Introduction
This policy explains how ATC Shipping Containers Ltd collects, uses, shares and protects personal data, and sets out your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It covers our website, enquiries and orders, and our dealings with suppliers and business contacts.
Data Controller
The controller is ATC Shipping Containers Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 15617678, registered office 124–128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX, England. For any data protection query, email sales@atc-shippingcontainers.com or call +44 20 7946 0000.
The Data We Collect
- Identity and contact data — name, company name, billing and delivery addresses, email address and telephone number.
- Order and transaction data — goods quoted, purchased or hired, container numbers, delivery dates and payment records.
- Payment data — we do not store full card details; payments are handled by our payment providers, who return only confirmation and reference data.
- Communications data — emails, contact form submissions, call notes and marketing preferences.
- Technical data — IP address, browser and device type, referring source and pages viewed.
We do not knowingly collect special category data or data relating to children. Where you give us a site contact’s details, you must be entitled to do so.
Lawful Bases for Processing
- Performance of a contract — quotations, order processing, delivery, hire, after-sales support and warranty claims.
- Legal obligation — accounting and tax records, HMRC and Companies House requirements and consumer law duties.
- Legitimate interests — running and securing our business, preventing fraud, analysing website use and marketing to business customers. You may object at any time.
- Consent — marketing emails to individual subscribers and non-essential cookies, withdrawable at any time.
Cookies
Strictly necessary cookies enable navigation, form submission and security, and are set without consent because the site cannot work without them. Analytics cookies show how the site is used, functional cookies remember preferences, and marketing cookies measure advertising effectiveness. Non-essential cookies are set only with the consent given through our cookie banner, which you may change or withdraw at any time. Cookie use is governed by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 alongside the UK GDPR.
Sharing Your Data
We share data only where necessary, and processors must handle it securely, on our instructions and under a written contract. Recipients include:
- Payment providers handling transactions and refunds.
- Delivery partners — hauliers, shipping lines, freight forwarders and customs agents, who receive addresses and access notes.
- Depots and fabricators preparing containers before delivery.
- IT and website providers — hosting, email, CRM and maintenance suppliers.
- Analytics providers, subject to your cookie preferences.
- Professional advisers and authorities, where required by law.
We do not sell your personal data.
International Transfers
Some IT, analytics and shipping suppliers may process data outside the United Kingdom. Where that happens we ensure an appropriate safeguard applies: a UK adequacy regulation, the International Data Transfer Agreement, or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses with the UK Addendum, with a transfer risk assessment where required.
Data Retention
Enquiries that do not lead to an order are held for up to 24 months; order, contract and hire records for six years after the relationship ends, reflecting the limitation period in England and Wales; accounting records for at least six years as HMRC requires; and marketing consents until withdrawn. Data no longer needed is securely deleted.
Data Security
We maintain appropriate technical and organisational measures against unauthorised access, loss and disclosure, including access controls, encryption in transit, staff confidentiality obligations and supplier due diligence. Where a breach is likely to risk your rights and freedoms we will report it to the ICO within 72 hours and, where the risk is high, notify you.
Your Rights Under UK GDPR
- The right to be informed about how your data is used.
- The right of access to a copy of the data we hold.
- The right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- The right to erasure, where no lawful reason to hold it remains.
- The right to restrict processing, for example while accuracy is verified.
- The right to data portability in a structured, machine-readable format.
- The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and absolutely to direct marketing.
- Rights on automated decision-making and profiling. We take no such decisions by automated means alone.
To exercise a right, email sales@atc-shippingcontainers.com or write to our registered office. We respond within one month, extendable by two months for complex requests, and may ask for proof of identity or charge a fee where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
Marketing
We send marketing only with your consent or, for business contacts, under legitimate interests. Every marketing email carries an unsubscribe link, and opting out does not stop service messages about an order.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please contact us first. You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, on 0303 123 1113 or via ico.org.uk.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices or the law. The current version is always published on our website.