Who We Are
This website is run by Merlins Group Limited ("Merlins", "we", "us"), a company registered in England and Wales under company number 16251843. Our registered office is Trilogy Suite 9, Church Street, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, WV11 1SR.
We are the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This policy explains what we collect when you use merlinsgroup.co.uk or get in touch with us, why we collect it, and what rights you have.
What Data We Collect
- Contact details you give us. Your name, email address, phone number, company name and anything else you tell us when you book a review, fill in a form, message us on WhatsApp, email or call us.
- Booking information. When you book through Calendly, the details you enter, and the date and time you choose, are shared with us so we can arrange the call.
- Information about your business. During a review or a project you may share details about your website, systems, processes, customers or data. We only use this to deliver the work.
- Website usage data. Pages visited, time on page, scroll depth, button clicks, device type, browser, approximate location and how you arrived at the site (for example Google, LinkedIn, Instagram or TikTok). This is only collected if you accept cookies.
How We Use Your Data
- To reply to enquiries and arrange your free review
- To deliver the services you have engaged us for, and to invoice for them
- To follow up about an enquiry you have made
- To understand how people use the website so we can improve it
- To measure which marketing is working and show our adverts to people likely to be interested
- To meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations
We do not sell your data. We do not add you to a marketing mailing list without your permission.
Our Lawful Basis
Under UK GDPR we rely on the following:
- Contract: where we need your data to provide services you have asked for, or to take steps before entering a contract with you.
- Legitimate interests: to reply to enquiries, follow up with businesses who have contacted us, and run and improve our business, where this does not override your rights.
- Consent: for analytics and advertising cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Legal obligation: to keep financial and business records.
Cookies and Tracking
When you first visit, we ask whether you accept cookies. If you reject them, analytics and advertising tags are not activated. If you accept, we use:
- Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Tag Manager: to measure visits, engagement and conversions. Provided by Google.
- Google Ads conversion tracking: to understand which adverts lead to enquiries.
- Meta Pixel: to measure the results of our Facebook and Instagram adverts and show relevant adverts. Provided by Meta Platforms.
- Microsoft Clarity: to see how visitors use pages, including heatmaps and anonymised session recordings, so we can fix problems with the site. Provided by Microsoft.
We also use a small number of essential browser storage items, for example to remember your cookie choice. You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings at any time.
Who We Share Data With
We only share data with service providers who help us run the business, and only as much as they need:
- Google (analytics, advertising, email and fonts)
- Meta (advertising, WhatsApp)
- Microsoft (Clarity)
- Calendly (booking)
- Cloudflare (video hosting and content delivery)
- GitHub (website hosting)
- Our accountants and professional advisers, where needed
We may also disclose data if required by law.
International Transfers
Some of these providers process data outside the UK, mainly in the United States. Where this happens, the transfer is protected by the UK’s adequacy arrangements (such as the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework) or by standard contractual clauses.
How Long We Keep It
- Enquiries that do not become work: up to 2 years from our last contact.
- Client and project records: for the length of the relationship and up to 6 years afterwards, for legal and accounting reasons.
- Analytics data: up to 14 months in Google Analytics.
Keeping It Secure
We use reputable providers, access controls and secure connections to protect your data. Where you give us access to your own systems during a project, we only use that access for the agreed work and ask you to remove it when the work ends.
Your Rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- Ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Ask us to correct data that is wrong
- Ask us to delete your data
- Object to, or ask us to restrict, how we use your data
- Ask for your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent for cookies at any time
To use any of these rights, email hello@merlinsgroup.co.uk or message us on WhatsApp at 07388 539 987. We will reply within one month.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk. We would appreciate the chance to put things right first.
Children
Our website and services are for businesses and are not aimed at anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated at the top.
Contact
See also our Terms and Conditions.