Privacy Policy

Table of Contents

  1. Who we are
  2. Communication During Your Solar Switch Inquiry
  3. Contacting Us
  4. Keeping You Informed
  5. Accessing and Providing Personal Information
  6. Customer Communication
  7. Collection of Personal Information
  8. Disclosure of Your Personal Information
  9. Utilization of Your Personal Information
  10. Overview of Cookies and Web Beacons Used on Our Sites
  11. Website Security and Protective Measures
  12. Your Rights to Access and Control Your Personal Information
  13. Retention of Your Personal Information
  14. Opting Out of Future Communications
  15. Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten)
  16. How to Make a Complaint

1. Who Are We

Solar-Benefit.co.uk operates under the trading name of Lead Quote Ltd, licensed by the Information Commissioners Office (Registration Number ZB476216), and is registered in the UK (number NI692832). Our Registered Office is at Rosevale House, 171t Moira Road, Lisburn, BT28 1RW, United Kingdom

At Solar-Benefit.co.uk, we recognize the significance of your privacy. To safeguard your personal information, we have instituted robust measures to ensure that any data collected from you through our website is processed and maintained by the best practices of information handling and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This statement elaborates on the types of information we may collect about you, how we process and obtain this data, and how we protect your privacy.

Our privacy policy applies solely to personal information collected by us. We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy as needed. Should any changes be made, the updated policy will be promptly posted on our website.

2. Communication During Your Solar Switch Inquiry

Together with our panel of Solar providers, we will keep you updated on the status of your inquiry. You may receive communications from us via telephone, email, or SMS unless you indicate otherwise (see the section on 'How we keep you informed' for further details).

Legal Basis for Collecting Your Data

We ensure that the use of your data is always based on a lawful foundation.

Consent:

Upon submitting your Solar application to Lead Quote Ltd, we process your data because you have consented to be contacted by us and our panel of Solar providers.

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can do this by selecting the "unsubscribe" option in any communication from us or our associated third parties, or by contacting our Data Protection Officer at compliance@leadquote.co.uk. Withdrawing your consent will not affect the legality of any data processing that occurred before your withdrawal.

Contract:

We process your data as necessary to fulfill our contractual obligations, which include connecting you with a Solar provider. Both Lead Quote Ltd and our Solar partners may contact you regarding your Solar inquiry.

Legitimate Interest:

We process your data based on a legitimate interest in sharing your Solar application with our panel of providers to secure the offer you sought.

This category also includes processing for ID protection and fraud prevention with relevant agencies.

If you wish to object to our use of your data under these terms, please reach out to our Data Protection Officer at the email provided.

3. Contacting Us

Should you need to reach us, please use the specified email address listed on our website under the Contact section or as noted in our advertising/marketing materials.

4. Keeping You Informed

We may contact you to share updates about offers on products or services that might interest you. These communications could be via telephone, email, SMS, or automated messages.

5. Accessing and Providing Personal Information

You can freely access and browse our website, Solar-Benefit.co.uk, without providing any personal information. However, for details on how we use cookies, please refer to the 'Cookies' section of this privacy policy. The types of information we may collect include:

  • Name
  • Residential Address
  • Telephone numbers (home, mobile)
  • Email address
  • Product-specific details such as your current electricity expenses

Should you submit an inquiry or an application with us, or if you send an email to compliance@leadquote.co.uk, we may collect the above information to assist you with your inquiry.

6. Customer Communication

We will reach out to you via telephone, SMS, and email to provide updates and alerts about our services and those of our associate companies unless you specify otherwise. We may also receive personal information from third parties, which helps us identify potential customers interested in our products and services. We ensure the accuracy of information received from third parties and may periodically verify your details directly with you.

Updating Your Details and Preferences

It is your responsibility to ensure that the information we hold about you is accurate and up-to-date. Please contact us promptly if you need to update any of your personal information or preferences. You can reach out to our Compliance Manager using the contact details provided below for these updates.

