Privacy Policy

Introduction

Glimmer Tech Limited is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect data when you use our website or engage our services.

We understand that the nature of benefits advice means you'll be sharing sensitive personal information with us. We take our responsibilities seriously and have implemented appropriate measures to keep your data safe.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

When you contact us or use our services, we may collect:

Personal identifiers including name, date of birth, and National Insurance number
Contact details such as email address, postal address, and telephone number
Financial information including income, savings, and current benefit claims
Health information related to benefit applications
Employment details and work history
Housing and living situation information
Family and household composition details
Copies of official documents such as medical reports, DWP letters, and identification

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical data:

IP address and browser type
Operating system and device information
Pages visited and time spent on the site
Referring website and navigation patterns
Cookie data as described in our Cookies Policy

How We Use Your Information

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

Service Delivery

Assessing your eligibility for various benefits
Completing benefit applications on your behalf
Preparing you for assessments and tribunal hearings
Submitting mandatory reconsiderations and appeals
Communicating with the DWP and other authorities regarding your claims
Providing advice and recommendations specific to your circumstances

Business Operations

Responding to your enquiries and arranging consultations
Processing payments for our services
Maintaining records of our advice and actions taken
Improving our service quality through anonymized case reviews
Complying with legal and regulatory obligations

Website Functionality

Ensuring the website operates properly
Understanding how visitors use the site to make improvements
Protecting against fraud and security threats

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on:

Contractual necessity: Processing is required to deliver the services you've engaged us to provide
Consent: You've given explicit permission for us to process sensitive data such as health information
Legal obligation: We must retain certain records to comply with regulations and professional standards
Legitimate interests: We have legitimate business reasons to process data in ways you would reasonably expect, such as improving our services

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We share your personal information only in specific circumstances:

Government Authorities

We share relevant information with the Department for Work and Pensions, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, and local authorities when submitting or supporting your benefit claims and appeals.

Medical Professionals

We may request medical evidence from your healthcare providers with your explicit consent and only to support your benefit applications.

Service Providers

We use carefully selected third-party providers for services such as secure document storage, email communications, and payment processing. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect our legal rights.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data:

Encrypted transmission of data via secure connections
Password-protected systems with access restricted to authorized staff
Regular security assessments and updates
Secure physical storage of paper documents in locked cabinets
Staff training on data protection responsibilities
Confidentiality agreements with all team members

While we take every reasonable precaution, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your information to the highest standards.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy and to meet our legal obligations.

Specifically:

Active client files are retained for the duration of our engagement plus six years following completion of services
Financial records are kept for seven years in accordance with accounting regulations
Website analytics data is retained for a maximum of 26 months
Marketing enquiries not converted to clients are deleted after two years

After these periods, we securely delete or anonymize your data unless we have a legal obligation to retain it longer.

Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights:

Right to access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Right to erasure: Request deletion of your data in certain circumstances
Right to restrict processing: Ask us to limit how we use your data
Right to data portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent where that's the basis for processing

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We'll respond within one month of receiving your request.

Please note that some rights are not absolute and may not apply in all circumstances, particularly where we have legal obligations to retain information.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance functionality and analyze site usage. For detailed information about the cookies we use and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookies Policy.

Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external sites operated by third parties, such as government benefit information pages. This privacy policy applies only to our website. We're not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we'll post the updated policy on this page with a new "last updated" date.

If changes materially affect how we handle your data, we'll notify current clients directly via email.

Contact and Complaints

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact:

Glimmer Tech Limited
45 Queen Square
Bristol, BS1 4LH
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]

If you're not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk