Who we are

BarberCourses.com (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates an international directory of barbering courses, schools and academies. This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use the site, why we collect it, how long we keep it and what rights you have over it.

We are the data controller for the personal data described here. If you have any question about this policy, or want to exercise any of the rights set out below, write to us at info@barbercourses.com or through our contact page.

By using barbercourses.com you accept the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with it, please do not use the site.

What we collect

Information you give us

When you submit a course, claim a listing, create an account or send us a message, we collect the details you provide. That typically means your name, email address, and where relevant a telephone number, business address, business name and the content of your listing or enquiry. The lawful basis for this processing is the performance of a contract with you, or taking steps at your request before entering into one.

Information we collect automatically

Each time you visit the site we automatically collect technical information: your IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, operating system and platform. We also collect information about your visit, including the pages and listings you viewed, search terms you used, page response times, length of visit, and how you navigated away from the site. The lawful basis for this processing is our legitimate interest in operating, securing and improving the directory.

Information from third parties

We work with analytics and advertising providers who may share aggregated information with us about how the site is used. We also receive information from payment providers when a Premium Partner listing is purchased. We do not receive or store your full card details at any point.

How we use it

We use the personal data we hold in order to:

• publish and maintain course listings, including any listing you submit or claim;
• respond to enquiries you send us, and pass enquiries to the relevant school where you have asked us to;
• administer accounts, claims and Premium Partner subscriptions;
• keep the directory accurate, for example by contacting a school to verify that a course still runs;
• understand how the site is used so we can improve navigation, search and content;
• protect the site against fraud, spam and abuse;
• comply with legal obligations that apply to us.

Where we contact you about courses, we will only do so in relation to courses similar to those that were the subject of your correspondence with us. You can opt out of that at any time using the unsubscribe link in the message or by writing to us.

Please do not send us other people’s personal data unless we have specifically asked you to.

Cookies

A cookie is a small text file placed on your device that lets a website recognise it on later visits. We use them in three ways.

Strictly necessary cookies keep the site working. They remember that you are logged in, keep your saved favourites and protect forms against abuse. The site cannot function properly without them.

Analytics cookies tell us which pages and countries are being viewed, which searches are being run and where visitors leave the site. We use Google Analytics 4 for this. The data is used in aggregate and helps us decide which parts of the directory to expand.

Advertising cookies are set by our advertising partners and are described in the next section.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Doing so may stop parts of the site working as intended.

Advertising

This site is supported in part by advertising. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and to other websites.

Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and other sites on the internet. You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info or, in Europe, at Your Online Choices.

Where advertising partners set cookies on this site, those cookies are governed by that partner’s own privacy policy, not by ours. We do not share your name, email address or account details with advertising partners.

Who we share data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only in these circumstances:

• With a school you contact. If you send an enquiry through a listing, the details of that enquiry go to the school concerned so they can reply to you.
• With service providers. Hosting, email delivery, analytics, advertising and payment providers process data on our behalf under contract.
• Where the law requires it, or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, or to protect the rights and safety of others.
• On a business transfer. If the directory is sold or merged, personal data may transfer to the new owner under the same protections.

Some of these providers are based outside the European Economic Area. Where data is transferred outside the EEA or the UK, we rely on adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses to protect it.

How long we keep it

We keep personal data only for as long as we need it. Enquiry correspondence is kept for up to two years so we can handle follow-up questions and disputes. Account and listing data is kept for as long as the listing is live and for two years afterwards. Records relating to payments are kept for six years to satisfy accounting and tax obligations. Analytics data is retained in aggregated form.

Security

The site runs over HTTPS and access to the administration area is restricted and password protected. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. No transmission over the internet can be guaranteed completely secure, so any transmission is at your own risk.

Children

This site and our services are not directed at anyone under the age of thirteen, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe we hold data about a child, contact us and we will delete it.

Your rights

Under the UK GDPR and the EU GDPR you have the right to:

• be told what personal data we hold about you, and receive a copy of it;
• have inaccurate data corrected;
• have your data erased where we no longer have grounds to keep it;
• restrict or object to our processing of it, including for direct marketing;
• receive your data in a portable format;
• withdraw consent at any time where our processing relies on consent.

To exercise any of these, email info@barbercourses.com. We will respond within one month. If you are not satisfied with our response you can complain to your national supervisory authority, in Ireland the Data Protection Commission, in the UK the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the directory changes or as the law changes. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be flagged on the site.