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. Company: Stanways Autobodies Ltd. Address: Queensway Park Farm, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire. Telephone: 01253 735544. Email: info@stanwaysautobodies.com.
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 We do not publish images that identify vehicle owners without consent.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. Data submitted through the estimator is used only to generate the requested estimate, and is not used to train the AI provider's general models.
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 only as long as we need it to review your submission and respond to you, and in any event no longer than 12 months from submission, after which it is permanently deleted from our systems unless: you have engaged us for repair work (in which case standard repair-record retention applies, see Section 4); you have explicitly asked us to retain it longer; or we are required to retain it by law.
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.
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: Microsoft Clarity, records anonymised session replays and heatmaps to help us understand how visitors use our site. Clarity does not record sensitive form fields and obscures personal information where possible. Sentry, captures technical error reports (browser type, JavaScript errors, page URL) when something goes wrong on our site, so we can fix it. Sentry is configured to use EU data hosting. Both services operate under UK GDPR-compliant data processing agreements.
If you use our online AI estimate tool, the following applies: Photos of your vehicle damage are analysed by our AI assistant to generate an indicative estimate range. The vehicle registration you provide is checked against DVLA and DVSA records to verify make, model and MOT status. The estimate produced is indicative only and is not a binding repair quote. A formal estimate is provided by our team after physical inspection. Your photos and vehicle details are sent to our team by email so that we can review them and prepare for your visit. We delete them once we have reviewed your submission and contacted you, unless you go ahead with a repair, in which case standard repair-record retention applies (Section 4). Our email is hosted by Microsoft 365 within the UK and EU. Our AI processing is carried out under a UK GDPR-compliant Data Processing Agreement. Your data is not used to train AI models. Bot and abuse prevention is provided by Cloudflare Turnstile, which collects minimal technical data to distinguish real users from automated traffic.
Our website uses the following types of cookies:
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect site functionality. See our Cookie Policy for full details.
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): Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone 0303 123 1113. Website www.ico.org.uk.