7. Collection of Personal Information

We collect personal information from you when you apply for a Solar service online. This may include obtaining comparative quotes from Solar providers. During our service provision, we track how you use our sites, such as the pages you visit, your navigation from other websites, any updates you make to provide information, and details of your requests and applications. This tracking may also extend to sensitive personal data as defined by data protection laws, including medical history or criminal convictions. By proceeding with these services, you explicitly consent to the processing of such information by us and our third-party providers as outlined in this Privacy Policy.

Use and Storage of Your Information

We store your information and may use it to pre-fill forms on future visits to make the process smoother for you.

Monitoring Communications

We may monitor or record your calls, emails, SMS, or other forms of communication in compliance with data protection laws and for legitimate business purposes, such as quality assurance, training, preventing unauthorized system use, ensuring system functionality, fulfilling legal obligations, or for security purposes. We regularly review the personal information we hold to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary and in compliance with legal requirements.

8. Disclosure of Your Personal Information

When you submit an inquiry through our site, you authorize us to share your personal information with the following entities:

Solar-Benefit.co.uk and Lead Quote Ltd:

  • To communicate with you, including sending updates about products and services that may interest you.
  • To streamline form filling, enhance personalization, or improve your experience on our website, mobile applications, and other similar platforms.
  • In alignment with our privacy policy.

Solar Providers:

We collaborate with the following Solar providers who offer products within the sector.

  • Project Solar UK
  • Narwhal Media Group
  • BTY Sales Ltd

Channel Operators:

While we operate most of our site channels, some are managed by third-party service providers on our behalf. We may receive your personal information from these providers and will use it as outlined in section 4, ensuring it was collected and processed with your consent.

Regulatory/Governing Bodies:

For compliance monitoring purposes, we may disclose your information to regulatory and governing bodies as required or permitted by data protection and privacy laws, including:

  1. If legally required or allowed.
  2. If mandated by a court, the Competition and Markets Authority, or other relevant regulatory, compliance, governmental, or law enforcement agencies.
  3. In connection with legal proceedings or potential legal proceedings.
  4. As part of the sale or potential sale of our business.

If you enter into a contract with a third-party Solar provider through us, your data will be managed according to that provider's privacy policy. We advise you to review this policy carefully to understand how your personal information will be used.

Fraud Prevention Agencies (FPAs):

If we suspect that false or inaccurate information has been provided, we may share details with fraud prevention agencies to prevent fraud and money laundering. Your information may also be shared with statutory bodies, regulators, legal entities, credit reference agencies, and other organizations for credit referencing, debt tracing, and fraud prevention purposes. These agencies and organizations may use and share your information both within and outside your country as necessary.

By submitting an inquiry on our site, you affirm that the information you provide is accurate and consent to the use of fraud prevention and credit referencing agencies which help in making pertinent decisions and preventing fraudulent activities. These agencies maintain and share information on suspected fraudulent activities and work in conjunction with various organizations to:

  • Verify details on applications for credit and credit-related accounts or facilities.
  • Manage credit and related accounts.
  • Assist in debt recovery.
  • Verify details for insurance proposals and claims.
  • Screen job applicants and employees.

This cooperation helps safeguard the integrity of financial and related services against fraud and illegal activities. If you have any questions about how your information is used in these processes, please contact the relevant organization directly.

9. Utilization of Your Personal Information

We employ your personal information in various ways to enhance your experience and our services:

  • To facilitate your access and use of our services.
  • To personalize and improve our service offerings.
  • For research purposes, such as analyzing market trends and customer demographics.
  • To communicate with you, which may include:
    • Processing applications between you and third-party providers like Solar providers.
    • Tracking your applications involves sharing relevant data with your chosen product provider, who may also provide us with information related to your selections.
    • Integrating our data with information from other sources to ensure your details are accurate, consistent, and well-organized.

