Your privacy is very important to us and we are committed to protecting your security. We promise not to divulge any of your personal information to any outside company for marketing or any other purpose without your permission.

We endeavour to be fully compliant with all of the relevant consumer and Data Protection legislation, and will always treat your personal information with total respect and confidentiality.

As with many companies, communication by telephone may be recorded for the purposes of monitoring customer care standards and for security.

Data Controller

The data controller is Equorium Property Company Limited trading as www.castles2cottages.co.uk (the “websites”).

Equorium Property Company Limited is a company registered in Scotland with registered number SC118794 and registered address at Waverley Mills, Langholm, Dumfriesshire, DG13 0DY.

Equorium Property Company Limited can be contacted at:

info@castles2cottages.co.uk

Business address: Global House, 5 Castle Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8SY

What this policy covers

We are committed to doing the right thing when it comes to how we collect, use and protect your personal data. That’s why this privacy and cookies policy (“Policy”) has been developed, which:

• sets out the types of personal data that we collect
• explains how and why we collect and use your personal data
• explains when and why we will share personal data within and with other organisations; and
• explains the rights and choices you have when it comes to your personal data

This Policy applies to you if you use our services (referred to in this Policy as “our Services”). Using our Services means:

• making bookings or enquiries with us over the phone, or online or otherwise using any of the websites (“our Websites”) where this Policy is posted; or

This Policy also applies if you contact us or we contact you about our Services.

Our Websites may contain links to other websites operated by other organisations that have their own privacy policies. Please make sure you read the terms and conditions and privacy policy carefully before providing any personal data on a website as we do not accept any responsibility or liability for websites of other organisations.

How Do We Use Your Information?

Any personal information which is collected during the booking process is only used by us and our carefully selected partner companies to ensure that we can take, process, deliver your booking and maintain your account to the highest standard possible.

All of our partner companies are under a legal obligation to keep your personal information private.

We also collate statistics about the website traffic, sales and other commercial information which we use to improve our service to you. However, none of the information is on an individual basis.

With a view to understanding our customers better and where you have indicated that you would like us to, we will use the information that we have about your booking habits to offer you products and services that are likely to interest you.

You may opt out of the various uses of your personal information at any time, even if you have previously given your consent to use it.

Opting In/Opting Out

We offer various opportunities for you to receive marketing communication from time to time, such as emails, vouchers and promotional offers.

Each opportunity will explicitly state whether it is opt in or opt out.

If you would like to change your preferences at any time or would like to see what you have signed up to receiving, please visit ‘My Account’ where a full list is displayed.

If you no longer wish to receive any emails from us, each email we send contains an easy, automated way for you to cease receiving emails from us. If you wish to do this, simply follow the instructions at the end of any email. You may continue to receive mailings that are already on route to you for a short period of time while your request is being dealt with.

Personal data We collect

This section tells you what personal data we may collect from you when you use our Services and what other personal data we may receive from other sources.

When you register for our Services, you may provide us with:

• Your personal details, including your postal and billing addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and date of birth and title.
• Your account login details, such as your username and the password that you have chosen

When you use our Services or browse our Websites, we may collect:

• Information about your online purchases (for example, what you have booked, where and when you booked and how you paid for it)
• Information about your online browsing behaviour on our Websites and information about when you click on one of our adverts (including those shown on other organisations’ websites).
• Information about any devices you have used to access our Services (including the make, model and operating system, IP address, browser type and mobile device identifiers).

When you contact us or we contact you or you take part in promotions, competitions, surveys or questionnaires about our Services, we may collect:

• Personal data you provide about yourself anytime you contact us about our Services (for example, your name, email address and contact details), including by phone, email or post or when you speak with us through social media
• Details of the emails and other digital communications we send to you that you open, including any links in them that you click on
• Your feedback and contributions to customer surveys, feedback sources and questionnaires

Other sources of personal data

We may also use personal data from other sources, such as specialist companies that supply information, online media channels, and public registers. For example, this other personal data helps us to:

• review and improve the accuracy of the data we hold; and
• improve and measure the effectiveness of our marketing communications, including online advertising.

How and Why we use your data

This section explains in detail how and why we use personal data.

To Make our Services available to you

• Manage the accounts you hold with us.
• Process your bookings and refunds.

Why do we process your personal data in this way?

We need to process your personal data so that we can manage your customer accounts, provide you with the services you want to buy and help you with any bookings and refunds you may ask for.

Manage and improve our day-to-day operations

Manage and improve our Websites

Why do we process your personal data in this way?

We use cookies and similar technologies on our Websites to improve your customer experience. Some cookies are necessary so you should not disable these if you want to be able to use all the features of our Websites. You can disable other cookies but this may affect your customer experience. For more information about cookies and how you can disable them, see the cookies and similar technologies section.

Why do we process your personal data in this way? Help to develop and improve our accommodation range, facilities, services, information technology systems, know-how and the way we communicate with you

We rely on the use of personal data to carry out market research and internal research and development, and to improve our information technology systems (including security) and our accommodation range, facilities and services. This allows us to serve you better as a customer.
Detect and prevent fraud or other crime

Why do we process your personal data in this way?
It is important for us to monitor how our Services are used to detect and prevent fraud, other crimes and the misuse of services. This helps us to make sure that you can safely use our Services.

Personalise your user experience

Use your online browsing behaviour as well as your online purchases to help us better understand you as a customer and provide you with personalised offers and services.

