Privacy Policy

The Local Dot respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

 

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, make an enquiry or do business with us.

 

1. WHO WE ARE

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The Local Dot is an ordinary partnership operated by:

 

• Mark Preston

• Joby Young

 

Our business address is:

 

The Local Dot
Office 13b
Business First Business Centre
Lancaster House
Amy Johnson Way
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY4 2RP
United Kingdom

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Email: info@thelocaldot.com

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Website: https://www.thelocaldot.com

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For the purposes of UK data protection law, The Local Dot is responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is processed.

 

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your personal information, please contact us using the details above.

 

2. PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

 

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

 

We may collect:

 

• Your name

• Business name

• Job title or role

• Email address

• Telephone number

• Business address

• Information about your business

• Information about your customer growth goals or requirements

• Information submitted through forms on our website

• Information contained within emails and other communications with us

• Records of conversations and enquiries

• Information required to prepare proposals, quotations or agreements

• Information required to provide services to you

• Marketing and communication preferences

• Technical information generated when you use our website

• Any other information you voluntarily provide to us

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We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

 

3. HOW WE COLLECT YOUR INFORMATION

 

We may collect personal information directly from you when you:

 

• Complete a form on our website

• Contact us by email

• Contact us by telephone

• Make an enquiry

• Ask us to contact you

• Discuss your business with us

• Request a proposal or quotation

• Become a client

• Communicate with us during our business relationship

• Choose to receive communications from us

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Certain technical information may also be collected when you use our website.

 

Information about cookies and similar technologies used by our website is provided separately in our Cookie Policy.

 

4. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

 

We may use your personal information to:

 

• Respond to enquiries

• Contact you when requested

• Understand your business and customer growth requirements

• Discuss whether The Local Dot can help your business

• Prepare proposals, quotations and agreements

• Take steps requested by you before entering into a contract

• Provide agreed services

• Manage our relationship with you

• Communicate with you about work being undertaken

• Provide customer support

• Maintain appropriate business records

• Administer invoices and payments

• Meet accounting, tax and other legal obligations

• Operate, maintain and improve our website

• Protect the security of our website, systems and business

• Establish, exercise or defend legal rights

• Send relevant communications where permitted by law

• Maintain records of communication preferences

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We will not use your personal information for an incompatible purpose without an appropriate lawful basis.

 

5. OUR LAWFUL BASIS FOR USING YOUR INFORMATION

 

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

 

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following.

 

Contract

 

We may process your personal information where necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you.

 

This can include responding to a request for services, preparing a proposal, providing agreed services and managing our relationship with you.

 

Legitimate interests

 

We may process personal information where this is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

 

Our legitimate interests may include:

 

• Responding to business enquiries

• Operating and developing The Local Dot

• Maintaining business relationships

• Improving our website and services

• Maintaining appropriate business records

• Protecting our website, systems and business

• Establishing, exercising or defending legal rights

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Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate and whether your rights and interests outweigh ours.

 

Legal obligation

 

We may process personal information where necessary to comply with a legal, regulatory, accounting or tax obligation.

 

Consent

 

Where consent is the appropriate lawful basis, we will ask you for it.

 

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.

 

Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

 

6. CONTACTING US THROUGH THE WEBSITE

 

When you submit an enquiry through our website, we use the information you provide to understand your enquiry and respond to you.

 

Submitting an enquiry does not automatically subscribe you to marketing communications.

 

We may retain a record of your enquiry and our communications where reasonably necessary for business administration, to manage our relationship with you or to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

 

You do not have to provide personal information simply to browse our website.

 

However, if you choose not to provide information reasonably required to deal with an enquiry or provide a service, we may be unable to respond fully or provide the relevant service.

 

7. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

 

We may send business related marketing communications where we are permitted to do so under applicable data protection and electronic marketing laws.

 

Where consent is required, we will obtain it before sending those communications.

 

Where the law permits us to rely on another lawful basis, such as legitimate interests, we will only do so where appropriate.

 

You can ask us to stop sending marketing communications at any time.

 

Every marketing communication sent by email will provide an appropriate way to opt out where required.

 

You can also contact us at:

 

info@thelocaldot.com

 

We may retain limited information about your preference after you opt out so that we can ensure your request continues to be respected.

 

The ICO confirms that UK GDPR applies when personal information is used for business marketing and that PECR can impose additional requirements depending on the recipient and communication method. It is particularly relevant to The Local Dot's market because sole traders and some ordinary partnerships receive greater PECR protection than corporate subscribers.