10. Overview of Cookies and Web Beacons Used on Our Sites

Understanding Cookies and Web Beacons: Please read this section carefully to understand how we, along with third parties, use cookies and web beacons when you interact with our websites. For a broader understanding of how we use your data, refer to section 8.

Primary Cookie Usage:

  • 'PHPSESSID' Cookie: This is a first-party cookie essential for our website's functionality. It tracks different page loads during your session, facilitating the form and application processes effectively.

Additional Information on Cookies: For more details on how to manage cookie preferences, including accepting or refusing them, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

Google Analytics:

  • We utilize Google Analytics to collect aggregated, non-personally identifiable information, helping us understand patterns such as website traffic volume, sources, geographic data, and browser types.
  • Web Beacons: Google Analytics also uses web beacons, small graphics with unique identifiers that track users’ movements across the web or analyze responses to emails. Unlike cookies, which are stored on a user’s hard drive, web beacons are embedded invisibly on web pages.
  • Functionality: These tools do not link the information they collect to any personally identifiable information from our users.

Google Analytics Cookies:

  • Google Analytics aids in tracking user interactions on our site through JavaScript tags (libraries) such as gtag.js, analytics.js, and ga.js, which use HTTP Cookies to remember users' actions on previous visits.

Important Note:

  • For detailed information about the data Google Analytics collects and how it is used, please review the Google Analytics privacy documentation.

This section aims to clarify the technical tools used to enhance your browsing experience and improve our website, ensuring transparency in our data handling practices.

FACEBOOK (VISITOR ACTION PIXEL)

We incorporate Facebook Inc's "visitor action pixels" from Facebook Ireland Ltd., located at 4 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2, Ireland, on our website. This technology helps us track user behavior after they are redirected from a Facebook ad to our website, allowing us to evaluate the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. The data collected through this method is anonymized; we do not have access to individual personal data. Nonetheless, Facebook stores and processes this information, potentially linking it to your Facebook account for its promotional activities, as outlined in their Data Usage Policy here . You can manage the placement of ads and opt-out via Facebook's ad settings.

Legal Compliance and Rights

This use of Facebook pixels is based on Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. Facebook adheres to the Privacy Shield Agreement, ensuring they maintain compliance with European data protection laws, as detailed here.

INSTAGRAM Integration

Our websites incorporate features from Instagram Inc., 1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA. If you are logged into your Instagram account while visiting our sites, you can link content from our sites to your Instagram profile using the Instagram button. This associates your interactions on our sites with your Instagram user account. For more information on how Instagram handles your data, please consult their privacy policy here.

TWITTER CONVERSION TRACKING

We utilize Twitter Inc.'s Conversion Tracking service, based at 1355 Market Street #900, San Francisco, California 94103, "Twitter", to analyze how users interact with our online advertisements. This service places a cookie on your device to enable tracking of actions following ad interactions, such as clicks, retweets, or likes.

Legal Framework and Opt-Out Options

The legal basis for this tracking is Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR. Those wishing to opt out of this tracking can use the Digital Advertising Alliance tool available at optout.aboutads.info. Twitter is also certified under the Privacy Shield Agreement, confirming its compliance with European data protection standards, accessible here.

Cookie Settings

You have the option to block cookies through your browser settings, which allows you to refuse all or some cookies. Please be aware that disabling cookies may impact the functionality of our site, potentially restricting certain features or services.

11. Website Security and Protective Measures

Our sites are certified as "Let's Encrypt Secure Websites," underscoring our commitment to your security. Although we strive to secure all data transmissions, it is important to recognize that no Internet transmission can be entirely secure. Sensitive data, such as credit card details, are encrypted to reduce the risk of interception during transmission.

We make every effort to protect the information you provide to us. However, we cannot guarantee the security of your data sent over the internet and you share information at your own risk. By using our sites, you acknowledge the inherent risks associated with online data transmission and agree not to hold us liable for any security breaches.

