Privacy Policy for Compass Automotive

At Compass Automotive, we understand the importance of safeguarding personal data and are fully committed to protecting the privacy of our customers, suppliers, employees, and others we interact with. This policy outlines the way in which we collect, process, and protect your personal information to comply with the Data Protection laws, including the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

Purpose of This Privacy Policy

This policy serves to ensure that Compass Automotive:

  • Complies with applicable data protection laws and follows best practices in data management.

  • Safeguards the rights of individuals, including staff, customers, and suppliers.

  • Provides transparency in how we process, store, and use personal data.

  • Minimises risks related to data breaches and unauthorized access.

Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all branches, employees, contractors, volunteers, suppliers, and any other persons who work with Compass Automotive.

It includes any personal data we hold relating to identifiable individuals, even if this falls outside the scope of the Data Protection Act 1998. This data may include:

  • Names

  • Contact information (email addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers)

  • Other details related to individuals

Key Responsibilities

Data Protection Officer:
Our Company IT and Data Protection Officer, Helen Brown, is responsible for:

  • Keeping the board updated on data protection responsibilities, risks, and issues.

  • Reviewing and updating data protection procedures regularly.

  • Organizing training sessions to ensure that all employees understand and follow data protection guidelines.

  • Responding to data protection inquiries and requests from individuals, such as subject access requests.

  • Ensuring all third-party contracts related to data processing are secure and GDPR-compliant.

  • Ensuring that all systems, services, and devices used to store data meet acceptable security standards.

Marketing Manager:
Alexander Read is responsible for:

  • Approving all data protection notices and statements related to marketing communications.

  • Addressing any media-related data protection queries.

  • Collaborating with the team to ensure marketing efforts comply with data protection principles.

What Data We Collect and How We Use It

As part of our day-to-day operations, Compass Automotive collects data to process sales, handle accounts, and communicate effectively. The data you provide may include details like your name, contact information, and any other information necessary to complete these processes.

Website Data Collection:
When you visit our website, www.compassautomotive.com, we may collect personal details when you sign up for our newsletter, enter a competition, or request information. This includes:

  • Full Name

  • Email Address

  • Postal Address (if applicable)

  • Phone Number (if applicable)

This data is collected with your consent and used to send marketing communications, such as newsletters or information about upcoming promotions, product offerings, and events.

Opting Out:
You can unsubscribe from email communications at any time using the “unsubscribe” link included in our emails. We respect your preferences and will update our records accordingly.

Competitions:
If you enter a competition at one of our events, we will collect details such as your full name, email address, phone number, and whether you are an existing customer. By entering, you consent to being added to our marketing list to receive further promotional communications.

How Your Data is Processed and Who Has Access to It

Compass Automotive utilizes trusted third-party services to process data, such as:

  • MailerLite: This US-based email marketing platform helps us manage our email campaigns. MailerLite is fully compliant with GDPR standards.

  • GOLD Customer Accounting System: We store customer data related to transactions and purchases securely in this system.

  • Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic and improve our marketing efforts. Google Analytics collects your IP address, but we do not share or sell this data.

Additionally, our websites are developed and hosted by Identity Web Design. They may store basic server logs for maintenance, security, and performance analysis purposes. All data is kept secure and encrypted.

Data Retention and Your Rights

In line with GDPR, we will review our data from email marketing campaigns every two years to ensure your consent is up-to-date. Any personal data stored for customer transactions will be retained unless the customer requests account closure.

You have the right to request updates to your personal information or request its removal. If you would like to access, update, or delete the personal data we hold, you may contact us at alex@compassautomotive.com. Please note that there may be a £10.00 administrative fee for this service.

We will never share, sell, or distribute your personal data to third parties without your consent, except as required by law.

Security of Your Data

We take the security of your personal information seriously. We use appropriate technical measures to protect the data we hold, including encryption, secure storage, and regular system checks to safeguard against unauthorized access.

Data Transfers

In some cases, we may need to transfer your personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA), for example, when we use services based in the US like MailerLite. These services comply with GDPR requirements for international data transfers.

Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business practices or legal requirements. Any updates will be posted on this page with an updated version date.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about how we handle your personal data or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, please feel free to contact us: