Stevens and Carter Privacy & Cookies Policy
This website is operated by Stevens and Carter.
We take your privacy very seriously and we ask that you read this Website Privacy Policy carefully as it contains important information on:
· the personal information we collect about you
· what we do with your information, and
· who your information might be shared with
Who we are
Stevens and Carter (‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’) are a ‘data controller’ for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, (ie we are responsible for, and control the processing of, your personal information). References to “our Website” or “the Website” are to www.stevensandcarter.co.uk
The information we collect about you
Personal information provided by you
2. We collect personal information about you (such as your name, address, telephone number and email address) when you complete one of the contact us forms on the website or sign up to our newsletter. We also collect personal information when you contact us, send us feedback, complete customer surveys or participate in competitions).
Personal information provided by third parties
3. Occasionally we receive information about you from other sources (such as Financial Advisors, architects and Solicitors), which we will add to the information we already hold about you in order to help us complete your instructions.
Personal information about other individuals
4. If you give us information on behalf of someone else, you confirm that the other person has appointed you to act on his/her behalf and has agreed that you can:
· give consent on his/her behalf to the processing of his/her personal data;
· receive on his/her behalf any data protection notices;
· give consent to the processing of his/her sensitive personal data (eg health information) should you provide this.
Sensitive personal information
5. We may ask you to provide sensitive personal information, for example if this is relevant to an enquiry you submit to us or part of your ongoing instructions. If we request such information, we will explain why we are requesting it and how we intend to use it.
Sensitive personal information includes information relating to:
· your physical or mental health or condition
· whether you have committed a criminal offence.
· Bankruptcy or CCJ’s
We will only collect your sensitive personal information with your explicit consent.
Use of cookies
6. A cookie is a small text file which is placed onto your computer (or other electronic device) when you use our website. We use cookies on our website.
For example, we may monitor how many times you visit the website, which pages you go to, traffic data, location data and the originating domain name of the user’s internet service provider. This information helps us to build up a profile of our users. This data will be aggregated or statistical, which means that we will not be able to identify you individually. This helps us to improve our website.
If you continue to use our website we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies from our website.
However, if you would prefer to change your cookie settings, you can do so at any time. Most browsers automatically accept cookies unless you change your internet browser settings. If you wish to restrict, block or delete the cookies which are set by any websites, you can generally do this through your browser settings. These settings are usually found in the ‘options’ or ‘preferences’ menu of your internet browser.
If you set your internet browser preferences to block all cookies, you may not be able to access all or parts of our site.
For further information on our use of cookies please see our Website cookie policy.
For further information on cookies generally visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org
How we will use the information about you
8. We collect information about you so we can
· identify you and provide the services requested
· communicate with you on any matter relating to the conduct of your instructions in general
· progress your matter
· conduct research
· if you agree, let you know about other products or services that may be of interest to you – see Marketing section below
· detect and prevent fraud
· improve our services
Marketing
9. We would like to send you information by post or email about our products and services, competitions and promotions which may be of interest to you.
We will only ask whether you would like us to send you marketing messages when you tick the relevant box when you complete a ‘contact us’ form.
If you have consented to receive such marketing from us, you can opt out at any time. See ‘What rights do you have?’ below for further information.
Who your information might be shared with
10. We may disclose your personal data to:
· law enforcement agencies in connection with any investigation to help unlawful activity
· our insurers
· regulatory bodies
Keeping your data secure
11. We will use technical and organisational measures to safeguard your personal data, for example;
· restricted access
· use of passwords
· firewalls
· we store your personal data on secure servers
We will use all reasonable efforts to safeguard your personal data, you acknowledge that the use of the internet is not entirely secure and for this reason we cannot guarantee the security or integrity of any personal data that are transferred from you or to you via the internet. If you have any particular concerns about your information, please contact us (see ‘How can you contact us?’ below).
What can I do to keep my information safe?
12. If you want detailed information from Get Safe Online on how to protect your information and your computers and devices against fraud, identity theft, viruses and many other online problems, please visit www.getsafeonline.org. Get Safe Online is supported by HM Government and leading businesses.
