Your information, handled with care.

Switch Books (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a free service that matches business owners with local accounting firms. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you have under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018). We are the data controller responsible for your personal information.

Information we collect

Information you give us. When you contact us or complete our free business review, you may provide your first and last name, email address and phone number; the town and county you’re based in; your date of birth (optional); your business name and industry; details about your current accounting arrangements, what you’re looking for and your budget; and, if you are a director of one or more limited companies, each company’s name and registration number. You can also tell us anything else you like in a message.

Some of these details, such as your date of birth and company information, are collected to help the accounting firm we introduce you to complete their client onboarding and identity (anti-money-laundering) checks more quickly. Your date of birth is optional, and you can complete the review without it.

Information we collect automatically. When you visit the site we may collect limited technical information through cookies and similar technologies, such as your device type, browser, and how you use the site. See Cookies and analytics below.

How we use your information

We use your personal information to:

• Respond to your enquiries and messages
• Understand your needs so we can match you with a suitable local accounting firm
• Introduce you to one or more accounting firms and share your details with them so they can help you (see below)
• Help the firm we introduce you to complete their onboarding and identity (anti-money-laundering) checks
• Improve our website and understand how it is used
• Meet our legal and regulatory obligations

Our lawful bases for processing are: your consent (for example, optional analytics cookies, and introducing you to an accounting firm); our legitimate interests in running and improving this service and responding to your enquiry; and where necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

Sharing your details with accounting firms

Our service works by introducing you to a suitable local accounting firm. With your agreement, we share the relevant details from your review (such as your name, contact details, location, business and company information, date of birth where you have provided it, and what you need) with the firm or firms we introduce you to, so they can contact you and discuss helping your business. Once introduced, that firm becomes responsible for the information you share with them directly under their own privacy policy. If you would prefer us not to make an introduction, just let us know.

Cookies and analytics

We use a small number of essential cookies that are necessary to make the site work. With your consent, we also use analytics cookies to understand which parts of the site are useful so we can improve it. We will ask for your consent before any non-essential cookies are set, and you can change your mind at any time by clearing the cookies in your browser. For full details, see our Cookie Policy.

Who else we share it with

We do not sell your personal information. Aside from the accounting firms we introduce you to (above), we share it only with trusted service providers who help us run this website, and who are required to protect it and use it only on our instructions, for example our website and database hosting provider, our email delivery provider and, where you have consented, our analytics provider. We may also disclose information where required by law.

How long we keep it

We keep your personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this policy, or for as long as the law requires. Review and enquiry records are kept while we are in contact with you and for a reasonable period afterwards. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances
• Object to or restrict how we use your information
• Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent
• Ask for a copy of your information in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority, at ico.org.uk.

Keeping your information secure

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss or misuse. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and keep it safe.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised “last updated” date.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us at info@tryswitchbooks.co.uk.

Get in touch