Why do we process your personal data in this way?
Looking at your browsing behaviour and bookings allows us to personalise our offers and services for you. This helps us meet your needs as a customer.

Why do we process your personal data in this way?
We want to ensure that we provide you with marketing communications, including online advertising, that are relevant to your interests. To achieve this we also measure your responses to marketing communications relating to products and services we offer, which also means we can offer you accommodation and services that better meet your needs as a customer. You can change your marketing choices, both when you register with us, and at any time after that via your preference centre options.

You also have choices when it comes to online advertising. We set out below your choices when it comes to cookies, and how you can control your online behavioural advertising preferences.

Contact and interact with you

Contact you about our Services, for example by phone, email or post or by responding to social media posts that you have directed at us

Why do we process your personal data in this way?
We want to serve you better as a customer so we use personal data to provide clarification or assistance in response to your communications
Manage promotions and competitions you take part in, including those we run with our external agencies

Why do we process your personal data in this way?
We need to process your personal data so that we can manage the promotions and competitions you choose to enter.

Invite you to take part in and manage customer surveys, questionnaires and other market research activities carried out us and by other organisations on our behalf

Why do we process your personal data in this way?
We carry out market research to improve our Services. However, if we contact you about this, you do not have to take part in the activities. If you tell us that you do not want us to contact you for market research, we will respect this choice. This will not affect your ability to use our Services.

To help us to better understand you as a customer and to be able to provide you with services and marketing communications, including online advertising, that are relevant to your interests we also combine personal data we collect when you book or visit our Websites and other sources.

Sharing personal data

This section explains how and why we share personal data with other organisations.

We may share personal data with other organisations in the following circumstances:

• if the law or a public authority says we must share the personal data;
• if we need to share personal data in order to establish, exercise or defend our legal rights (this includes providing personal data to others for the purposes of preventing fraud and reducing credit risk);
• to an organisation we sell or transfer (or enter into negotiations to sell or transfer) any of our businesses or any of our rights or obligations under any agreement we may have with you to. If the transfer or sale goes ahead, the organisation receiving your personal data can use your personal data in the same way as us; or
• to any other successors in title to our business.

How we protect personal data

We know how important it is to protect and manage your personal data. This section sets out some of the measures we have in place.

We use computer safeguards such as firewalls and data encryption, and we enforce physical access controls to our buildings and files to keep this data safe. We only authorise access to employees who need it to carry out their job responsibilities.

• We protect the security of your information while it is being transmitted by encrypting it using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
• We enforce physical, electronic and procedural safeguards in connection with the collection, storage and disclosure of personal data. We may occasionally ask for proof of identity before we share your personal data with you.
• We will reveal only the last four digits of your credit card number when confirming an order.

However, whilst we take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard your personal data, please note that we cannot guarantee the security of any personal data that you transfer over the internet to us.

The personal data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”). It may also be processed by companies operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our service providers. We will put in place appropriate protection to make sure your personal data remains adequately protected and is treated in line with this Policy.

Marketing and market research

This section explains the choices you have when it comes to receiving marketing communications and taking part in market research.

We will send you relevant offers and news about our accommodation and services in a number of ways including by email, but only if you have previously agreed to receive these marketing communications. When you register with us we will ask if you would like to receive marketing communications, and you can change your marketing choices online, over the phone or in writing at any time.

We also like to hear your views to help us to improve our Services, so we may contact you for market research purposes. You always have the choice about whether to take part in our market research.

Cookies

Cookies are small data files which are temporarily stored on your computer. They enable us to track your current booking experience, save the contents of your shopping bag and gather valuable marketing information on website usage which allows us to constantly improve our service to you.

• Cookies cannot harm your computer and do not contain any personal or private information.
• In order to provide a personalised booking experience with the highest level of security our website uses a number of cookies.
• In order to book with us your computer must be set up to receive cookies.
• Some of our carefully selected affiliate partners may also use cookies so that they are able to track sales which have come from them; if these cookies are not accepted it will not affect the functionality of our website.

Security Policy

Our site uses software to provide high level SSL encryption technology to secure your data when you transmit it to us. There are two simple ways to check if a page on our website is secure.

• A small padlock sign will appear in the bottom bar of your browser or to the right of the URL (address) bar.
• The ‘http’ will be replaced with ‘https’ at the front of peacocks.co.uk in the browser address window.

Although we use advanced security measures to protect your information against loss, misuse and alteration, as is the case with all computer networks linked to the internet, we cannot absolutely guarantee the security of your information provided over the internet and will not be responsible for this.

Please note that email correspondence is free format text and cannot be encrypted, therefore it is not a secure means of communication.

We will never contact you by email to ask you to send or confirm any of your personal details. If we need any information of this nature we will only contact you by phone or letter.

Never send any sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card information, via email.

If you are using a public computer then make sure you log out fully and close the browser.

When creating a password, a combination of letters and numbers is recommended. Try not to use obvious personal details such as the names of children or pets.

Keep your password private and do not use the same one for multiple online accounts.

It is recommended that you change your password frequently.

Phishing

Phishing is the practise of tricking someone into giving confidential information, such as email scams that send banking customers to a website which is not the bank’s real website.

We will never contact you by email to ask you to send or confirm any of your personal details. If we need any information of this nature we will only contact you by phone or letter.

If you receive an email claiming to be from us requesting this type of information, DO NOT RESPOND, but please let us know by forwarding the email to info@castles2cottages.co.uk.