Privacy Policy
Welcome to Quays Pet Insurance ("Quays," "we," "our," "us"). Your privacy is important to us, and we are committed to protecting the personal data you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website and use our services.
Information we collect
From the moment you interact with Quays, whether as a customer, business partner, or website visitor, we collect certain data. In some cases, this data is anonymized, meaning we cannot identify you directly. For instance, when you visit our website, we use cookies to track how you navigate our pages. This helps us improve our website and enhance your experience, but we do not link this activity to your personal record. You have the option to allow or block cookies through our website settings. For more details, please refer to our [Cookie Policy].
Additionally, we collect data from external sources to verify or enhance our records, ensure compliance, and provide you with pet insurance products and services. These sources may include:
- Public records (e.g., electoral roll, census data)
- Our service providers and commercial partners (e.g., insurers, reinsurers, and co-insurers)
- Fraud prevention and crime agencies (including national law enforcement bodies and other insurance providers)
- Publicly available information (e.g., social media and third-party websites)
- Databases and other publicly shared data
Types of Data We Collect
- Contact Details – Your name, address, telephone number, and email address.
- Third-Party Contacts – Contact details of individuals authorized to act on your behalf and named on your policy (please ensure you have their consent).
- Identity Details – Your postcode, date of birth, and other verification details.
- Financial Information – Your bank account number, sort code, and payment details.
- Technical Data – IP address, login credentials, browser type and version, time zone, device information, and geolocation data.
- Policy & Purchase Information – Details of any insurance policies you hold with us, including claims history.
- Call Recordings – Recorded calls for quality assurance and compliance purposes (stored for a limited period).
- Live Chat & Chatbot Transcripts – Transcriptions are stored only when you request a callback from an agent.
- Website & Mobile App Usage Data – Information on how you interact with our platforms, including pages visited, response times, and browsing behavior.
- Marketing Interaction Data – Insights into how you engage with our emails, including open rates and click-throughs.
Sensitive Data Collection
In specific situations and with your explicit consent, we may collect:
- Health Data – Required to process claims or make necessary adjustments to your policy.
We do not collect or process data related to racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, or sexual orientation unless legally required to do so.
Children’s Data
Quays’ insurance policies and pet-related services are only available to individuals over the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under this age. If an insurance product requires information about a minor (e.g., in the case of a claim), we will only process such data with the consent of a parent or guardian.
How we use the information we collect
At Quays, we are committed to handling your personal information responsibly and transparently. Data protection laws require us to process your data only for specific purposes and where we have a legal basis to do so. Below, we outline how and why we use your data and the legal bases that support our processing activities.
Legal Basis: Contract
We process your data when it is necessary to fulfill a contract with you or take steps before entering into a contract. This includes:
- Providing quotes: When you request a quote via our website, a distribution partner, or our customer service center, we collect relevant information to generate an accurate quote.
- Managing your policy: Once you purchase a policy, we process your payment details and maintain your policy records.
- Administering your policy: We handle administrative tasks such as customer support, processing payments, updating policy details, and managing claims.
- Providing support services: If your policy includes additional services, such as veterinary consultations or other support, we use your data to facilitate access to these benefits.
- Processing claims: When you submit a claim, we collect details about the condition of your pet and the treatment received. This may include consulting veterinary records and contacting your vet to verify information.
Legal Basis: Legitimate Interests
We process your data when it is necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of a third party, provided that your rights and interests do not override these purposes. This includes:
- Customer service and communication: Managing inquiries, complaints, and interactions via phone, email, or chat, and notifying you about updates to our services.
- Business operations and product improvement: Using data to improve our insurance products, refine pricing models, and enhance our risk management strategies.
- Marketing and profiling: Engaging in targeted advertising to find new customers similar to you and tailoring our marketing strategies. You can opt out of this at any time by adjusting your privacy settings or contacting us.
- Fraud prevention and security: Monitoring transactions for unusual patterns, conducting fraud prevention checks, and sharing necessary data with law enforcement or fraud prevention agencies.
