We believe you have a right to know exactly what data we collect, why we collect it, and how you can control it. This policy explains everything in plain English.
PlumbMate is operated by Holwell Educational Services Ltd (Company No. 17129105), based in England and Wales. We are the "data controller" for the personal data described in this policy — which means we are responsible for how your data is used.
If you have any questions about this policy or your personal data, please contact us at info@plumbmatemastery.co.uk.
We only collect data that is necessary to provide you with the PlumbMate service. The table below explains what we collect and why.
| Data | Why we collect it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | To create and manage your account, and to send you account-related emails | Contract |
| Display name | To personalise your experience (optional) | Legitimate interest |
| Subscription status & plan | To control which content you can access | Contract |
| Stripe customer ID | To process and manage your payments securely via Stripe | Contract |
| Session token | To ensure your account can only be used on one device at a time (account security) | Legitimate interest |
| Last active timestamp | To allow college tutors to monitor learner engagement on their dashboard | Legitimate interest |
| Learning progress | To save your quiz scores and revision progress between sessions | Contract |
| College ID (if applicable) | To link your account to your college's subscription | Contract |
| Usage data | Firebase automatically records basic technical data (pages visited, errors) to keep the app running correctly. | Legitimate interest |
| Analytics data (optional) | If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics records which sections of the app you visit and how long you spend on them. This data is used exclusively to improve PlumbMate and the learner experience — never for advertising. No analytics data is collected if you decline cookies. | Consent |
Directly from you — when you create an account, sign in, or submit a feedback form.
Automatically — Firebase (our hosting and database provider, run by Google) collects certain technical data when you use the app, such as your device type and IP address. This data is processed by Google under their own privacy policy.
Via third-party services — if you pay for a subscription, Stripe processes your payment details. We never see or store your card number. If you submit feedback via our Google Form, Google may collect your email address as part of that process.
We may send you the following emails:
Welcome email — sent when you first create an account, to introduce you to PlumbMate and share our support contact details.
Payment receipts — sent by Stripe on our behalf when you subscribe or renew.
We do not currently send marketing or promotional emails. If this changes in the future, we will ask for your consent first.
We do not sell your personal data. We only share it with trusted third-party services that help us run PlumbMate:
Firebase (Google LLC) — our database, authentication, and hosting provider. Your account data and progress are stored on Firebase servers. Google is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
Stripe Inc. — our payment processor. Stripe handles all payment data securely. We only store a Stripe customer ID reference, never your card details.
Google LLC — if you submit feedback via our Google Form, your email address is passed to Google to pre-fill the form. Google processes this data under their own privacy policy.
Google Analytics (Google LLC) — if you accept analytics cookies, anonymised data about how you use the app is sent to Google Analytics. This data is used exclusively to improve PlumbMate and the learner experience. It does not identify you personally and is never used for advertising. You can prevent this by declining analytics cookies when prompted.
College tutors — if you are enrolled under a college subscription, your tutor can see your email address, last active time, and learning progress via the tutor dashboard.
We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you request that your account is deleted, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where we are legally required to keep it (for example, payment records may need to be retained for up to 7 years for tax purposes).
Anonymised or aggregated data (e.g. overall quiz completion rates) may be retained indefinitely as it cannot be used to identify you.
As a UK resident, you have the following rights over your personal data:
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@plumbmatemastery.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe we have mishandled your data. You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Strictly necessary cookies — PlumbMate uses cookies and browser local storage to keep you logged in between visits. These are essential for the app to function. Without them you would be logged out every time you close your browser. These cookies do not require your consent.
Analytics cookies — with your consent, we use Google Analytics to collect anonymised data about how you use the app (for example, which units you visit and how long you spend on each section). This information is used exclusively to improve PlumbMate and the learner experience. It is never used for advertising or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.
Your choice — when you first visit PlumbMate, a cookie banner will ask whether you accept analytics cookies. You can decline without any effect on your ability to use the app — your login, progress, certificates, tutor links, and all other features work exactly the same whether you accept or decline.
You can change your cookie preference at any time by clearing your browser cookies and reloading the page, which will show the consent banner again.
If we make significant changes to this privacy policy, we will notify you by email and update the "last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
For any privacy-related questions, data requests, or concerns:
Holwell Educational Services Ltd (PlumbMate)
England & Wales
📧 info@plumbmatemastery.co.uk