12. Your Rights to Access and Control Your Personal Information

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have specific rights regarding the personal information we hold about you:

  • Right to Be Informed: When we collect your data, we will inform you about what we intend to do with it, primarily through this Privacy Policy and within any opt-in or consent statements.
  • Right to Object: If you have engaged our services to find a financial product or service, we process the personal information you provide to help identify the best options available from our panel of Solar providers. You may object to this processing at any time by emailing compliance@leadquote.co.uk or writing to the Customer Services Team at Lead Quote Ltd, Rosevale House, 171t Moira Road, Lisburn, BT28 1RW, United Kingdom While we will promptly address your request, it may prevent us from continuing to assist you in your search for a financial product or service.
  • Right of Access: You can request at any time to confirm whether we hold your personal information. If we do, you can access it by writing to the Compliance Department at Lead Quote Ltd at the address provided or by emailing compliance@leadquote.co.uk.
  • Right to Rectification: If the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, you have the right to have it corrected. We will make the necessary updates as quickly as possible.
  • Right to Erasure: If it is no longer necessary for us to keep your personal information, considering the purpose for which it was provided, you can request its deletion. We will comply with your request promptly, although this may mean we can no longer assist you in finding a financial product or service.
  • Right to Restrict Processing: You can request that we restrict our processing of your personal information if, for example, you believe the data is inaccurate. This may impact our ability to assist you in finding a financial product or service.
  • Right to Data Portability: This right allows you to request the transfer of your personal information to another entity, commonly applicable when switching banks, insurance companies, or utility providers.
  • Right to Complain: If you are dissatisfied with how we handle your data protection concerns, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). For more information on how to file a complaint, please see our Complaints section.

For inquiries or to exercise any of your rights outlined in this Privacy Policy, please contact our Customer Services Team via email at compliance@leadquote.co.uk.

13. Retention of Your Personal Information

The duration for which we retain your personal information is determined by the purpose for which it was collected:

  • Marketing Opt-Outs: If you opt out of receiving marketing communications, we must retain your information to document your preferences.
  • Application Records: We retain any information related to applications you have made on our website for a minimum of 6 years after your relationship with us concludes. This retention period supports the management of any potential future complaints.

14. Opting Out of Future Communications

You have the right to opt out of future communications from Solar-Benefit.co.uk at any time. Each of our marketing communications includes an opt-out link. Please allow up to 48 hours for us to process your request. Alternatively, you can directly email compliance@leadquote.co.uk to have your details removed from future marketing campaigns.

15. Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten)

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to request the deletion of your data in the following scenarios:

  • Personal data is no longer necessary for the purpose it was originally collected or processed.
  • You withdraw your consent for data processing.
  • You object to the processing and there is no overriding legitimate reason to continue the processing.
  • The personal data was unlawfully processed.
  • The data must be erased to comply with a legal requirement.
  • The data is processed concerning the offer of information society services to a minor.

However, this right does not apply where the retention of your data is necessary for legal obligations.

To invoke your "Right to be Forgotten," please contact us via email at compliance@leadquote.co.uk.

16. How to Make a Complaint

At Solar-Benefit.co.uk, we strive to conduct our business with fairness and honesty. If you have a complaint about any aspect of our service, we are committed to addressing it swiftly. You can reach us through the following methods:

By Post: Complaints Department, Solar-Benefit.co.uk, Rosevale House, 171t Moira Road, Lisburn, BT28 1RW, United Kingdom

By Email: complaints@leadquote.co.uk

Upon receiving your complaint, we will acknowledge it within 3 working days. We aim to resolve all complaints and provide a final response within 4 weeks. If we cannot resolve your complaint within this period, we will contact you again to inform you when you can expect a full response, but always within 8 weeks of the initial complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the resolution of your complaint or if it is not resolved within eight weeks, you have the right to escalate the issue to:

Financial Ombudsman Service Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR, Telephone: 0800 023 4567, Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

Additionally, you can bring your concerns to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner's Office Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate number), Fax: 01625 524 510

This policy was last updated in January 2024.