VisualConfig privacy notice

1. Introduction

We take your privacy and the protection of your personal information very seriously.  This privacy notice (the “privacy notice”) explains:

• Who we are
• What information we collect and how we collect it
• How we use your information and how long we keep it
• Who we share your information with
• Links to other websites
• What are cookies; how we use them; and how can you manage them
• Whether we transfer your information to other countries
• How we keep your information safe
• Your legal rights
• The legal basis under which we receive and use your personal information
• Updates to our privacy notice
• How you can contact us if you have any other questions

 

2. Our details

Visualconfig.com (the "website") is operated by VisualConfig Limited.  Our company number is 13012920 and our registered address is 53 Fairmile Road, Christchurch, Dorset, United Kingdom, BH23 2LA ("us", "we", "our", "VCL").

We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (registration reference ZA810130) and you can check our details on the ICO’s public register.

If you have any further questions about how we use your personal information after reading this privacy notice, then please email us at: info@visualconfig.com.

 

3. The information we collect and how we collect it

When you visit our website and use our services or if you engage with us as a client or prospective client we may collect your personal information.  This information is provided directly by or collected directly from you.

• We collect your computer’s IP address when you visit our website. We use a cookie to collect this information.  You can read more about cookies in section 7, below.
• We collect your name, email address and also any message you send if you contact us by email.
• We collect your name, phone number, email address and also may note down details of our conversation with you if you contact us by telephone.
• If you design a shed, garden office, playhouse or other structure using our configurator then we save a copy of the different designs you have created.
• If you respond to one of our surveys then we save your answers.
• If you engage with us as a client or prospective client then we may collect your name, email address, address, phone number, job title, company name and other details including all correspondence and communications between our companies which may contain personal information.
• If you engage with us as a client we may provide access to our client portal through your client account. We collect your computer’s IP address and a copy of the password. We encrypt your password for added security.
• If you engage with us as a client and sign our Client Services Agreement we collect your name, email address and signature.
• If you engage with us as a client and subscribe to our services we collect your name, address and other details to process your payments.

 

4. How we use your information

We use the personal information we collect in the following ways:

To monitor and improve our services

• We use the information of your visits to our website and how you use our website and services so that we can come up with improvements and new features and functionality. This information also allows us to understand the demand for our website and services at different times of the day and that helps us to ensure that we can keep them running at peak performance.
• We delete this information after 60 days.
• In addition, if you have provided your consent, we may contact you by email to complete a survey so that we can obtain direct feedback on your experience of using our website and services. Responding to a survey request is entirely optional.
• We delete this information after 12 months.

To respond to an enquiry

• If you contact us by email or telephone with an enquiry then we will use the information to communicate with you and to sort out your enquiry.
• We delete this information 24 months after the last communication between us or, if you are – or become - a client, for a period of 6 years after our business relationship ceases.

To contact you by email or phone about our products and services that you have requested

• If you have consented to us sending you email updates or contacting you by phone with information about our products and services, then we will use the information to contact you.
• You can unsubscribe from these emails or withdraw your consent at any time. We delete this information 24 months after the last email you opened or call we had or after you unsubscribe (whichever is the later) and if you are – or become - a client, for a period of 6 years after our business relationship ceases.

To manage our relationship with you as a client or potential client of VCL

• If you or the company you represent engages with us as a business client of VCL (for example, to integrate our visual configurator into your company’s website), we will use your personal information to communicate with you, to conduct research into the company that you represent and to manage our business relationship with you. We may obtain additional personal information about you and the company you represent from other, publicly available sources including LinkedIn and the Companies House register.
• We keep this information for a maximum of 6 years after the termination of our business relationship.

To perform research and analysis

• We may combine different sets of information from across our services to perform research and analysis that we use to develop new tools and services and to add functionality to our existing services. We remove any personal information to anonymise it before collating this data because we only need to analyse it at an aggregated level (for example, we may analyse the most popular configured building design over a specific period of time).
• We delete this information after 3 years.

