3.3    Cookies may not contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal data that we store about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from cookies.

4.      COOKIES THAT WE USE

4.1    We use cookies for the following purposes:
(a)    authentication and status – we use cookies to identify you when you visit our website and as you navigate our website, and to help us determine if you are logged into our website;
(b)    personalisation – we use cookies to store information about your preferences and to personalise our website for you
(c)    security – we use cookies as an element of the security measures used to protect user accounts, including preventing fraudulent use of login credentials, and to protect our website and services generally;
(d)    analysis – we use cookies to help us to analyse the use and performance of our website and services using Google Analytics. and
(e)    cookie consent – we use cookies to store your preferences in relation to the use of cookies more generally.

5.      COOKIES USED BY OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS

5.1    Our service providers use cookies and those cookies may be stored on your computer when you visit our website.
5.2    We use Google Analytics. Google Analytics gathers information about the use of our website by means of cookies. The information gathered is used to create reports about the use of our website. You can find out more about Google’s use of information by visiting http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/ and you can review Google’s privacy policy at http://policies.google.com/privacy.

6.      MANAGING COOKIES

6.1    Most browsers allow you to refuse to accept cookies and to delete cookies. The methods for doing so vary from browser to browser, and from version to version. You can however obtain up-to-date information about blocking and deleting cookies via these links:
(a)    http://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647 (Chrome);
(b)    http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences (Firefox);
(c)    http://help.opera.com/en/latest/security-and-privacy/ (Opera);
(d)    http://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies(Internet Explorer);
(e)    http://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/safari/manage-cookies-and-website-data-sfri11471/mac (Safari); and
(f)    http://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10-microsoft-edge-and-privacy (Edge).
6.2    Blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites.
6.3    If you block cookies, you will not be able to use all the features on our website.

7.      COOKIE PREFERENCES

7.1    You can manage your preferences relating to the use of cookies on our website by clicking Cookie Settings in the cookie menu bar.