Privacy notice

Last updated: 9 November 2026

This notice explains what we do with the details you give us when you use our website, chat to us online or phone us. We keep it short and only use your details to deal with your enquiry or job.

Who we are

Vortex Home Services (plumbing and air conditioning, Southampton) is a limited company run by Mike Chivers. We decide how your details are used. If you have any questions about your data, email vortexplumbingdrains@gmail.com.

What we collect

• Quote form: your name, phone number, postcode, the type of job, how urgent it is, your description of the problem and any photos you add.
• Phone calls: when you call 023 8225 0123, our AI call assistant answers. It tells you it is an AI at the start of the call. It takes your name, number, postcode and what the problem is, and we keep a written transcript and summary of the call.
• Website chat: the messages you type into the chat window on our website.
• Emails and texts you send us, and notes about any job we do for you.

How we use it

• To call you back, give you a quote and arrange and carry out the work.
• To keep records of jobs and invoices, as the law requires.

We use your details because you have asked us for a quote or a job (taking steps towards a contract), and to keep proper business records (our legitimate interests and legal obligations). We never sell your details or use them for marketing without asking you first.

Who helps us

We use a few trusted services to run the website and phone line. They only handle your details on our behalf:

• Netlify hosts this website.
• OpenAI provides the voice of our call assistant. Call audio is processed live in the United States to understand and answer you. It is not recorded or kept.
• Google Cloud (London) runs our phone system, stores call transcripts and summaries, and passes quote form messages and photos to Mike by email (they are not stored there).
• Yay.com provides our phone line.
• Helpnest runs the chat window on our website.
• Google (Gmail) is where Mike receives enquiries and call notes.

Some of these companies are based in, or process data in, the United States. Where that happens they use the legal safeguards UK law requires, such as the UK–US data bridge or standard contract terms.

How long we keep it

• Call transcripts and summaries on our phone system: deleted automatically after 90 days.
• Enquiries that don't become a job: deleted within 12 months.
• Job and invoice records: kept for 6 years, as tax law requires.

Your rights

You can ask us for a copy of the details we hold about you, ask us to correct them, or ask us to delete them where we don't need to keep them. Just email vortexplumbingdrains@gmail.com. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your details, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

Cookies

This website doesn't use advertising or tracking cookies. We count visits without cookies: our server notes the page, the kind of device and the website you came from (for example Google). It doesn't keep your IP address and can't follow you from one day to the next. The chat window may store a small amount of information in your browser so your conversation carries on if you move between pages.