Privacy Policy

Last updated: 14 June 2026

This privacy policy explains how A1 ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, stores and protects the personal data you provide when you use this website, and sets out your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

We are the data controller responsible for your personal data. You can contact us about this policy or any data protection matter using the details below:

A1
Cavendish Road (off Gunnels Wood Rd)
Stevenage
Hertfordshire
SG1 2ET
Telephone: 01438746046
Email: service.a1germancar@gmail.com

What personal data we collect

Depending on how you use our website, we may collect:

• Contact details – your name, email address and telephone number.
• Booking and vehicle details – your vehicle registration, make, model, year, the services you request and any notes you provide.
• Enquiry content – any message you send us through our contact form, live chat or customer survey.
• Payment information – when you pay a booking deposit, your card payment is processed securely by our payment providers (Stripe and PayPal). We do not store your full card details on our servers.
• Technical data – your IP address, browser information and cookie data collected automatically when you use the site (see "Cookies" below).

How we use your data and our legal basis

We only use your personal data where the law allows us to. The legal bases we rely on are:

• Performance of a contract – to take and manage your service, MOT or repair booking and to process your deposit payment.
• Legitimate interests – to respond to your enquiries, keep records of our communications, protect our website and forms from spam and fraud, and run our business effectively.
• Consent – to place non-essential cookies on your device and, where you have opted in, to send you marketing communications. You can withdraw your consent at any time.
• Legal obligation – to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, for example keeping records for tax purposes.

Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with trusted third parties who help us run our business and our website, including:

• Stripe and PayPal – to process deposit payments securely.
• Google – reCAPTCHA (to protect our forms from spam), Google Maps and Google Fonts.
• Tawk.to – to provide the live chat feature on our website.
• Our email and web hosting providers – to deliver booking confirmations and host this website.
• Vehicle data providers – to look up vehicle details from a registration you enter.

These providers act as our data processors and are only permitted to use your data in line with our instructions. Some may process data outside the UK; where they do, appropriate safeguards are in place.

How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out above. Booking and transaction records are generally retained for up to 6 years to meet our legal and accounting obligations. Enquiry and contact messages are kept for no longer than is needed to deal with your request and our ongoing relationship with you. After that, your data is securely deleted.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We use:

• Strictly necessary cookies – required for the website to function (for example, to keep your booking session active). These do not require your consent.
• Functional and third-party cookies – set by our live chat (Tawk.to), Google Maps and Google reCAPTCHA. Non-essential cookies are only set after you accept them via our cookie banner.

You can change your cookie choice at any time by clearing your cookies and reloading the site, or by adjusting your browser settings to block or delete cookies.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal data we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten") where there is no good reason for us to keep it.
• Object to, or ask us to restrict, our processing of your data.
• Request that we transfer your data to you or another provider (data portability).
• Withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at service.a1germancar@gmail.com. We will respond within one month.

Complaints

If you have a concern about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first so we can try to put things right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection, at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on this page with a revised "last updated" date.