Call us on +44 (0)1275 395 118

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Overview

In order to operate the Utility Networks e-commerce service and to reduce the risk of fraud, Utility Networks ("Utility" or we), the data controller, must ask you to provide us information about yourself and your credit or debit card and/or bank account. By consenting to, and agreeing the terms of, the Privacy Policy, you also expressly consent and agree to us processing your data in the manner set out in the Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy describes the information we collect and how we use that information. Utility Networks takes the privacy of your personal information very seriously and will use your information only in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy. We will not sell or rent your personally identifiable information or a list of our customers to third parties. It is important for you to review this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy applies to all services that are hosted on the Utility Networks website.

By accepting the Privacy Policy and User Agreement in registration, you expressly consent to our use and disclosure of your personal information and direct us to do so in the manner described in this Privacy Policy.

If you disagree with the terms of Privacy Policy, please do not register for nor use the Utility Networks  e-commerce service.

Notification of Changes

This policy may be revised over time as new features are added to the Utility Networks  service or as we incorporate suggestions from our customers. We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time by posting a revised version on our web site. The revised version will be effective at the time we post it. In addition, if we propose to change this Privacy Policy in a substantial manner, we will provide you with at least 30 days prior notice of such a change by posting notice on the "Policy Updates" page of our website(s). After this 30 days notice, you will be considered as having expressly consented to all amendments to the Privacy Policy. If you disagree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, you may close your account at any time.

Please check the Utility Networks website at any time for the most current version of our Privacy Policy.

Some pages on the Utility Networks website include links to third party websites. These sites are governed by their own privacy statements, and Utility Networks is not responsible for their operations, including but not limited to their information practices. Users submitting information to or through these third party websites should review the privacy statement of these sites before providing them with personally identifiable information.

A Special Note About Children. Children are not eligible to use our service and we ask that minors (under the age of 18) do not submit any personal information to us or use the service.

Information We Collect
Required Information

To open an account or to make a purchase from the Utility Networks website you must provide your name, address, phone number, and email address. In order to make certain payments through PayPal, you must provide credit card, debit card or bank account information. Utility Networks does not retain this financial information. This required information is necessary for us to process transactions, issue a new password if you forget or lose your password, protect you against credit card fraud and current account fraud, and to contact you should the need arise in administering your account.

Transaction Information

Utility Networks uses PayPal for its Merchant services. When you use PayPal to send money to someone else or request money from someone else, they ask you to provide information related to each transaction, consisting of the amount of the transaction, the type of transaction (purchase of goods, purchase of services, or simple money transfer and the email address, Skype ID (if applicable) or phone number of the third party. PayPal retain this information for each of your transactions through PayPal and may add this information to your account profile to be used for future transactions that you may make with them; please refer to the PayPal site for more information on PayPal terms and conditions and the PayPal Privacy Policy.

Website Traffic Information

Because of the way that World Wide Web communication standards work, when you arrive at or leave the Utility Networks website, we automatically receive the web address of the site that you came from or are going to. We also collect information on which pages of our website you visit while you are on the site, IP addresses, the type of browser you use and the times you access our website. We use this information to try to understand our customers preferences better and to manage the load on our servers, so as to improve our service and your experience with Utility Networks.

Our Use of "Cookies"

"Cookies" are small files of data that reside on your computer and allow us to recognise you as a customer if you return to the Utility Networks site using the same computer and browser. We send a "session cookie" to your computer if and when you log in to your account by entering your email address and password. These cookies allow us to recognise you if you visit multiple pages in our site during the same session, so that you do not need to re-enter your password multiple times. Once you log out or close your browser, these session cookies expire and no longer have any effect. 
We also use longer-lasting cookies for other purposes such as to display your email address on our sign-in form, so that you do not have to retype the email address each time when you log in to your account We encode our cookies so that only we can interpret the information stored in them. You are free to decline our cookies if your browser permits, but doing so may interfere with your use of our website. We may also collect information about your computer or other access device to mitigate risk and for fraud prevention purposes.

Customer Service Correspondence

If you send us correspondence, including emails and faxes, we retain such information in the records of your account. We will also retain customer service correspondence and other correspondence from Utility Networks to you. We retain these records in order to keep records of our relationship, to measure and improve our customer service, and to investigate potential fraud and violations of our User Agreement. We may, over time, delete these records if permitted by law.

