Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2025 · Version 2.1

1. Who We Are

The Modfather Ltd is a technology retailer and repair service based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. We trade as The Modfather.

• Registered address: 21 Keyworth Place, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S13 7GX
• Company number: 11234567 (England & Wales)
• ICO Registration: ZB123456
• Data Controller contact: don@themodfather.co.uk

For the purposes of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, The Modfather Ltd is the data controller.

2. What Data We Collect

When you make a purchase

• Name and email address
• Delivery address
• Phone number (optional)
• Order details and transaction reference

We do not process card payments on this website. All product purchases are made through eBay, which handles payment entirely. Repair bookings do not take payment online — you pay in store before work begins.

When you book a repair

• Name, email, and phone number
• Device information (type, brand, model)
• Description of the fault
• Urgency preference

When you contact us

• Name and email address
• The content of your message

When you browse the site

If you consent to analytics cookies, we collect anonymised browsing data (pages visited, time on site, general location to region level). We cannot identify you from this data. If you decline analytics cookies, nothing is collected.

What we do NOT collect

• Full payment card details (we do not collect these — purchases go through eBay)
• Government ID or sensitive personal data
• Data from children under 13
• Location tracking or device fingerprinting

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your data only for these specific purposes:

• Processing orders: Fulfilling and dispatching your purchase (legal basis: contract performance)
• Repair service: Managing your repair booking and keeping you updated (legal basis: contract performance)
• Customer support: Responding to enquiries and complaints (legal basis: legitimate interests)
• Legal compliance: Tax records, fraud prevention, legal obligations (legal basis: legal obligation)
• Service improvement: Anonymised analytics to improve the site (legal basis: consent — only if you tick yes to analytics cookies)
• Newsletter: If you subscribed, we send occasional updates (legal basis: consent — you can unsubscribe any time)

We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling.

4. Cookies

We use a cookie consent tool on every page so you are in control. Here is exactly what we set:

Essential Cookies (always active)

• modfather_cart — stores your shopping cart (expires when you clear browser data)
• modfather_wishlist — saves your wishlist items
• modfather_cookie_consent — remembers your cookie preference
• modfather_recently_viewed — tracks recently viewed products for your convenience

Analytics Cookies (only with consent)

• _ga, _gid — Google Analytics 4 (anonymised, no cross-site tracking)

Third-Party Cookies

When you purchase through eBay, eBay sets its own cookies. These are governed by eBay's Privacy Policy.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time using the Cookie Settings link in the footer.

5. Third-Party Services

Google Analytics (optional, consent required)

If you consent to analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymisation enabled. Google processes anonymised browsing data on servers which may be outside the UK. We have enabled data minimisation settings. See Google's Privacy Policy.

Google Fonts & Unsplash

Our site loads fonts from Google Fonts and images from Unsplash. These services may log your IP address as part of normal operation. This is a technical necessity — we minimise external requests where possible.

What We Do NOT Use

• Facebook Pixel or any Meta tracking
• TikTok tracking
• Any data broker or advertising network
• Any tool that sells or trades your data

6. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights:

• Right to access: Request a copy of all data we hold about you
• Right to rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): Ask us to delete your data (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Right to restrict processing: Ask us to limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability: Receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent for analytics or marketing at any time via cookie settings

To exercise any of these rights, use our Data Request form, or email us at don@themodfather.co.uk with the subject line "Data Request". We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you believe we have mishandled your data.

7. How Long We Keep Your Data

• Order records: 7 years (HMRC legal requirement for financial records)
• Repair records: 2 years from completion (warranty and dispute purposes)
• Contact enquiries: 12 months then deleted
• Newsletter subscribers: Until you unsubscribe
• Analytics data: 14 months (Google Analytics default, then auto-deleted)

8. Security

We take the security of your data seriously:

• All data transmitted via HTTPS (SSL/TLS encryption)
• We do not process card payments — all purchases go through eBay
• Admin access to our systems is password-protected and access-logged
• We do not store unencrypted passwords

In the unlikely event of a data breach that poses risk to your rights, we will notify affected individuals and the ICO within 72 hours as required by law.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last changed. For significant changes, we will notify you by email if you have an account or have recently made a purchase.

11. Contact Us

For any privacy-related queries:

• Email: don@themodfather.co.uk
• Post: The Modfather Ltd, 21 Keyworth Place, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S13 7GX
• Phone: 07922 466 615

We aim to respond to all privacy enquiries within 5 working days.