Summary
As part of your dealings with any member of the group of companies of which Vertu Motors plc is the holding company (each company being a Vertu entity) we will collect and otherwise process personal information about you in order to supply vehicles, goods and services to you and to administer our relationship with you. This may involve sharing your personal information with third parties. This Privacy Policy describes in detail how we will use your personal information and how you can exercise your rights with respect to your personal information.
If we decide to change this Privacy Policy, we will post the updated Privacy Policy on our websites so that you are always aware of what personal information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances we disclose it. The updated Privacy Policy will take effect as soon as it is posted on our Websites.
Introduction
In this Privacy Policy, references to we, us or our (or words of similar import) means the Vertu entity that processes your personal information (as defined below) and interacts with you (for example, the entity from whom you purchase a vehicle or other services).
The documents you receive from any Vertu entity will identify the relevant Vertu entity that you are dealing with in any particular instance.
These include:
and for the purposes of this Privacy Policy Vertu Motors plc and the Vertu entities in the same group as Vertu Motors plc that are listed above shall constitute the Vertu Group. Vans Direct Limited, All Car Parts Limited and Vertu Motors Third Limited, which are also part of Vertu Motors' group of companies have separate privacy policies which can be found on their websites.
In this Privacy Policy, references to you mean the person whose personal information (as defined below) we collect, use and process. This includes anyone who visits our Websites, contacts us in connection with the purchase of a Vehicle and/or any goods or services we provide or otherwise interacts with us (for example, via a dealership).
In this Privacy Policy, references to a Website means any website owned and operated by or on behalf of any Vertu entity listed above including websites of our dealerships
We are committed to protecting your privacy. We will use your personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR (as defined in The Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications Amendments etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 both as amended from time to time (together the Data Protection Legislation) and other applicable laws and regulations that relate to data protection and privacy.
Who is responsible for your personal information?
For the purposes of the Data Protection Legislation Vertu Motors plc is the data controller in respect of your personal information that we collect and process as further described in this Privacy Policy. All information is stored on a group database so will be shared with other organisations in the Vertu Group who may act as data processors.
We may share your personal information with other organisations that may receive and process your personal information as a data controller in their own right. Please see below for further information.
What information do we collect?
We may collect and process information about you, including your name, date of birth, address, contact details (including email address and mobile phone number), vehicle details, purchase history and data collected as part of any finance application or payment (including previous addresses, employment details, payment and bill information, and bank account and credit or debit card details). We may also obtain copies of your driving licence and other identification, and your vehicle insurance details. This information is referred to in this Privacy Policy as personal information.
In particular, we may collect and process the following personal information about you:
There may be circumstances when we collect special categories of personal data regarding your health, sexual orientation or criminal convictions, if you provide this information to us as part of a discussion regarding your vehicle or vehicle enquiry. In particular, if you use the Motability scheme, we may collect details about your disability and health to administer your application and verify your eligibility for the scheme.
If you provide us with personal information about another person, you must ensure that before you provide us with their personal information, you have their agreement to do so and that they are aware of the ways in which we use personal information as set out in this Privacy Policy.
We may collect and process information we receive about you from third parties. This information may include your personal and financial information, your employer, companies that you are connected with (such as a Director) or other person connected with your finance application; information about the vehicle you are purchasing credit information, such as previous applications, the conduct of accounts in your and your financial associates' name (this is anyone linked to you for credit or finance purposes), any business accounts you have and public information such as County Court Judgements, bankruptcies and the Electoral Register.
We may also collect information about your preferences in connection with our Websites and your activity on our Websites, for the purposes of enhancing and personalising your experience on the Websites. We may provide our manufacturer partners and our advertisers with aggregate information about Website users. We may also use such aggregate information to help advertisers reach the kind of audience they want to target. We may make use of the personal data we have collected from you to enable us to comply with our advertisers' wishes by displaying their advertisement to that target audience.
How do we use your personal information?
