Simple PC Help is operated by Simple Techie Solutions and provides computer and technology support services, including remote support, at-home support, drop-off repairs, collection services, troubleshooting, maintenance and related technical assistance.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Simple Techie Solutions is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this policy.

You can contact us at:

Simple PC Help (Simple Techie Solutions)
Telephone: 01985 330073
Mobile: 07979 252573
Email: info@simplepchelp.co.uk
Website: www.simplepchelp.co.uk

2. What information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you contact us and which services you use.

It may include:

• Your name
• Postal address
• Email address
• Landline and/or mobile telephone number(s)
• Appointment and booking information
• Information about the computer, phone, tablet, printer or other technology you require assistance with
• Details about the technical problem you have asked us to investigate
• Technical information about your equipment, such as whether it is a laptop or desktop computer, its operating system and security software
• Previous work carried out for you and your service history
• Emails, text messages and other correspondence between you and Simple PC Help
• Invoice and payment information
• Information you voluntarily provide while requesting or receiving technical support

For an at-home appointment, we may also collect information you provide to help us find or access your property, such as parking information, directions, landmarks, access instructions or a what3words location.

We aim to collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide and administer our services.

We normally receive personal information directly from you when you contact us, make a booking or use one of our services.

This may include when you:

• Make an appointment using our online booking system
• Complete a form on our website
• Contact us by telephone, email, SMS, iMessage, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger
• Provide information during a remote, at-home or drop-off appointment
• Complete a paper or electronic job sheet
• Ask us to carry out work on your computer or another device
• Make a payment or provide information relating to an invoice

Information submitted through forms on our website may be sent to us by email.

Providing effective technical support often requires us to understand a customer’s equipment and previous technical history.

We may therefore retain information such as:

• The type and specification of computer or device you use
• Your operating system
• Security software installed on your computer
• Previous faults or problems
• Previous repairs, upgrades or technical work
• Notes relevant to providing future support

Keeping an appropriate service history can help us diagnose future problems more efficiently and avoid asking you to repeatedly provide information we already hold.

Simple PC Help uses Jump Desktop Connect to provide remote technical support.

Our normal remote-support sessions are attended sessions and do not provide us with permanent or unattended access to your computer.

To begin a session, you provide us with the nine-digit connection code displayed by Jump Desktop Connect. The connection code alone does not allow us to access your computer without your knowledge. When we request a connection, a notification appears on your computer identifying Richard Hudson as the person requesting access, and you must choose to accept the connection before the remote-support session can begin.

We do not retain permanent remote access to your computer after the support session has ended.

When diagnosing, repairing or providing support for a computer or other device, we may see or need to access information stored on the device as part of the work you have asked us to carry out.

This may include documents, emails, photographs, account information, browser information or other personal files.

We will only access or use this information where it is reasonably necessary to investigate or resolve the problem, complete the work you have requested, or where you specifically ask us to access it.

Where practical, we encourage customers to close or remove any confidential or sensitive information that is unrelated to the work being carried out.

We try to avoid collecting or retaining customer passwords and login details wherever possible.

During remote or in-person support, we will normally ask you to enter passwords yourself rather than disclose them to us.

If a computer or other device is left with us and a login password or PIN is required to carry out the requested work, you may be asked to provide it separately, for example on a piece of paper.

Any password, PIN or other login information provided to us will only be used where necessary to carry out the work you have requested. We do not routinely record or retain passwords or login credentials as part of your permanent customer record.

If you are uncomfortable providing a password or PIN, please let us know. Where appropriate, we can advise you on changing it temporarily before the work is carried out, or provide instructions to help you change your password once the work has been completed.

Some technical work requires us to make a temporary copy of information stored on your computer or other device. This may be necessary when, for example:

• Reinstalling or repairing an operating system
• Replacing or upgrading a computer
• Transferring information to another device
• Recovering information from a faulty computer or storage device
• Protecting your data while repair work is being carried out

Temporary copies of customer data may be stored on external backup drives or on our local server while the work is being completed.

Once your data has been restored to your repaired or replacement computer, we may retain the temporary backup for up to two weeks after the computer has been returned to you. This gives you an opportunity to check that your files have been successfully restored and that everything is working correctly.

After this period, the temporary copy is deleted and is no longer retained as part of your customer record.

If you discover that any information is missing after your computer has been returned, please contact us as soon as possible and preferably within this two-week period.

Telephone calls to and from Simple PC Help are not routinely recorded.

Occasionally, we may wish to record a telephone conversation where it contains important or detailed information that would be useful to retain accurately.

We will tell you if we would like to record a call and ask for your permission before recording begins.

Any recording will only be used for the purpose explained to you at the time and will be treated as personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

If you do not wish a call to be recorded, you can simply let us know and the conversation can continue without being recorded.

Most customer and job information is now collected and stored electronically. However, in some circumstances you may be asked to complete a paper job sheet when leaving equipment with us.

Paper job sheets may contain information such as your contact details, information about your computer or other equipment, and details of the work you have asked us to carry out.

A completed job sheet may be scanned and stored electronically within your customer records on our local server and secure cloud storage. This allows the information to be accessed from our authorised devices and enables us to refer to previous work if you require support again in the future.

The original paper job sheet may also be retained in our business records and stored in a filing cabinet.

Paper and electronic records are only used for purposes connected with providing and administering our services, maintaining an appropriate service history, and meeting any applicable business or legal requirements.

We collect and retain information necessary to prepare invoices, record payments and maintain our financial and accounting records.

This may include your name, postal address, contact details, details of the services or products provided, invoice information and payment history.

Customers may pay by bank transfer, cheque, cash or online/card payment, where available.

Where an online/card payment is offered, the payment is processed securely by a third-party payment provider. Simple PC Help does not routinely receive or store your full payment card details.

Our accountant may have access to relevant customer, invoice and transaction information where necessary to provide accounting and professional services.

Financial and accounting records are retained for as long as required to meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations.

We may store customer contact and appointment information electronically to help us communicate with you, manage appointments and provide ongoing technical support.

This may include your name, postal address, email address, telephone number(s), appointment details and information about the service you have booked.

Customer contact information, calendar appointments and certain business records, including job sheets and invoices, may be stored or synchronised using secure cloud-based services. This allows us to access the information from authorised business devices when required.

Access to these devices and services is protected using appropriate security measures, including passwords, device security and encryption where available.

We only use this information for legitimate business purposes connected with providing and administering our services, managing appointments, maintaining customer records and communicating with you.

Depending on the type of information and the service being provided, customer information may be stored using:

• Our business computers and authorised devices
• Our local server
• External backup drives used for temporary customer data
• Secure cloud-based storage and synchronisation services
• Our accounting and invoicing system
• Our appointment and booking system
• Our business email service
• Relevant messaging and communication services
• Secure paper records

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect customer information from unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

Our business computers and devices are protected by appropriate security measures, including password protection, encryption where available, and access controls.

We use trusted third-party service providers to help us operate Simple PC Help and provide services to our customers.

These may include providers of:

• Appointment and booking services
• Accounting and invoicing services
• Payment processing
• Email and website hosting
• Cloud-based storage and synchronisation
• Remote-support software
• Messaging and communication services

Where necessary, these providers may process personal information on our behalf or as part of providing their services to us.

We only share information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant service to be provided and we do not sell or rent customer personal information to third parties.

Some of our technology providers may process or store information outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable UK data protection law.

We use personal information where necessary to operate our business and provide the services you have requested.

This may include using your information to:

• Respond to enquiries and requests for assistance
• Arrange, confirm and manage appointments
• Provide the technical support, repair or other services you have requested
• Diagnose and resolve computer and technology problems
• Maintain an appropriate history of your equipment and previous work
• Communicate with you about current or previous work
• Prepare quotations and invoices
• Process payments and maintain financial records
• Maintain appropriate accounting and business records
• Deal with queries, complaints or follow-up support
• Protect our customers, systems and business from fraud, misuse or security threats
• Comply with legal, regulatory, tax and accounting requirements
• Send occasional marketing communications where permitted

We do not use your personal information for purposes unrelated to providing and administering our services, except where we have a lawful reason to do so or you have specifically asked us to.

This section sounds more legal than the others, but it is important. I’d keep it understandable rather than filling it with GDPR terminology.

Our lawful basis for using your information

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful reason for collecting and using your personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following:

Contract
We use information where it is necessary to arrange and provide the services you have requested, manage your appointment, carry out the agreed work and administer our relationship with you.

Legitimate interests
We may use information where it is reasonably necessary for the operation of Simple PC Help. This includes maintaining appropriate customer and service histories, providing efficient support to returning customers, responding to enquiries, maintaining business records and protecting our customers and business.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider these interests against your rights and privacy.

Legal obligation
We may need to collect, retain or disclose certain information to comply with legal, tax, accounting or regulatory requirements.

