Privacy Policy

This policy sets out the different areas where user privacy is concerned and outlines the obligations and requirements of the users, the website and website owners. Furthermore, the way this website processes, stores and protects user data and information will also be detailed within this policy. Mathewsons aspire to be a fair, transparent and ethical business both towards its employees and towards it customers.

2. The website

This website and its owners take a proactive approach to user privacy and ensure the necessary steps are taken to protect the privacy of its users throughout their visiting experience. We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors; this policy sets out how we will treat your personal information.

3. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized data about visitors to this site. We use this data to improve visitor experience, and to help us make the site better and attract more visitors. Google Analytics records:

  • The website the visitor came from to get to this site.
  • The kind of computer they are using (Windows, Mac, etc. as well as information like screen resolution, web browser etc.)
  • The visitors general location (eg: London, United Kingdom)
  • Where the visitor clicked on the site and how long they stayed for.

In using Google Analytics, we are bound by Google Analytics Terms of Service.

You can opt out of Google’s advertising tracking cookie or use a browser plugin to opt out of all Google Analytics tracking software.

4. Use of cookies

4.1. What are cookies?

Cookies are small files saved to the user’s computer’s hard drive that track, save and store information about the user’s interactions and usage of the website. This allows the website, through its server to provide the users with a tailored experience within this website.

4.2. What do we use cookies for?

We may use cookies to remember personal settings you have chosen at our website. In no other context do we use cookies to collect information that identifies you personally. Most of the cookies we set are automatically deleted from your computer when you leave our website or shortly afterwards. We use anonymous session cookies (short-term cookies that disappear when you close your browser) to help you navigate the website and make the most of the features. If you log into the website, application or a course as a registered user, your session cookie will also contain your user ID so that we can check which services you are allowed to access.

This website uses tracking software to monitor its visitors to better understand how they use it. This software is provided by Google Analytics which uses cookies to track visitor usage. The software will save a cookie to your computer’s hard drive in order to track and monitor your engagement and usage of the website, but will not store, save or collect personal information. Should users wish to deny the use and saving of cookies from this website onto their computer’s hard drive, they should take necessary steps within their web browser’s security settings to block all cookies from this website and its external serving vendors.

5. Legal Basis – Legitimate Interest

Our News & Events emails help us to keep our customers up to date with business news, new products and our auction events. Mathewsons is a well established business that takes its reputation very seriously. The Business is respected and wishes to embrace the ethos of GDPR, further establishing its credibility with compliance and transparency.

The Business does need to be progressive and email marketing is seen as a cost effective form of profile raising. On balance our judgement is that the Business takes its data responsibilities very seriously and markets its services sensitively to an audience that has shown to be of Legitimate Interest. The business’s website uses an approach which records data in a compliant manner and only if consent is provided. Data subjects have good access to their subscription data – making the removal of their data from a marketing list very straightforward. All data subjects will be asked periodically to unsubscribe if they feel that the Mathewsons News & Events notifications are no longer appropriate.

Mathewsons process personal information for certain business purposes, which include some or all of the following:

  1. Where the processing enables us to enhance, modify, personalise or otherwise improve our services / communications for the benefit of our customers
  2. To identify and prevent fraud
  3. To enhance the security of our network and information systems
  4. To better understand how people interact with our website
  5. To provide electronic communications, which we think will be of interest to you via email marketing
  6. To evaluate the effectiveness of promotional campaigns and advertising

Whenever we process data for any of these purposes, we will always make sure that we keep your Personal Data rights in high regard and take account of these rights. You can unsubscribe from receiving marketing emails from us by clicking the “subscriptions” link at the bottom of any email, alternatively you can visiting our subscriptions page here, where you are able to unsubscribe from our News & Events email.

A user who makes contact with the business via its contact return forms are notified that the website will capture their data on a ‘Legitimate Interest’ basis, however should they prefer that the details are removed from the website database, then they can tick a box and their data will automatically be deleted. By the nature of a sign up to ‘Latest News & Events’, the user is fully expecting that the Business will periodically make contact with them in order to promote the business, raise awareness of events and provide general business updates – even so the Business adopts a double opt in approach to its sign up process.

For further information relating to our use of Legitimate Interest as our basis for processing data, please see our GDPR Assesment.

5.1. Personal information

Whilst using our website, software applications or services, you may be required to provide personal information (name, email and phone number). We will use this information to administer our services, website, applications, client databases and marketing material. We will ensure that all personal information supplied is held securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Further, by providing telephone, email details, or your address, you consent to Mathewsons contacting you using that method.

You have the right at any time to request a copy of the personal information we hold on you. Should you wish to receive a copy of this, or would like to be removed from our database, please contact us at enquire@mathewsons.co.uk.

6. Information collection and use

6.1. How do we collect information?

Mathewsons collects information in two possible ways:

  1. When you directly give it to us (“Directly Provided Data”) – When you sign up for our site, purchase our products or communicate with us, you may choose to voluntarily give us certain information – for example, by filling in text boxes or completing registration forms. All this information requires a direct action by you at that time in order for us to receive it.
  2. When you give us permission to obtain from other accounts (“User Authorised Data”) depending on your settings or the privacy policies for other online services, you may give us permission to obtain information from your account with those other services. For example, this can be via social media or by choosing to send us your location data when accessing our website from your smartphone.

6.2. How long do we keep your data for?

Mathewsons will not retain your personal information longer than necessary. We will hold onto the information you provide as long as needed to be able to provide our services to you, as long as is necessary to provide service or until you expressly ask us to remove your information (subject to certain conditions) – If legally required or if it is reasonably necessary to meet regulatory requirements, resolve disputes, prevent fraud and abuse, or enforce our Terms and Conditions, we may also retain some of your information for a limited period of time as required, even after you have asked us to delete your information or it is no longer needed to provide the Services to you. Please note that it is our policy to contact our data subjects every 6 months to make sure that they are happy to continue to receive email communications from Mathewsons.

7. Return forms

Mathewsons will not sell or rent your personally identifiable information, gathered as a result of filling out the site return forms, to anyone. We understand that you trust us with your personal information and we are committed to ensuring you can manage the privacy and security of your personal information yourself. With respect to the information relating to you that ends up in our possession, and recognising that it is your choice to provide us with your personally identifiable information, we commit to giving you the ability to do all of the following:

  1. You can verify the details you have submitted to Mathewsons by visiting our subscriptions page here. If you enter your email address, you will be sent a link to your personal data, which you can check or correct, you will also be able to remove your personal information from any lists controlled by Mathewsons
  2. You can also contact us by the same method to change, correct, or delete your personal information controlled by Mathewsons regarding your profile at anytime.
  3. You can unsubscribe from receiving marketing emails from us by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email. Once again this will take you through to our subscriptions page, where you are able to unsubscribe from all or any list that Mathewsons controls. If you unsubscribe from all lists, you will no longer receive any emails from us.

8. Notes

You can request a readable copy of the personal data we hold on you at any time; to do this, please contact us enquire@mathewsons.co.uk. We are constantly reviewing how we process and protect data; therefore, changes to our policy may occur at any time, but we will endeavour to publicise any changes. If you have any questions or concerns about anything in this policy, do not hesitate to contact us at enquire@mathewsons.co.uk.