To allow the electronic signature of our Client Services Agreement

• If you or the company you represent enters into a written agreement for our services, we will use your personal information to facilitate the electronic signature of the agreement.
• This information is deleted after 14 years.

To receive payment from you as a client of VCL

• If you or the company you represent engages with us as a business client of VCL and subscribes to our services, your personal information will be used to process your payments.
• Your name and payment history is saved for 7 years. Your credit or debit card details are never processed or stored by us. Please see section 5 for more detail.

 

5. Who we share the information with

When you use our website and services we share your information with the companies listed below.  We have contracts in place with these companies and this means that they cannot do anything with your personal information unless we have instructed them to do it. They will not share your personal information with any organisation apart from us. They will hold it securely and retain it for the period we instruct.

Website reports and analysis

• We use an analytics platform provided by Google to help us collate and analyse the data we collect through our website. This data will include your computer’s IP address which we share with Google solely so it can provide these analytical service.
• Google is based in the US. They will hold your personal information securely and will not share any of it with other companies or use it for any other purposes.

Email communications

• We use Microsoft, Rocket Science Group and Mailgun Technologies to provide our email services. If you provide us with your personal information then we will share it with these companies solely to provide email services.
• Microsoft provides our core email platform; Rocket Science Group provides technical email marketing services; and Mailgun Technologies provides email delivery services. These companies are all based in the US.
• These companies will hold your personal information securely will not share any of it with other companies or use it for any other purposes.

Website and service hosting

• Our website, our configurator and our other services are all hosted by SiteGround Hosting. Any personal information that we collect when you use our website or any of our services will be shared with them.
• SiteGround Hosting provides powerful and very secure cloud computing services. We use SiteGround’s UK data centre to host all our company’s services and your personal information.
• They will hold your personal information securely and will not share any of it with other companies or use it for any other purposes.

Online surveys

• We use a survey software company called SurveyMonkey to help us create and manage client surveys. If you respond to one of our surveys then we will share the information you provide with SurveyMonkey solely so they can provide this service.
• SurveyMonkey is based in the US. They will hold your personal information securely and will not share any of it with other companies or use it for any other purposes.

Electronic signing of agreements

• We use a company called DocuSign to process the signing of our Client Services Agreements. If you or the company you represent electronically signs one of our agreements we will share the information you provide with DocuSign solely so they can process your signature and send you a copy of the completed agreement.
• DocuSign is based in the US. They will hold your personal information securely and will not share any of it with other companies or use it for any other purposes.

Credit and debit card transaction processing

• We use a company called Stripe Inc to process payment transactions. If you or the company you represent subscribes to our services then Stripe will use the information you provide solely so they can process your payments. Any payment you make is facilitated by the Stripe platform and VCL does not collect, see or store any of your card details whatsoever.
• Stripe Inc is based in the US. They will hold your personal information securely and will not share any of it with other companies or use it for any other purposes.

Legal purposes

We may additionally disclose your personal information as permitted by law:

• if we sell VCL;
• to comply with any legal obligation or court order, or to enforce or apply our rights;
• to protect the rights, property, or safety of us, our clients, or others; or
• for the purposes of fraud protection.

 

6. Links to other websites

Where we provide links to the websites of other organisations (for example building materials suppliers), this privacy notice does not cover how those organisations will process your personal information.  We encourage you to read the privacy notices on the other websites you visit.

 

7. Cookies

We use cookies to collect some of the information set out in this privacy notice. A cookie is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored in your computer’s web browser, while you are bvisualcrowsing a website.  Cookies can track your use of our website to help us monitor and improve our services.

You can manage your cookie preferences by using our cookie pop-up tool when you visit our website or by changing your settings here.

You can also change your browser settings to disable cookies but you may find that some of the features on our website do not subsequently work correctly.

Please read our cookie policy for more information about the cookies our website uses and how you can manage your preferences.

 

8. Where we transfer your information

Some of the personal information we collect will be transferred to (and stored in) the US.  Where we transfer your personal information to companies based outside the European Economic Area we take specific precautions to ensure that those companies keep the information secure and process it in accordance with European data protection and privacy requirements.

