Privacy Policy &
Cookie Information

1. Introduction & Who We Are

This Privacy Policy explains how GC Auto Centre Ltd ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, stores, and safeguards personal information obtained when you visit our website (www.gcautocentre.co.uk), use our online vehicle lookup tools, submit workshop booking requests, or communicate with our workshop team.

We are registered in England and Wales under Company Registration Number 11136577. Our workshop and registered office are situated at:

2. Information We Collect

We strictly limit the data we collect to information that is necessary to provide vehicle maintenance services, confirm appointment bookings, and ensure the secure operation of our website:

• Vehicle Registration Marks (VRM): When you enter a UK number plate into our search forms, we use it to confirm vehicle make, model, engine size, and fuel type.
• Contact Details: Your full name, telephone number, and email address when you complete our booking request or contact forms.
• Workshop Requirements: Selected mechanical procedures (e.g. Hunter 3D wheel alignment, interim servicing, brakes, air conditioning), preferred appointment dates, and details of vehicle faults.
• Technical & Security Metadata: Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, device information, and anti-spam verification parameters to prevent fraudulent or automated bot submissions.

3. How We Use Your Data & Our Legal Basis

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, we process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites that you visit. We also utilise browser localStorage to remember your cookie preferences and carry your entered registration plate forward to our booking calendar.

We do not sell your personal data or run intrusive third-party behavioural advertising trackers.

5. Third-Party Service Providers & Technical Partners

We work with trusted technical partners to deliver website functionality and workshop diary operations. We never grant third parties permission to use your personal information for their own marketing purposes:

• GarageInvoice (Workshop Management System): Operates the embedded appointment calendar widget on our booking page (garageinvoice1.co.uk), allowing direct allocation of workshop bays.
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA): When entered into our registration plate fields, vehicle registrations are looked up via the official DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service (VES) API to verify engine size, fuel type, and year of manufacture.
• LZW Digital (Website Technical Agency): Our digital partner (www.lzwdigital.co.uk) maintains website infrastructure, server security, software updates, and form delivery routing.
• Google Analytics (Alphabet Inc.): Provides privacy-centric, IP-anonymised telemetry to measure website performance, user journeys, and booking conversion funnels. Activated only upon user consent.
• Rank Math SEO: Generates on-page Schema structured data (JSON-LD) and statutory XML sitemaps to communicate service availability and workshop opening times to search engines. Does not harvest visitor personal identifiable information.