Privacy policy

01

Who I am

Reverse Polarity Studios is the trading name of Nick Metcalfe, a sole trader based in Paisley, Renfrewshire. I am the "controller" of your personal information under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).

For anything about your information, email nick@reversepolarity.studio or ask for a postal address by email.

02

What I collect

Depending on how you use the site or work with me, I may collect:

• Contact form: your name, email address, the service you choose and your message.
• Emails and calls: your contact details and whatever you tell me about the job.
• Repairs, builds and IT support: details of your device or setup, and any passwords or access you give me for the job.
• Billing: your name, address and payment records.
• Website use: technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you visit, in server logs and in cookie-free visit statistics.
• Google Analytics, only if you accept analytics cookies: the pages you visit, how you reached the site, your device and browser type, and your approximate location (town or region).

03

How I use it

I use your information to:

• reply to enquiries and prepare quotes
• carry out the work you book and keep you updated
• invoice you, take payment and keep business and tax records
• deal with warranty claims and complaints
• protect the contact form from spam and abuse
• understand, in aggregate, how the site is used so I can improve it

04

Lawful basis

UK data protection law requires a lawful basis for each use of personal information. Mine are:

• Contract: to quote for and carry out work you ask for, including steps you ask me to take before agreeing a job.
• Legal obligation: to keep financial records that HMRC requires.
• Legitimate interests: to run and protect the business and this site, for example spam prevention, security logs, visit statistics and keeping records in case of a warranty claim. I only rely on this where it does not override your rights.
• Consent: for Google Analytics, which only runs if you accept it in the cookie banner. You can withdraw consent at any time from "Cookie settings" at the bottom of every page.

05

Data on your devices

When I repair, set up or support a device, I may see files on it. I only access what the job needs, I do not look through your personal files, and I never copy them except as part of a backup or data transfer you have booked.

Any temporary copy made for a booked backup or transfer is deleted once you have confirmed you have your data back, and in any case within 30 days of the job finishing. Passwords you give me are used only for the job and are not kept afterwards.

06

Who I share it with

I never sell your information. I share it only with the services that help me run the business, who process it on my behalf:

• Google (Firebase App Hosting): hosts this website. Its servers are in the Netherlands and keep request logs, including IP addresses.
• Resend: delivers contact form messages to my inbox.
• Cloudflare: runs the Turnstile check that stops spam on the contact form, and provides cookie-free website statistics.
• Google (Google Analytics): visit statistics, only if you accept analytics cookies. Advertising features and Google signals are switched off, and IP addresses are not stored.
• Google Fonts: serves the site's fonts, which means your browser connects to Google's servers.
• Microsoft 365: hosts my email.
• My bank, card payment provider and accounting software, for invoices and payments.

07

International transfers

Some of these providers are based in, or store data in, the United States or the European Economic Area. Where your information leaves the UK, it is protected by UK adequacy regulations (including the UK–US Data Bridge where a provider is certified) or by the UK's approved contract terms for international transfers.

08

How long I keep it

I keep personal information only as long as I need it:

• Enquiries that don't lead to work: up to 12 months, then deleted.
• Customer and job records: 6 years after the job, in case of warranty claims or disputes.
• Invoices and financial records: at least 5 years after the 31 January Self Assessment deadline for the tax year they relate to, as HMRC requires.
• Website server logs: around 30 days.
• Google Analytics statistics: 14 months, then deleted automatically.
• Contact form spam protection: IP addresses are held only briefly, in memory, to limit repeated submissions.

09

Your rights

You have the right to ask for a copy of your information, to have it corrected, deleted or restricted, to object to how I use it, and to ask for it in a portable format. Some rights depend on the circumstances: for example, I must keep invoices for as long as HMRC requires.

To use any of these rights, email nick@reversepolarity.studio. There is normally no charge, and I will reply within one month.

10

Complaints

If you're unhappy with how I've handled your information, please tell me first so I can put it right.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

11

Changes to this policy

I will update this policy if what I collect or who I share it with changes. The date at the top shows when it last changed.