Privacy, GDPR & Complaints Policy
Privacy Policy for FundingLinks Limited - Commercial Finance Brokerage
Last Updated: 3rd November 2023
This Privacy Policy describes how FundingLinks Limited ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares personal information from clients ("you") in the course of providing commercial finance brokerage services. By engaging with our services, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under registration reference ZB613470 and comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal information from you:
1. Client Information: We may collect information you provide to us, such as your name, contact information, business details, and any other information necessary to assess your financing needs.
2. Identification and Financial Documents: To facilitate loan applications and assessments, we may collect documents such as government-issued identification, financial statements, business plans, and other relevant financial documents.
3. Lender Information: In order to connect you with potential lenders, we may collect information and documents related to lenders in the market, which may include their lending criteria, rates, and contact information.
How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
- To assess your financing needs and provide relevant advice and services.
- To match your financing requirements with potential lenders and initiate the loan application process.
- To facilitate communication between clients and potential lenders.
- To comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal information under the lawful bases as outlined in the GDPR, including the necessity of processing for the performance of a contract, compliance with a legal obligation, and our legitimate interests.
Sharing Your Information
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your information with the following parties:
- Potential Lenders: We may share your information and relevant documents with potential lenders to facilitate the loan application process.
- Service Providers: We may engage third-party service providers to assist in the processing and assessment of your loan application.
- Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information when required by law or to protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property.
Data Subject Rights
You have the right to access, rectify, erase, or restrict the processing of your personal information. You can also request data portability and object to processing under certain circumstances. To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information below.
Security
We take reasonable steps to protect your information from unauthorised access, use, or disclosure. However, please be aware that no data transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of the information you transmit to us.
Retention
We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or as required by applicable laws and regulations.
Updates to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
Complaints Policy
1. Introduction
How to make your complaint:
FundingLinks Limited are committed to providing our services to the highest standard. If for any reason, you are not completely satisfied with any aspect of our service, please contact our complaints team at info@fundinglinks.co.uk. Our Complaints team will ensure your complaint is investigated impartially.
Firstly, let us know what has happened. You can call, email, or write to us. Our contact information is detailed at the bottom of this document.
- Your Company name, contact name, and address.
- Your agreement number, loan reference number, or facility details as appropriate.
- Details of how we can contact you.
- A clear description of your complaint and whether any 3rd party is involved.
- Details of what you would like us to do to resolve your complaint.
- If appropriate, copies of any relevant supporting documentation.
2. What happens next?
2.1 We will contact you within 3 working days to let you know we are considering your complaint and clarify any points where necessary. If we can resolve your complaint within 3 working days, we will send you a Summary Resolution Communication. This is a written confirmation, which confirms that you made a complaint and that we now consider the matter resolved.
2.2 If you subsequently decide that you are dissatisfied with the resolution of the complaint, you may be able to refer the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman or the ICO, dependent upon the circumstances surrounding the case.
2.3 We will indicate within the communication whether we consent to waive the relevant time limits as set out in the FCA handbook (Dispute Resolution) if this is applicable.
2.4 We will keep you regularly updated about what’s happening and discuss our findings. We will consider all the available evidence, the circumstances, relevant laws or regulation, as well as guidance from the Financial Ombudsman Service where applicable. When we have investigated your complaint, we will write to you to let you know our final response. This detailed letter will tell you what we have found, what we plan to do and how we came to our decision. If it is going to take us more than eight weeks to resolve your complaint, from when you first contacted us, we will update you on our progress and explain why it is still ongoing.
Contact Details:
Address: FundingLinks Limited, 5 Crescent East, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, United Kingdom, FY5 3LJ
Email: info@fundinglinks.co.uk
If you are not satisfied with how we dealt with your complaint or you are not happy with our decision and wish to take it further, you may be able to contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) regarding your complaint provided that the complaint concerns a regulated activity and you fall within the classification of an “eligible complainant”. FOS contact details are:
Address: Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) Exchange Tower London E14 9SR
Consumer helpline: Switchboard: 0800 023 4567 or 0300 123 9123
Fax: 0207 964 1000
Email: complaint.info@financial-ombudsman.org.uk
2.6 Please be aware of the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution platform (ODR) which allows you to make a complaint about online purchases through the platform. This platform may be used to facilitate the resolution of disputes and sits alongside our existing complaints procedure. For more information click here.
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