Privacy Notice - Customer Enquiry Service
Published January 2021 – reviewed October 2024
We ask that you read this privacy notice carefully as it contains important information on who we are, the consumer enquiry service and your rights in relation to your personal information and how to contact your data controller or the supervisory authorities in the event you have a complaint.
Who are we?
Xoserve Limited ("Xoserve" or "we") operates the consumer enquiry service. We provide this service as a data processor on behalf of your gas supplier who, for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation, is the data controller of your personal information processed in the operation of the consumer enquiry service.
You can obtain the contact details of your gas supplier through their website. If you don’t know who your gas supplier is then use the consumer enquiry service to obtain their details and then visit their website. Details of the Data Protection Officers appointed by your gas supplier (if any) can also be found there.
We take the protection of your personal data very seriously in providing this service. This notice provides you with details of how we do so.
What personal information is used and how is it processed when you use the consumer enquiry service?
The consumer enquiry service is a telephone service, which provides access to information so you can identify who the gas supplier is for your postal address. This is a service that is required to be made available to the public through licence conditions imposed upon the gas transporters.
To use the consumer enquiry service you will be asked to provide your postcode, and your building name or number to a customer service advisor. The customer service advisor will search the database we hold and you will then be provided with your meter point reference number for your address, the name of the gas transporter and the name of the gas supply company for that meter point reference number.
The address information that you provide is required to provide the consumer enquiry service to you. If you are unable to provide this information then you will not be able to use the consumer enquiry service.
How is your personal information collected?
We collect some of your personal information as part of providing the consumer enquiry service the details are below:
- Directly from you,
- your post code, your house number or name
- information about the language you speak (potential special category personal data)
- information relating to a gas emergency that you report to us
- any other information that you voluntarily provide to us
- Directly from a third party who is obliged to provide that information to you (your meter point reference number)
- gas transporters
- gas shippers
- gas suppliers
Why and how do we use your personal data?
We use this personal information solely for the purpose of operating the consumer enquiry service. In using your personal information to operate the consumer enquiry service we do so because:
• it is necessary to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to provide the consumer enquiry service
• it is necessary to comply with legal obligations in connection with managing gas emergencies
• there is a legitimate interest in making this information available to appropriate individuals in order that they can access the details of who supplies gas to the relevant property
• in respect of information that is not requested but you provide anyway, or information about the language you speak, we do so because you have given your consent to us to do so when you give us that personal information.
The table below explains what we use (process) your personal information for and our reasons for doing so when you use the consumer enquiry service:
| What we use your personal information for | Our reasons |
|
To provide you with access to the consumer enquiry service to allow you to identify the supplier of gas to your property.
|
For our legitimate interests and those of gas transporters, gas shippers and gas suppliers in the public interest to support and facilitate access to details of gas suppliers by consumers. To comply with certain legal and regulatory obligations. |
|
To provide you with the services of an interpreter to enable you to use the consumer enquiry service effectively where English is not your first language. |
With your consent and where your language reveals personal data relating to your ethnicity your explicit consent for us to use that special category personal data solely for this purpose. |
|
To report information about a gas emergency to the gas emergency line. |
To comply with legal obligations to ensure that gas emergencies are properly reported. |
|
To monitor and detect abuse of the consumer enquiry service (your phone number). |
For our legitimate interests to detect whether the consumer enquiry service is being used appropriately. |
|
Personal information which you provide to us that has not been requested – to assist you in your enquiry. |
To assist you in your enquiry with your consent, which you are able to withdraw at any time. |
No automated decision-making is undertaken using your personal information in connection with the consumer enquiry service.
Who is your personal information shared with?
We will not share your personal information with any other party other than as required to provide this service, including providing you with access to an interpreter if this is required or to report a gas emergency. This means we may share it with third-parties we use to help deliver the consumer enquiry service. In particular, this includes suppliers of telephony services we use, and interpretation services we use to help you if English is not your first language.
If you report a gas emergency to one of our customer service advisors, they will take specific information from you about the gas emergency and are required to report this to the gas emergency line operated by Cadent Gas Limited. Cadent Gas Limited will then contact you directly. This information will not be used by us for any other purposes, and will be handled by Cadent Gas Limited in accordance with its privacy policy.
We only allow service providers to handle your personal information if we are satisfied they take appropriate measures to protect your personal information, we also impose contractual obligations on them to ensure they can only use your personal information to provide the services to us and you.
In addition, your meter point reference number and the name of the gas supply company for that meter point reference number will be provided to individuals where they provide the postal address of your property into the service. They are required to confirm that they have a legitimate purpose for accessing this information.
How long your personal information will be kept?
Xoserve will keep your personal information only for as long as it is necessary to enable us to provide the service, this means for as long as the meter point reference number exists. We will keep a recording of your call for three months from the date of the call.
We keep information about your phone number for no longer than is reasonably necessary or required by law. How long we keep it depends on certain factors including:
- the number of times you have accessed the service
- the most recent time you accessed the service
- whether there is any ongoing legal or regulatory action that relates to your access of the service
- whether you reported a gas emergency
What are my rights over my personal information?
In respect of your personal information used as part of the consumer enquiry service you have the rights set out in the table below which you can exercise free of charge.
|
Access |
The right to be provided with a copy of your personal information (the right of access). |
|
Rectification |
The right to require correction of any mistakes in your personal information. |
|
To be forgotten |
The right to require us to delete your personal information, in certain situations. |
|
Restriction of processing |
The right to require us to restrict processing of your personal information, in certain circumstances, eg if you contest the accuracy of the data. |
|
Data portability |
The right to receive the personal information you provided to us, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and/or transmit that data to a third party,in certain situations. |
|
To object |
The right to object: |
|
Not to be subject to automated individual decision-making |
The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing (including profiling) that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. |
If you would like to exercise any of those rights, please contact your gas supplier who is your data controller and will be able to assist you further. You can find their contact details on their website.
For further information on each of those rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, see the Guidance from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on individuals rights under the General Data Protection Regulation.
How do we keep your personal information secure?
We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent personal information from being accidentally lost, or used or accessed in an unauthorised way. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to know it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We also have procedures in place to deal with data security breaches.
How can you complain about the use of your personal information?
You must contact your gas supplier to resolve any query or concern you raise about our use of your information because they are the data controller.
The UK General Data Protection Regulation also gives you right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority, in the UK where any alleged infringement of data protection laws may have occurred. The supervisory authority in the UK is the Information Commissioner who may be contacted at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ or telephone: 0303 123 1113.
Changes to this privacy notice
This privacy notice was last updated on 22 January 2021.
We may change this privacy notice from time to time, so please check this page regularly.
Last reviewed 9 October 2024.