My Reading

Lowri Beck Services (Lowri Beck) Data Protection Privacy Notice

Who we are?

Lowri Beck provides support services to utilities companies.

Established in 1996 it provides nationwide services including data collection (meter reading) services, Gas and electricity meter installation and other utility services to energy suppliers and direct with industrial & commercial organisations.

With a focus on quality, Lowri Beck are large enough to manage a wide range of activities but small enough to care. We pride ourselves on our lean and flexible organisation. We adapt to the needs of our customers and use our technology to support our operational flexibility.

With the needs of our customers in mind, everything we do with information about people, such as how we collect / receive it and who we share it with, has to comply with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into force in May 2018. A key part of this is being open about what personal information we hold about you, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it for, etc. You also need to know what rights you have in this respect.

What information do we hold on you as an energy user?

Most of the information we hold is as a result of your Energy supplier asking us to provide a service to you on their behalf, this relationship is governed by a contractual arrangement between them and ourselves. Services provided include:

Providing readings from electricity, gas or water meters;
Installing gas or electricity meters, either in new properties, or replacing existing meters; or
Processing of industry information

In all of the above cases, Lowri Beck are the data processor with your Energy supplier being the data controller.

Your Energy Supplier will have their own Privacy Notices that explain what information they collect and who they share it with.

Personal information that we hold within Lowri Beck can include:

For customers / end users: name, address, phone number, email address, etc. We also hold some sensitive personal data (referred to as Special Categories of data under GDPR) including disabilities or medical conditions etc.

We also collect Meter readings on our linked website www.myreading.net.

Meter readings on the www.myreading.net website is processed internally and then sent to your Energy supplier. We do not share this information with other outside parties other than mentioned above. Please note however we do not accept any liability for the information which we pass on to such suppliers on your behalf (whilst in their charge). It is your responsibility to ensure that meter reading information and data which you post on the relevant website is accurate, correct and not misleading in any respect.

Why do we have it and what do we use it for?

The personal data that we hold is held and used only as documented in a contractual requirement so that we can provide the above services. To deliver these we need to collect and use personal information of those using or affected by these services.

If we provide services to you on behalf of your energy provider then the requirement mentioned above will be our lawful basis for collecting and using your personal data, as we can’t provide the services without it.

Whenever we use information, we always limit this to only the details that are needed and we ensure that it is used safely and securely. We require anyone we share information with, or who uses it on our behalf, to do so too. All our staff receive training on data protection and information security.

All of the personal information we hold is kept securely within the EU. There is also no automatic decision-taking when your personal information is processed.

We do not sell or trade your Personal Information.

Who we share information with and why?

We share information with a range of different types of people and organisations depending on the service being provided or the statutory requirement that we have to comply with. In all cases, Lowri Beck gains written permission from your energy provider before engaging with 3rd parties to share information, except where this is a legal requirement. Examples of the types of 3rd parties we may share information with include:

Your energy supplier
Companies who provide quality checking services to ensure your safety.
Certifying bodies who ensure the quality of our services, e.g. EUSR, MOCOPA, Examining bodies
Legal and regulatory bodies, e.g. The Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy, The Information Commissioner’s Office, the Health and Safety Executive, or Gas Safe.
You, the energy user (and families) where relevant
Our contractors: organisations that we commission to provide goods and services (With the permission of Energy Suppliers)
Law enforcement agencies, such as Greater Manchester Police
Regulatory bodies, investigators and ombudsman (for example Ofsted, CQC, Local Government Ombudsman)
Courts and tribunals
Legal representatives
Fraud prevention agencies

Housing associations and landlordsUnless we have an obligation to share your data with other organisations not listed above, we will only share your personal information outside Lowri Beck with the permission of your energy Supplier. In such cases, you will be able to withdraw your consent via your energy Supplier (e.g. unsubscribe) at any time.

How long we keep hold of information for

We only keep information for as long as it is needed to fulfil a legitimate business purpose. This will differ according to what information we hold and its purpose. It will be based on either a legal requirement (where a law says we must keep information for a specific period of time), contractual arrangements with your Energy Supplier or accepted business practice.

If you would like further information on how long we keep hold of your data and why, then please contact our your Energy Supplier.

What rights you have

You have various rights around the personal information we hold about you. These include:

The right to be informed
The right of access
The right to rectification
The right to erasure
The right to restrict processing
The right to data portability
The right to object
Rights with respect to automated decision-making and profiling

If you wish to know more about any of these rights, then please see the Information Commissioner’s website at:

https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/

Data Protection Officer Contact Details

Email: data.protection@lowribeck.co.uk

Phone: 01942 771700

Post: Data Protection Officer, Lowri Beck Services, Swan House, Swan Meadow Road, Wigan, WN3 5BB

Terms and Conditions of Use of www.myreading.net

ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
- 1.1 Your access to and use of www.myreading.net ('the Website') and any Services referred to in Clause 2, is subject exclusively to these Terms and Conditions. You will not use the Website/Services for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms and Conditions. By using the Website/Services you are fully accepting the terms, conditions and disclaimers contained in this notice. If you do not accept these Terms and Conditions you must immediately stop using the Website/Services.
- 1.2 We reserve the right to update or amend these Terms and Conditions at any time and your continued use of the Website/Services following any changes shall be deemed to be your acceptance of such change. It is therefore your responsibility to check the Terms and Conditions regularly for any changes.
THE SERVICES
- The Website may provide certain services including but not limited to communication facilities, on-line recruitment services and meter reading facilities ('the Services') designed to enable you to communicate with us and with others. Unless stated otherwise the Services are for your personal and non-commercial use only.
CHILD SUPERVISION
- We are concerned about the safety and privacy of our users, particularly children. Parents who wish to allow their children access to and use of the Website/Services should supervise such access and use. By allowing your child access to the Services you are allowing your child access to all of the Services, including email, bulletin boards, chat areas, news groups, forums and/or other message or communication facilities. It is therefore your responsibility to determine which Services are appropriate for your child. Always use caution when revealing personally identifiable information about yourself or your children via any of the Services.
PRIVACY POLICY
- We are committed to responsible data management and subscribe to the principals of the data protection legislation in the United Kingdom. We are committed to maintaining the privacy of our users and maintaining the security of any personal information received from you. If you register for any of the Services you will be asked to provide basic personal information. The information provided by you is not available for sale or use by third parties. The information is used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
USER ACCOUNT, PASSWORD AND SECURITY
- If a particular Service requires you to open an account you will be required to complete the registration process by providing certain information and registering a username and password for use with that Service. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the username and password and also for all activities which take place under your account. You agree to immediately notify us of any unauthorised use of your password or account or any other breach of security. In no event will we be liable for any indirect or consequential loss or damage whatsoever resulting from the disclosure of your username and/or password. You may not use another person’s account at any time, without the express permission of the account holder.
ACCEPTABLE USE
- 6.1 You acknowledge that all information, text, graphics, logos, photographs, images, moving images, sound, illustrations and other materials ('the Content'), appearing on the Website belong to us absolutely.
- 6.2 In using the Website/Services you agree not to:
  - 6.2.1 use the Services to send junk email, spam, chain letters, pyramid schemes or any other unsolicited messages, commercial or otherwise;
  - 6.2.2 post, publish, distribute or disseminate material or information that is defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, threatening, abusive, harassing or unlawful;
  - 6.2.3 post, publish, distribute or disseminate material or information that incites discrimination, hate or violence towards any person or group on account of their race, religion, disability, nationality or otherwise;
  - 6.2.4 threaten, abuse, disrupt, stalk or otherwise violate the legal rights (including rights of privacy and publicity) of others;
  - 6.2.5 use any information or material in any manner that infringes any copyright, trademark, patent or other proprietary right of any party;
  - 6.2.6 make available or upload files that contain a virus, worm, trojan or corrupt data that may damage the operation of the computer or property of another;
  - 6.2.7 collect or store personal information about others, including email addresses;
  - 6.2.8 advertise or offer to buy or sell goods or services for any commercial purpose, unless such communication facility specifically allows such messages;
  - 6.2.9 impersonate any person or entity for the purpose of misleading others;
  - 6.2.10 violate any applicable laws or regulations;
  - 6.2.11 use the Website/Services in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden or impair the Website/Services or interfere with any other party’s use and enjoyment of the Website/Services;
  - 6.2.12 post, publish, distribute or disseminate material or information that you do not have a right to transmit under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships (such as inside information or confidential information disclosed in the course of employment or under a confidentiality agreement);
  - 6.2.13 attempt to gain unauthorised access to any of the Services, other accounts, computer systems or networks connected to the Website/Services through hacking, password mining or any other means.
- 6.3 We have no obligation to monitor the Services but shall be entitled to review materials posted to a communications facility and, at our sole discretion, to remove any material that breaches these Terms and Conditions or is otherwise objectionable.
TERMINATION
- We have the right to terminate your access to any or all of the Services at any time, without notice, for any reason, including without limitation, breach of these Terms and Conditions. We may also at any time, at our sole discretion, discontinue the Website/Services or any part thereof without prior notice and you agree that we shall not be liable to you or any third party for any termination of your access to the Website/Services.
LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES
- The Website/Services may include links to third party websites that are controlled and maintained by others. Any link to other websites is not an endorsement of such websites and you acknowledge and agree that we shall not be responsible for the content or availability of any such sites.
INTERNATIONAL USE
- You agree to comply with all applicable laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from the United Kingdom or the country in which you reside (if different) and with all local laws and rules regarding acceptable use of and conduct on the Internet.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
- 10.1 The Website and its content (including without limitation the Website design, text, graphics and all software and source codes connected with the Website and the Services) are protected by copyright, trade marks, patents and other intellectual property rights and laws. In accessing the Website you agree that you will access the contents solely for your personal, non-commercial use. None of the content may be downloaded, copied, reproduced, transmitted, stored, sold or distributed without the prior written consent of the copyright holder. This excludes the downloading, copying and/or printing of pages of the Website for personal, non-commercial home use only.
- 10.2 We do not claim ownership of any materials you post, upload or submit to any publicly accessible area of the Services. However, by doing so you are granting us a world-wide, royalty free, non-exclusive licence to copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, publicly display, edit, translate or publish such Content for as long as you elect to display such Content via the Services. The licence shall be terminated when such Content is deleted from the Services.
INDEMNITY
- You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from and against any breach by you of these Terms and Conditions and any claim or demand brought against us by any third party arising out of your use of the Services and/or any Content submitted, posted or transmitted through the Services, including without limitation, all claims, actions, proceedings, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, expenses (including reasonable legal costs and expenses) howsoever suffered or incurred by us in consequence of your breach of these Terms and Conditions.
DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
- 12.1 Use of the Website/Services is at your own risk. The Website/Services are provided on an 'AS IS' and 'AS AVAILABLE' basis without any representation or endorsement made and without warranty of any kind whether express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security and accuracy.
- 12.2 To the extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for any indirect or consequential loss or damage whatsoever (including without limitation loss of business, opportunity, data, profits) arising out of or in connection with the use of the Website/Services.
- 12.3 We make no warranty that the Website/Services will meet your requirements, that Content will be accurate or reliable, that the functionality of the Website/Services will be uninterrupted or error free, that defects will be corrected or that the Website/Services or the server that makes them available are free of viruses or anything else which may be harmful or destructive.
- 12.4 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall be construed so as to exclude or limit our liability for death or personal injury as a result of our negligence.
- 12.5 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall affect your statutory rights as a consumer.
SEVERANCE
- If any of these Terms and Conditions should be determined to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason by any court of competent jurisdiction then such Term or Condition shall be severed and the remaining Terms and Conditions shall survive and remain in full force and effect and continue to be binding and enforceable.
GOVERNING LAW
- These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and you hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.