privacy | Yell

This website is owned and run by Yell Limited. In this Privacy Policy, we will refer to Yell Limited using the terms "Yell", "us", "we" and "our". If we use the term "Yell group", this means Yell and our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, as defined in section 1159 of the Companies Act 2006. The term "our websites" refers to Yell Direct (www.yelldirect.com), Yell.com (www.yell.com and www.yell.co.uk), Yell.com Mobile (www.yellmobile.com) and any other websites we may own or run from time to time. At Yell, we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy relates to our use of your personal information. The Policy explains:

how we collect information about you and what information we collect, including:
1.1 how we collect information about you
1.2 what information we collect
1.3 why we need your email address
1.4 cookies
1.5 call recording
how we will use information we collect about you, including:
2.1 when you use our websites
2.2 your browsing activity on Yell.com
2.3 website customisation and advert targeting
2.4 website usage and tracking
2.5 when you order our products or services
2.6 testimonials
2.7 Yell.com mobile
2.8 direct marketing
2.9 customer surveys
when we will we contact you
direct marketing and how you can change your marketing preferences;
to whom we may disclose your personal information;
where we process your personal information;
how to keep your information up-to-date;
how we keep your information secure;
why we link to other websites;
the use of cookies on our websites and how you can reject them;
what rights you have in your personal information and how you can exercise them;
how we can make changes to this Privacy Policy;
what privacy organisations we belong to; and
how to contact us about this Privacy Policy.

1. How we collect information about you and what information we collect

To provide you with our products and services, we may need information about you.

If you use our websites, you are in control of what information we collect about you, but if you choose not to share your information some areas of our websites may not be accessible or useable.

1.1 How we collect information about you:

We will ask for information about you when you:

advertise with us;
request a free line entry;
order directories or any of our other products and services;
apply for credit with us;
register on Yell.com;
register to use Yell Direct;
request Yell.com Mobile services;
use the "send-to-a-friend" feature on Yell.com;
manage your profile or account with us;
request information from us;
provide a testimonial or other feedback;
enter competitions or special promotions; or
complete surveys.

We may ask third parties for information about you, for example, if we check your credit rating or credit score, before we provide credit to you to allow you to buy advertising. We also buy business data from third party data providers, so we may obtain information about you from those third parties.

1.2 What information we collect:

The information we collect and/or hold about you may include your:

name (first and surname);
business name;
job title;
business address;
telephone and/or mobile phone number;
email address;
Yell account number (sometimes we call this your SAP number);
bank account, debit card and/or credit card details;
date of birth;
credit history, credit rating or credit score;
password details and/or answers to security questions (for example mother's maiden name); and
any other information you may provide in your correspondence or other dealings with us.

1.3 Why we need your email address:

When you register on our websites, we collect your email address. We may use it for account administration (for example to email you your password, if you forget it) and for added security. We may use your email address to send you a confirmation of order, if you purchase our products or services and to confirm any profile or account changes you make. We might also use your email address to bring you news such as changes to the functionality on our websites or new services and special offers we think you might find valuable. For more information on direct marketing and how to change your preferences, please read section 4 - direct marketing and how you can change your marketing preferences.

1.4 Cookies:

We and our business partners also collect information about your use of our websites through cookies. For more information on our use of cookies and how to decline them, please read section 10 - the use of Cookies on our websites and how you can reject them.

1.5 Call recording:

In common with many other companies that take orders, information or expressions of opinion from customers over the telephone, calls that you receive from us, or make to us, may be recorded or monitored for security and training purposes.

2. How we will use information we collect about you

Whenever you provide your personal information, we are legally obliged to use it in accordance with various privacy laws, including the Data Protection Act 1998 (these laws are referred to collectively in this Privacy Policy as the "privacy laws").

2.1 When you use our websites:

We will use the information you provide when you use our websites for administration purposes and for various other purposes which will be made clear in this Privacy Policy, on the data entry forms, in any relevant terms or conditions and on pages or emails which link to the data entry forms.

2.2 Your browsing activity on Yell.com:

If you use Yell.com, during your search session we will store the location you have requested. This is to enable you to search other types of business without having to re-enter the location every time. This information is only retained while you are searching and will not be kept once you have left Yell.com, unless you register and save your searches. We also collect anonymous information on your activity while logged into Yell.com such as:

IP address
browser type
access times
referring URL

We keep aggregated information about browsing activities on our websites to determine how people use them. We monitor aggregated site traffic and analyse that traffic. This gives us information to help us improve the relevance of the services we offer you.

We may also provide anonymous statistics about users to reputable third party vendors, but these will not include details that would allow the recipient to identify you.

2.3 Website customisation and advert targeting:

We may use the information you give us about yourself when you register on our websites to build up a picture of your interests. We may then use this information to try to ensure that when you visit our websites, you don't miss the offers and information that may interest you.

2.4 Website usage and tracking:

We may engage reputable third party companies to collect website usage information about activity on our websites and to share this information with us. We use this information for the purposes of: statistical analysis; tracking pages and paths used by visitors to our site; targeting our Internet banner advertisements on our websites and on other third party websites; and tracking use of our Internet banner advertisements and other links from our marketing partners' websites to our websites. For these purposes, we and those third party companies note information on the path you take to get to our site and on some of the pages you visit on our website through the use of cookies and web beacons. The information collected by these third party advertising companies is not personally identifiable. For information about these third party advertisers (including how to decline their cookies), please read section 10 - the use of Cookies on our websites and how you can reject them.

2.5 When you order our products or services:

If you advertise with us, request a free line entry, order our directories or any other products and services, apply for credit with us, manage your account or contact our Customer Services Team we will record your personal details. Your information will be used principally to provide the products, services or information you have requested. We retain the information you provide to us and may use it for one or more of the following purposes: accounting, billing and audit; credit checking or screening; credit, debit or other payment card verification and screening; debt collection; safety, security, health, administrative and legal purposes; statistical and marketing analysis; systems development, testing and maintenance; studies, research and development; advertiser or user surveys; customer services and to help us in any future dealings with you, for example by identifying your requirements and preferences. For these purposes we may disclose your data to one or more of the third parties listed in section 5 - to whom we may disclose your details.

2.6 Testimonials:

If you provide us with feedback, we may use it to improve our products and services and we may publish it online or offline to promote our business, products and/or services. We will obtain your permission before we publish it.

2.7 Yell.com Mobile:

When you request or use the Yell.com mobile service we will retain your mobile phone number, the make and model of your phone and details of your network operator. This information is required for the operation of Yell.com mobile. We will not use this information for any other purpose without your consent.

2.8 Direct Marketing:

For information on how we may market to you, please read section 4 - direct marketing and how you can change your marketing preferences.

2.9 Customer Surveys:

Every now and again, we may ask you how we are performing or for your opinion on our products and services. When we do advertiser or user surveys we may use cookies and combine the information collected by those cookies with your answers. We will make sure that the survey results do not identify you, or any other individual respondent.

3. When we will contact you

We may contact you:

in relation to any product or service you have ordered, for order fulfilment purposes;
in relation to any free line entry you have requested, in order to process your request;
in relation to information you have requested, in order to deal with your request;
where you have provided feedback, to discuss that feedback or ask your permission to publish it;
where you have opted to receive further correspondence;
to invite you to participate in surveys about our products and services (participation is always voluntary); and
for marketing purposes, unless you tell us to stop (for more information of direct marketing and how to change your preferences, please read section 4 - direct marketing and how you can change your marketing preferences).

4. Direct Marketing and how you can manage your marketing preferences

We offer you the opportunity to receive important news from the Yell group and information about our products and services, such as changes to the functionality on our websites or new services and special offers you might find valuable. We may use your order history to communicate information we think may interest you.

Unless you tell us otherwise, when you sign up for a free line entry, we will contact you every now and again to see if you are interested in ordering any further advertising from us. If you order any of our products and services, we will contact you every now and again with news from the Yell group, with information about our products and services and to see if you would like to renew or purchase additional advertising from us. You will also be asked if you want to receive direct marketing if you register for one or both of our websites or if you enter a competition or register for a promotion with any company in the Yell group.

Unless you tell us otherwise, we may contact you by telephone, post, email, SMS or by any other means (electronic or otherwise). We will normally send direct marketing by email if we have your email address.

If you would like us to stop sending direct marketing to you, we offer simple ways for you to tell us to stop. Whenever you receive direct marketing from us, you will be told how to unsubscribe. In addition, if you are registered on Yell Direct, you can change your marketing preferences at any time by logging on and amending the marketing preferences in "Your Profile" on Yell Direct or in the "My Yell" area on Yell.com. If you prefer, you can also change the personal details we hold in your Yell Direct account by telephoning or writing to our Customer Services Team using the following address or telephone number:

Customer Services
Yell Limited
Queens Walk
Oxford Road
Reading RG1 7PT
Freephone 0800 555 444 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm)

If you tell us that you do not wish to receive direct marketing, you will still receive communications confirming and fulfilling any orders you make with us and for administration purposes.

If you previously opted-out of receiving direct marketing, but you have changed your mind and would now like to receive news, information and special offers from us, you can sign up again at any time through Yell Direct or Yell.com. Simply log on to your Yell Direct account and change the marketing preferences in "Your Profile" or log onto your Yell.com account and change the marketing preferences in the "My Yell" area. If you prefer, you can also change the personal details we hold in your Yell Direct account by contacting our Customer Services Team using the details above.

5. To whom we may disclose your details

Disclosure of your information to others may be necessary to ensure the smooth provision to you of the products, services or information you request. Your information may be disclosed to one or more of the following third parties: other companies in the Yell group; credit checking or screening service providers; payment processing organisations (eg PayPal); debt collection agencies; data processing companies; mailing houses working on our behalf, research students, universities and other research and/or development organisations; government and enforcement agencies. Occasionally, this may involve sending your information outside the EEA. For more information, please read section 6 - where we process your personal information.

Unless you object at the time we collect your personal details, we will pass them to Experian Limited, who may use them for marketing or sell them to third parties for marketing purposes. If you do not wish to receive direct marketing from Experian or such third parties, you should contact them directly.

We may disclose to third parties any address at which you conduct business and which is known to us, whether or not it is published in your advertising and you consent to such disclosure.

Every now and again, we receive requests for information from government departments, the police and other enforcement agencies. Where this occurs, if there is a proper legal basis for disclosing your personal information, we will provide it to the requesting body.

6. Where we process your personal information

When we use your information as described in section 2 - how we will use information we collect about you, this may occasionally involve sending your information outside the European Economic Area ("EEA"). Where we do this, we ensure that appropriate steps are taken to protect your personal information and to safeguard your rights. By providing us with your personal information, you agree to the transfer, storage and processing of your information outside the EEA.

7. How to keep your information up-to-date

You can view and update your personal details quickly and easily by logging onto Yell Direct. You can update your registration information on Yell.com via Yell.com.

If you prefer, you can also update the personal details we hold in your Yell Direct account by telephoning or writing to our Customer Services Team using the following address or telephone number:

Customer Services
Yell Limited
Queens Walk
Oxford Road
Reading RG1 7PT
Freephone 0800 555 444 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm)

If you write to us, we may telephone you to check the details that you have provided.

8. How we keep your information secure

We take the security of your personal information very seriously. We have implemented technology and security policies designed to protect personal information that we hold about you. We also follow strict security procedures as required by privacy laws. These cover the storage, use and disclosure of any information you have provided, and the prevention of unauthorised access or use. For more information on how Yell.com protects the security of your information, please read the Yell.com Security Policy. For more information on how Yell Direct protects the security of your information, please read the Yell Direct Security Policy.

9. Why we link to other websites

Our websites contain hyperlinks to websites owned and operated by third parties. These third party websites have their own privacy and cookie policies, and we urge you to review them. They will govern the use of personal information you submit or which is collected by cookies when you visit these websites. We do not endorse any third party websites and we are not responsible for any information, material, products or services contained on or accessible through those websites or for the privacy practices of such third party websites. Your use of third party websites is at your own risk.

