Privacy Policy - The Mini Experience

1. Who we are

The Mini Experience is a driving school based in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. We provide driving tuition services including standard lessons, intensive courses, Pass Plus, and refresher lessons. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refers to The Mini Experience.

For any privacy-related queries, please contact us at: theminiexperience@gmail.com

2. What personal data we collect

When you use our website or contact us, we may collect the following personal data:

Contact details: your name, email address, and phone number
Lesson enquiry details: lesson type, preferred times, driving experience level, and any additional notes you provide
Communications: the content of messages you send us via our contact or booking forms

We do not collect payment card details directly — any payments are processed through secure third-party providers.

3. How we use your personal data

We use the personal data you provide for the following purposes:

To respond to your lesson booking enquiries and contact form submissions
To arrange and manage your driving lessons
To communicate with you about your lessons, scheduling, and any changes
To comply with our legal obligations

4. Legal basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

Contract: processing is necessary to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract for driving tuition
Legitimate interests: to respond to your enquiries and manage our business operations
Legal obligation: where we are required to process data to comply with applicable law

5. How long we keep your data

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. Enquiry and booking data is typically retained for up to 2 years after your last contact with us, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

6. Sharing your data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to third parties. We may share your data with trusted service providers who assist us in operating our website and communicating with you (for example, our website hosting provider). These providers are contractually obligated to keep your data secure and use it only for the purposes we specify.

We may also disclose your data where required by law or to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Mini Experience, our customers, or others.

7. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. A cookie consent banner is displayed on your first visit, allowing you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. Essential cookies required for the site to function are always active.

8. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances
Right to restrict processing: to request that we limit how we use your data
Right to object: to object to our processing of your data based on legitimate interests
Right to data portability: to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at theminiexperience@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.