Privacy Policy
Last updated 19 October 2026
Short version. We collect only what we need to arrange an inspection, carry it out, deliver your report and run the business properly. We never sell your data. We never publish anything that identifies you or your vehicle without your consent. You can ask for a copy of your data, or ask us to delete it, at any time by emailing info@vamchecks.ie.
1. Who we are
V.A.M. Checks Limited, trading as VAM Checks, company number 794566, registered in Ireland, is the data controller for the personal data described here. For any privacy question or to exercise your rights, email info@vamchecks.ie or call +353 85 887 4159. We are not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer; privacy matters are handled by the company's director. We process personal data under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 ("GDPR"), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the ePrivacy Regulations 2011 (S.I. 336/2011).
2. The personal data we collect
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Identity | Your name and, for business bookings, company name and role. |
| Contact | Email, mobile and WhatsApp number, postal address where needed. |
| Booking | Inspection date, time and location, package, notes and requests. |
| Vehicle | Registration, VIN, make, model, year, mileage, fuel type, the advertisement and asking price. |
| Seller | Name, phone number and address of the seller or dealer, supplied by you to arrange access. |
| Inspection | Checklist results, diagnostic outputs, measurements, photos, videos, notes and the report. |
| Transaction | Amounts, dates, payment method and reference. We do not store card numbers. |
| Communications | Emails, WhatsApp messages, SMS, social media messages and notes of calls. |
| Declaration | Details you give in our client declaration form before an inspection, including how you heard about us. |
| Technical | IP address, browser, device, pages viewed and referring page. See Section 13. |
| Feedback | Reviews, ratings and survey answers you choose to give. |
We do not need special category data (such as health, ethnicity or religion). Please do not send it to us. If you volunteer it, for example to explain an access need, we use it only for that purpose and delete it when it is no longer needed. Without your name, contact details, vehicle details and the inspection location we cannot carry out an inspection; anything else, such as feedback, is optional.
3. How we collect your data
Directly from you when you message, call, email, book, complete our declaration form, pay or leave a review; automatically when you use our website (Section 13); from third parties such as vehicle history providers, our payment provider and analytics platforms; and from the seller and the vehicle itself during the inspection.
4. Why we use your data and our legal bases
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Answering enquiries and quoting | Steps at your request before a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)); legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Arranging and carrying out the inspection, producing and delivering the report | Performance of a contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Payments and invoices | Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)); legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) |
| Accounting and tax records | Legal obligation under the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 and the Companies Act 2014 (Art. 6(1)(c)) |
| Complaints, disputes and insurance matters | Legitimate interests in resolving and defending claims (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Quality assurance and improving our inspections, using anonymised data where possible | Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Anonymised case studies and educational content | Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)); consent where anyone or the vehicle could be identified (Art. 6(1)(a)) |
| Service messages about your booking | Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)) |
| Marketing messages | Consent, or legitimate interests for similar services to existing clients with an opt-out in every message |
| Website analytics | See Section 13 |
| Website security and fraud prevention | Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Publishing reviews and testimonials | Your review is public on Google; we quote it on our website as part of our legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) and remove it on request |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have weighed them against your rights, and you can object at any time. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
5. Vehicle data and history checks
Where you ask for a history check, we submit the registration or VIN to third-party providers and official registers, who act as independent controllers. We include the result in your report and keep it with your inspection record. We use registration data only to identify the vehicle and run the checks you asked for, never to contact registered keepers who are not our clients.
6. Photographs, video and social media content
We photograph and film vehicles during every inspection; these form part of your report and our record of the work. We also publish educational content and case studies on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and our website, drawn from real inspections. When we do, we remove or obscure registration plates, VINs and other vehicle identifiers; never publish your name, contact details, address or the seller's details; never publish the location, the advertisement or anything else that would identify a specific sale; never present a private seller or named dealer as the subject of an adverse finding; and generalise details where needed. Content that would still identify you, the vehicle or the seller is published only with consent. If you would prefer that nothing from your inspection is published, even anonymised, tell us and we will honour it at no cost. If you appear in a photo or video without having agreed, tell us and we will remove it.
