Privacy Policy

Last updated: 20 August 2026

Sole to Sole respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information fairly, lawfully and transparently.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we may collect when you use our website, contact us or use our services, why we use it, who we may share it with, how long we keep it and the rights available to you.

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, “Sole to Sole”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to the sole-trader business Sole to Sole, operating from:

Sole to Sole

118 Castle Street

Edgeley

Stockport

SK3 9AL

Email: soletosole@carkeycuttingcobbler.co.uk

Telephone: 0161 480 7021

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We may collect information that you provide directly to us and certain technical information generated when you use our website.

Personal information you provide to us may include:

• your name;

• email address;

• telephone number;

• the contents of an enquiry or message;

• photographs or files that you choose to send or upload;

• information about an item or service you are asking us about;

• vehicle details that you provide in connection with a car-key enquiry, such as make, model and year;

• information contained in correspondence between you and us; and

• any other information that you voluntarily provide when contacting us or requesting a service.

We do not currently provide customer accounts or website registration, so we do not collect registration information for the purpose of creating user accounts.

Please do not provide sensitive personal information, passwords, payment security details or other information that is unnecessary for your enquiry unless we specifically ask for it and there is a legitimate reason for us to receive it.

WEBSITE AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by our website platform, hosting provider, analytics services or similar technologies.

This may include:

• your IP address;

• browser and device type;

• operating system;

• approximate location derived from your IP address;

• the date and time of your visit;

• pages viewed;

• links or buttons clicked;

• the website or search engine that referred you to us;

• information about how you interact with the website; and

• cookie or similar technology information where applicable.

We may use this information to operate and secure the website, understand how visitors use it, troubleshoot problems and improve our website and services.

OUR ONLINE CAR-KEY CHECKER

Our vehicle checker provides a general first indication based on the make, model and year selected by the visitor.

The checker is not a quote and does not make a legally significant decision about you. Final car-key compatibility, options and pricing are confirmed separately when appropriate.

If you subsequently contact us and provide your vehicle details as part of an enquiry, those details may then form part of your correspondence with us.

WEBSITE CHATBOT

If you use the chatbot available on our website, the text you enter may be processed in order to generate an automated response and provide general guidance about our services.

Please do not enter passwords, payment card information, security codes or unnecessary sensitive personal information into the chatbot.

Chatbot responses are provided as general guidance. Where an item needs inspection, identification or compatibility checking, we may ask you to visit the shop or contact us directly.

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We may use personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to enquiries made by website form, email, telephone, WhatsApp or other available contact methods.

• To provide services that you request and take steps at your request before providing a service.

• To contact you about a service, item or enquiry, for example to confirm details, answer a question, advise that an item is ready or resolve a problem.

• To maintain records reasonably required for accounting, tax, guarantee, warranty, dispute-resolution or legal purposes.

• To deal with complaints and exercise or defend legal rights.

• To operate, maintain and protect our website, communications and business systems.

• To prevent or investigate misuse, fraud, security incidents or unlawful activity.

• To understand how our website is used and improve our website and services, where applicable.

We do not sell or rent your personal information.

We do not currently use customer contact information collected through ordinary service enquiries to send general unsolicited marketing communications.

We do not currently use our website to retarget visitors or serve personalised advertising through third-party advertising networks.

LAWFUL BASIS FOR USING YOUR INFORMATION

We only process personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We may process personal information where this is necessary to provide a service you have requested, fulfil an agreement with you or take steps at your request before providing a service.

This includes responding to service enquiries, discussing a job, arranging work and contacting you about an item or service.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal information where this is reasonably necessary for the legitimate operation of our business and those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

This may include responding to general enquiries, maintaining appropriate business records, protecting our website and systems, preventing fraud or misuse, handling complaints and improving our services.

Legal obligation

We may process or retain personal information where necessary to comply with a legal requirement, including accounting, tax, regulatory or other statutory obligations.

Consent

Where consent is the appropriate lawful basis, we will ask for it specifically. This may apply, for example, to certain non-essential cookies or similar technologies.

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

We do not treat your general use of this website as consent to all processing of your personal information.

IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE INFORMATION

You are not generally required to provide personal information merely to browse our website.

However, if you ask us to provide a service or respond to an enquiry, we may need enough information to understand and deal with your request.

If necessary information is not provided, we may be unable to answer an enquiry, confirm compatibility, contact you or provide the requested service.

WHO WE MAY SHARE INFORMATION WITH

We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties.

We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with trusted organisations or service providers, including:

• our website platform, hosting and technical providers;

• email and communications providers;

• WhatsApp/Meta where you choose to contact us using WhatsApp;

• providers supporting website forms, chatbot functions, security, analytics or other website features;

• service partners where information is reasonably necessary to provide a service you have requested, for example a specialist cleaning or alteration provider;

• accountants, insurers, legal advisers or other professional advisers where reasonably necessary;

• IT or security providers where access is necessary to maintain or protect our systems; and

• government bodies, regulators, courts or law-enforcement agencies where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Where a third party processes personal information on our behalf, we only provide information reasonably necessary for that provider to carry out its function.

