Privacy Policy

Introduction

ComparePetPrices is committed to being transparent about how we handle your data. The short version is: we collect almost nothing. This site exists to help you compare pet product prices across UK retailers, and we have intentionally kept data collection to an absolute minimum.

This Privacy Policy explains what data we do and do not collect when you visit comparepetprices.co.uk (the “Site”). We believe in honesty, so this policy describes only what actually happens — not what might happen or what we plan to do in future.

1. Data Controller

The data controller for any personal data processed through this website is:

As a sole trader processing minimal personal data, we are not currently required to register with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Should our data processing activities change in future (for example, if we introduce analytics or marketing), we will register with the ICO if required.

2. What We Collect (and What We Don't)

2.1 What We Do NOT Collect

To be clear, the following are things we do not do:

• We do not run any analytics tracking (no Google Analytics, no Plausible, no PostHog, nothing)
• We do not set any third-party cookies
• We do not set any first-party tracking cookies
• We do not use affiliate tracking cookies (our /go/ redirect pages link to retailers but do not set cookies on our site)
• We do not track your browsing behaviour across sessions
• We do not collect your IP address for our own purposes
• We do not run any advertising or retargeting scripts
• We do not have user accounts, logins, or registration
• We do not send marketing emails or newsletters

2.2 What We Do Collect

We collect the bare minimum needed to operate the site:

• Cookie consent preference:When you interact with our cookie consent banner, your preference is stored in your browser's localStorage. This is not technically a cookie — it is data stored locally on your device that is never sent to our servers.
• Email correspondence: If you choose to contact us at hello@comparepetprices.co.uk, we will receive and store your email address, name (if provided), and the contents of your message. We use this solely to respond to your enquiry.

2.3 Server Logs (Hosting Provider)

Our site is hosted on Vercel. Like all web hosts, Vercel automatically processes standard server log data when you visit any page. This may include your IP address, browser type, referring page, and the pages you visit. This processing is carried out by Vercel as a data processor and is necessary for the delivery of the website. We do not access, analyse, or store this log data ourselves. For details on how Vercel handles this data, please see Vercel's Privacy Policy.

3. Cookies and Local Storage

We do not set any cookies. Zero. None.

The only client-side data storage we use is browser localStorage to remember whether you have dismissed the cookie consent banner. localStorage data stays on your device, is never transmitted to our servers, and you can clear it at any time through your browser settings.

When you click an outbound link to a retailer via our /go/ redirect pages, the retailer's own website may set cookies subject to their own privacy policy. We have no control over cookies set by third-party retailer websites once you leave comparepetprices.co.uk.

For more details, see our Cookie Policy.

4. Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR)

Given that we collect almost no personal data, our lawful bases for the limited processing we do carry out are:

• Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)): Vercel processes standard server log data as necessary to deliver the website to your browser. Our legitimate interest is in operating and serving the website.
• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): If you voluntarily email us, you are choosing to provide your personal data. You may withdraw consent or request deletion of your correspondence at any time.

We do not process personal data on any other legal basis. We do not rely on contractual necessity, vital interests, public task, or legal obligation as grounds for processing, because we do not collect data that would require those bases.

5. How We Use Your Information

The limited personal data we may hold is used solely for:

• Responding to enquiries: If you email us, we use your email address and message content to reply to you
• Website delivery: Vercel uses server log data to serve web pages to your browser

That is the complete list. We do not use personal data for marketing, profiling, analytics, advertising, or any other purpose.

6. Third-Party Services

We use a minimal number of third-party services:

• Vercel: Hosts the website. Vercel processes server log data as described above. Vercel is a US-based company and processes data under their Data Processing Addendum, which includes Standard Contractual Clauses for international transfers. See Vercel's Privacy Policy.

We do not currently use any analytics providers, advertising networks, affiliate tracking scripts, email marketing platforms, or social media tracking pixels on this site. No third-party JavaScript is loaded by our pages.

7. International Data Transfers

Our hosting provider, Vercel, is based in the United States. When you visit this website, standard server request data may be processed in the US or other countries where Vercel operates infrastructure. Vercel maintains appropriate safeguards for international transfers, including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the UK government.

If you email us, your email may be processed by our email provider's servers, which may be located outside the UK. We use reputable email providers that maintain appropriate data protection safeguards.

8. Data Retention

Given our minimal data collection:

• Cookie consent preference (localStorage): Stored on your device indefinitely until you clear your browser data. We never see or store this.
• Email correspondence: We retain emails for up to 2 years from the date of last correspondence, after which they are deleted. You may request earlier deletion at any time.
• Server logs (Vercel): Managed and retained by Vercel in accordance with their own data retention policies.

9. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation, you have the following rights. In practice, because we hold almost no personal data, most of these will be straightforward to fulfil:

9.1 Right of Access (Article 15)

You may ask us to confirm what personal data we hold about you and request a copy. In most cases, the answer will be: none, unless you have emailed us.

9.2 Right to Rectification (Article 16)

You may ask us to correct any inaccurate personal data we hold about you.

9.3 Right to Erasure (Article 17)

You may ask us to delete any personal data we hold about you. If you have emailed us, we will delete your correspondence upon request.

9.4 Right to Restrict Processing (Article 18)

You may ask us to restrict how we process your personal data in certain circumstances, such as if you contest its accuracy.

9.5 Right to Data Portability (Article 20)

You may request your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. If you have emailed us, we can provide copies of your correspondence.

9.6 Right to Object (Article 21)

You may object to processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis. Since we process minimal data, this right is unlikely to be relevant, but we will honour any such request.

9.7 Rights Related to Automated Decision-Making (Article 22)

We do not carry out any automated decision-making or profiling.

10. How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of the rights above, please email us:

Please include your name, email address, and a description of what you are requesting. We will respond within 30 days. Given how little data we hold, most requests can be dealt with very quickly.

11. Complaints to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data or a data subject request, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent supervisory authority for data protection.

We would appreciate the chance to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us first at hello@comparepetprices.co.uk.

12. Children's Privacy

ComparePetPrices is a pet product price comparison site and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect any personal data from children under the age of 13. Since we do not collect personal data from any visitors (beyond voluntary email contact), this is not a practical concern for our site.

13. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect any personal data we hold:

• The site is served over HTTPS (SSL/TLS encryption) for all connections
• We do not store personal data in databases — the only personal data we may hold is email correspondence
• Our email accounts are protected with strong passwords and two-factor authentication
• Our hosting provider (Vercel) maintains enterprise-grade infrastructure security

The best security is not collecting data in the first place, which is our approach.

14. Future Changes

We are a new and growing website. In future, we may introduce:

• Privacy-friendly analytics: We may add a service such as Plausible Analytics to understand how visitors use the site. If we do, we will choose a provider that does not use cookies or track individuals.
• Affiliate tracking: We may join affiliate networks (such as Awin, CJ Affiliate, or Amazon Associates) that use cookies to track referrals. If we do, these cookies will be clearly disclosed in our Cookie Policy and will require your consent.
• Email newsletters: We may offer an opt-in newsletter in future. If we do, we will obtain your explicit consent before sending any marketing communications.

If and when any of the above are implemented, this Privacy Policy and our Cookie Policy will be updated before those changes go live. We will not introduce new data collection without updating our policies first. If we begin processing personal data in ways that require ICO registration, we will register accordingly.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when the policy was most recently revised.

We encourage you to review this page periodically. For any material changes to how we process personal data, we will update this policy before those changes take effect.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal data, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 30 days.