Transfers of your information out of the EEA
13. We will not transfer your information out of the EEA without obtaining your consent. Rest assured that we will always ensure any transfer is subject to appropriate security measures to safeguard your personal data.
14.
What rights do you have?
Right to request a copy of your information
14. You can request a copy of your information which we hold (this is known as a subject access request). If you would like a copy of some or all of it, please:
· email, call or write to us (see ‘How can you contact us?’) below
· let us have proof of your identity and address (a copy of your driving licence or passport and a recent utility or credit card bill), and
· let us know the information you want a copy of, including any account or reference numbers, if you have them.
We may charge a small fee for this service.
Right to correct any mistakes in your information
15. You can require us to correct any mistakes in your information which we hold free of charge. If you would like to do this, please:
· email, call or write to us (see ‘How can you contact us?’ below)
· let us have enough information to identify you (eg matter reference number, full name and address), and
· let us know the information that is incorrect and what it should be replaced with
Right to ask us to stop contacting you with direct marketing
16. You can ask us to stop contacting you for direct marketing purposes. If you would like to do this, please:
· email, call or write to us (see ‘How can you contact us?’ below). You can also click on the ‘unsubscribe’ button at the bottom of the email newsletter.
· let us know the method of contact you are not happy with if you are unhappy with certain ways of contacting you only (for example, you may be happy for us to contact your by email but not by post)
How to contact us
17. Please contact us if you have any questions about this privacy policy or the information we hold about you.
If you wish to contact us, please send an email to hlm@stevensandcarter.co.uk or write to us at Stevens and Carter, 47 High Street, Hailsham, BN27 1AN or telephone us on 01323 840444.
Changes to the website privacy policy
18. We may change this privacy policy from time to time. You should check this policy occasionally to ensure you are aware of the most recent version that will apply each time you access this website.
Your consent
20. By submitting your personal information you consent to the use of that information as set out in this policy.
Use of cookies
1. A cookie is a small text file which is placed onto your computer (or other electronic device) when you access our website. We use cookies on this website to:
· obtain information about your preferences, online movements and use of our website
· carry out research and statistical analysis to help improve our content and services and to help us better understand our visitor requirements and interests;
· make your online experience more efficient and enjoyable.
2. The information we obtain from our use of cookies will not usually contain your personal data. Although we may obtain information about your computer (or other electronic device) such as your IP address, your browser and/or other internet log information, this will not usually identify you personally. In certain circumstances we may collect personal information about you—but only where you voluntarily provide it (eg by completing an online form) or where you purchase services from us.
3. In most cases we will need your consent in order to use cookies on this website. The exception is where the cookie is essential in order for us to provide you with a service you have requested.
Consent
4. There is a notice on our home page which describes how we use cookies and which also provides a link to our website privacy policy. If you use this website after this notification has been displayed to you, we will assume that you consent to our use of cookies for the purposes described in this website cookie policy and our Website Privacy Policy.
Third-party cookies
5. We work with third party suppliers who may also set cookies on our website, for example (eg Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Adobe Flashplayer which we may use to display video content). These third party suppliers are responsible for the cookies they set on our site. If you want further information please go to the website for the relevant third party. You will find additional information in the table below.
6.
Description of cookies
6. We list below provides more information about the cookies we use and why:
Name of Cookie: Google Analytics
Owner: Google
Purpose for cookie: This is a web analytics service provided by Google Inc which uses cookies to show us how visitors found and explored our site, and how we can enhance their experience. It provides us with information about the behaviour of our visitors (eg how long they stayed on the site, the average number of pages viewed) and also tells us how many visitors we have had.
How to turn off cookies
7. If you do not want to accept cookies, you can change your browser settings so that cookies are not accepted. If you do this, please be aware that you may lose some of the functionality of this website. For further information about cookies and how to disable them please go to the Information Commissioner’s webpage on cookies: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/online/cookies/.
We, as well as certain third parties that provide content, advertising, or other functionality on our Services, use cookies, pixels, beacons, and other technologies in certain areas of our Services, as explained in more detail below.
Cookies
Cookies are small files that store information on your computer, TV, mobile phone, or other device. They enable the entity that put the cookie on your device to recognise you across different websites, services, devices, and/or browsing sessions. Cookies serve many useful purposes. For example:
- Cookies can remember your sign-in credentials so you don’t have to enter those credentials each time you log on to a service.
