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We don't believe in 'small print' and we hope you will agree that our rules are mostly common sense but we welcome any suggestions on how to simplify them. The main points are:

Consumers
We hope that our site will help you to make a more informed choice, but we're not responsible for the work of the listed firms and we don't give guarantees for the firms or for their goods or services.

We can't guarantee the accuracy of the information shown or of the opinions expressed, so please ask the firms to give you more information about any references which may be important to you and tell us about any misleading information.

The Site includes a Compare function and suggestions to help you make a more informed choice but these are for your general guidance only and do not amount to professional or legal advice. We recommend that you should make your own enquiries to satisfy yourself about anything that may be important to you, such as the firms' membership of schemes and associations, their financial status, the qualifications and experience of the firms and their people, and any guarantees.

We can't guarantee that we hear about every complaint, but fewer than 1% of responses sent to Referenceline are not recommended. We aim to work with customers and firms to help reduce the number of problems, but some level of misunderstandings and disagreements is inevitable. We do want to hear about any problems that you may have, but please contact the firm first. Firms are responsible for settling disagreements with their customers and we are not liable for this. See our complaints procedure.

Firms You agree that any customer may submit a review; you will not influence their response in any way; we may publish every response; you can't pick and choose the responses you like

General
We hope you like our website and services, but they are provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" and you use them at your own risk. As far as the laws allow, Referenceline excludes all guarantees and representations. In particular:

The views expressed by firms and customers are theirs, not ours, and we don't accept any responsibility for any mistakes, omissions or inaccuracies in the content provided by them.

We don't guarantee the performance, completeness, security or availability of our websites or services, whether for reasons within our control (for example to carry out maintenance, service or development work) or for reasons outside our control (such as changes affecting the internet or postal services and practices).

You agree to all of our rules and that these rules replace any other agreement, including any written agreement between us. You agree that no other rules apply, including any terms and conditions which you might otherwise use in purchasing services or entering into agreements with others.

You agree that we may change these rules at any time without notice, so please check our rules regularly. If you don't agree to be bound by all of our rules, then please don't use our website or services. By continuing to use our website, you agree that you accept all of our rules, including any revisions.

Data Protection registration

Referenceline Ltd is a limited company No. 3341732 registered in England at 3 Huron Drive, Liphook, GU30 7TY. We are committed to protecting the privacy of individuals, including consumers, customers and employees. We are registered with the Data Protection Registrar: Z7698138. We do not sell, trade or rent personal information such as individuals' name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. We don't publish customers' names and addresses. If you have any concerns, please email our Data Protection Officer via support@referenceline.com

About Us

We provide consumers with a directory and independent review service about businesses. This involves relationships with various bodies including trade associations, trading standards, regulators and others through a number of websites including:

• www.referenceline.com
• www.reputations.net
• www.trustedtrader.info
• www.trustedbytradingstandards.org.uk
• www.estateagentregister.co.uk

Consumers

Please be careful and responsible, especially when online. When contacting a firm for the first time, don't provide any more information than is necessary until you are confident about the person you are dealing with. We don't monitor or control the privacy policies of third parties, including registered firms. Ask questions before giving any personal information to anyone. Remember that any information given on message boards, through email, or in chat areas can be collected and used by others.

Personal Data

This privacy policy applies to customers of businesses that use our services and to visitors to our website(s) and it explains how we use your personal data and your related rights.

This policy does not apply to businesses listed on our websites, including legal and trading names, addresses, email addresses, reviews or any other business information. The publication of contact details such as postal addresses, email addresses and phone numbers is essential to the function of our directory services. Where appropriate, businesses should use contact details that are separate from the personal data of individuals. This includes phone numbers, email addresses (ie sales@example.com rather than john.smith@example.com) and in some very limited cases may include the use of PO boxes rather than the full postal address. Please contact support@referenceline.com to request any change to business contact details.

We may change this policy from time to time and if we make significant changes, we will make that clear on our websites, so that you are able to review the changes before you continue to use our services.

When we act as Data Processor

When a business or body gives us your personal details as a customer and asks us to contact you by email, by post or by phone (for example, inviting you to leave a review about that business), then we are acting as data processor for them. We will not publish your name or personal details or use them for any other purpose unless you otherwise agree.

When a business or body gives us data that may be linked to an individual as part of the information required to operate our websites or services (eg john.smith@example.com rather than sales@example.com) then we are acting as data processor for them. If you are adversely affected by this, you should contact the data controller and we recommend that you should provide generic, rather than personal, contact details wherever possible. You may also contact support@referenceline.com to advise us of your concerns.

In either case, the business or body is the data controller and you should contact them with any questions relating to privacy.

