Privacy Policy

On this page: Who we are · What we collect · How we use it · Sellers · Who we share it with · How long we keep it · Your rights

This policy explains how SafeBuy collects and uses personal information when you visit our website, book our services or get in touch, and how we handle information about vehicle sellers.

1. Who we are

SafeBuy is a trading name of Gary Dowling, a sole trader based in Newtown, Powys, Wales. Gary Dowling is the controller of your personal information under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Contact: admin@safebuy.co.uk.

2. What we collect

Photos and video are of the vehicle and its documents. We avoid filming people, but sellers or bystanders may sometimes appear in them.

3. How we use it, and our lawful basis

We don’t use your information for automated decision-making that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.

4. Information about sellers

When a buyer books us, we receive the seller’s name and contact details so that we can arrange the viewing. We use them only to arrange and carry out the visit, to check that the seller and documents match the vehicle, and to prevent fraud. Our lawful basis is legitimate interests: helping buyers and honest sellers complete a safe sale. We tell sellers who we are when we first contact them and point them to this policy. We share the outcome of our checks with the buyer who booked us.

5. Who we share it with

We don’t sell personal information. We share it only where needed with:

• Stripe, to take payment for our services
• our website hosting and email providers, who store and deliver our website, forms and emails
• a vehicle history data provider, to run history and finance checks (registration and vehicle details only)
• the video calling app we use for live walk-rounds (such as WhatsApp), using the contact details you give us
• our drivers and agents who carry out visits or Drive It Home journeys for us
• our insurers, accountants and professional advisers
• the police, Action Fraud or other authorities where we suspect fraud or are required by law

Some of these providers may process information outside the UK. Where they do, we make sure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.

6. How long we keep it

• Booking, payment and accounting records: up to 6 years after the booking, to meet tax and legal requirements.
• Reports, photos and video: 12 months after the visit, unless needed for a complaint or claim.
• Enquiries that don’t lead to a booking: 12 months.
• Marketing preferences: until you unsubscribe, after which we keep a record so we don’t contact you again.

7. Your rights

You have the right to:

• ask for a copy of your personal information
• ask us to correct information that’s wrong or incomplete
• ask us to delete your information, or to restrict how we use it
• object to us using it on the basis of legitimate interests
• ask us to transfer information you gave us to another organisation
• withdraw your consent to marketing at any time

To use any of these rights, email admin@safebuy.co.uk. We’ll respond within one month. If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your information, please tell us first so we can try to put it right. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

8. Security and children

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including secure (HTTPS) connections and restricted access to our systems. Our services are not intended for anyone under 18.

9. Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page.