Privacy Policy

Introduction

Solar Claim Ltd respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your rights regarding that data.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under registration number ZB394827. Our registered office is at 47 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2BS.

Information We Collect

When you engage with our services, we may collect various types of information depending on the nature of our relationship with you.

Information You Provide Directly

This includes details you give us when making enquiries, entering into service agreements, or communicating with our team. Typical information includes your name, contact details, date of birth, National Insurance number, employment history, pension details, and financial information relevant to your claim.

Information We Obtain from Third Parties

To process your pension claim, we often need to request information from pension providers, financial advisors, employers, the Financial Ombudsman Service, or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This might include pension statements, advice records, transfer documents, and correspondence.

Information Collected Automatically

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your visit, including your IP address, browser type, pages viewed, and time spent on the site. Further details are available in our cookies policy.

How We Use Your Information

We process personal data for several specific purposes, each of which has a lawful basis under data protection legislation.

Providing Our Services

The primary use of your information is to assess, prepare, and pursue your pension claim. This includes analysing your case, gathering evidence, submitting complaints, and negotiating on your behalf. Processing for this purpose is necessary for the performance of our contract with you.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

As a firm regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, we must maintain certain records and comply with various legal obligations. This includes anti-money laundering checks, record-keeping requirements, and cooperation with regulatory investigations. Processing for these purposes is necessary for compliance with legal obligations.

Communication

We use your contact information to update you on the progress of your claim, respond to queries, and send important notifications about our services or changes to our terms. Processing is based on our legitimate interests in maintaining effective client relationships and, where applicable, performance of our contract.

Improvement and Development

We may analyse case data in aggregate to improve our services, train staff, and understand trends in pension claims. This processing is based on our legitimate interest in operating an effective business, and individual identities are not disclosed in such analyses.

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell personal information to third parties. However, pursuing a pension claim necessitates sharing certain information with relevant organisations.

Essential Service Providers

Your information is shared with pension providers, former employers, financial advisors, the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Pensions Ombudsman, and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme as required to investigate and pursue your claim.

Professional Advisors

We occasionally instruct solicitors, barristers, or specialist consultants on complex cases. These professionals are bound by their own confidentiality obligations and process data only under our instructions.

Technology Providers

Our case management systems, email services, and cloud storage are provided by third-party technology companies. We ensure these providers implement appropriate security measures and process data only as instructed.

Regulatory and Legal Authorities

We may disclose information where required by law, including to the Financial Conduct Authority, Information Commissioner's Office, HMRC, or law enforcement agencies. We may also need to share information in connection with legal proceedings.

International Transfers

We primarily use UK-based service providers. Where information is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the UK government or transfers to countries with adequacy decisions.

Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy and to comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

For clients with active cases, we retain all case-related information until the claim is concluded and any appeal periods have expired. Following case closure, we maintain records for seven years, as required by FCA regulations and to defend against potential future claims.

For enquiries that do not progress to full engagement, we typically delete information after two years unless there are specific reasons to retain it longer.

Some information may be retained in anonymised form indefinitely for statistical and business improvement purposes.

Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal information.

Access

You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. We will provide this within one month of receiving your request, free of charge, unless the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

Rectification

If information we hold is inaccurate or incomplete, you can ask us to correct it. We will do so within one month and notify any third parties with whom we have shared the information.

Erasure

In certain circumstances, you can request deletion of your personal information. However, this right is not absolute, particularly where we need to retain information for regulatory compliance or to defend legal claims.

Restriction

You can ask us to restrict processing of your information in specific situations, such as while we investigate a dispute about its accuracy.

Portability

Where we process your information by automated means based on consent or contract, you can request that we provide it in a structured, commonly used format or transfer it to another organisation.

Objection

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests. We will cease processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests.

Automated Decision-Making

We do not make decisions based solely on automated processing that would significantly affect you.

Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit and at rest, access controls, regular security assessments, staff training, and secure disposal procedures.

Despite our efforts, no security measures are entirely impenetrable. If we become aware of a security breach affecting your information, we will notify you and the Information Commissioner's Office where legally required.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will notify affected individuals by email or prominent notice on our website.

The date at the top of this policy indicates when it was last revised. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact and Complaints

If you have questions about this privacy policy, wish to exercise your rights, or have concerns about how we handle your information, please contact our Data Protection Officer at [email protected] or write to us at Solar Claim Ltd, 47 Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2BS.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office. Details can be found at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.