Privacy Policy
Introduction
Direct Choice Insurance Services Limited (We) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.
We will comply with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and aim to maintain consistently high levels of best practice in our processing of personal and/or sensitive personal data.
This policy, together with the Website Terms of Use and any other documents referred to on it sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it.
For the purpose of the Data Protection Act 1998, the data controller is Direct Choice Insurance Services Limited of Enbrook Park, Sandgate, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 3SE.
Information we may collect from you
We may collect and process the following data about you:
- Information that you provide by filling in forms on our site www.directchoice.com (our website) regarding our products and services. This may include your contact details, date of birth, how you will pay for the product or service and your bank details.
- If you contact us we may keep a record of that correspondence.
- Details of transactions you carry out through our site and completion of your orders.
- Details of your visits to our site including, but not limited to, traffic data, location data and other communication data, whether this is required for our own billing purposes or otherwise.
- Detail from documents that are available to the public, such as the electoral register.
How we use information you provide us
We use the information we receive from you to provide products and services that you request, to identify you when you contact us, to communicate with you, and to personalise our information sent to you. We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to others.
We store all the information you provide us, including information provided via forms you complete on our website, and information which we may collect from your browsing. Our server, in common with nearly all web servers, logs each page that is downloaded from the site.
An example of how we may personalise information might include preparing an insurance quote for you.
Third parties may deliver some of our products to you or provide all or part of the service requested by you. In these instances, whilst the information you provide will be disclosed to them, it will only be used for the administration of the service provided (including for example claims processing), underwriting and pricing purposes as appropriate, testing, and to maintain management information for business analysis.
We will check your details with fraud prevention agencies and the precise nature of these processes will be explained fully when you apply.
We ask for your home, mobile telephone number, and e-mail address to enable us to contact you in relation to an enquiry you have made, to contact you about relevant products or services, to contact you if there is a problem with your order, or there is another genuine reason for doing so. If you provide us with credit or debit card details in order to pay for a service or product, we will keep such details secure and ensure that the details are only used further with your consent and/or for the purposes of any appropriate refunds.
When you enter a contest or other promotional feature, we may ask for your name, address, telephone numbers and e-mail address so we can administer the contest and notify winners.
We may also use the information we collect to occasionally notify you about important functionality changes to the website.
Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you by post, telephone, mobile telephone, e-mail and SMS about our new or existing services, products and special offers we think you'll find valuable.
If you are an existing customer, we will only contact you by electronic means (e-mail or SMS) with information about goods and services similar to those which were the subject or a previous sale to you.
If you are a new customer, we will contact you by electronic means only if you have consented to this.
If you do not want us to use your data in this way, or to pass your details on to third parties for marketing purposes, please tick the relevant box situated on the form on which we collected your data (the order form).
Generally, by providing the requested data, you consent to us using that data for administrative purposes by letter, SMS, telephone and/or e-mail.
Each time you receive marketing information or a message, you have the option to decline to receive further marketing information from us. This is known as an 'opt-out'. If you wish to exercise the opt-out, for Saga products please write to the Group Data Protection Officer at Enbrook Park, Sandgate, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 3SE. If you have more than one address or e-mail address please make sure to notify any changes to your preferences for each address or e-mail address you have registered with us.
How we protect customer information
As required by the Data Protection Act 1998, we follow strict security procedures in the storage and disclosure of information you have given to us.
If we provide information to a third party (either a provider of a product or service, or an external data processing agency such as a mailing house) we will exercise the strictest control over the third party contractually, requiring it to:
- Maintain the security and confidentiality of the information and restrict access to those of its own employees;
- Use the data for the agreed purpose only and prevent it being used for any other purpose by any other party;
- Refrain from communicating with you other than concerning the product in question;
- Return the data to us at the conclusion of any contract term and destroy or delete any copies made of all or any part of the information unless copies are needed to be kept to comply with regulations.
In addition, we will restrict the information disclosed to the absolute minimum necessary, for example, to provide the product or service.
From time to time we may use service providers and organisations outside the EEA for the purpose of processing services, system testing and maintenance. It is worth noting however that some non-EEA countries do not afford the same level of data security as the UK. By submitting your details, you consent to this transfer. We will always use every reasonable effort to ensure sufficient protections are in place to safeguard your personal information.
Our own security procedures mean that we may occasionally have to request proof of identity or check your presence on the electoral roll.
In the event of telephone calls from you, we also reserve the right to ask security questions (which we in our sole discretion deem appropriate), in order to satisfy ourselves that you are who you say you are.
Your consent
Before you provide any data to us, we will endeavour to make it clear why we need it. Sometimes we may need sensitive personal data (examples might be past medical history or motoring convictions). When this is required we will obtain your consent first. Otherwise, by providing us with information, either orally or written, or by using our website, you consent to the collection, use and processing of this information by us to provide and send you information about our services.
A customer may properly give his or her spouse or partner's consent over the telephone or via the website provided he confirms that he has permission to do so. If the consent is written, the spouse must independently endorse such consent.
Subsequent to your purchase of a product or service, we may enter into an arrangement for that service to be provided by a new third party. If this happens, the terms and conditions of your contract with us will provide that you consent to the transfer and processing of personal and/or sensitive personal data to the new provider, subject to the requirement of the Data Protection Act 1998 and associated regulations.
How we use cookies
Cookies are text files, which identify your computer to our server. We will automatically issue your computer with a cookie whenever you register on our website, (or possibly when you browse), in order to track traffic flows and to additionally make our website easier for you to use.
Cookies themselves only record which areas of the site have been visited by the computer in question, and for how long.