10. The use of Cookies on our websites and how you can reject them

A cookie is a text-only piece of information that a website transfers to the cookie file of the browser on your computer's hard disk so that the website can remember who you are. Cookies can help a website to arrange content to match your preferred interests more quickly. Most major websites use cookies. Cookies cannot be used by themselves to identify you. We use two types of cookie on our websites.

The first type is a "session-based" cookie. This means that it only sits on your hard disk for the time you are using our website. On Yell Direct, this cookie helps us manage the fact that you are logged into the site. If you log in and then don't do anything for 20 minutes you will get a message telling you that your session has timed out and that you need to log in again. This is a security measure to help protect your information. Within Yell.com Search we use these cookies to store your locations during a search session and within Yell.com registration we use them to enable access to your address book.

The second type of cookie we use stays on your hard disk for a longer period of time. This "persistent" cookie helps us understand the number of unique people coming to the site. Without the persistent cookie, if you visited the site once each week for three weeks we would count you as three separate users. On Yell.com, we use these cookies to manage advertisement serving and to ensure the same advert is not shown too frequently and within research surveys, to ensure you are not invited to complete a questionnaire too often or after you have already done so.

We do not store any of your personal information in either type of cookie. We do not link cookies to information you have provided during registration. We only use cookies to help us make the services we offer better for all our users.

If you do not want a cookie to be created on your computer, most web browsers provide the option to disable them. However, you might not be able to take advantage of the full functionality of our website if you reject our cookies.

If you want to know more about how cookies work and how to manage or delete them, visit this section of the World Wide Web Consortium's website or visit the Interactive Advertising Bureau's website.

Web beacons: A web beacon-sometimes referred to as a clear GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) or pixel tag-is a line of code that we have installed on some of our pages to help us learn more about how our visitors interact with the content and services that we offer, and to count the traffic to different areas of the website. A web beacon is invisible to you and doesn't affect the content you see.

Web beacons help us provide a better service to you by allowing us to understand which areas of the site are more popular with visitors than others. Web beacons are not used to collect any personal information about you, but allow us to gather aggregated information about the use of our site. Certain pages on our websites may also contain web beacons inserted by our advertising agencies so that we can measure the effectiveness of our advertising on other websites. Web beacon files enable our agency to recognise a unique cookie on your web browser, which in turn enables us to learn which advertisements bring users to our website. The web beacon only records a limited amount of information that includes the cookie number, the page ID and the time and date the page was accessed, it does not contain your name, address, telephone number or email address.

Find out more about web beacons.

11. What rights you have in your personal information and how can you exercise them

You have the right to ask us not to use your personal information for marketing purposes. We will usually tell you at the time of collecting your personal details if we intend to use them for marketing purposes or if we intend to disclose them to any third party for marketing purposes. For more information on direct marketing and how to change your preferences, please read section 4 - Direct Marketing and how you can manage your marketing preferences.

You have the right to access information we hold about you, subject to certain exceptions outlined in the privacy law. If you would like a copy of your personal information, you should contact Yell's Data Protection Officer. You will need to pay a processing fee of £10.

You have the right to review and update your personal details. You can do this quickly and easily via Yell Direct. You can update your registration information on Yell.com via the "My Yell" area on that website.

If you prefer, you can also change the personal details we hold in your Yell Direct account by telephoning or writing to our Customer Services Team using the following address or telephone number:

Customer Services
Yell Limited
Queens Walk
Oxford Road
Reading RG1 7PT
Freephone 0800 555 444 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 7:00 pm and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm)

12. How we can make changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time so you may wish to check it each time you submit personal information or manage your information on our websites.

This Privacy Policy was last modified on [4 April 2008].

13. What privacy organisations we belong to

Yell works alongside established and highly regarded organisations such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau UK (IAB UK) and we are a corporate member of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA).

14. How to contact us about this Privacy Policy

Questions, comments and requests regarding this Privacy Policy are welcomed. Please contact Yell's Data Protection Officer.