Legal

Privacy policy

How LM Bearings collects, uses and protects your personal information when you visit our website, buy from us or get in touch.

Last updated: 27 September 2026

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1.Who we are

LM Bearings is an online supplier of bearings, belts and power transmission parts, based in Scotland. LM Bearings is a trading name of [LEGAL NAME: the owners’ full names if a partnership or sole trader, or the company name and number if it’s a limited company].

We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. That means we decide how and why it is used, and we are responsible for looking after it under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Contact us about your data
LM Bearings, [ADDRESS TBC], Scotland
Email: [EMAIL]  |  Phone: [PHONE TBC]
ICO registration number: [ICO NUMBER]

2.What we collect

We only collect what we need to run the shop and help you. Depending on how you use the site, this can include:

Information When we collect it
Contact details: name, email address, phone number When you place an order, create an account, apply for a trade account or contact us
Addresses: billing and delivery address When you place an order or save them to your account
Order details: what you bought, prices paid, order history, delivery and tracking information When you place an order
Account details: login details (your password is stored encrypted and we can’t see it), saved wishlist items When you create and use an account
Trade account details: company name, type of business, estimated spend and any other answers on the application, your trade tier and our notes about the account When you apply for or hold a trade account
Messages and photos: what you tell us, part numbers or sizes, and any photo or file you attach When you use our contact form, email or phone us
Payment information: handled directly by our payment provider. We don’t see or store your full card details At checkout
Technical information: IP address, browser and device type, pages visited, and cookie information Automatically when you use the website (see Cookies)

We don’t knowingly collect information from children, and we don’t collect any special category data (such as health information).

3.How we use it, and our legal reasons

The law says we need a valid reason (a “lawful basis”) for each way we use your information:

What we do Lawful basis
Process and deliver your order, take payment, send order and delivery updates, handle returns and refunds Contract: we need it to fulfil your order
Run your customer account and, if you have one, your trade account (including applying your trade discount) Contract
Answer your questions and help you find the right part Legitimate interests: helping customers who contact us. Where it’s about an order, contract
Keep financial and tax records Legal obligation
Prevent fraud and spam, keep the website secure Legitimate interests
Understand how the website is used and improve it Consent, where cookies are involved (see Cookies)
Send you offers and news by email Consent, or for existing customers, similar products with an easy opt-out (see Marketing)

We don’t make decisions about you using fully automated processing that has a legal or similarly significant effect. Trade applications are reviewed by a person.

4.Who we share it with

We never sell your personal information. We only share it with trusted organisations that help us run the business, and only what they need:

  • Our warehouse and fulfilment partner, Thistle Bearings, which packs and dispatches orders: your name, delivery address, contact number and what you ordered.
  • Delivery companies, such as Royal Mail: your name, delivery address and, where needed for tracking updates, your email or phone number.
  • Payment providers, [e.g. Stripe and PayPal]: to take payment securely and prevent fraud. They act as independent controllers for some purposes and have their own privacy policies.
  • Website hosting and email, [HOSTING PROVIDER] and [EMAIL PROVIDER]: they store the website, its database and our emails on our behalf.
  • Spam protection, [Cloudflare Turnstile or Google reCAPTCHA]: checks that contact form submissions come from real people.
  • Analytics and advertising, [e.g. Google]: only if you accept those cookies (see Cookies).
  • Our accountant, HMRC and other authorities, where the law requires it, or to protect our rights or prevent fraud.

If the business is ever sold or restructured, customer information may be transferred to the new owner, who would have to use it in line with this policy.

5.Transfers outside the UK

Some of our service providers (for example payment, email or analytics providers) may process information outside the UK. When they do, we make sure it’s protected, for example by using countries the UK recognises as having adequate data protection, or approved contract terms such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum.

6.How long we keep it

Information How long
Orders, invoices and payment records 6 years after the end of the financial year they relate to, to meet tax and accounting rules
Customer and trade accounts Until you ask us to close your account, or after 3 years with no activity. Order records are then kept as above
Declined trade applications 12 months
Contact form messages and emails Up to 2 years, unless they relate to an order. Photos you upload are removed from the website once they’ve been emailed to us
Marketing preferences Until you unsubscribe. We keep a record that you opted out so we don’t contact you again

7.Cookies

Cookies are small files stored on your device. We use:

  • Essential cookies, which make the website work: your basket, checkout, signing in, security and remembering your cookie choice. These don’t need your consent.
  • Analytics and advertising cookies, which help us see how the site is used and measure our adverts. We only use these if you accept them, and you can change your choice at any time through the cookie settings link at the bottom of every page.

You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, but parts of the website such as the basket may stop working.

8.Marketing

We’ll only send you marketing emails if you’ve agreed to them, or if you’ve bought from us before and we’re telling you about similar products (you can opt out at any time). Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, or you can just email us. We never share your details with other companies for their own marketing.

Service emails, such as order confirmations, delivery updates and trade account notices, aren’t marketing, so you’ll still get these.

9.Keeping your information safe

The website uses an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, card payments are handled by our payment provider rather than stored by us, passwords are stored encrypted, and access to customer information is limited to the people who need it to serve you. If a data breach ever put your rights at risk, we would tell you and, where required, the Information Commissioner’s Office.

10.Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

  • AccessAsk for a copy of the information we hold about you.
  • CorrectionAsk us to fix anything that’s wrong or incomplete.
  • DeletionAsk us to delete your information, unless we have to keep it (for example tax records).
  • RestrictionAsk us to limit how we use it while a concern is looked at.
  • ObjectionObject to us using it for legitimate interests, and stop marketing at any time.
  • PortabilityAsk for information you gave us in a format you can move elsewhere.
  • Withdraw consentWhere we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
  • ComplainRaise a concern with us or the ICO (see below).

To use any of these rights, email [EMAIL]. There’s normally no charge, and we’ll reply within one month. We may need to confirm your identity first. You can update most account details yourself in My Account.

11.Complaints

If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your information, please tell us first at [EMAIL] and we’ll do our best to put it right.

You also have the right to complain to the UK’s data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which covers Scotland: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

12.Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example if we start using a new service. The date at the top shows when it was last changed. If we make a significant change, we’ll let account holders know by email.