Our Use and Disclosure of Information
Internal Uses

We collect, store and process your personal information on servers located in the UK. Our primary purpose in collecting personal information is to provide you with a safe, smooth, efficient, and customised experience. You agree that we may use your personal information to:

  • provide the services, warranty and other customer support you request;
  • resolve disputes, collect fees, and troubleshoot problems;
  • prevent potentially prohibited or illegal activities, and enforce our User Agreement;
  • customise, measure, and improve our services and the content and layout of our website.
Disclosure to Third Parties Other Than PayPal Customers

Utility Networks will not sell or rent any of your personally identifiable information to third parties, and will only disclose this information in the limited circumstances and for the purposes described in this policy. This includes transfers of data to non-EU member states. Specifically, you consent to and direct Utility Networks to do any and all of the following:

  • Disclose information including, without limitation, transaction, account information, personal details and the contents of communications to the police, security forces, competent governmental, intergovernmental or supranational bodies, competent agencies (other than tax related authorities), departments or regulatory, self-regulatory authorities or organisations or other third parties that we in good faith believe is appropriate to cooperate in investigations of fraud or other illegal activity or potential illegal activity, or to conduct investigations of violations of our User Agreement. If false or inaccurate information is provided and fraud is identified, details will be passed to fraud prevention agencies and law enforcement agencies may access and use this information. We and other organisations may also access and use this information to prevent fraud and money laundering.
  • Disclose information in response to requirements of civil or criminal legal process.
  • For the purpose of this table, the phrase "All account information" includes: name, address, e-mail, telephone number, IP address, account number, account type, details of funding instruments associated with the account, details of payment transactions, details of commercial transactions, customer statements and reports, account preferences, details of identity collected as part of our “know your customer” checks on you, and customer correspondence.
  • With respect to the column titled, "Purpose", each third party, with the exception of the regulatory agencies and group companies referred to at the end of this table, is carrying out the purpose to fulfil obligations which Utility Networks has contracted with the entity to fulfil. The regulatory agencies are carrying out their purpose in accordance with their regulatory objectives and requirements.
  • Disclose information to your agent or legal representative (such as the holder of a power of attorney that you grant, or a guardian appointed for you).
  • Disclose aggregated statistical data with our business partners or for public relations. For example, we may disclose that a specific percentage of our users live in Manchester. However, this aggregated information is not tied to personal information.
  • As with any other business, it is possible that Utility Networks in the future could merge with or be acquired by another company. If such an acquisition occurs, the successor company would have access to the information maintained by Utility Networks, including customer account information, but would continue to be bound by this Privacy Policy unless and until it is amended.
Our Contacts with our Customers

We communicate with users on a regular basis via email to provide requested services, and we also communicate by phone to resolve customer complaints or claims made by customers, respond to requests for customer service, inform you if we believe your account or any of your transactions have been used for an illegitimate purpose, confirm information concerning your identity, business or account activity, carry out collection activities or investigate suspicious transactions. We use your email or physical address to confirm your opening of a Utility Networks account, to send you notice of purchase that you make through Utility Networks, to send information about important changes to our products and services, and to send notices and other disclosures required by law. Generally, users cannot opt out of these communications, but they will be informational in nature rather than promotional.

Information Security

Utility Networks is committed to handling your customer information with high standards of information security. We use computer safeguards such as firewalls and data encryption, we enforce physical access controls to our buildings and files, and we authorise access to personal information only for those employees who require it to fulfil their job responsibilities.

For more information on Utility Networks security practices, please contact us at [email protected]

The security of your Utility Networks site account also relies on your protection of your password. You may not share your password with anyone. Utility Networks representatives will never ask you for your password, so any email or other communication requesting your password should be treated as unauthorised and suspicious and forwarded to [email protected]. If you do share your password with a third party for any reason, including because the third party has promised to provide you additional services such as account aggregation, the third party will have access to your account and your personal information, and you may be responsible for actions taken using your password. If you believe someone else has obtained access to your password, please change it immediately by logging in to your account at and changing your Profile settings, and also contact us right away as described below.

Accessing and Changing Your Information

You can review the personal information you provided us and make any desired changes to such information, or to the settings for your Utility Networks account, at any time by logging in to your account on the Utility Networks website and changing your preferences in the Profile page of the "My Account" tab. You can also close your account through the Utility Networks website. If you close your account, we will mark your account in our database as "Closed," but will keep your account information in our database. This is necessary in order to deter fraud, by ensuring that persons who try to commit fraud will not be able to avoid detection simply by closing their account and opening a new account. However, if you close your account, your personally identifiable information will not be used by us for any further purposes, nor sold or shared with third parties, except as necessary to prevent fraud and assist law enforcement, or as required by law.

Accountability

Utility Networks is responsible for ensuring that our day-to-day procedures comply with this Privacy Policy. If you want to exercise your right to access your information or have any questions about this privacy statement, Utilitys information practices, or your dealings with Utility through the Utility Networks website, you can contact us by using the contact form on our website, or by calling the customer service number located on our website, or by writing to us at Utility Networks, 1-3 Merietts Court, Long Ashton Business Park, Long Ashton, Bristol BS41 9LW.