Wales & West Utilities Privacy Policy
Wales & West Utilities Ltd of Wales & West House, Spooner Close, Coedkernew, Newport, South Wales, NP10 8FZ ("We" "Us" or "Our") take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains the steps We take to ensure information about you is kept secure and confidential.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you supply data to Us, use this web site ("Web Site") or Our services available via it you will be deemed to have read and consented to the uses of your personal data set out in this Privacy Policy.
If this Privacy Policy is changed at all then We shall post those changes on this Web Site so that you are always aware of what information We collect, how We process it and who We may share it with.
You must not use Our Web Site or any services available via it if you do not accept this Privacy Policy.
1. Your Details And The Purposes For Which Information Is Used
1.1 When you contact Us you will generally need to provide Us with some personal information, such as your name, address, email address, property details, meter point reference number and contact telephone number, in order for Us to deal with the matter.
1.2 This personal information and any other information you provide to Us is required in order for Us to provide an efficient gas distribution business. This includes providing gas connection and metering services, such as a new gas supply or alterations to an existing gas supply. We may also need to collect information about you when you contact Us with an enquiry or complaint or in response to a communication or survey from Us, which may inform Us about how you use Our services.
1.3 We will always let you have a copy of any personal information We have about you should you request it but will require evidence of your identity.We may require an administration fee of £10 to cover Our costs in providing such information.
1.4 If you wish to change any details that you have provided Us with then please contact Us either by email CustomerService@wwutilities.co.uk, by phone 0800 0726 814 or by writing to Us, marked for the attention of The Data Protection Officer, Customer Services, Wales & West Utilities Limited, Wales & West House, Spooner Close, Coedkernew, Newport, NP10 8FZ.
1.5 We will only use personal information that you supply to Us for the purposes authorised by Our gas transporters licence issued by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (Ofgem). Our licence authorises to carry out gas distribution activities within Great Britain; this includes the development, maintenance and operation of our gas network, predominantly presently in Wales and South West England. These activities include the provision of new gas connections to premises and the systems of other gas pipeline operators, network extensions, the provision of the gas emergency service in Wales and South West England. We are also permitted to carry out metering activities. Such activities include the provision, maintenance and replacement of domestic and commercial gas meters, both for ourselves and on behalf of customers, gas suppliers and gas shippers. We are also allowed to carry on certain limited activities outside these areas.
2. Passing On Your Details
2.1 We may need to pass on your address, property details and meter point reference number that you have provided to Us to Xoserve Limited, which is the organisation that maintains metering records for the UK gas industry or any company appointed in their place, to enable Us to provide the services requested by you or to gas shippers and gas suppliers on your behalf or with your prior consent. We have legal obligations to supply information to certain governmental and regulatory authorities and so may also be required to pass on your personal information to certain third parties, including Ofgem and Customer Focus.
2.2 We may also need to pass the personal information to contractors who supply services to Us, such as auditors, professional advisers and those providing gas connection and metering services. We pass on personal information to these parties in order to comply with Our statutory and contractual obligations, for example under the Gas Act 1986 and to provide services to you. We shall seek only to pass on details that are necessary for those purposes.
2.3 We may disclose any of the personal information that We hold about you if required to do so by law or requested to do so by any Governmental or law enforcement agency.
2.4 We may pass on your details to other third party gas shippers and gas suppliers. We will not provide them with your name, email or contact numbers except where your own gas supplier or meter provider should be advised of a need to contact you. We pass on your information in this way in order for the companies to provide related gas services to you.
2.5 We may from time to time conduct consumer surveys, for example We are obliged by Our regulatory licence to conduct such surveys. We may also canvas interest from potential customers in connection with proposals to extend Our network. If You would rather not receive this information or surveys then please contact Us either by email CustomerService@wwutilities.co.uk, by phone 0800 0726 814 or by writing to us at Data Protection Officer, Customer Services, Wales & West Utilities Limited, Wales & West House, Spooner Close, Coedkernew, Newport, NP10 8FZ.
3. Information Retention
We will keep personal information about you no longer than is needed for legal or regulatory reasons. For example, if you enter into an agreement with Us for a new gas connection We would keep the contract for at least six years in order to be able to deal with any issues that might arise on it. Where We issue a quotation to you for services which you do not accept or receive a complaint or enquiry from you about Our services We would keep this for a shorter period sufficient to satisfy Our regulatory or audit requirements.
4. Removing Your Details
4.1 If you would like Us to remove your personal details from Our systems then please email Us at: CustomerService@wwutilities.co.uk, by phone 0800 0726 814 or write to us at: Data Protection Officer, Customer Services, Wales & West Utilities Limited, Wales & West House, Spooner Close, Coedkernew, Newport, NP10 8FZ. Please note that We will not be able to remove any personal details that We are required to keep by law or regulation or which are needed for the proper operation of our gas and metering activities.
4.2 If you have any complaints relating to this Privacy Policy or how We deal with your personal information please contact Us at CustomerService@wwutilities.co.uk
5. Security
5.1 Keeping information about you secure is very important to Us. Whilst We strive to protect your personal information, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be totally secure and therefore We cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you send to Us. You send any information via this Web Site at your own risk.
6. Cookies
6.1 A cookie is a very small text file placed on your computer by a web browser, which has been sent by a web server. It is essentially an "identification card" relating to you. The main purpose of Our cookies is to identify you when you visit Our Web Site. Each time your browser requests a web page from Our server, the browser sends the information in the text file back to the server and lets the server know that you have returned to that web page. We use cookies to provide you with a better service tailored to suit you. Cookies help you to save time. For example, if you register for Our services, a cookie helps Us to remember who you are and what your preferences are. Next time you return, We can fill in any questions that you have already answered. The more you tell Us about yourself, the more We can help to find information or products you want. The cookies that we use on this site are: Functional Cookie ASP.NET_Sessionld – This cookie is installed automatically when a user connects to an ASP.NET application and expires when the browser window closes. This provides a mechanism for persisting information between page requests in ASP.NET. You can find out more information on this cookie here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899918and here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178581.aspx Preference Cookie "fontsize" – This cookie remembers the font size selection for the session.Compliance Cookie"ComplianceCookie" - This cookie allows us to know whether or not you have given consent to the use of cookies and therefore do not need to be presented with this message again. This is a permanent cookie.If you opt out of cookies on this site, we will still use these functional cookies. However, if you wish to disable them entirely, you just need to disable cookies in your chosen web browser. You can usually find this option under privacy in your browser options or preferences.
6.2 You can disable cookies from your computer system by following the instructions at www.allaboutcookies.org but if you do not accept incoming cookies then the performance of Our Web Site on your system will not be to full standard or Our Web Site may not serve at all.
7. Transferring Your Information Abroad
Information submitted by you to Us will only be used or disclosed as is necessary to allow us to carry out the statutory and contractual obligations owed by Us as a gas transporter regulated under the Gas Act 1986 as amended. We will not use the information provided by you for any other purpose unless you agree. All Web Site material is owned by Wales & West Utilities Ltd. There must be no reproduction of any of this material without the prior consent of Wales & West Utilities Ltd. Any use of this Web Site or any statement made by a third party or registrant is their opinion and does not represent the opinion of Wales & West Utilities Ltd.