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Westies

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 7 October 2026

This policy explains what personal information Westies collects, why, who it is shared with, how long it is kept, and your rights. If anything is unclear, email info@westies.app.

Who we are

Westies (westies.app) is a free directory of local businesses and services. It is run by Stephen Fegan, a sole trader trading as Westies, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and in Ireland, who is the data controller for the information described here. Contact: info@westies.app.

We follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, and, for people in Ireland and the European Union, the EU General Data Protection Regulation.

Listed businesses are independent. When you contact one, that business becomes responsible for the information you send them.

If you search

  • Postcode or town. To find businesses near you, our server looks up what you type: postcodes with postcodes.io (UK), and town names with OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Only the postcode or place name is sent, never your name or contact details. Look-ups are cached for up to 30 days. Legal basis: legitimate interests.
  • “Use my location”. If you choose this and agree to your browser’s prompt, your approximate coordinates are sent to our server for that one search. We don’t store them. Legal basis: consent.

If you send an enquiry

The enquiry form asks for your name, email, phone (optional), postcode (optional) and your message. We pass it to the business you chose, by email and in their Westies dashboard, so they can reply, and we send you a confirmation with a private link to the conversation. Replies from either side are kept with the conversation. Conversations are deleted automatically 12 months after the last message. Legal basis: consent (the tick box on the form) and steps taken at your request.

If you create an account

A customer account needs your name, email and a password (stored encrypted), and confirmation that you are 16 or over. We use them to run your account: your bookings, messages, saved businesses and reviews. You can change your details or delete your account at any time from Settings. Deleting it cancels your upcoming bookings (the businesses are told), and deletes your saved businesses and reviews. Businesses keep their copy of past messages and bookings with you, for their records, until those are deleted under the periods below. Legal basis: contract.

If you book

When you book or ask to book, we share your name, email, phone and any notes with that business so they can carry out the booking, and we email you both about it (confirmations, changes and cancellations). Bookings are deleted two years after the appointment. You pay the business directly; Westies does not take payments. Legal basis: contract (steps you ask us to take).

If you write a review

Reviews show your star rating, your words and your first name, and whether you booked through Westies. Every review is checked before it is published, and the business can reply publicly. You can edit or delete your review at any time. Legal basis: consent (when you submit it), and our legitimate interests in publishing honest reviews.

If you suggest a business

We store the business details you give us. Your own name and email are optional; if you give an email, we use it only to tell you when the business goes live. Legal basis: legitimate interests.

If you run a listed business

  • Listings from public data. Some listings start from public records: company names, numbers and registered addresses from Companies House, and business details from OpenStreetMap or the business’s own website and advertising. A listing shows business contact details only. Many businesses are sole traders, so these details can be personal data. Legal basis: legitimate interests (helping people find local services). You can claim your listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it at any time using the “Remove this listing” link on it; once removed, we make sure it isn’t added back automatically.
  • Accounts and claims. If you sign up or claim a listing, we collect your name, email, phone, business details and password (stored encrypted), and use them to verify you and run your listing. Legal basis: contract.
  • Listing statistics. Your dashboard shows daily totals, such as how many times your listing was viewed or your phone number was tapped. These are counts only: we don’t record who viewed a listing, and automated visits are not counted.

If you just browse

  • Server logs record basic technical details of each request (IP address, browser, page, time) for security; they are deleted automatically, normally within 14 days. Legal basis: legitimate interests.
  • Visitor statistics use Umami, which runs on our own server, uses no cookies, doesn’t store your IP address and can’t identify you. Legal basis: legitimate interests.

Cookies

Westies sets no advertising or tracking cookies. If you log in (as a customer or a business), WordPress sets cookies to keep you logged in; these are strictly necessary. Fonts and images are served from our own server.

Who we share information with

We never sell personal information. We share it only with: the business you contact or book (your enquiry, messages and booking details); IONOS (hosts our server); Lark (sends and receives our email); postcodes.io (postcodes only) and OpenStreetMap Nominatim (place names only). Where a provider is outside the UK or EEA, the transfer is protected by the safeguards the law requires, such as standard contractual clauses. We may also disclose information if the law requires it.

How long we keep information

  • Enquiries and messages: 12 months after the last message. Claim and removal requests: 12 months after they are decided.
  • Bookings: two years after the appointment. Reviews: until you delete them, or your account, or we take them down.
  • Customer accounts: until you delete them.
  • Listings and business accounts: while the listing is live, or until you ask us to remove it.
  • Server logs: normally no more than 14 days. Location: not kept.

Your rights

You can ask for a copy of your personal information, have it corrected or deleted, restrict or object to how we use it, receive it in a portable format, and withdraw consent at any time. Email info@westies.app. We will reply within one month, normally free of charge.

Complaints

Please contact us first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK (ico.org.uk, 0303 123 1113) or the Data Protection Commission in Ireland (dataprotection.ie).

Changes

If we change how we use personal information, we will update this page and the date at the top.