As a UK-based company, Paddy Compare Limited closely monitored the UK-EU negotiations in relation to the flow of personal data following the UK's exit from the European Union on 31st December 2020. On 28th June 2021, the EU published two adequacy decisions which confirmed that the UK provides adequate protection for personal data transferred from the EU to the UK under the EU GDPR, and these decisions will last until 27th June 2025. Paddy Compare is therefore fully compliant with the EU GDPR requirements, but we will continue to review and act on guidance from the Information Commisioner's Office.
Paddy Compare Limited developed this policy in line with the Privacy Notice Code of Practice. Its aim is to make you feel at ease and confident in the use of our services. We follow strict guidelines as outlined by the Information Commissioner's Office to ensure that any information you enter into our online forms is kept as secure as possible. We adopt strict security procedures throughout all stages of the process as required by law. Proof of identity must be provided before any information about you can be disclosed by email, in writing or telephone.
In order to provide our service, personal information is collected using our online quote forms. By clicking on the 'Get Quotes' button and submitting your personal information, you consent to our use of the information as set out in this privacy policy and such notices.
Upon completion of an online quote form, your information will be securely passed onto a selection of Paddy Compare's third party service providers. The third party service providers that received your information will be listed on our Quote Results page for your information. All personal information collected during the process will be used in accordance with this privacy policy and for the service requested, subject to certain exceptions as set out below.
Paddy Compare Limited is a registered Data Controller in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. As a Data Controller we take all reasonable care to prevent any unauthorised access to your personal data. You have the right to and can request a copy of the information we hold concerning you. You can do so by writing to the Data Protection Officer at the registered office address below and enclosing a cheque for the administration fee of £10 made payable to Paddy Compare Limited. We reserve the right to update this privacy policy at any time and in response to changes in relevant legislation.
Your information shall be used in accordance with this privacy policy and in notices shown when you submit your information. By using Paddy Compare you consent to our use of the information as set out in this privacy policy.
It is important that you complete our online quote forms as accurately as possible as this information will be used to provide you with the best possible quote. Any wrongly provided information could alter the quotation provided by the third party insurers/brokers and therefore reduce your chances of receiving the best deal. Inaccurate information may also invalidate your insurance and as a result the insurer/broker may refuse to indemnify you in the event of a claim.
You must ensure that all completed information is correct before submitting the online quote request form by clicking on the 'Get Quotes' button. It is entirely up to you to check and correct the insurer/broker on any wrongly provided information that may result in your insurance policy becoming void.
Paddy Compare Limited will offer no insurance products or advice at any stage during the quote comparison service. The company will only carry out arranging by way of introducing as an insurance retail intermediary. Paddy Compare provides a free and no obligation quote comparison service and any charge associated with purchasing a policy will be advised and obligated by the third party concerned.
Paddy Compare Limited may contact you by post, telephone, email or SMS to provide you with information that may be of interest, including our newsletter and special offers. We may also use your information to keep you informed of our latest products, perform market research or remind you of your renewal. Personal information may be disclosed and used for these purposes after your policy has lapsed.
For products where we do not use our online comparison quote systems we may display links to other third party websites. At all times we accept no liability for any statements, information, content, products or services offered by these third party companies.
You can opt out of marketing at any time by contacting us at info@paddycompare.ie, or writing to us at our registered office address.
Once you complete the quote process and your details are passed onto any of our third party service providers who may use your personal information for their own purposes and contact you via mail, email, telephone or SMS. The use of your personal data by the insurer/broker is entirely up to the third party and subject to their own terms and conditions. Paddy Compare Limited will not opt you in for marketing for any of these third party providers and have contractual agreements in place with any providers that appear on the quotes results page to prevent this. You should therefore not receive any communication from any providers other than for the purposes outlined in this privacy policy.
Monitoring of your calls, emails, text messages or any other communications may take place in accordance with UK law and in particular for business purposes such as for quality and control, training, to prevent unauthorised use, ensure telecommunications are operating correctly, to meet legal obligation and to prevent or detect crime. These are requirements of being a registered Data Controller and more information can be seen at www.ico.gov.uk.
All the information you provide is kept secure via a range of physical and technical security arrangements and disclosure control methods. It is illegal for us to reveal your data or identify your business to unauthorised persons. We are however permitted to disclose your information in the following exceptional circumstances, if we are legally compelled to do so, where there is a duty to the public to disclose, where disclosure is required to protect our interest and where disclosure is made at your request or consent. If you make a formal complaint against our service, and depending on the severity of the situation, we may be required to forward the details of the complaint and your personal information onto the relevant regulatory body in existence at that time.
When you use our website we may store a small file on your computer's hard drive, called a cookie. Cookies are used by nearly all websites to analyse web traffic and to determine when you visit the site. You can choose to stop the use of cookies from our service, however this is not recommended as it could reduce your service and website experience. For more information on our use of cookies, please refer to our Cookie Policy.
Web beacons are a similar technology in which a small transparent image is downloaded by your computer, and they help to deliver an enhanced online experience by keeping track of your navigation through a website (or series of websites). Paddy Compare does not currently make use of any web beacons, but some of our third parties may use these, and similar technologies to collect or receive information from your website and elsewhere on the internet and use that information to provide measurement services.
Paddy Compare makes use of the following to help us serve you better:
You can use the Google Browser Add-on to prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics by clicking here.
The Data Protection Officer at Paddy Compare is Stephen Knox, who can be contacted by writing, at the registered company address: Paddy Compare, 8 Woodcroft Lane, Ballymena, BT42 1FZ. This is the method of contact that shall be used for any requests under your GDPR rights.
Paddy Compare has a panel of insurance brokers. Once you complete a lead form, our system determines which brokers are best placed to quote for your particular risk. Typically your details will be sent to a maximum of 4 of these companies:
Under GDPR, Paddy Compare has identified the following lawful purposes for processing your data:
| Type of Processing | Lawful Basis |
|---|---|
| Sending your details to insurance broker(s) so they can provide a quote, and sending you a confirmation email | Consent |
| Sending you a reminder on your renewal date, and other marketing for relevant products | Legitimate Interests (Note you can opt out at any time by clicking the Unsubscribe button on emails) |
| For products where there is no live lead form, and you request that we send you a reminder next year | Consent |
You have a number of rights under GDPR relating to this processing of your data. These include:
Full guidance on your rights is available on the ICO Website.
Unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law or for statutory purposes, we will only hold your personal data on our systems for a maximum period of 26 months in order to complete our service to you, and to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. Of course you can request your data to be erased at anytime. Even if we erase your personal information it may persist on backup or archival media. Should a backup ever be restored, we have procedures in place to ensure your data does not become 'live' again.
We do our best to keep the information you disclose to us secure. We place a high priority on protecting and managing data. We will also, where it’s appropriate, ensure that our website uses https to help keep information about you secure during transmission. However, we can’t guarantee or warrant the security of any information which you send to us, and you do so at your own risk. By using our website you accept the inherent risks of providing information online and will not hold us responsible for any breach of security.