We use your personal information in connection with our business activities. In particular, we may use your personal information in the following ways:
If you enquire about a potential vehicle purchase, lease or hire of a vehicle and/or any goods or services, we will use your information to contact you for up to 3 months about that potential purchase, lease or hire and, in the case of potential vehicles, will ask you to agree for us to carry out a soft credit search (using an external credit reference agency) to enable us to provide you with finance quotes at a rate that matches your credit history. We may then provide your details and credit score to up to 3 lenders if you wish to apply for finance for your purchase. If you go ahead and purchase, lease or hire a vehicle and/or any goods or services from us we will use your information in various other ways, details of which are provided to you at the time of your purchase, lease or hire. These include:
If you have a "My Car" account, we will use the information contained within it to contact you regarding vehicles you have expressed an interest in, or similar vehicles.
All of the above are examples of where we believe that we have a legitimate interest in doing so.
In accordance with your preferences, we may also use your personal information to provide you with additional information about vehicles, services, promotions and offers that may be of interest to you. The preferences set within your "My Car" account will apply only to communications sent using that account information and, if you are also a customer of the Vertu Group, you will have separately stored preferences in that capacity. We do not match the information stored in a "My Car" account with our customer records.
The section below entitled "What choices do I have?" explains how you can change whether to receive information from us that is based on consent/preferences. Please note that, even if you choose not to receive this information, we may continue to use your personal information in the ways described above and below.
Your personal information may also be used by us, our employees, contractors or agents, and disclosed to third parties, in order to comply with any legal obligation (including in connection with a court order), or in order to enforce or apply the terms of any agreements we have with or otherwise concerning you (including agreements between you and us (or one or more Vertu entity), or to protect our rights, property or safety or those of our customers, employees or other third parties.
In addition, where permitted by law, we may combine the information we hold with information about you or your interests, socio-economic and socio-demographic status, online identifiers and current contact details collected by third parties such as marketing agencies and from public sources.
How do we make decisions using your data?
We will use your information to carry out automated decision-making and profiling in some circumstances. For example, service and MOT reminders will be automatically sent where relevant based on the vehicle and maintenance information we hold. We will also select customers for marketing campaigns and offers based on factors such as age of vehicle, type of vehicle finance held and date since last vehicle purchase as well as previous responses to marketing campaigns and Website activity.
Where you enquire about a vehicle, unless you are purchasing on a fixed rate offer, we will ask for consent to carry out a soft credit search using a third party credit reference agency to obtain a credit score for you. If you agree, this credit score will determine the rate at which we offer vehicle finance to you based on a matrix agreed with the relevant finance company from time to time. We will not be able to alter this rate. If you do not agree to a soft credit search, we will offer you vehicle finance using an average finance rate, or you can always purchase a vehicle from us using cash.
We can provide you with the credit score we have obtained for you on request, although this will only be visible to certain colleagues. You will be able to challenge your credit score with the credit reference agency if you believe it is inaccurate.
How long do we keep your personal information?
We will not retain information longer than we need to. In general, if you enquire (in person or by creating a "My Car" account) but do not purchase a vehicle from us, we will keep your information for 2 years to enable us to deal with future enquiries more effectively and to deal with any concerns regarding the enquiry process. If you purchase a vehicle from us, or have servicing or repair work carried out, or purchase a part from us, we will keep your information (and your "My Car" account will remain live) for 7 years from your last transaction with us. We may keep details of a vehicle for longer than that but without it being attached to your information.
With whom do we share your personal information?
In connection with the above uses of your personal information, we may share your personal information with third parties as described below. We will share your personal information with other Vertu entities in the Vertu Group for the purposes set out above and below.
We may disclose your personal information to third parties in connection with our business activities, including in the following circumstances:
We may share non-personal aggregate statistics (group) data about visitors to our Websites, sales and traffic patterns with members of the Vertu Group and other third parties.
Protecting your personal information
Our security procedures mean that we may occasionally request proof of identity before we are able to disclose sensitive information to you.
The transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure; this risk is not specific to our Websites and is common across the internet. We cannot guarantee the security of your data (including your personal information) transmitted to our Website; any transmission is at your own risk.
What choices do I have?
If you think the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate or incorrect, you can request that we correct this information (including your marketing preferences) by writing to us using the details below.
You can choose to stop receiving marketing emails or SMS messages from us by following the unsubscribe link and instructions on the respective marketing emails or SMS messages we send you. You can also ask us to stop including you in marketing campaigns using profiling by writing to us using the details below.
You can also choose to change your marketing preferences by writing to us using the details below.
These changes will not prevent all uses of your information (where we believe we have legitimate interests to use it) but if you are concerned about this you can ask us to stop all contact with you.