All the companies we use in the US have entered into written contracts with us (called Standard Contractual Clauses) that set out how they can only use your personal information as instructed by us and how they must keep it secure and comply with the European legal requirements for data protection.

In addition, the companies we work with in the US are either ISO 27001, SOC 2 or PCI SPL1 certified and have met the rigorous international standards for ensuring information security.

By using our website and services and by submitting your personal information to us, you consent to us transferring your personal information to companies in the US.

 

9. How we protect the information

We collect the minimum amount of personal information to be able to maintain our website and provide the services you want to use and we have strict procedures and information security measures in place to ensure that it is kept safe.

We encrypt any information between your computer’s browser and our website (by using Secure Sockets Layer technology).  Our services – and your personal information – are hosted in a secure environment which has the latest firewall technology and continually checks for any potential software vulnerabilities.  All personal information is backed-up to ensure that it cannot be lost or deleted.  We also ensure that anyone who works with us or for us is trained appropriately to understand the importance of keeping our clients’ personal information safe and protecting their privacy.

If you create a password for your account, we encrypt it for additional security.  We encourage you to create a strong password using a mixture of letters and numbers and ask that you do not share your password with anyone else.  You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for any use of your account, using your password.

Remember: no information sent from your computer over the internet can ever be guaranteed to be completely secure and when you share your personal information with us, you do so at your own risk.

 

10. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have rights we need to make you aware of. The rights available to you depend on our reason for using your personal information.

If you wish to exercise these rights then please contact us at info@visualconfig.com (or by post at our registered address at the bottom of this privacy notice).  We have one month to fulfil your request.

• Your right of access - you have the right to ask us for a copy of your personal information. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.
• Your right to rectification - you have the right to ask us to correct any information that you think is inaccurate or that has changed since you first shared it with us.
• Your right to erasure - you have the right to ask us to erase (delete) your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Your right to restriction of processing - you have the right to ask us to limit the way we use some of your personal information in certain circumstances (for example you can ask us to stop using your information until you have updated it).
• Your right to object to processing - you have the right in certain circumstances to ask us to stop using your personal information for some purposes (for example you can request that we stop sending you emails about our products and services).
• Your right to data portability - in certain circumstances, you have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or give it to you.

 

11. The lawful basis for processing information

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis (a recognised legal reason) for collecting and using your personal information.

If you have consented to us sending you email or telephone updates and information about our products and services or to send you a survey, then the lawful basis is that you have given your consent.  You can withdraw your consent at any time.

If you are a client or prospective client of VCL, then the lawful basis is that it is necessary for the performance of a contract (or prior to entering into a contract).

In all other circumstances the lawful basis for collecting and using your personal information is that it is in our legitimate business interests to do so.  Legitimate business interests means that it is necessary for us to use your personal information in the interests of conducting and managing our business and to provide the service you would reasonably expect form a company of our type.  We have to ensure that in these circumstances we are only using your information in a way you would expect and that will have a minimal impact on your privacy.  We collect and use your personal information under the lawful basis of it being in our legitimate interests for the following purposes:

• To monitor and improve our services - It is in our legitimate interests to understand the demand for our website and services at different times of the day so that we can keep them running at peak performance.
• To perform research and analysis – It is in our legitimate interests to better understand how people use our services over time so we can identify trends and develop ways to enhance our services and develop new products for the benefit of our website users and client. This information is anonymised and only used at an aggregated level.

 

12. Changes to this privacy notice

We keep our privacy notice under regular review to make sure it is up to date and accurate.  Any updates will be posted to this page of our website and we would encourage you to review the latest version each time you provide us with any personal information.

This version was updated:

10 September 2021

 

13. How to contact us or make a complaint

If you have any further questions about how we use your personal information or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, detailed above, please email us at: info@visualconfig.com.

Alternatively you can write to us at:

VisualConfig Limited
53 Fairmile Road
Christchurch
Dorset
United Kingdom
BH23 2LA

 

If you are concerned about the way we may be using your personal information, then you can raise your concern with a supervisory authority in the EU member state where you reside. In the UK this is the Information Commissioner's Office.