- Surveys and customer feedback: Gathering feedback through surveys, reviews, and competitions to enhance our services.
- Call recordings: Recording customer service and sales calls for training, auditing, and quality assurance purposes.
- Anonymization and data retention: Anonymizing personal data when it is no longer needed and securely deleting it at the end of the retention period.
Legal Basis: Consent
Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. This applies to:
- Marketing communications: Sending promotional emails and text messages about new products and services. You can opt out via the ‘Unsubscribe’ link in our emails or by contacting us.
- Live chat interactions: If you engage with our chatbot or live chat service and provide contact details, we will process your data accordingly. You may stop this processing by ending the interaction at any time.
Legal Basis: Legal Obligation
We process your data when required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations. This includes:
- Compliance with financial regulations: Screening customers against sanctions lists to prevent financial crimes.
- Data subject rights management: Processing requests to access, correct, or delete your personal data in accordance with data protection laws.
- Legal claims and dispute resolution: Using relevant customer data to defend or pursue legal claims, including responding to regulatory inquiries.
- Information security: Ensuring data security by monitoring our systems and protecting against unauthorized access.
- Complaints handling: Retaining complaint records to comply with regulatory requirements and improve our services.
Special Category Data
If we process health data or other sensitive personal information related to your pet’s condition, we do so with your explicit consent or where necessary to provide insurance services that protect against financial harm. We may also process special category data in legal claims or dispute resolution.
We are dedicated to protecting your data and using it responsibly to enhance our services while ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. If you have any questions about how we use your information, please contact us at [Quays Contact Information].
How we ensure your data is secured
We are committed to taking the necessary organisational and technical measures to protect your personal data when we process it and when we share it with third parties. We undertake that:
- All our employees are subject to confidentiality obligations to ensure the adequate protection of your personal data.
- We use appropriate security measures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of your data, as well as certifying systems and services which are resilient and can restore data in the event of a data loss.
- Where possible, we aim to secure your personal data by lessening or removing personally identifying elements.
- We regularly evaluate the effectiveness of our technical and organisational measures to ensure continuous improvement in the security of processing personal data.
How long do we have your data for?
We will process your data for as long as is required to provide and administer your insurance quote, policy and any related claims or complaints, as well as complying with legal financial reporting requirements. This will typically mean that data is retained for a minimum of six years.
We hold anonymised data, where we have removed any of your identifying details, for a longer period so that we can look at trends across pet insurance, veterinary claims and the services and products we have provided over an extensive time. As this data is anonymised, it is no longer ‘personal’ data and not subject to this commitment.
Who do we share your data with?
We may share personal information with:
- Within the Quays company
- credit reference, fraud prevention and other agencies like verterinanry providers, price comparison website, review platforms and marketing agencies if agreed
- our approved suppliers to help deal with claims or manage our benefit services, for example, veterinary advisors, legal advisors and loss adjusters
- other partners, local authorities and councils, including the RSPCA, if we suspect or conclude, following investigation, poor breeding practices and animal cruelty
- other insurers, third-party underwriters, reinsurers, insurance intermediaries, regulators, law enforcement and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS); and other companies that provide services to us or you, for example, the Employers Liability Tracing Office (ELTO) and the Claims and Underwriting Exchange (CUE) and network organisations of which you are a member
- external agencies for market research purposes
- any organisation where you have agreed for them to receive that data as part of the terms and conditions of your membership or affiliation
- prospective buyers in the event that we wish to sell all or part of our business.
Automated decision making
Quays may use automated decision-making, including profiling, to assess insurance risks, detect fraud, and administer your policy. This helps us decide whether to offer insurance, determine prices and validate claims.
Your Rights
- The right to be informed about the collection and use of your data. This Privacy Notice provides you with the information required under this right.
- The right to access the information we hold about you.
- The right to make us correct any inaccurate personal data about you.
