Privacy notice

Who we are

Earwax Clinic Network is operated by The Hearing Lab Store Ltd ("we", "us"), a company registered in England and Wales. We are the data controller for personal data processed through this site.

If you have a question about how we handle your personal data, contact us at [email protected].

The short version

We don't track you. We don't run analytics. We don't sell or share your data. We don't have a contact form, an account system, or an email list on this site. We collect no information about you when you simply read our pages.

The only personal data we process is what happens when you call a clinic via a number shown on our directory. That data is described below.

What we do collect, and why

Call routing data

When you call a number shown on a clinic listing, the call is connected via a virtual number we have assigned to that clinic. Our call-routing provider records: your phone number (if it transmits caller ID), the time and date of the call, the duration, and which clinic the call was routed to.

We use this data only to confirm which calls originated through our directory, for the purpose of invoicing clinics. We do not use it to contact you, profile you, or share it with anyone other than our call provider and (in summary form) our accountant.

Legal basis: legitimate interests - we need to know which calls came through the directory to operate our business model.

Retention: call routing data is held by our call provider for 24 months and then deleted. We hold summary call counts (without your number) in our accounting records for the period required by UK tax law - currently six years.

Server logs

Our website is hosted by Jimdo. Like every web host, Jimdo maintains server logs that record IP addresses, timestamps, and pages visited. These logs are used for security and infrastructure purposes - identifying malicious traffic, debugging errors, and maintaining uptime. We do not access these logs ourselves.

Legal basis: legitimate interests - secure operation of the website.

Retention: set by Jimdo, typically 30-90 days. See Jimdo's own privacy notice for details.

What we don't collect

We want to be specific because the absence of data collection is unusual and worth stating clearly. On this site we do not:

• Run Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or any other analytics or advertising tracker
• Set cookies (other than any session cookies Jimdo itself requires for the site to function)
• Operate a contact form or any form that captures patient data
• Run an email list or newsletter from this site
• Sell, rent, or share any personal data with third parties for marketing
• Use heat-mapping, session recording, or behavioural analytics tools
• Embed third-party social media widgets that track you (the social icons in our footer are simple links)

The directory is designed to give you information and route you to a clinic. Nothing more.

Cookies and similar technologies

This site does not set any analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies. Jimdo, our host, may set a small number of strictly necessary functional cookies required for the site to load correctly (session identifiers, load balancing). These are exempt from consent under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.

You can verify this for yourself: open this site in your browser, press F12 to open developer tools, click Application, then Cookies. You will see at most one or two functional entries - and often none.

Practitioner data

If you are a practitioner registering your clinic, registration happens on a separate site (The Hearing Lab Store at thehearinglabstore.co.uk). The privacy notice on that site governs how your registration data is handled. This privacy notice applies only to the patient-facing earwaxclinic.co.uk site.

Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectify any inaccurate data
• Erase your data (subject to legal record-keeping obligations)
• Restrict processing in certain circumstances
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Portability - receive your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. We will respond within one month.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first at [email protected]. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days and aim to resolve it within 30 days.

If you remain unhappy with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection regulator:

• Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113
• Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Changes to this notice

We may update this notice if our data practices change. The current version always applies and is shown at the bottom of this page. Material changes will be flagged on the homepage for at least 14 days before taking effect.

Contact

The Hearing Lab Store Ltd
[email protected]

Registered office: 239 Ribbleton Lane, Preston, Lancashire PR1 5EA

Company number: 13464826