Privacy Policy
How we keep your personal information safe
Countrywide Hearing Ltd (30 Stanley Street, Mumbles, Swansea, SA3 4NE) is registered as a company in England and Wales (no 08010945). This Privacy Notice replaces earlier versions and is prepared in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidance that will apply from 25 May 2018.
What information do we collect?
We collect data on the basis of “contract” meaning we collect only information that is necessary for us to undertake a contract in which data subjects are party to or at their request prior to entering into a contract.
We collect personal information. Personal information is any information that can be used to identify you E.g., if you ask to have a quote for a new hearing aid or your insurance company asks us to supply you one then we collect and process the personal information that you provide. We may also collect information from you if you want replacement batteries or if you want upgrades in your hearing aids. This information may include your name, postal address, email address, telephone or mobile number or date of birth. We use this to provide you with the information, products or services in which you are interested.
The main source of our information comes from your insurance provider. If you have made a claim for a lost hearing aid that is how we will have your details. Otherwise, you will have contacted us directly to enquire about hearing aids.
Keeping your information up to date
To make sure we always have the most up-to-date information about how to contact you, we may also, from time to time, update your records to reflect any changes to your personal information.
This information may come directly from you, or it may come from a third party that we consider is legitimate and trustworthy and in circumstances where it is appropriate and where you will have had a clear expectation that your details would be passed on for this purpose.
How long will we keep your information?
We hold your personal information for as long as we have a legal or business reason to do so, which generally means for as long as you remain a Countrywide Hearing customer and require aftercare for your hearing aids, or as required to meet our legal and statutory obligations such as VAT purposes, resolve disputes or enforce our agreements or contracts.
Following a predefined trigger event as outlined below, records will usually then be retained for a maximum of 7 years (but may be up to 10 years if there is a legal or regulatory need)
Trigger Events:
- Completion of Hearing Aid Claim ‘Validation Only’ Services for Insurance Companies
- If you decide to no longer be a customer of Countrywide Hearing
- Completion of a Complaint (if you are not a customer)
- Completion of any General Queries (if you are not or do not become a customer)
7 Years reflects statutory liability of 6 years, plus 1 additional year to complete the data processing lifecycles e.g. record disposal.
The law allows you to withdraw your consent to any particular usage of your data at any time without needing to specify a reason. You can withdraw your consent by emailing our customer care team on [email protected] or calling 0330 016 5110.
How we store your information
Your information is stored securely on our servers and within the UK and European Economic Area (EEA) only. It is not stored outside these areas. It is kept in line with the GDPRs security principle. We ensure that:
- the data can be accessed, altered, disclosed or deleted only by those we have authorised to do so (and that those people only act within the scope of the authority given to them);
- the data we hold is accurate and complete in relation to why we are processing it; and
- the data remains accessible and usable.
How we use your information
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To obtain pricing for replacement hearing aids
This may include using your personal information to help gather a quote for replacement hearing aids.
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To arrange for an audiologist to fit the new hearing aids and provide aftercare
This may include using your personal information to identify an appropriate audiologist to assist you for the term of your new hearing aids.
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To validate your insurance claim
We may use your personal data to ensure the insurance company is providing you with an appropriate cash settlement for your lost hearing aids.
We will not rent or sell your personal information to other organisations for use by them in any way, including in their own direct marketing activities.
However, where you have given us permission to contact you, we may pass on your information to external service providers to contact you on our behalf. This would be audiologists for example or occasionally manufacturers.
How will we contact you?
We will contact you regarding your quote, insurance claim or purchase via phone, email, text or letter. We may also contact you with information on advances in hearing aid technology and developments. If you wish us to stop contacting you completely you can request this by contacting our customer care team on [email protected] or calling 0330 016 5110.
How we use your debit or credit card information
As well as for any purchases, sometimes we are required to collect excess premiums on your insurance policy via a card transaction over the phone. We do not collect this data over the internet or email. We are PCI compliant and use Payment Card Industry compliant providers to handle transactions. We do not store any payment data, once the payment has gone through all information is immediately destroyed.
Cookies
When you visit a website that uses cookies for the first time, a cookie is downloaded onto your PC. The next time you visit that site, your PC checks to see if it has a cookie that is relevant (that is, one containing the site name) and sends the information contained in that cookie back to the site. The site then ‘knows’ that you have been there before, and in some cases, tailors what pops up on screen to take account of that fact. Countrywide Hearing Ltd uses Google Analytics cookies only. You may change your cookies options in your internet browser by accessing the ‘Tools’ menu.
Your rights
The GDPR provides the following rights for individuals:
- The right to be informed
- The right of access
- The right to rectification
- The right to erasure
- The right to restrict processing
- The right to data portability
- The right to object
- Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.
If you make a data access request around any one of those points, we will consider it in accordance with all data protection laws and regulations. No administrative fee will be charged to handle the request provided it does not become excessive.
You can make a request by contacting [email protected] or write to us at the address above. We will endeavour to respond within 14 working days but no later than 30 days. We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. You may ask us to correct or remove information you think is inaccurate.
Making a complaint
If you have any questions about of data policy or our data practices, please email [email protected] or write to us at the address above and we will be delighted to help. Please also use this address if you wish to make a complaint.
You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been processed in a way that does not comply with the GDPR. You can do so by calling the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113 or via their website https://ico.org.uk/.