Legal
This policy explains how Stanways Autobodies Ltd collects, uses and protects your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Stanways Autobodies Ltd is a vehicle body repair specialist operating from Queensway Park Farm, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. We are the Data Controller for personal data collected through our website, telephone, email and in-person interactions.
We may photograph vehicles in our care for quality control, insurance or marketing purposes. We do not publish images that identify vehicle owners without consent. Number plates are obscured in all publicly displayed images.
When you use our AI Assessor tool at stanwaysautobodies.co.uk/ai-estimate, we process the photos, vehicle details and contact information you provide to generate an AI-assisted repair estimate. This section explains specifically how we handle that data.
Photos are analysed using third-party AI services (Anthropic Claude) under data-processing agreements compliant with UK GDPR. Photos are transmitted securely (TLS encrypted) and processed in real time to identify damage zones, severity and likely repair type.
Important: Your photos are NOT used to train AI models. Anthropic processes your data only to generate the requested estimate and does not retain it for training under our zero-data-retention agreement.
We perform automated checks on photo metadata to detect obvious tampering or editing. These checks are a soft signal only and do not constitute a guarantee of authenticity. EXIF data can be missing, altered, stripped by messaging apps, or unavailable depending on the device. Final authenticity is confirmed at physical inspection.
AI Assessor data (photos, vehicle details, contact information, generated estimate) is retained for 90 days from submission, after which it is permanently deleted from our systems unless:
You can request immediate deletion of your AI Assessor data at any time by emailing info@stanwaysautobodies.com with the subject line "Delete my AI estimate data" and your name and registration number. We will confirm deletion within 7 working days.
The estimate generated by our AI Assessor is an AI-assisted indication based on photos. It is not a binding quote. Final pricing is confirmed only after physical inspection by our Lead Estimator. Reviewing your AI estimate creates no contractual obligation on either side.
| Purpose | Legal Basis (UK GDPR) |
|---|---|
| Providing vehicle repair and bodywork services | Article 6(1)(b): Performance of a contract |
| Responding to enquiries and quotes | Article 6(1)(b): Pre-contractual steps |
| Processing insurance claims on your behalf | Article 6(1)(b): Contract / Article 6(1)(c), Legal obligation |
| Sending service updates or invoices | Article 6(1)(b): Contract performance |
| Improving our website and services | Article 6(1)(f): Legitimate interests |
| Marketing emails (if you opt in) | Article 6(1)(a): Consent |
| Displaying customer reviews (with permission) | Article 6(1)(a): Consent |
| Complying with legal and regulatory requirements | Article 6(1)(c): Legal obligation |
| Data Type | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Repair records and invoices | 7 years (HMRC requirement) |
| Insurance claim files | 6 years after claim closure |
| Enquiry / quote data (no work carried out) | 12 months |
| Customer reviews | Until withdrawn by customer |
| Website analytics data | 26 months |
| Marketing preferences | Until opt-out or 3 years inactivity |
We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with:
All third parties we use are required to handle your data securely and in accordance with UK GDPR. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK or EU, we ensure adequate safeguards are in place (such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions).
We use two services to understand how our website performs and to fix problems quickly:
Both services operate under UK GDPR-compliant data processing agreements.
If you use our online AI estimate tool, the following applies:
Our website uses the following types of cookies:
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Required for the website to function correctly | Session |
| Microsoft Clarity (_clck, _clsk, MUID) | Anonymised session replay and heatmaps to understand how visitors use our site | Up to 13 months |
| Cloudflare Turnstile | Bot and spam protection on our forms (no personal data) | Session |
| Preferences | Remembering your settings, cookie consent choice and form data | 12 months |
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality.
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@stanwaysautobodies.com or call 01253 735544. We will respond within 30 days.
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or destruction. These include:
Our services are not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. Continued use of our website after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us in the first instance. If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
🏛 Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
📞 0303 123 1113
🌐 www.ico.org.uk