As many of you will know, the laws protecting customers’ identity and personal details are being changed and strengthened and businesses must ensure that they are following the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) that come into force in May this year.

While the emphasis has been mainly on online records, the regulations also apply to paper-based records.

At Robertsons, we have computer-based recording systems that are supplied by a specialist.  In our case the information is stored on our supplier’s servers, not on our own computers. However, we have ensured that all our computers are protected and regularly updated.

Our suppliers, Pro Hire, run a specialised rental company data programme and have confirmed that they have spent £100,000 on ensuring they are GDPR compliant. 

We, and they, both have appointed data operations managers to be responsible for both security and regular updates of stored data.

At Robertsons, we also have to keep paperwork for three years for insurance purposes and customers sign agreements that include their personal details plus a copy of the transaction, again with details of the credit or debit card used.

All our paper records are stored in a locked, reinforced cabinet to which only a small number of named individuals are keyholders.  We also keep a list of what all the folders storing this paperwork contain.

We hope this reassures our customers that we are doing everything possible to be GDPR compliant and to ensure their personal information is kept securely.