- You can object to us using your data for profiling you or making automated decisions about you. We may use your data to determine whether we should let you know information that might be relevant to you (for example, tailoring emails to you based on your behaviour).
- The right to have a copy of your data in a portable format. We will give you a copy of your data in CSV so that you can provide it to another insurer. If you ask us and it is technically possible, we will directly transfer the data to the other insurer for you.
- The right to restrict the processing of your data. Under this right, we would only be able to store your data until the restriction is lifted.
- The right to be ‘forgotten’ by us. You can do this by asking us to erase any personal data we hold about you. There may be instances where we are unable to comply fully with this right. In those cases, we will provide you with the data that we have had to retain, the legal reason(s) for retaining this data and the retention period that applies.
- The right to complain about our use of your data.
- The right to opt-out. You have the right to opt out of receiving marketing emails from Quays at any time. To do this, you can:
Click the ‘Unsubscribe’ link in any of our marketing emails.
Contact us directly at info@quaystechnologies.com with your request.
Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still send you important service-related emails regarding your account, transactions, or policy updates.
You can also manage your cookie preferences through the cookie controls on our website or by adjusting your browser settings.
Which Pet Insurance Plan Fits Your Furry Family?
When choosing, consider your pet's age, breed, and health history, as well as your budget and what level of cover you need.
Lifetime Insurance
Lifetime pet insurance policy provides comprehensive coverage for your pet’s entire life, as long as you continue to renew your policy and pay your premiums. This type of insurance is also known as “whole life” or “lifetime cover” insurance.
How does it work?
Lifetime Pet Insurance, you’ll pay an annual premium, and in return, we’ll provide coverage for your pet’s veterinary bills, up to a certain limit, for the rest of their life. The coverage limit may vary depending on the specific policy and options you choose.
One of the best things about our lifetime pet insurance is that it provides peace of mind, knowing that you’ll be able to afford the best possible care for your pet, no matter what health issues may arise in the future.
What veterinary expenses are covered under lifetime pet insurance?
Lifetime Pet Insurance typically covers a range of veterinary expenses, including accidents, injuries, illnesses, surgical procedures, diagnostic tests, and medications. Some policies may also cover preventative care, alternative therapies, and dental care.
It also covers other expenses such as kennel costs, third party liability, compensation if your pet is lost, stolen or dead.
Can a dog with a pre-existing condition get lifetime pet insurance?
Most lifetime pet insurance policies exclude pre-existing conditions, which means that if your pet has a medical condition before you purchase the policy, it may not be covered. However, some policies may offer limited coverage for pre-existing conditions after a certain waiting period.
Can I cancel my lifetime pet insurance policy at any time?
Most lifetime pet insurance policies can be canceled at any time, but there may be penalties or fees associated with canceling. It’s essential to review your policy terms and conditions before canceling to understand any potential penalties or implications.
Annual (Time-Limited) Insurance
What is Annual (Time-Limited) Insurance?
Annual (time-limited) insurance provides coverage for a specific period, usually 12 months, from the date of diagnosis or treatment of a condition. This type of insurance is designed to help manage veterinary expenses for a limited time.
How Does Annual (Time-Limited) Insurance Work?
With annual (time-limited) insurance, you’ll pay an annual premium, and in return, we’ll provide coverage for your pet’s veterinary bills, up to a certain limit, for a short period (usually 12 months). After that, the condition will be considered pre-existing and excluded from future coverage.
What Veterinary Expenses Are Covered Under Annual (Time-Limited) Insurance?
Annual (time-limited) insurance typically covers a range of veterinary expenses, including accidents, injuries, illnesses, surgical procedures, diagnostic tests, and medications. However, coverage is limited to the specified period, and chronic conditions may not be covered beyond that period.
Can a Dog with a Pre-Existing Condition Get Annual (Time-Limited) Insurance?
Annual (time-limited) insurance policies exclude pre-existing conditions, which means that if your pet has a medical condition before you purchase the policy, it may not be covered.