7. WhatsApp
We use WhatsApp, operated by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, for enquiries, confirmations, reminders and report delivery. Message content is end-to-end encrypted, but Meta processes associated data under its own policy as an independent controller. We keep booking conversations as business records (Section 11). If you prefer email, tell us. Broadcast messages never show recipients each other's numbers and always include a way to opt out.
8. Marketing
We send marketing only with your consent or, for existing clients, about similar services, always with a free and simple opt-out (reply STOP or email us). Opting out does not stop service messages about a booking. We never sell, rent or trade your contact details.
9. Who we share your data with
| Recipient | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Website hosting (Netlify) and domain provider | Running vamchecks.ie |
| Email, document and workspace tools (including Google and Notion) | Correspondence, booking records and reports |
| Revolut Business | Taking deposits and payments |
| Form provider (Jotform) | Client declaration form |
| Accountant | Statutory accounts and tax returns |
| Vehicle history providers | History, finance and mileage checks |
| Meta (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook), TikTok, Google (YouTube) | Communications and published content |
| Google Analytics and Elfsight | Website measurement and the reviews and Instagram displays on our site |
| Insurers, solicitors and advisers | Claims, disputes and professional advice |
| An Garda Síochána, Revenue, courts and regulators | Where the law requires or permits |
We use providers whose terms include the data protection commitments the GDPR requires of processors. We never sell personal data. If the business is sold or reorganised, data may pass to the new owner, who must use it consistently with this policy.
10. International transfers
Some providers, mainly communications, analytics and social media platforms, transfer data outside the European Economic Area, including to the United States. Those transfers rely on the safeguards in Chapter V of the GDPR, such as the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the recipient is certified, or the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.
11. How long we keep your data
| Data | Period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiries that do not lead to a booking | 12 months | Follow-up questions |
| Reports, photos, videos and diagnostic data | 6 years from the inspection | The period in which a contract claim can be brought (Statute of Limitations Act 1957) |
| Booking and client records, including booking messages | 6 years | Contract, dispute and insurance purposes |
| Accounting and tax records | 6 years from the end of the tax year | Taxes Consolidation Act 1997; Companies Act 2014 |
| Marketing contacts | Until you opt out, and no more than 24 months after your last contact with us | Consent or legitimate interests |
| Website analytics | Up to 14 months | Google Analytics data retention setting |
Where a dispute or claim is ongoing or expected, we keep the relevant data until it is resolved.
12. Security
We use reputable providers with recognised security standards, password-protected accounts with access limited to those who need it, secure delivery of reports and regular backups of business records. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach is likely to put your rights at risk, we notify the Data Protection Commission within 72 hours where required and tell you without undue delay where the risk is high.
13. Cookies and website analytics
Our website uses Google Analytics 4 to count visits, see which pages are read and measure clicks on our WhatsApp buttons, so we can improve the site. It sets cookies such as _ga and _ga_* and uses pseudonymous identifiers; we do not use it to identify you or for advertising. Our reviews and Instagram displays are provided by Elfsight and load content from Google and Instagram. Fonts are loaded from Google Fonts.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and you can stop Google Analytics from using your data with Google's opt-out browser add-on. Blocking cookies does not stop you from using any part of the website.
14. Your rights
You have the right to access your data; to have it corrected; to have it erased where we no longer have a lawful reason to keep it (this does not override records we must keep by law); to restrict its use in certain cases; to data portability; to object to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing at any time; and to withdraw consent. Email info@vamchecks.ie saying which right you want to use. We may ask for proof of identity. We reply within one month, or tell you within that month if a complex request needs up to two more. Requests are free unless manifestly unfounded or excessive.
15. Sellers and other third parties
To arrange an inspection we usually need the seller's name, phone number and address, which our clients give us. We use seller data only to arrange access, carry out the inspection and keep a record of the work, and never add sellers to marketing lists. If you are a seller and want to know what we hold about you, or want it deleted, email us.
16. Complaints to the Data Protection Commission
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please tell us first so we can put it right. You can also complain at any time to the Data Protection Commission, 6 Pembroke Row, Dublin 2, D02 X963, through dataprotection.ie. Complaints to the DPC are made in writing. If you live elsewhere in the EU, you can also complain to the authority in your country. Our services are for adults and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.
17. Changes to this policy
We update this policy when our processing, providers or the law change. The current version date is at the top of this page, and we will tell you directly about significant changes.