Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 01/11/2025

1. Who we are

Clothes Collector (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates clothescollector.co.uk (the “Site”). We are a private company offering free doorstep collections of unwanted clothing and household items across Chorley. For data protection purposes, we are the “controller” of your personal data.
Contact: [email protected]

2. What data we collect

We collect only the information needed to provide and manage our service:

  • Name
  • Collection address and any access notes
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Messages or enquiries you send us by form, email, SMS, or phone

We do not intentionally collect any special category (sensitive) data.

3. How we collect your data

  • Directly from you when you book a collection or contact us
  • Automatically through cookies or similar tools when you use our Site (see Cookies below)

4. How and why we use your data, and our legal bases

We use your personal data to:

  • Arrange and manage collections, send confirmations and updates, and contact you about your booking by email or SMS. Legal basis: performance of a contract.
  • Send a post-collection review invitation, for example via Trustpilot, to help improve our service. You can opt out at any time. Legal basis: legitimate interests.
  • Respond to enquiries, fix issues, and improve how we operate. Legal basis: legitimate interests.
  • Maintain records, ensure security, and comply with legal obligations. Legal basis: legal obligation and legitimate interests.

We do not use your information for direct marketing.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

We use essential cookies to ensure the Site functions properly. If any non-essential cookies are used, we will request your consent when you first visit and provide an option to update your choices later. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.

6. Who we share your data with

We never sell your data. We share it only where necessary with:

  • Service providers who help us run the Site or provide communications, hosting, IT support, or security, acting only under our instructions.
  • Trustpilot so they can send a review invitation after your collection. Shared details are limited to what’s required, such as your name, email, booking date, and reference.

If any provider is based outside the UK, we ensure suitable safeguards for data transfers, such as an adequacy decision or standard contractual clauses.

7. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to keep your personal data secure. This includes TLS encryption for data in transit, access controls, and restricted administrative access. No online system can be completely secure, but we review our safeguards regularly. If a data breach poses a risk to you, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours where required and contact you directly if the risk is high.

8. How long we keep your data

We retain booking details and related communications for up to 12 months after your collection, unless a longer period is needed to meet legal or operational requirements. After this, we delete or anonymise the data. Backup copies are removed during the next scheduled cycle.

9. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Correct inaccurate or incomplete data
  • Request deletion of your data in certain cases
  • Restrict processing in certain circumstances
  • Request data portability (where processing is based on a contract and carried out automatically)
  • Object to processing based on our legitimate interests
  • Withdraw consent, for example for non-essential cookies

To exercise your rights, contact us at [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before responding. You can also raise a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

10. Children

Our service is intended for people aged 18 or over. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

11. Third-party links

Our Site may contain links to other websites. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for how they handle your information.

12. Automated decisions

We do not use automated decision-making that has legal or significant effects on you.

13. Updates to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. The “Last Updated” date shows when it was last changed. If major updates are made, we’ll highlight them on the Site.

14. Contact

For any questions or privacy-related requests, contact: [email protected]