When we act as Data Controller

When you use our website(s), then we act as data controller in relation to your personal data and any other information you provide, including the details of any review you may leave. We automatically collect personal data using cookies and your IP address. Please direct any questions to us at support@referenceline.com

The personal data we collect

We collect:

• Your name and address, email address and phone number. 
• Your IP address, the web site from which you visit us, the web pages you visit and the date and length of your visit.
• Your review and any related correspondence, including text descriptions, text reviews, ratings, images, videos, copies of contracts etc.
• Where a review is submitted on behalf of someone else (for example by a carer) then we also collect their details.

We do not collect special category data such as racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, health conditions. Read the ICO guide to special category data.

Why we collect your personal data

We won’t publish your name unless you have asked us to do so.  Instead, we use your personal data:

• To invite you to leave a review and to contact you about your review
• To generate anonymous trends and analysis – for example by age, by gender or by location. These statistics are not personal data as they are anonymised and you will not be identifiable from them.
• To assist in the verification of genuine transactions, the resolution of disputes, the prevention of fraud and to bring or defend legal claims.
• To help us manage and secure our websites, including an understanding of how visitors use our websites.

Legal basis for the processing

When we act as data controller, the information is necessary for our legitimate interests which include:

• Collecting and publishing reviews
• Validating genuine customers
• Researching and analysing consumer and industry trends
• Encouraging conciliation, enabling dispute resolution and supporting legal claims
• Securing, managing and improving our websites

When we act as data processor, we treat personal information with the same care, but the responsibility for the legal basis lies with the data controller.

When we process your personal data on the basis of your consent, you may withdraw your consent by following the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting support@referenceline.com

How long we keep your personal data

Unless you agree otherwise, we keep:

• Your name, email address and phone number for 6 years. This allows us to contact you in relation to your review during that period.
• The details of the property or vehicle to which the service relates indefinitely. This allows us to compile a history of the property or vehicle, rather than of the individuals.
• The anonymized demographic data indefinitely. This allows us to compile anonymous statistics including customer ages, gender and experience as well as customer loyalty by industry or area.

We may keep personal data for longer in some cases, including where there is a statutory, regulatory or other legal need to do so.

Where personal data is included within the information provided to us under contract with another data controller, we do not keep that personal data when the contract expires unless the business registers directly with us and authorises us to act as a data controller.

Where more than one retention period applies to the same personal data, the longest period will apply.

Where we obtain your personal data

We obtain your personal data from businesses, as their data processor and from you, as data controller, when you submit information to our websites, communicate with us, or otherwise provide personal data to us; from your accounts on other websites, including Facebook or Twitter, when you give us permission to do so and automatically when you use our website, using cookies or similar technologies.

How we share your personal data

We may share your personal data:

• With the business you have reviewed, so that they can identify you as a genuine customer.
• With trading standards ..., regulators, dispute resolution providers, professional bodies, fraud protection agencies, insurers, legal advisors or other third parties to help monitor standards, prevent fraud and other risks and assist when disputes arise.
• With our employees or service providers, as necessary for them to carry out their duties including customer support and website services.
• With professional advisers ... or in connection with any reorganisation, merger or acquisition of part or all of our business.
• With regulators, government authorities or the police, as required by law or in response to their reasonable requests.
• Where you have agreed or asked us to
• Exceptionally at our discretion when we believe it appropriate to do so. For example: when we believe that the law requires it or to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be breaking our rules or injuring Referenceline's rights or property.

When we share your personal data (including transfers outside the European Economic Area) with others, we require them to sign contracts which include the obligation to handle your personal data consistently with this privacy policy.

Cookies and similar technologies

Like most websites, by using our site(s) you agree that we may use cookies and other similar technologies to provide our services to you. You can find helpful information on the Information Commissioners website. https://ico.org.uk/

We may use the following types of cookie:

• Functionality: to allow you to navigate the site and use our features
• Analytics: to understand how you use our site(s), and to improve our services.
• Customer preference: to remember your preferences and help make your experience as simple and personal as possible
• Targeting: to deliver ads or other information which may be relevant to you
• Third parties: to allow you to interact with third party services such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

If you want to delete any cookies, the help section in your browser should provide instructions on how to do so on your computer, but some functions on our site(s) may be affected or not work at all.

The law gives you the right to require us to

• Send you a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide the first copy free of charge, but we may make a charge for additional requests.
• Correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you and to require us to restrict our processing of your personal data while we verify its accuracy.
• Erase your personal data on certain limited grounds (including where they are no longer necessary for the purpose for which they were collected or where we rely on consent, which you withdraw, and there is no other legal ground for the processing)
• Restrict our processing of your personal data which we no longer need, rather than requiring us to erase that data, where you require us to retain that personal data in relation to legal claims
• Consider your objection to our processing of your personal data on the grounds of our legitimate interests and to require us to restrict our processing of your personal data while we do so. We might not have to cease processing if we are able to show a reason which overrides your interests. This includes where that legitimate interest relates to legal claims, regulatory issues or the verification of genuine feedback.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact support@referenceline.com.

Complaints

If you are not happy with the way we respond to any complaint about the way we use your personal data, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

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