Who we are
Guardsman Industries Ltd is a provider of furniture insurance and furniture care and repair products and services. Our registered office is: Corporation Service Company (UK) Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, 10th Floor, London E14 5HU.
Registered in England and Wales.
Company Registration Number: 2360505
VAT number: 718197903
We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under registration number 311766.
Why we need your personal data
This privacy notice tells you what to expect when Guardsman collects personal information from you:
Furniture Protection Plan (FPP) Policy Holders
We collect your name, address, telephone number and email address in order to register and administer a Furniture Protection Plan that you have purchased through one of our retail partners. We process your data on a contractual basis; we cannot provide insurance cover for you if you do not provide this information.
We will use your personal data to inform you of future offers and similar products that we believe are of legitimate interest to you. You can object to the use of your data for direct marketing at any time via phone 01235 444700 or email marketingoptout@guardsman.co.uk.
We will share your data with our network of Safeclean franchisees so that they can let you know about their cleaning services that may be of interest to you. We will not provide your personal information to any other third parties for the purpose of direct marketing.
If you need to make a claim on your FPP, we may need to share your personal data with a Safeclean franchisee, or with an independent furniture technician so that they can arrange an appointment to come and assess or repair your furniture.
We might share your data with Marketing Services agencies in order to profile our customer database and better understand their needs.
We will share your name and address with our underwriters in order for them to investigate any claims made on your policy.
Customers who purchase a product or service online or over the phone
We collect your name, address, telephone number and email address to supply goods or services that have been requested by you. We process your data on a contractual basis; we cannot supply the required goods and services if you do not provide this information.
Visitors to our website
When someone visits www.guardsman.co.uk we use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website.
Cookies, Web Beacons, and Other Internet Technologies
We, as well as certain third parties, including those that provide content and other functionality on our Services, may use cookies, web beacons and other similar technologies on our online Services and the information collected from such technologies. By using our online Services, you are consenting to our use of cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies as described in this Privacy Policy.
Cookies
A cookie is a small file that may be stored on your computer or other device. A cookie enables the entity that put the cookie on your device to recognize it across different websites, services, devices, and browsing sessions.
When you use a web browser to access the Services, you may configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is sent. Click the “Help” menu of your browser to learn more about how to change your cookie preferences. The operating system of your device may contain additional controls for cookies. Please note that disabling cookies may affect your ability to access and use certain features of the Services.
Web Beacons
Web beacons and similar technologies are small bits of code, which are embedded in web pages, ads, and e-mail, that communicate with third parties. We may use web beacons, for example, to count the number of users who have visited a particular web page, to deliver or communicate with cookies, and to understand usage patterns. We also may include web beacons in e-mails to understand whether messages have been opened, acted on, or forwarded.
Other Technologies
There are other local storage and Internet technologies, such as Local Shared Objects (also referred to as “Flash cookies”) and HTML5 local storage, that operate similarly to the cookies discussed above in that they are stored on your device and can be used to store certain information about your activities and preferences across different services and sessions. Please note that these technologies are distinct from cookies, and you may not be able to control them using standard browser tools and settings. For information about disabling or deleting information contained in Flash cookies, please visit the Flash website operated by Adobe.
How We Use These Technologies
Our online services use these technologies for the following general purposes:
| Type of Cookie |
What Do They Do |
Examples |
| Technical |
Enable our online Service to work correctly. |
For example, these cookies remember previous actions (e.g., entered text) when navigating back to a page in the same session and balance website traffic. |
| Performance |
Help us measure and understand how visitors interact with the online Services and our content and any issues encountered to help us improve the performance of the Services. |
For example, these cookies gain insight into how visitors use our websites so we can make improvements to usability and content. |
| Functionality |
Allow our online Services to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language, or the region you are in) to provide a more personalized online experience. |
For example, these cookies maybe enable you to store your sign-in credentials and preferences so that you don’t have to enter those credentials and preferences each time you log on. |
| Targeting/Advertising |
Help us and third parties provide you with relevant content and advertising by collecting information about your use of our Services and other websites and online services. |
These cookies may be used to deliver targeted advertising or to limit the number of times you see an advertisement. They also help us measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns. We may include web beacons in e-mails, for example, to understand whether messages have been opened, acted on, or forwarded. |
People who contact us via social media
When using a social media platform you are bound by the platform provider’s Terms of Use and your data is controlled by them and covered by their privacy policy. We use a third party provider, Hootsuite to manage our social media interactions. They process your personal information on our behalf as a data processor. However, any content generated by you is collected and monitored by us. We only use social media as a communication tool, or as a promotional tool to offer competitions and prize draws. We do not store your personal details or content and we do not share them with any third parties.
Hootsuite’s privacy policy can be found here: https://hootsuite.com/legal/privacy#hootsuite-data
People who call us
When you call us we collect Calling Line Identification (CLI) information and calls may be recorded. We use this information to help improve our call handling efficiency and effectiveness.
People who email us
We use Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt and protect email traffic in line with government security standards. If your email service does not support TLS, you should be aware that any emails we send or receive may not be protected in transit.
We will also monitor any emails sent to us, including file attachments, for viruses or malicious software. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send is within the bounds of the law.
Transfer of Data
We may collect, transfer, store and process your information outside of your country of residence, including to the United States. Please note that other countries’ data protection and other laws may not be as comprehensive as those in your country. In accordance with applicable law, we implement measures such as standard data protection clauses to ensure that any transferred personal information remains protected and secure.
Collection of Information from Children
We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children as defined by local law. If we learn that a child has provided us with personal information, we will delete it or otherwise comply with applicable law.
How long we keep it
We are required under UK tax law to keep your basic personal data (name, address, contact details) for a minimum of 6 years. We destroy your data 7 years following the expiry of your policy or the closure of a claim on your policy, whichever is later.
What are your rights?
You can request access to the personal data we hold for you at any time. You can also ask for us to transmit your data to another data controller.
If you believe the data we hold is incorrect you can request to have it corrected or deleted; if we dispute that the data is incorrect you can ask for its processing to be restricted until the dispute is resolved.
You can object to the use of your data for direct marketing at any time via phone 01235 444700 or email marketingoptout@guardsman.co.uk.
We will not use your data in automated decision-making.
If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data not in accordance with the law you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): Telephone 0303 123 1113 or visit www.ico.org.uk
