How FFD GROUP LTD protects your data

Privacy Policy Overview

FFD GROUP LTD provides a full spectrum of automotive services, including diagnostics, repairs, maintenance, MOT preparation, suspension work, engine repairs, exhaust systems, and fleet maintenance programmes for private and commercial vehicle owners across the United Kingdom. In delivering these services and operating our website, we process personal data relating to existing and prospective customers, suppliers, and website visitors.

We are committed to handling your personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable UK data protection laws. This page explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, the legal bases we rely on, and the rights you have in relation to your information.

Information Collection

We collect personal data about you when you use our website, contact us, or make arrangements for vehicle servicing or repairs. The types of information we may collect include:

• Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, your job title or role.
• Contact details including your telephone number, mobile number, email address, and postal address.
• Vehicle information such as vehicle registration number, make, model, mileage, service history details you provide, MOT due dates, and information about reported faults or required work.
• Booking and service details including preferred appointment times, type of service requested (for example Diagnostics, Repairs, Maintenance, MOT, Suspension, Engine, or Fleet services), pricing arrangements, and payment-related references (we do not store full payment card details on our systems).
• Communication records such as emails, call notes, website contact form submissions, and messages you send via our Contact Us page.
• Website usage data such as IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages visited, time and date of visits, and referring URLs, collected through cookies and similar technologies.

You may provide this information directly to us, for example by completing an online form, sending us an email, or speaking to us by telephone or in person. Some technical data about your visit is collected automatically when you access our website.

Use of Personal Information

We use your personal information to deliver reliable, efficient, and safe automotive services. Specifically, we may use your data to:

• Manage enquiries and bookings – to respond to queries sent via our website, email, or phone, to schedule diagnostics, repairs, maintenance, MOT preparation, suspension or engine work, and to confirm or rearrange appointments.
• Provide and manage services – to carry out the contracted work on your vehicle, keep you informed of progress, obtain approvals for additional work, and provide service documentation such as estimates, invoices, and service reports.
• Administer fleet maintenance programmes – for business and commercial customers making use of our Fleet services, including maintaining contact and vehicle records necessary to coordinate maintenance schedules and compliance.
• Improve our website and services – to analyse how our website is used, enhance usability, troubleshoot technical issues, and develop new or improved offerings across our Services, Diagnostics, Repairs, Maintenance, MOT, Suspension, and Engine service areas.
• Communicate important updates – to send you service reminders (for example MOT or scheduled maintenance due dates), safety-related notices, changes to our terms, or updates that may affect your vehicle or our services.
• Marketing communications – where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent, to send you information about relevant offers, service packages, or new capabilities we believe may be of interest. You can opt out of marketing at any time.
• Legal, regulatory, and security purposes – to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, detect and prevent fraud or misuse of our services, and enforce our Terms and Conditions.

Our legal bases for processing your personal data typically include: performance of a contract (or steps taken at your request before entering a contract), compliance with legal obligations, our legitimate interests in operating and improving our business and website, and, where applicable, your consent.

Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell your personal data. We only share your information with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the operation of our business, to deliver our services, or to meet legal requirements. These recipients may include:

• Service providers and contractors who assist us with functions such as IT hosting, website analytics, secure data storage, communications, and specialist automotive services. These providers are required to process your data only in accordance with our instructions and to keep it secure.
• Parts and equipment suppliers where it is necessary to source, order, or validate specific components or warranties linked to your vehicle and the work being carried out.
• Professional advisers including accountants, insurers, auditors, or legal advisers where such access is required for governance, insurance, or legal purposes.
• Regulators and legal authorities where we are under a legal obligation to share information (for example, to comply with law enforcement requests, court orders, or regulatory reporting requirements).

Whenever we share data with third parties, we take steps to ensure that appropriate contractual and technical safeguards are in place to protect your personal information in accordance with UK data protection law.

Data Retention Policy

We keep your personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of our relationship with you, but generally:

• Customer and vehicle records related to services we provide are usually retained for a period consistent with UK limitation periods and industry practice, to enable us to respond to queries, warranty issues, or potential legal claims.
• Booking and enquiry information provided through our website or by phone is typically kept for a period that allows us to manage your request and maintain appropriate administrative records.
• Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required under UK tax and accounting regulations.
• Marketing preferences are kept until you opt out or withdraw your consent, or until we determine that the information is no longer up to date or relevant.

When personal data is no longer required, we will either securely delete it or irreversibly anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with you.

Security Measures

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement a range of technical and organisational measures designed to protect it against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include, where appropriate:

• Use of secure systems and restricted access controls so that only authorised personnel can access personal data needed for their role.
• Protection of our IT infrastructure with safeguards such as firewalls, encryption in transit where appropriate, strong authentication practices, and regular updates.
• Secure handling of physical records within our business premises.
• Staff awareness and operational procedures aimed at maintaining confidentiality and data protection standards throughout our operations.

While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work continuously to maintain and enhance our safeguards.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to help provide you with a reliable and efficient browsing experience and to gather anonymous analytics about how visitors use our site. Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website.

We may use:

• Strictly necessary cookies that are required for core website functionality, such as navigating between pages or accessing secure areas.
• Performance and analytics cookies to understand how visitors use our site, which pages are visited most often, and how users move around the site. This helps us optimise the performance and structure of our content.
• Functionality cookies to remember choices you make, such as contact preferences, to provide a more personalised experience.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use and how you can manage your preferences, please refer to our Cookie Policy. Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings, including blocking or deleting cookies, although doing so may affect how our website functions.

Your Rights Under the UK GDPR

Under the UK GDPR and applicable data protection laws, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, these may include the right to:

• Access – request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, together with certain other information.
• Rectification – ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
• Erasure – request the deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.
• Restriction of processing – ask us to suspend or limit the processing of your personal data in specific situations.
• Data portability – request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, or that we transmit it directly to another controller, where technically feasible.
• Object – object to our processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interests or are using your data for direct marketing purposes.
• Withdraw consent – where we rely on your consent for processing, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the "Contact for Privacy Concerns" section below. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data.

Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not directed at individuals under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us so that we can take appropriate steps to delete such information.

International Data Transfers

FFD GROUP LTD is based in the United Kingdom and we primarily process personal data within the UK. However, certain service providers or systems we use may be located outside the UK or may store data in other jurisdictions.

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with UK data protection law. These safeguards may include the use of UK or EU-approved standard contractual clauses or transfers to countries that have been formally recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection.

Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, regulatory guidance, or our business practices, including the introduction of new services or technologies. When we make material changes, we will take appropriate steps to bring them to your attention, such as updating the version date on this page, highlighting changes on our website, or contacting you directly where reasonably appropriate.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information. Your continued use of our website or services after any changes take effect will constitute your acknowledgment of the updated policy.

Contact for Privacy Concerns

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the details below.

Data controller: FFD GROUP LTD

Registered address:
The 1921 Building East Malling Business Centre,
New Road, East Malling,
Kent, England, ME19 6BJ

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +44 7353 6170

You also have the right to raise a concern with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. Further information, including contact details, is available at www.ico.org.uk.

If you would like assistance with your data rights in connection with a specific booking or vehicle service, you can also reach us via our Contact Us page.