Can I Renew My Annual (Time-Limited) Insurance Policy?
Yes, annual (time-limited) insurance policies can usually be renewed each year. However, the terms and conditions may change, and pre-existing conditions may be excluded from future coverage.
Maximum Benefits Insurance
Maximum Benefits insurance is a type of pet insurance that covers a set amount per condition. Once the maximum limit is reached for a particular illness or injury, that condition is no longer covered, but other conditions remain insured. It’s ideal for pet owners seeking a balance between coverage and affordability, as it generally offers higher limits than time-limited policies but is more cost-effective than lifetime cover.
What does maximum benefits insurance cover?
It covers vet fees for accidents, illnesses, and treatments up to a set limit per condition. Once the limit is reached, that condition is excluded from future claims.
Is there a time limit on claims?
No, there’s no time limit on how long you can claim for a condition, as long as you haven’t reached the maximum benefit for that condition.
What happens if I reach the maximum benefit?
Once the limit is reached, the policy will no longer cover that specific condition. However, you can still claim for other unrelated health issues.
Does it cover pre-existing conditions?
Typically, Maximum Benefits insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. It’s best to check the policy details for any exclusions.
Is Maximum Benefits insurance suitable for my dog?
It’s a good choice if you want more coverage than a time-limited policy but don’t need the comprehensive protection of a lifetime policy. It’s ideal for pet owners looking for a middle-ground option.
Accidents-Only Insurance
Accidents-Only insurance is a basic type of pet insurance that covers the cost of veterinary treatment if your dog is injured in an accident. It does not cover illnesses or routine check-ups. This policy is usually the most affordable option, making it a good choice for pet owners looking for budget-friendly coverage for unexpected injuries.
What does Accidents-Only insurance cover?
It covers veterinary costs resulting from accidents, such as broken bones, cuts, or injuries from car accidents. It does not cover illnesses or routine care.
Does it cover long-term treatment?
Yes, as long as the treatment is related to an accident and within the policy’s coverage limit. However, chronic or recurring illnesses are not covered.
Are pre-existing conditions covered?
No, Accidents-Only insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions, even if they were caused by an accident before the policy started.
Is there a time limit on claims?
This depends on the provider. Some policies may have a time limit per accident, while others cover ongoing treatment as long as it relates to the initial accident.
Is Accidents-Only insurance suitable for my dog?
It’s a good option if you want to protect against the financial impact of unexpected accidents but don’t need coverage for illnesses or preventive care. It’s ideal for younger, healthier dogs that are less likely to develop serious health issues.
Third-Party Liability (For Dogs)
Third-Party Liability insurance protects you financially if your dog accidentally causes injury to someone or damages someone’s property. This coverage is especially useful if your dog is active or unpredictable, as it helps cover legal costs and compensation claims. It doesn’t cover injuries to you or damage to your own property but provides peace of mind in case of unexpected incidents.
What does Third-Party Liability insurance cover?
It covers legal fees and compensation costs if your dog injures someone or damages someone’s property. This includes incidents like biting, knocking someone over, or causing a car accident.
Are there any exclusions?
Yes, this insurance typically excludes incidents involving family members or people living with you. It also won’t cover damages to your own property or injuries to your dog.
Does every pet insurance policy include Third-Party Liability?
Not all pet insurance policies include this, so it’s essential to check. However, Quays Pet Insurance offers comprehensive policies that include Third-Party Liability as a standard feature, ensuring you’re protected from unexpected legal costs.
Do I still need this if my dog is well-behaved?
Even well-trained dogs can act unpredictably, especially when startled or in unfamiliar situations. Third-Party Liability insurance provides financial protection just in case.
Is this required by law?
In the UK, Third-Party Liability insurance isn’t legally required, but it’s highly recommended for all dog owners. Some landlords or public places may also require proof of this coverage.
Pet Tips & Advice
Quays Technologies Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, registration number: 1013699. Quays Technologies Limited is registered in England and Wales, registration number: 14465169.