Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Starpath Parcel Service ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you use our courier services, website, or otherwise interact with us. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and handling your data in a transparent and lawful manner in accordance with applicable data protection laws in England, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are Starpath Parcel Service is a courier service operating in England. We provide parcel collection, transportation, and delivery services to individuals and businesses.

2. Personal Data We Collect We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

   • Identification and contact details: name, address, email address, telephone number.
   • Delivery details: sender and recipient names, delivery and collection addresses, contact numbers, instructions related to delivery.
   • Account information: username, password, order history, preferences if you create an online account.
   • Payment details: limited billing information (such as partial card details, transaction identifiers); full payment details are usually processed by secure third‑party payment processors.
   • Communication data: records of your communications with us by email, phone, web forms, social media, or post.
   • Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, device identifiers, operating system, and information about how you use our website (through cookies and similar technologies).
   • Security and verification data: CCTV images at our facilities (where applicable), delivery photos or signatures to confirm delivery, and fraud‑prevention information.

We generally obtain this information directly from you, from the party that books a delivery on your behalf, or from our business partners and service providers involved in handling your parcel.

3. Legal Bases for Processing We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under UK GDPR, which may include:

   • Contract: to enter into and perform a contract with you, such as when you book a shipment or create an account.
   • Legal obligation: to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting, and law‑enforcement requests.
   • Legitimate interests: to operate and improve our courier services, prevent fraud and misuse, secure our systems and premises, and maintain business records, where such interests are not overridden by your rights.
   • Consent: where required (for example, for certain marketing activities or optional cookies), and where you have freely given and can withdraw your consent at any time.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data We use your personal data for the following purposes:

   • To provide and manage courier services, including booking, routing, tracking, and delivering parcels.
   • To communicate with you regarding your shipments, queries, complaints, and customer support.
   • To manage your online account and preferences.
   • To process payments, issue invoices, and handle refunds or claims.
   • To monitor and improve our services, website, and customer experience.
   • To ensure security and prevent fraud, including verifying identity where necessary.
   • To comply with legal obligations and respond to requests from public authorities.
   • To send you service‑related notices and, where permitted, marketing communications about our services.

5. Marketing Communications We may use your contact details to send you information about our services and special offers where we are permitted to do so by law or where you have given consent. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by following the unsubscribe link in our emails or contacting us using the details provided in this Policy. We will still send you essential service and transactional messages related to deliveries and your account.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

   • Enable core site functionality such as logging in and tracking shipments.
   • Analyse site traffic and usage to improve performance and user experience.
   • Remember your preferences.

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent to non‑essential cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings or any cookie banner we provide. Disabling certain cookies may limit website functionality.

7. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Data We may share your personal data with:
   • Delivery partners, drivers, and subcontractors who assist in collecting, transporting, and delivering parcels.
   • IT and cloud service providers who host our systems, provide communication tools, or support our website.
   • Payment processors and banks to process payments and prevent fraud.
   • Professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants, and insurers, where necessary for business operations and legal compliance.
   • Government authorities, law enforcement, courts, or regulators where required by law or to protect our legal rights.
   • Prospective buyers, investors, or merger partners, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards, in connection with a business transaction.

We do not sell your personal data.

8. International Transfers Where we transfer your personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area (EEA), we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection laws, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. You may contact us for further information about such safeguards.

9. Data Retention We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and our legal obligations, but typically include:

   • Shipment and billing records: kept for a period necessary for tax, accounting, and contractual claims.
   • Account data: kept for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period afterwards, unless you request deletion and we are not legally required to retain it.
   • Marketing data: kept until you withdraw consent or object to marketing, subject to reasonable administrative processing time.

When data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived.

10. Security of Your Personal Data We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures may include access controls, encryption, secure storage, staff training, and regular security reviews.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Your Data Protection Rights Under UK data protection law, you have certain rights in relation to your personal data, which may include:
    • Right of access: to obtain confirmation whether we process your data and, if so, to request a copy.
    • Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
    • Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
    • Right to restriction: to request we limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
    • Right to data portability: to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine‑readable format and to transmit it to another controller where technically feasible and legally required.
    • Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
    • Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the contact details in this Policy. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within the timeframes set by law.

12. Complaints If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/ Telephone: +44 (0)303 123 1113

13. Third‑Party Websites and Services Our website or communication may contain links to third‑party websites or services that are not operated by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of such third parties. We recommend you review the privacy policies of any third‑party sites or services you visit.

14. Children’s Privacy Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13 years of age. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so that we can take appropriate steps to delete it.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. The updated Policy will be posted on our website with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.

16. Contact Us If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, or if you wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at:

Starpath Parcel Service (England) Email: [insert contact email] Postal address: [insert postal address]

Last updated: [insert date]