If you want to stop contact from us relating to your "My Car" account you can update your preferences by logging in to your "My Car" account. This is a separate process to our main database described above.
Access to your personal information
The Data Protection Legislation gives you the right to access your personal information. To request access to your personal information, please contact us using the details below.
Right to be forgotten
You have the right to request that Vertu Group delete your personal data in certain circumstances if you would like more information about this please contact us using the details below. If you have purchased goods or services from us we will retain details of your purchase for 7 years. If we are unable to delete your data as we believe that we are required to retain it, we will delete as much information as we are able to and will also stop sending you any further information.
Third Party sites
Our Websites contain links to other websites. This privacy policy applies only to our Websites, so visitors should always be aware when they are moving to another site and read the privacy statement of any site which collects personal information. We cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other sites even if you access those using links from our Websites.
We do not pass on any personal information about our visitors to any other site (unless we have obtained your consent to do so). In addition, if you linked to a Website from a third-party site, we cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of the owners and operators of that third party site and recommend that you check the policy of that third party site and contact the owner or operator if you have any concerns or questions.
Transferring your information outside of Europe
As part of the services offered to you through the Website, the information which you provide to us may be transferred to countries outside the United Kingdom and outside the European Economic Area (EEA). By way of example, this may happen if any of our servers are from time to time located in a country outside of the EEA. If we transfer your information outside of the EEA in this way, we will take steps to ensure that it is to a country with data protection laws which are at least as stringent as those in England or we will put in place appropriate safeguards in accordance with our legal obligations to ensure that your personal information is adequately protected irrespective of the country to which it is transferred. These safeguards may include obtaining contractual assurances from any third party given access to your personal information that your personal information will be protected by standards which are equivalent to those that protect your personal information when it is in the EEA.
If you use our services while you are outside the EEA, your information may be transferred outside the EEA in order to provide you with those services.
Cookies
Our Websites use cookies. A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we put on your computer if you agree. These cookies allow us to distinguish you from other users of our Websites, which helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our Website. Details of the cookies used and how we use the information we obtain are set out in our Cookie Policy. You will be asked to set cookie preferences when you access one of our Websites for the first time.
You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site.
How to contact us
If you have any questions, comments or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please feel free to contact us by writing to us at: Data Protection Officer, Vertu Motors plc, Vertu House, Fifth Avenue Business Park, Team Valley, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE11 0XA or emailing on datacontroller@vertumotors.com.
You also have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.
Manufacturer-specific information
We will share your information with the manufacturer of your vehicle when you purchase a new vehicle, and in certain other circumstances. We act as a separate data controller from the manufacturers and on occasion may act as a data processor for the manufacturers. If you want to update your communication preferences with the manufacturers, you will need to do this separately to any request made to us, unless you specifically ask us to communicate with the manufacturer on your behalf by email to datacontroller@vertumotors.com. Further details on how each manufacturer will use your data, and who to contact, are set out below.
Audi: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Audi vehicle from a Vertu Audi dealership, your information will be passed to Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited. They may also receive data relating to Audi used car buyers and Audi service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.audi.co.uk/legal-pages/legal-and-privacy.html#privacyStatementSection.
BMW and BMW Motorrad: If you have enquired about or purchased a new BMW or BMW Motorrad vehicle from a Vertu BMW or BMW Motorrad dealership, your information will be passed to BMW (UK) Limited. They will also receive data relating to BMW or BMW Motorrad used car and motorcycle buyers and BMW and BMW Motorrad service or repair customers. You will also be asked to provide consent for certain contact by BMW or BMW Motorrad in the future and this consent will be passed to them. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.bmw.co.uk/en/footer/legal/privacy-policy.html
Citroen: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Citroen vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors Citroen dealership, your information will be passed to Citroen UK Limited. They may also receive data relating to Citroen used car buyers and Citroen service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.citroen.co.uk/privacy.
Ford: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Ford vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors or Macklin Motors Ford dealership, your information will be passed to Ford Motor Company Limited. They may also receive data relating to Ford used car buyers and Ford service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.ford.co.uk in the Terms & Privacy Policy Hub at the foot of each page.
Honda: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Honda vehicle from a Vertu Honda dealership, your information will be passed to Honda Motor Europe Limited. They may also receive data relating to Honda used car and motorcycle buyers and Honda service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.honda.co.uk/privacy.html.
Hyundai: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Hyundai vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors or Macklin Motors Hyundai dealership, your information will be passed to Hyundai Motor UK Limited. They may also receive data relating to Hyundai used car buyers and Hyundai service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.hyundai.co.uk/legal/privacy.
Jaguar Land Rover: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Jaguar or Land Rover vehicle from a Farnell or Gordon Lamb Jaguar or Land Rover dealership, your information will be passed to Jaguar Land Rover Limited. They may also receive data relating to Jaguar and Land Rover used car buyers and Jaguar and Land Rover service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.landrover.co.uk/privacy-policy/index.html.
Kia: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Kia vehicle from a Macklin Motors or Vertu Kia dealership, your information will be passed to Kia Motors (UK) Limited. They may also receive data relating to Kia used car buyers and Kia service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.kia.com/uk/Privacy/.
Mazda: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Mazda vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors or Macklin Motors Mazda dealership, your information will be passed to Mazda Motors UK Limited. They may also receive data relating to Mazda used car buyers and Mazda service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.mazda.co.uk/privacy-policy/.
Mercedes-Benz: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Mercedes-Benz vehicle from a Vertu Mercedes-Benz dealership, your information will be passed to Toyota (GB) Plc. They may also receive data relating to Mercedes-Benz used car buyers and Mercedes-Benz service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.mercedes-benz.co.uk in the Terms & Privacy Policy Hub at the foot of each page.
MG: If you have enquired about or purchased a new MG vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors or Macklin Motors MG dealership, your information will be passed to MG Motor UK Limited. They will also receive data relating to MG used car buyers and MG service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.mg.co.uk/privacy-policy/
MINI: If you have enquired about or purchased a new MINI vehicle from a Vertu MINI dealership, your information will be passed to BMW (UK) Limited. They will also receive data relating to MINI used car buyers and MINI service or repair customers. You will also be asked to provide consent for certain contact by MINI in the future and this consent will be passed to them. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.bmw.co.uk/en/footer/legal/privacy-policy.html.
Nissan: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Nissan vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors or Macklin Motors Nissan dealership, your information will be passed to Nissan Motor (GB) Limited. They may also receive data relating to Nissan used car buyers and Nissan service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.nissan.co.uk/gdpr.html
Peugeot: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Peugeot vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors or Macklin Motors Peugeot dealership, your information will be passed to Peugeot Motor Company plc. They may also receive data relating to Peugeot used car buyers and Peugeot service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.peugeot.co.uk/privacy-policy/.
Renault: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Renault vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors Renault dealership, your information will be passed to Renault UK Limited. They may also receive data relating to Renault used car buyers and Renault service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.renault.co.uk/personal-data.html.
SEAT: If you have enquired about or purchased a new SEAT vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors SEAT dealership, your information will be passed to Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited. They may also receive data relating to SEAT used car buyers and SEAT service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.seat.co.uk/privacy-statement.html
Skoda: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Skoda vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors Skoda dealership, your information will be passed to Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited. They may also receive data relating to Skoda used car buyers and Skoda service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.skoda.co.uk/discover/privacy-statement.
Toyota: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Toyota vehicle from a Vertu Toyota dealership, your information will be passed to Toyota (GB) Plc. They may also receive data relating to Toyota used car buyers and Toyota service or repair customers. Toyota (GB) Plc may send you a communication requesting your consent to receive marketing from them. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.toyota.co.uk/footer/privacy-policy. If you want to change your marketing preferences with Toyota at any time, please contact Toyota at privacy@tgb.toyota.co.uk or 0344 701 6202.
Vauxhall: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Vauxhall vehicle from a Bristol Street Motors Vauxhall dealership, your information will be passed to Vauxhall Motors Limited. They may also receive data relating to Vauxhall used car buyers and Vauxhall service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.vauxhall.co.uk/tools/privacy-policy.html.
Volkswagen: If you have enquired about or purchased a new Volkswagen vehicle from a Vertu Volkswagen dealership, your information will be passed to Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited. They may also receive data relating to Volkswagen used car buyers and Volkswagen service or repair customers. Details of how they use information regarding customers and prospective customers can be found at www.volkswagen.co.uk/privacy.