Privacy Policy

Who we are

The Bed Bug Network is a trading name of W Corporation Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 16843227), registered address Fairgate House, 205 Kings Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B11 2AA. We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.

You can contact us about anything in this policy by email at info@bedbugnetwork.co.uk or by post at the address above.

The information we collect

When you request a quote, we collect:

• your name, email address and phone number
• your postcode and, where you give it, your town
• the details you give us about your bed bug problem
• which page or form you used to contact us

When a pest control business applies to join the network, we collect the contact’s name, the company name, email address, phone number, the areas covered, years of experience and any notes provided.

If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics collects information about how you use the site, such as pages viewed, device and browser type, and approximate location derived from your IP address. See “Cookies” below.

How we use your information and our lawful basis

• To match you with a vetted contractor covering your area and pass your request to them, so they can contact you with a quote. Lawful basis: taking steps at your request before entering into a contract, and our legitimate interest in running the matching service.
• To contact you about your request, including a follow-up call to check the work met the standard we expect of our contractors. Lawful basis: legitimate interests.
• To assess and vet contractors who apply to join, and to manage their membership. Lawful basis: taking steps before entering into a contract, and legitimate interests.
• To measure and improve how the website performs. Lawful basis: your consent (analytics cookies).
• To comply with our legal obligations and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. Lawful basis: legal obligation and legitimate interests.

We do not sell your personal data and we do not use it for automated decision-making that has legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Who we share your information with

• The contractor we match you with. We share your name, contact details, postcode and job details with the contractor so they can quote. The contractor becomes a separate controller of your data once they receive it and is responsible for how they use it.
• Our service providers, who process data on our behalf under contract: Vercel (website hosting), Neon (database hosting) and Google (analytics, only if you consent).
• Professional advisers, regulators, law enforcement or courts, where we are required or permitted to by law.

International transfers

Some of our service providers store or process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where this happens, we rely on UK adequacy regulations (including the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework) or the International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses, so your data receives an equivalent level of protection.

How long we keep your information

• Quote requests: up to 24 months after your last contact with us, so we can deal with any follow-up or complaint about the work.
• Contractor applications that do not proceed: up to 12 months.
• Contractor members: for as long as they are in the network, and up to 6 years afterwards for accounting and legal purposes.
• Analytics data: up to 14 months, in line with our Google Analytics settings.

Cookies

We only set analytics cookies if you choose “Accept” on our cookie banner. These are Google Analytics cookies (named _ga and _ga_*) that help us understand how visitors use the site. They last up to 2 years.

We store your cookie choice in your browser’s local storage so we don’t ask you on every visit. This is strictly necessary to remember your choice and does not track you.

You can change your choice at any time using the “Cookie settings” link in the footer of every page.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you
• have inaccurate data corrected
• have your data erased in certain circumstances
• restrict or object to our processing, including processing based on legitimate interests
• receive your data in a portable format, where processing is based on consent or contract
• withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent

To exercise any of these rights, email info@bedbugnetwork.co.uk. We will respond within one month. There is normally no charge.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please contact us first so we can try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.