You have the opportunity to set your computers to accept all cookies, to notify you when a cookie is issued, or not to receive cookies at any time. Selecting not to receive cookies can mean that certain services cannot then be provided.
It is worth noting that some of the third parties present on our Website may also issue cookies.
How to accept cookies
- From the Tools menu, select Options, and then open the Site Controls panel
- On the Sites List tab, select the Master Setting (trust level) want to change
- In the Web Features section, the default setting is "Allow cookies," but you can change this
- Choose Tools, then
- Internet Options
- Click the Privacy tab
- Move the slider to select the level of privacy you prefer, or click on "Advanced" for customised settings
- Choose Tools, then
- Internet Options
- Click the Privacy tab
- Then Cookies
- Move the slider to select the level of privacy you prefer, or click on "Advanced" for customised settings
- Choose Tools, then
- Options
- Click the "Privacy" icon
- Within the "Cookies" section of the tab, tick the check box which states "Accept cookies from sites"
- Click on the Safari menu
- Click on Preferences
- Select the Security Tab
- There is a cookie section that allows you to block or accept cookies
How to delete cookies
Important: To remove cookies, follow the steps in this section. Do not try to edit the cookies file on your computer.
- From the Tools menu, select Options, and then open the Privacy panel
- In the Privacy panel, display the Cookies category (double-click on it if it's not already open)
- Click the View Cookies button. The Stored Cookies window opens with a list of all the cookies stored on your computer
- Select one or more cookies and click Remove Cookie, or click Remove All Cookies.
- In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options
- On the General tab, click Settings, and then click View files
- Select the cookie you want to delete, and then, on the File menu, click Delete.
- In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options
- On the General tab, under Browsing history, click Settings
- Click the View files button
- Click the Name column heading to sort all the files alphabetically, and then scroll down until you see files that begin with the prefix Cookie:. All cookies will have that prefix, and they usually contain the name of the website that created the cookie
- Right-click the cookie you want to delete, click Delete, and then click Yes
- Close the window that contains the list of files, and then click OK twice to return to Internet Explorer.
- In Firefox, click the Tools button, and then click on Options
- Now click on the Privacy tab and click on Show Cookies Button
- To remove a cookie from the list, select it and click Remove Cookie
- To remove a site's cookies, select the site and click Remove Cookie(s)
- To remove all cookies, click Remove All Cookies.
- Click on the Safari menu
- Click on Preferences
- Select the Security Tab
- Click the show cookies button
- Select an individual cookie from the list and click the remove button
- Or to delete all cookies click, remove all.
If you are not using any of the above browsers, then you should select "cookies" in the "Help" function for information on where to find your cookie folder.
If you have any doubts or do not use any of the above systems please refer to All About Cookies, which explains in detail how cookies work and how they can be managed.
Disclosure of information to third parties
We are a subsidiary of Saga Group Limited (registration number 638891) (the Saga Group) and part of the Acromas Group of companies. We may disclose your personal information to any member of the Acromas Group.
As previously mentioned we do not sell, trade or rent your information and will never disclose information about you to third parties, except to fulfil your specific orders for a product or information in the event that third parties deliver the relevant service. For example, if you take out an insurance policy provided by a third party, they will need your details in order to administer the policy and process any claims. Other circumstances where we are operationally or contractually obliged to pass on your information may be where third parties administer part or all of the service, underwriting, for pricing purposes, testing, and to maintain management information for business analysis.
We may disclose your personal information to third parties in the event that we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective seller or buyer of such business or assets.
We may be obliged at law to pass on your information to the police or any other statutory authority, or in order to enforce or apply our Website Terms of Use and our Terms and Conditions of Business. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
Employees and Employees' spouses or partners
Personal and/or sensitive personal data of a Direct Choice Insurance Services Limited employee and his or her spouse or partner who takes out a product and/or service with us may be shared to any of our group companies for the purpose of operation of the product or service or for administrative reasons (including but not limited to claim administration which may be assisted by the employee's department personnel). By accepting or purchasing the product or service the employee and his or her spouse or partner provides the necessary consent for this transfer of data.
Amendment and Retention of information
Please advise us as to any changes in your circumstances. Obviously it is preferable for us to retain up to date information. We will amend details as required. We are however obliged and permitted by law and regulation to retain certain types of data for a minimum period of time. The minimum period of time tends to be for six years but can be longer if the statute or regulation requires.
Your rights
You have the right to ask us not to process your personal data for marketing purposes. We will usually inform you (before collecting your data) if we intend to use your data for such purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the order form. You can also exercise the right at any time by contacting us at dataprotection@directchoice.co.uk
Our site may, from time to time, contain links to and from the websites of our partner networks, underwriters, advertisers and affiliates. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.
Subject Access Requests
You have a statutory right of access to accessible personal and/or sensitive personal data that we hold about you. In order to exercise this right, your application must be in writing for security reasons. Please write to Direct Choice Insurance Services Limited, Data Protection Officer at Enbrook Park, Sandgate, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 3SE. Please refer to the information you wish to see giving dates if possible, and enclose your cheque for £10 payable to Direct Choice Insurance Services Limited. We will not administer Subject Access Requests by a third party unless accompanied by a written authority of the individual who is the subject of the request.
Changes to our Privacy Policy
If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will update all relevant documentation and post any changes onto our website so that you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances we disclose it.
Tell us what you think
We welcome your questions and comments about privacy. Please write to Direct Choice Insurance Services Limited, Data Protection Officer, Enbrook Park, Sandgate, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 3SE.