We do not share customer information with third parties for their own unrelated direct-marketing purposes.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Some website, communications or technology providers may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will rely on an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism or safeguard where required by UK data-protection law.

This may include transfers to countries covered by UK adequacy regulations or the use of appropriate contractual safeguards.

You may contact us if you would like further information about safeguards relating to a particular transfer.

HOW LONG WE KEEP INFORMATION

We do not intend to keep personal information for longer than reasonably necessary.

How long information is retained depends on why it was collected and whether there is an ongoing business, legal or regulatory reason to retain it.

For example:

• enquiry and correspondence information is retained for as long as reasonably necessary to deal with the enquiry and any appropriate follow-up;

• information relating to work carried out may be retained where reasonably necessary for guarantees, complaints, disputes or customer-service purposes;

• accounting and transaction records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;

• information connected with a complaint or legal dispute may be retained for as long as reasonably required to resolve the matter and protect our legal rights; and

• technical logs, analytics information and cookies may be retained according to the settings and retention periods of the relevant website or technology service.

When information is no longer reasonably required, it should be deleted, anonymised or otherwise securely disposed of where appropriate.

COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to operate correctly. Others may be used for functions such as analytics, performance or remembering preferences.

Where consent is required for non-essential cookies or similar technologies, these should only be used in accordance with the cookie choices available through the website.

You can use the website’s cookie controls, where provided, to review or change your preferences.

We do not currently use our website to serve personalised advertising or retarget visitors through third-party advertising networks.

If we introduce advertising or retargeting technologies in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and our cookie information as appropriate.

THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND SERVICES

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services, including services such as WhatsApp, mapping providers and other external websites.

If you follow an external link or use a third-party service, that organisation may collect and process information under its own privacy policy.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third-party websites and encourage you to review their privacy information where appropriate.

HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures having regard to the nature of the information being processed and the risks involved.

These may include:

• using reputable website, hosting and communications providers;

• restricting access to personal information to those who reasonably need it;

• using password-protected accounts and appropriate access controls;

• keeping devices, software and services reasonably up to date;

• using secure connections and other technical safeguards where provided by the services we use; and

• taking reasonable steps to ensure providers processing information on our behalf maintain appropriate security measures.

We also take reasonable care with information received outside the website, including information received by email, telephone, WhatsApp and other communication methods.

However, no website, electronic communication system or method of storing information can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

If we become aware of a personal data breach, we will assess it and take any action required under applicable data-protection law, including notification to affected individuals or the Information Commissioner’s Office where legally required.

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Our website and services are not specifically designed for or directed at children, and we do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children.

If a child contacts us or provides personal information in connection with an ordinary customer enquiry, we will only use that information where it is appropriate and lawful to do so.

Where consent is required for the processing of a child’s personal information, we will take account of the child’s age and ability to understand what they are agreeing to. Where parental or guardian consent is legally required, we will seek that consent before relying on it.

We do not knowingly use children’s personal information for profiling or personalised advertising.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child has provided personal information to us inappropriately, please contact us using the details at the end of this policy. We will review the matter and take appropriate action, which may include deleting the information where required.

AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING

We do not use personal information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects on individuals.

Automated website tools, including the vehicle checker and chatbot, provide general guidance only. Where a decision about whether we can provide a service, what option is appropriate or what price applies needs to be made, this is confirmed separately.

YOUR DATA-PROTECTION RIGHTS

Under UK data-protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:

• be informed about how your personal information is collected and used;

• access personal information we hold about you and receive a copy;

• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;

• ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances;

• ask us to restrict the use of your personal information in certain circumstances;

• object to certain uses of your personal information, including processing based on legitimate interests where the law gives you this right;

• object to direct marketing;

• request data portability where the legal requirements for that right apply; and

• withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis for processing.

These rights are not absolute and some only apply in particular circumstances.

We may need to ask for information to confirm your identity before acting on a request.

We will respond to valid rights requests within the timescales required by data-protection law.

DATA-PROTECTION COMPLAINTS

If you believe we have not handled your personal information correctly, you have the right to make a data-protection complaint to us.

You can make a complaint using the email address, telephone number or postal address shown at the end of this policy.

You do not need to use legal terminology. Please explain what has happened and what you are concerned about so that we can investigate it.

We will:

• acknowledge receipt of a data-protection complaint within 30 days;

• take appropriate steps to investigate it without undue delay;

• keep you appropriately informed of progress; and

• communicate the outcome without unjustifiable or excessive delay.

You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data-protection regulator, if you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled.

We would welcome the opportunity to investigate and resolve your concern directly before you approach the ICO, although this does not affect your right to contact the ICO.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example if our services, website technology, suppliers or legal obligations change.

The latest version will be made available on this website and the “Last updated” date will be changed when appropriate.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the personal information we hold about you, how we use your information, or if you wish to exercise a data-protection right or make a data-protection complaint, please contact: