Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Wartens Ltd (trading as PartsHIRE), registered in England and Wales under company number 15262249, collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you use our website and services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

3. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Identity Data: Full name, business name, job title
• Contact Data: Email address, telephone number, delivery and billing address
• Account Data: Username, password (encrypted), account preferences
• Transaction Data: Order history, payment details (processed securely via Stripe), invoices
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, device information, time zone, operating system
• Usage Data: Pages visited, products viewed, search queries, interaction with our AI assistant
• Communications Data: Emails, live chat messages, customer support enquiries

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases as defined by the UK GDPR:

• Contract Performance (Article 6(1)(b)): To fulfil orders, process payments, and deliver products to you.
• Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)): To improve our services, prevent fraud, and provide customer support.
• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): For marketing communications and non-essential cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): To comply with tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• Processing and fulfilling your orders
• Managing your account and providing customer support
• Processing payments securely through Stripe
• Delivering products via our shipping partners
• Powering our AI-assisted product recommendations and search (via OpenRouter)
• Sending transactional emails (order confirmations, dispatch notifications)
• Sending marketing communications (only with your explicit consent)
• Analysing website usage to improve our services
• Detecting and preventing fraud
• Complying with legal and regulatory obligations

6. Third-Party Data Sharing

We share your personal data with the following categories of third-party service providers, strictly on a need-to-know basis:

We do not sell your personal data to any third party. All third-party processors are contractually bound to handle your data securely and only for the purposes specified.

7. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers operate outside the United Kingdom. Where personal data is transferred internationally (for example, Stripe and OpenRouter may process data on servers located in the United States), we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), adequacy decisions by the UK Secretary of State, or the provider's participation in recognised data protection frameworks. For more information about our AI data processing, please see our AI Usage Policy.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:

• Account data: Retained for the duration of your account, plus 2 years after account closure.
• Transaction data: Retained for 7 years to comply with HMRC tax requirements.
• Marketing preferences: Retained until you withdraw consent.
• Technical and usage data: Retained for up to 26 months.
• AI interaction data: Retained for up to 12 months, then anonymised or deleted.

9. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal retention requirements).
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your data.
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Rights related to automated decision-making: You have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affect you.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@partshire.co.uk. We will respond to your request within one calendar month.

10. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyse site traffic, and personalise content. For detailed information about the cookies we use and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.

11. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include SSL/TLS encryption, secure payment processing via Stripe (PCI DSS compliant), access controls, regular security reviews, and encrypted data storage. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete it.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting a notice on our website or by sending you an email. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

14. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's supervisory authority for data protection:

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: