This policy explains how Balenza & Co ("we", "us") collects and uses personal information when you visit balenza.co.uk or get in touch with us. We follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
Who we are
Balenza & Co is the controller of the personal information described in this policy.
Office: 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ
Email: cuma@balenzaco.com
If you have any question about this policy or your information, email us at cuma@balenzaco.com.
What we collect
When you send an enquiry. Through our contact form, or by email or phone, you give us:
- your name
- your business name
- your email address
- your phone number, if you give it
- the type of business and number of sites
- anything you write in your message
When you speak to us. If you book a discovery call, we keep short notes of what we discussed so we can follow up properly.
When you visit the website. Our web server records standard technical information each time a page is requested: your IP address, the date and time, the page requested and your browser type. This is used only to keep the site running and secure.
When you send an enquiry through the contact form, we keep a pseudonymised record of your IP address (a salted hash) together with the time of the request for up to 24 hours, to stop abuse of the form.
We do not use analytics or advertising tools, and we do not build profiles of visitors.
How we use your information and our lawful basis
| What we do | Lawful basis under UK GDPR |
|---|---|
| Reply to your enquiry and arrange a discovery call | Steps taken at your request before entering into a contract (Article 6(1)(b)), and our legitimate interest in responding to people who contact us (Article 6(1)(f)) |
| Keep notes of our conversation and follow up on it | Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) |
| Keep the website secure and working | Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) |
| Keep records we are required to keep by law | Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) |
We will not send you marketing emails unless you have asked us to. You can tell us to stop at any time.
If you become a client, the information we process to provide our services, including what we share with our chartered accountant company and with lenders, is set out in our engagement letter and Terms of Business.
Who we share it with
We only share your information with service providers who help us run our business and who are bound to keep it secure and confidential:
- our website hosting provider, which stores the website and its server logs
- our email provider, which delivers and stores the emails you send us, including contact form enquiries
We never sell your information, and we do not share it with anyone for their own marketing.
We may disclose information if we are required to by law, or to protect our rights in a legal claim.
Transfers outside the UK
We aim to keep your information in the UK. If one of our service providers processes it outside the UK, we make sure it is protected by a UK adequacy regulation or by appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.
How long we keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Enquiries that do not lead to working together | 24 months from our last contact, then deleted |
| Information about clients | As set out in our engagement letter, usually 6 years after the end of the relationship, to meet tax and legal record-keeping requirements |
| Web server logs | Up to 30 days |
| Contact form abuse-prevention record (salted hash of your IP address) | Up to 24 hours |
Contact form enquiries are sent to us by email. They are not stored in a database on the website.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete
- ask us to delete your information
- ask us to restrict how we use your information
- object to us using your information on the basis of legitimate interests
- ask us to transfer information you gave us to another organisation
- withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent
To use any of these rights, email cuma@balenzaco.com. We will reply within one month. There is normally no charge.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first so we can try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Cookies
We explain how we use cookies and similar technologies in our Cookie Policy.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it last changed.
