This privacy policy explains how CIO Inspection Ltd ("we", "us", "our") collects and uses personal information when you visit cio-inspection.com or contact us. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
Who we are
CIO Inspection Ltd is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.
- Address: 97 Archer Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 4QZ, United Kingdom
- Email: info@cio-inspection.com
- Phone: +44 7553 436 084
What information we collect
Information you give us
When you use the quote form on our website, or contact us by email or phone, we collect the information you provide, such as:
- your name, email address and company name;
- the service you are interested in;
- the content of your message, and any details about your parts, processes or equipment.
When you submit the quote form we also record the date and time and your IP address, to help protect the form against spam and abuse.
Information collected automatically
Basic visitor statistics (no cookies). Our website server counts page visits so that we know how many people use the site, which pages they read, which website or search engine referred them and whether they use a phone or a computer. This works without cookies and without storing your IP address: your IP address and browser type are combined with a random value that changes every day and turned into an anonymous code, which is deleted at the end of that day. Only the resulting daily totals are kept, for up to 26 months.
If you accept analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics to collect information about how you use our website, such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, the type of device and browser you use, and your approximate location (country or city). See Cookies below.
How and why we use your information
| Purpose | Lawful basis (UK GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Responding to your enquiry and preparing a quote | Steps taken at your request before entering into a contract; our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries |
| Providing our inspection services and reports | Performance of a contract |
| Keeping business, accounting and tax records | Legal obligation |
| Protecting our website against spam and misuse | Legitimate interests |
| Counting visits to our website (anonymous, cookieless statistics) | Legitimate interests (understanding and improving our website) |
| Understanding how our website is used (Google Analytics) | Your consent, which you can withdraw at any time |
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for automated decision-making or profiling. We will not send you marketing emails unless you have asked us to.
Who we share your information with
We only share personal information where necessary, with:
- Our website hosting and email providers, who store the website, form submissions and our emails on our behalf;
- Google (Google Analytics, only if you accept analytics cookies; Google Maps, only if you choose to load the map; and Google Fonts, which provides the typeface used on this website and receives your IP address when the page loads);
- Professional advisers such as accountants, and authorities where we are required to by law.
International transfers
Some of our service providers may store or process data outside the United Kingdom — for example, our hosting provider's servers and Google's services. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we take steps to ensure it is protected in line with UK data protection law, such as relying on UK adequacy regulations or appropriate contractual safeguards.
How long we keep your information
- Enquiries that do not lead to work: up to 24 months after our last contact, then deleted.
- Customer and project records: for 6 years after the end of the financial year in which the work was completed, to meet legal and accounting requirements.
- Google Analytics data: retained by Google for up to 14 months.
Cookies
Cookies are small files stored on your device. We use as few as possible. Analytics cookies are only set if you click "Accept analytics" on our cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time using the Cookie settings link at the bottom of every page.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| cio-consent | CIO Inspection | Remembers your cookie choice (stored in your browser's local storage) | Until you clear it |
| _ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics | Distinguishes visitors and sessions to produce anonymous usage statistics — only with your consent | Up to 2 years |
| Google Maps cookies | Set by Google only if you choose to load the map on our contact section | Set by Google |
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking cookies will not stop our website from working.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete;
- ask us to delete your information;
- ask us to restrict or object to how we use your information;
- ask for your information in a portable format;
- withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent.
To make a request, email info@cio-inspection.com. We will respond within one month. There is normally no charge.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how we handle your data, please contact us first so we can try to resolve them. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last changed.