Privacy Policy - Halo Hive

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy applies to Halo Hive, operated by HALO HIVE LTD ("Halo Hive", "we", "us", or "our"). It covers your use of our website, customer and provider accounts, booking tools, payment flow, messaging, support channels, and related services.

Halo Hive is a marketplace that helps customers find and book independent local service providers. To run that marketplace, we need to process personal information about customers, providers, and people who contact us.

2. Information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you use Halo Hive and whether you use the platform as a customer, provider, visitor, or support contact.

Account details such as name, email address, phone number, password, profile photo, role, and login information.
Customer booking details such as service selections, addresses, postcode, access instructions, notes, preferred dates and times, order history, reviews, and support messages.
Provider details such as business name, profile description, address, service areas, qualifications, insurance or verification details, availability, service listings, bank or payout details, and tax information where needed.
Payment and transaction details such as order totals, payment status, refunds, wallet activity, commissions, withdrawal requests, and gateway transaction references.
Communications such as messages between customers and providers, contact form submissions, support requests, reports, and feedback.
Technical information such as IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, app or web version, language, time zone, log data, diagnostics, and cookie information.

3. How we use your information

We use personal information to provide, secure, improve, and administer Halo Hive.

Create and manage customer and provider accounts.
Show relevant services, providers, prices, availability, and booking options.
Process bookings, payments, refunds, wallet balances, commissions, and provider payouts.
Enable communication between customers, providers, and Halo Hive support.
Verify provider information and help maintain trust, safety, fraud prevention, and platform quality.
Send service messages such as booking confirmations, updates, security alerts, payment notices, and support replies.
Send marketing or promotional messages where permitted, with the ability to opt out where required.
Analyse usage, fix errors, improve performance, and develop new platform features.
Comply with legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, and dispute-resolution requirements.

4. Lawful bases for processing

Where UK data protection law applies, we rely on different lawful bases depending on the purpose of processing.

Contract: to create accounts, process bookings, manage payments, and provide platform features you request.
Legitimate interests: to keep the platform secure, prevent fraud, improve our services, handle disputes, support users, and operate our marketplace.
Legal obligation: to meet tax, accounting, law enforcement, regulatory, and compliance duties.
Consent: where we ask for permission, such as optional marketing choices, certain device permissions, or non-essential cookies.

5. When we share information

We share personal information only where needed to run Halo Hive, complete a booking, comply with the law, or protect users and the platform.

Customers and providers receive the information reasonably needed to arrange and complete a booking, such as names, service details, messages, contact details, address information, timing, and job notes.
Payment processors, identity or verification providers, hosting providers, analytics providers, email or messaging tools, and technical service providers may process information for us.
Professional advisers, insurers, regulators, courts, law enforcement, or public authorities may receive information where legally required or reasonably necessary.
If our business is reorganised, sold, merged, or transferred, information may be shared with the relevant parties as part of that process.

We do not sell your personal information.

6. Cookies and similar technologies

Halo Hive may use cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working, remember preferences, improve performance, understand usage, and support security. Some cookies are necessary for core site functions, while others may depend on your choices.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. If you block some cookies, parts of the site may not work as intended.

7. Payments

Payments are processed using trusted payment providers. We may receive payment status, transaction references, billing details, refund information, and limited card or wallet details such as the card brand and last four digits. We do not store full card numbers or full payment credentials on our servers.

8. How long we keep information

We keep personal information for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, including providing the platform, maintaining records, resolving disputes, preventing fraud, and meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.

When information is no longer needed, we delete it, anonymise it, or restrict access to it where appropriate.

9. Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, and disclosure. No online service can be guaranteed to be completely secure, so you should keep your account details private and tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access.

10. Your rights

Depending on your location and the circumstances, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or receive a copy of your personal information. You may also be able to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

To make a request, contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before responding. Some information may need to be retained where required for legal, fraud prevention, accounting, safety, or dispute reasons.

11. Children

Halo Hive is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us so we can review and remove it where appropriate.

12. Changes and contact

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be posted on this page with an updated date. If a material change affects how we use your information, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to your attention.