User Deletion Policy

Last updated: May 2025

1. Your Right to Erasure

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to request the deletion ("erasure") of your personal data that Alton Valley Ltd holds about you. This is sometimes referred to as the "right to be forgotten".

This policy explains how to submit a deletion request, what data will be deleted, the timeframes we operate to, and the limited circumstances where we may need to retain certain data.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all personal data held by Alton Valley Ltd, including data collected through:

• Our website contact and enquiry forms
• WhatsApp Business messaging (via Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform)
• Email and telephone correspondence
• CRM and project management systems
• Marketing and communications lists

3. How to Submit a Deletion Request

You can request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting our Data Protection Officer directly. To help us locate and action your request promptly, please provide:

• Your full name
• Your email address and/or phone number associated with your account or communications
• A brief description of the data you would like deleted (e.g. WhatsApp message history, contact form submissions)

4. Timeframes

We will acknowledge your deletion request within 5 working days of receipt. We aim to complete the deletion and provide written confirmation within 30 calendar days. In complex cases involving multiple systems or large volumes of data, this may be extended by a further two months, in which case we will notify you promptly and explain the reason for the delay.

5. What Data Will Be Deleted

Upon a valid and actionable request, we will delete or anonymise:

• Your contact details (name, email, phone, address)
• WhatsApp message history and associated metadata
• Contact form submissions and enquiry records
• Marketing preferences and communications history
• Any account or profile data held in our CRM or project management systems

6. Exceptions — When We May Retain Data

The right to erasure is not absolute. We may need to retain certain data where deletion would conflict with the following obligations:

• Legal obligation — we are required by law to retain certain records (e.g. financial and tax records for HMRC, typically 7 years)
• Contract performance — where an active contract or ongoing obligation requires us to hold your data
• Legal claims — where the data is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims
• Public interest — where processing is required for public health, safety, or archiving purposes

Where we are unable to fulfil all or part of a deletion request, we will explain the specific reason and the legal basis for retention in writing.

7. WhatsApp Business Data

If you have communicated with Alton Valley via WhatsApp and wish to have your data deleted, please note:

• We will delete message records and your contact details from our internal systems within the timeframes above
• Data held by Meta Platforms as part of the WhatsApp Business Platform infrastructure is subject to Meta's own privacy policy and data deletion processes
• To request deletion of data held by Meta, please visit the WhatsApp Help Centre or your WhatsApp account settings

8. Data of Deceased Individuals

The UK GDPR applies to living individuals. For requests relating to the data of a deceased person, please contact our Data Protection Officer who will handle such cases with care and sensitivity.

9. Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with how we have handled your deletion request, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, or by calling 0303 123 1113.