 

8. COOKIES

 

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.

 

Information about the technologies we use, why we use them and how you can manage your choices is provided separately in our Cookie Policy.

 

9. WHO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH

 

We do not sell your personal information.

 

We may share personal information with trusted organisations where reasonably necessary to operate our business, provide services or comply with our legal obligations.

 

These may include:

 

• Website and hosting providers

• Email and communication providers

• Customer relationship management providers

• Business software and technology providers

• Cloud storage providers

• Accounting and payment providers

• Professional advisers, including accountants, solicitors and insurers

• Contractors and service providers supporting our work

• Government bodies, regulators, courts and law enforcement authorities where required by law

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Where another organisation processes personal information on our behalf, we take appropriate steps to ensure that the information is handled appropriately and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

 

We may also disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect our legal rights or investigate suspected wrongdoing.

 

10. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

 

Some technology and service providers may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

 

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that an appropriate legal mechanism or safeguard is used where required by UK data protection law.

 

This may include transferring information to a country covered by UK adequacy regulations or using appropriate contractual safeguards.

 

You can contact us if you would like further information about safeguards applying to your personal information.

 

11. HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION

 

We do not keep personal information for longer than reasonably necessary.

 

How long we retain information depends on factors including:

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• Why the information was collected

• The nature of our relationship with you

• Whether you become a client

• Whether the information is required to provide services

• Legal, tax and accounting requirements

• Contractual requirements

• The potential establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims

• Whether you have asked us to stop contacting you

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Client information may need to be retained after the business relationship ends to satisfy legal, accounting, tax or contractual requirements.

 

Information relating to enquiries that do not result in a business relationship will be periodically reviewed and deleted when there is no longer a reasonable business or legal need to retain it.

 

Where you have opted out of marketing communications, we may retain limited information so that we can continue to respect your preference.

 

12. HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION

 

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss or destruction.

 

These measures may include access controls, password protection, appropriate security measures, backups and limiting access to people who reasonably need the information.

 

However, no internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

 

13. YOUR DATA PROTECTION RIGHTS

 

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you the right to:

 

• Ask for access to personal information we hold about you

• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information

• Ask us to erase your personal information

• Ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information

• Object to certain processing of your personal information

• Receive certain personal information in a portable format

• Withdraw consent where we rely upon consent

• Complain about how your personal information has been handled

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These rights are not absolute and do not apply in every circumstance.

 

To exercise a data protection right, contact:

 

info@thelocaldot.com

 

We may need to verify your identity before completing your request.

 

14. YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT

 

Where we process your personal information on the basis of legitimate interests, you may have the right to object to that processing.

 

You have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.

 

If you object to direct marketing, we will stop using your personal information for that purpose.

 

The ICO describes the right to object to direct marketing as an absolute right and expects organisations to respect people's preferences.

 

15. AUTOMATED DECISION MAKING

 

We do not use personal information to make decisions about individuals based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

 

If this changes, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide the information required by applicable law.

 

16. CHILDREN

 

The Local Dot provides services to businesses and this website is not directed towards children.

 

We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children through our website.

 

If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us.

 

17. THIRD PARTY WEBSITES

 

Our website may contain links to websites and services operated by other organisations.

 

Those organisations are responsible for their own privacy practices.

 

We are not responsible for how third party websites collect, use or protect personal information.

 

We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by any third party website you visit.

 

18. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

 

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, website, services, technology, data processing activities or applicable law.

 

The latest version will be published on this page and the date at the top will show when it was last updated.

 

Where appropriate or legally required, we will take reasonable steps to tell affected individuals about significant changes.

 

19. HOW TO COMPLAIN

 

If you have concerns about how we collect or use your personal information, please contact us so that we can investigate your concern.

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The Local Dot
Office 13b
Business First Business Centre
Lancaster House
Amy Johnson Way
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY4 2RP
United Kingdom

​

Email: info@thelocaldot.com

​

You also have the right to complain to the UK's independent data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office.

 

Information Commissioner's Office complaints service

 

The ICO confirms that organisations should provide contact information and tell individuals about their right to complain to the regulator.

 

20. CONTACT US

 

For questions about this Privacy Policy, how we use your personal information or to exercise a data protection right, contact:

​

The Local Dot

Office 13b
Business First Business Centre
Lancaster House
Amy Johnson Way
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY4 2RP
United Kingdom

​

Email: info@thelocaldot.com