Consent
In some circumstances we may ask for your consent before using your information for a particular purpose, for example before recording a telephone conversation. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

The lawful basis we rely on will depend on the information involved and the reason we are using it.

From time to time, we may send existing customers occasional emails about Simple PC Help services, useful technology information or other updates that we believe may be relevant to them.

We only send marketing communications where we are permitted to do so under applicable data protection and electronic marketing laws.

Every marketing email will provide a clear and simple way to opt out of receiving future marketing communications. You can also ask us at any time not to send you marketing emails by contacting us.

If you opt out of marketing communications, we may still contact you where necessary in connection with an appointment, ongoing or previous work, an invoice, or another service you have requested.

We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected, including providing ongoing or future customer support and meeting our legal, tax and accounting obligations.

Different types of information may therefore be retained for different periods.

In particular:

• Temporary customer backups created during repair, recovery or data-transfer work are normally deleted within two weeks after the repaired or replacement computer has been returned to you.
• Financial and accounting records are retained for as long as required to meet applicable legal, tax and accounting requirements.
• Customer contact details, service histories, job records and correspondence may be retained while they continue to be useful for providing ongoing or future customer support and maintaining an appropriate record of work previously carried out.

When personal information is no longer reasonably required, it may be securely deleted or disposed of.

The Simple PC Help website may use cookies and similar technologies to help us understand how visitors use our website and to improve its performance and effectiveness.

We may use website analytics to collect information such as:

• The number of visitors to our website
• Which pages are visited
• How visitors arrived at our website, for example through a search engine, another website or by visiting directly
• Which pages visitors enter and leave the website from
• The order in which pages are viewed and how visitors navigate through the website
• Approximate time spent on pages
• General device, browser and operating system information
• Approximate geographic information, such as country or region

We use this information to understand how our website is being used, identify which services and pages are most useful to visitors, identify areas of the website that may not be working as effectively as intended, and help us improve the overall customer experience.

Where possible, we aim to use privacy-focused analytics and information in an aggregated form rather than using analytics to identify individual visitors.

We do not use website analytics information to access the contents of your computer or device, and we do not sell website visitor information to third parties.

Where cookies or similar technologies require your consent, we will provide appropriate information and choices before they are used. You will also be able to change or withdraw your choices where applicable.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the personal information entrusted to us against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These measures include:

• Password protection and access controls on our business computers and devices
• Encryption on supported business computers and devices
• Appropriate security measures for cloud-based services and online accounts
• Limiting access to customer information to those who have a legitimate business need
• Avoiding the unnecessary collection or retention of passwords and login credentials
• Keeping physical customer records and equipment within our business premises

Simple PC Help operates from a home-based office and workshop. Customer information, equipment and business systems are treated as confidential business information and are not made available to family members or other unauthorised persons.

No electronic storage or communication system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we take reasonable precautions appropriate to the nature of the information we handle.

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:

• Ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances
• Ask us to restrict how your information is used in certain circumstances
• Object to certain ways in which we use your information
• Ask for certain information to be transferred to you or another organisation
• Withdraw your consent at any time where we are relying on consent to use your information

Not all of these rights apply in every circumstance.

If you would like to exercise any of your data protection rights, or would like to know what personal information we hold about you, please contact us at:

info@simplepchelp.co.uk

We may need to verify your identity before providing personal information or acting on a request.

If you have any concerns about how Simple PC Help collects, uses or protects your personal information, please contact us in the first instance so that we have an opportunity to investigate and resolve the matter.

You can contact us at:

info@simplepchelp.co.uk

If you are not satisfied with our response, you also have the right to raise a concern with the UK’s independent data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Further information about your rights and how to make a complaint is available at:

www.ico.org.uk

The Simple PC Help website may contain links to websites and online services operated by other organisations.

These third-party websites have their own privacy policies and practices. Simple PC Help is not responsible for how third-party websites collect, use or protect your personal information.

We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by the relevant organisation before providing personal information through an external website or service.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, business practices or legal requirements.

Any updated version will be published on the Simple PC Help website and the “Last updated” date at the top of this page will be changed accordingly.

We recommend checking this page occasionally if you would like to keep up to date with how we collect, use and protect your personal information.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we use your personal information, or your data protection rights, please contact us:

Simple PC Help (Simple Techie Solutions)

Telephone: 01985 330073
Mobile: 07979 252573
Email: info@simplepchelp.co.uk
Website: www.simplepchelp.co.uk

We will be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about how your personal information is handled.