- Cookies help us and third parties understand which parts of our Services are the most popular because they help us to see which pages and features visitors are accessing and how much time they are spending on the pages. By studying this kind of information, we are better able to adapt the Services and provide you with a better experience.
- Cookies help us and third parties understand which ads you have seen so that you don’t receive the same ad each time you access a Service.
- Cookies help us and third parties provide you with relevant content and advertising by collecting information about your use of our Services and other websites and apps.
When you use a web browser to access the Services, you can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is sent. Each browser is different, so check the “Help” menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences. The operating system of your device may contain additional controls for cookies.
Please note, however, that some Services may be designed to work using cookies and that disabling cookies may affect your ability to use those Services, or certain parts of them.
We use the following types of cookies on our website:
Essential Cookies
which enable you to order products and receive services from our website;
Performance Cookies
which enable us to analyse the performance and design of our website and detect errors. For example, this type of cookie allows us to recognise that you have visited our website before and shows which sections of our website are most popular by allowing us to see which pages visitors access most frequently and how much time visitors spend on each page. We use, without limitation, Google Analytics, Adobe, and similar analytics cookies to achieve this.
For example, the information generated by the cookie about the use of the website will normally be stored on a Google server in the United States. However, if you are located within the EU or the European Economic Area, your IP address will be shortened by Google beforehand. In exceptional cases only, your full address will be transmitted to a Google server in the United States and shortened there. On our behalf, Google will use this information for the purpose of compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. The IP address transmitted from your browser as part of Google Analytics will not be associated with any other data held by Google. You may prevent web usage data (including your IP address) generated by the cookie from being transmitted to Google and processed there if you download and install this (Browser-Plugin).
For more information on other service providers, please contact us at hlm@stevensandcarter.co.uk.
Functional Cookies
which allow us to deliver a better user experience. For example, this type of cookie ensures that the information displayed on your next visit to our website will match up with your user preferences, or your Samsung account from which you linked to our website, or the fact that you linked to our website via an email sent to you by Samsung or one of our trusted third party service providers contacting you on our behalf.
Advertising Cookies
which enables us and our carefully selected partners to deliver advertisements to you, or contact you directly where you have separately consented to such communications, which match your interests by, for example, collecting information about products you have browsed or ordered on our website. For example, and without limitation, we use Google remarketing tags to allow our retail partners to advertise products which you have browsed on our website. For further information about how Google remarketing tags work, please click here.
Our website may also display content from a third party website or service, which may result in cookies from third parties being stored on your hard drive or browser. We do not control the storage of these cookies and you should refer to the privacy policies of the relevant third party for more information.
Other Local Storage
We, along with certain third parties, may use other kinds of local storage technologies, such as Local Shared Objects (also referred to as “Flash cookies”) and HTML5 local storage, in connection with our Services. These technologies are similar to the cookies discussed above in that they are stored on your device and can be used to store certain information about your activities and preferences. However, these technologies may make use of different parts of your device from standard cookies, and so you might not be able to control them using standard browser tools and settings. For information about disabling or deleting information contained in Flash cookies, please click here.
Beacons and/or Pixels
We, along with certain third parties, also may use technologies called beacons or pixels that communicate information from your device to a server. Beacons and pixels can be embedded in online content, videos, and emails, and can allow a server to read certain types of information from your device, know when you have viewed particular content or a particular email message, determine the time and date on which you viewed the beacon and pixels, and the IP address of your device. We and certain third parties use beacons and pixels for a variety of purposes, including to analyse the use of our Services and (in conjunction with cookies) to provide content and ads that are more relevant to you.
When you access and use our Services (except for websites provided by third party service providers), you will be asked to provide your separate consent to the storage of cookies (which includes other local storage technologies, beacons, pixels and other information on your devices) by us. You will also be asked to provide your separate consent to the access of such cookies (which includes local storage technologies, beacons, pixels and information) by us and by the third parties mentioned above. Your experience of our website/Services may be affected if you do not accept cookies, and further information will be provided to you at the time we ask you for this specific consent.
Legitimate Interest
Click here for more information about our Legitimate Interest Policy.