Data Protection Complaint Policy

Overview
1. We take our responsibilities for personal data seriously and seek to comply with applicable data protection law, including the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
2. This procedure explains how a person may raise a complaint about the way we handle personal data, and how we will deal with that complaint.
Scope
1. This procedure applies to complaints about:
  1. how we collect, use, share, store, delete or otherwise handle personal data;
  2. how we have responded to a request to exercise data protection rights; or
  3. a possible failure to comply with data protection law.
2. Complaints about service, conduct, fees, billing or other non-data protection matters should be raised under our general complaints procedure.
Making a complaint
1. A complaint should be sent to our Data Protection Team by email at: dataprotection@3vb.com.
2. Please provide enough information for us to understand and investigate the issue. This should include:
  1. your name and contact details;
  2. a summary of your complaint;
  3. relevant dates and supporting documents; and
  4. the outcome you are seeking.
3. If you are acting for another person, we may ask for evidence that you are authorised to do so.
4. Please tell us if you need this procedure, or our response to your complaint, in a different format or language.
How we will deal with your complaint
1. We will keep a record of the complaint and arrange for it to be reviewed by appropriate members of our Data Protection Team.
2. We may review relevant records, speak to relevant staff and ask you for further information where needed.
3. We will seek to deal with complaints promptly. Where possible, we will provide an update within 30 days.
4. The time needed to reach an outcome will depend on the nature and complexity of the complaint.
Final response
1. Once we have completed our review, we will provide a written response explaining our conclusions and any action we propose to take.
2. This will be our final internal response to the complaint.
External complaints and legal rights
1. You have the right at any time to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office about the way we handle your personal data.
2. Nothing in this procedure affects any legal rights you may have, including any right to bring a claim before a court with competent jurisdiction.
Confidentiality and records
1. We will handle complaint information securely and use it only to assess, investigate, respond to or resolve the complaint, unless another lawful basis applies.
2. We will share complaint information only with those who need it for those purposes, or where disclosure is required by law or regulation.
3. We will keep complaint records in accordance with our retention policies and applicable data protection law.

3VB