Privacy Policy

This Policy explains how we use the information we collect about you, how you can instruct us if you prefer to limit the use of that information and procedures that we have in place to safeguard your privacy.

Contacting us about Data Privacy

Please use these details to contact us about any of the topics set out in this Privacy notice, if you have any questions or want more information about how we manage your data.

Email
[email protected]

Post
Harper McDermott Ltd
First Floor, The Reel House, 7 West Regent Street
Glasgow
G2 1RW

Telephone
0141 278 3989

What Information we collect and why

This section sets out the legal reasons we rely on, for each of the ways we may use your personal information.

Data Protection law says that we are allowed to use personal information only if we have a proper reason to do so. The law says we must have one or more of these reasons:

• When you consent to it, or
• When it is our legal duty, or
• When it is in our legitimate interest

When we have a business or commercial reason of our own to use your information, this is called a ‘legitimate interest’. We will tell you what that is, if we are going to rely on it as the reason for using your data. Even then, it must not unfairly go against your interests.

The law and other regulations treat some types of sensitive personal information as special. This includes information about racial or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, trade union membership, health data, and criminal records. We will not collect or use these types of data without your consent unless the law allows us to do so.

Here is a list of all the ways that we may use your personal information, and which of the reasons we rely on to do so. This is also where we tell you what our legitimate interests are. 

Processing your online enquiry 

When you complete the online enquiry form we take this as your explicit and informed consent to collect the information and contact you to discuss it further. We use your contact information, and the limited amount of financial information you provide to prioritise our work. You don’t have to complete the online form, you can choose to contact us by phone instead.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us using the details shown above and we will cease processing your enquiry.

When you access our website, your Internet Protocol (IP) address, operating system and browser type is automatically collected and is placed in our internet access logs, which we use for system administration and statistical analysis. We collect information directly from you in a number of ways. One way is through our use of “cookies” (see section on Cookies here)

Collating your case information

When we contact you by telephone to progress your enquiry our calls may be recorded for our legitimate interest and to protect us against legal claims.

We will continue to use your consent to collect more detailed information about your financial situation. We will ask you to send us documentary proof of your information, that may include National Identifiers such as your National Insurance number. You may withdraw your consent at any point that you are on the phone with our advisor.

Special Category Data

Information related to your health, or the health of other people in your household, is particularly relevant to your financial situation or your ability to manage your debts. We will therefore collect relevant health information as part of your case.

Managing Our Business

Areas of Financial Services are highly regulated and as such we may need to keep records including your personal information and occasionally share them with regulators in our legitimate interest or as a legal obligation.

Security of your information 

We take the security of your information very seriously. We have access controls in place and all our staff are trained on the importance of data privacy and security. If you send us documentation it is scanned and the image is stored in our case management system. The original documents are placed in secure bins and shredded by a reputable firm.

Trustpilot

With your consent we may pass your email address to Trustpilot who will invite you to complete a review of our service, your review may be posted on this website, or our social media channels, along with your name if you have entered this on your Trustpilot review.

We will not pass your information to any other organisation without your consent.

We work with a number of data processors such as telecoms and software providers to provide our service. All of these firms operate under written agreements.

How long we keep your personal information 

We only keep your information for as long as necessary and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.

If you make an enquiry via our website (harpermcdermott.com) or by email/telephone that does not progress beyond the first advice stage, we will delete your information after 2 years, or sooner at your request.

The 2-year period does not apply if our Insolvency Practitioner acts or has acted as your Trustee under a Trust Deed, Trustee in Sequestration or Money Adviser under the Debt Arrangement Scheme. If so, we will delete your information 5 years after your case has been closed. If you request your information to be deleted sooner, we will confirm if this is possible subject to the legislation that governs your debt solution.

Cookies

We use cookies to make this website work better. If you continue to use this website you are agreeing to their use.

Your Rights 

Withdrawing your consent

If we are processing your personal information with your consent you may withdraw it at any time. Contact us using the information shown above. 

If your personal information is incorrect

You can ask us to correct any of the personal information we hold you believe is incorrect. We may ask you to verify this. 

If you want to restrict the processing

If you want us to pause the processing of your enquiry, please contact us. You may wish to do this if you want to correct information or whilst you decide whether to withdraw your consent.

Deleting your Information

If you want us to delete your information we may be able to do this if you contact us. We can only delete personal information if it does not conflict with our retention policy. 

Getting a copy of your personal information

You may request a copy of the information we hold about you. We will respond to this request within one month. You can contact us using the details shown above.

Portability of Information

You may ask us for a machine-readable copy of the information you entered into our online enquiry form. We will provide this via a secure method.