The Canine VA’s Data Protection Complaints Notice
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your personal information, we want to hear from you. We take every concern seriously and we’ll do our best to put things right.
This notice explains what counts as a data protection complaint, how to raise one, what happens next, and what you can do if you’re not satisfied with our response.
WHAT IS A DATA PROTECTION COMPLAINT?
A data protection complaint is when you believe we haven’t handled your personal information in the way the law requires. For example, you might want to complain if:
- We collected or used your information without a proper reason to do so
- We didn’t respond properly when you asked to see, correct, or delete your information
- We shared your information with someone we shouldn’t have
- We kept your information for longer than necessary
- You experienced a data breach that affected your personal information
- You’re concerned about the accuracy of information we hold about you
- We didn’t handle your information securely
HOW TO RAISE A COMPLAINT
You can contact us in any of the following ways. Please use whichever is easiest for you.
Please send an email to [email protected]. Please use the subject line ‘Data Protection Concern’ to help us route your email quickly.
Post
You can send a copy of your complaint addressed to: Data Protection Officer, The Canine VA, 45 Heritage Way, Brixham, TQ5 9FN
What to include in your complaint
It helps if you can tell us:
- Your name and contact details
- What happened and when (as best you can remember)
- How this has affected you
- What outcome you’re looking for
Don’t worry if you don’t have all of this to hand, we’ll work with you to understand what happened.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU COMPLAIN
Step 1 — We acknowledge your complaint (within 30 days)
We’ll confirm we’ve received your complaint within 30 calendar days. This acknowledgement will include the name of the person handling your complaint and what you can expect to happen next.
Step 2 — We investigate
We’ll look into what happened without unnecessary delay. The depth of our investigation will depend on the nature and complexity of your complaint. We’ll keep you informed of progress along the way and let you know if we need more time.
Step 3 — We give you our response
We aim to provide a full response within three months of receiving your complaint. More complex cases may take longer, but we’ll always keep you updated. Our response will be written in plain English and will explain:
- What we found
- What action we’ve taken (if any)
- Your right to take the matter further if you’re not happy with our response
COMPLAINTS ABOUT DATA WE HANDLE ON BEHALF OF OUR CLIENTS
As a virtual assistance business, we sometimes handle personal information on behalf of our clients as part of the administration and back-office support services we provide. In those situations, we act as a data processor, meaning we follow our client’s instructions when using that information, rather than deciding how it’s used ourselves.
If your complaint relates to personal information that one of our clients is responsible for, the right place to raise it is directly with that client. They are the data controller for that information and are responsible for making decisions about how it’s used.
You can find the data controller’s contact details in their own privacy notice. If you’re not sure who to contact or which organisation is responsible for your information, please get in touch with us and we’ll point you in the right direction.
When we are the data controller
We are the data controller for the personal information we hold about our own clients, contacts, and website visitors. This includes information such as names, contact details, and records of our working relationship. Complaints about how we handle this information are covered by this notice in full.
When we act as a data processor
When working on client projects, we may access or process personal information belonging to our clients’ customers, employees, or other individuals. In these cases:
- Our client decides how and why that information is used, they are the data controller
- We act on their instructions and in line with our data processing agreement with them
- Any complaint about that information should be directed to our client in the first instance
- If a complaint is sent to us in error, we will let you know promptly and direct you to the right organisation
We are committed to handling any misdirected complaints with the same care and professionalism that we apply to all aspects of our work. We will never leave you without a clear next step.
IF YOU’RE NOT HAPPY WITH OUR RESPONSE
If you feel we haven’t resolved your complaint to your satisfaction, you have the right to take it to the UK’s independent data protection regulator; the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, we ask that you give us the opportunity to respond before contacting the ICO. This is now a formal part of the complaints process — the ICO will typically expect to see that you raised your complaint with us first.
You can contact the ICO in the following ways:
- Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
- Helpline: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
ABOUT US
The Canine VA is a UK-based virtual assistance and business support service specialising in working with canine, pet and veterinary professionals.
We provide a range of strategic, operational and administrative support services, which may include business systems and processes, project support and implementation, email marketing, client communications, content and document creation, course and membership setup, and other business support services.
In providing these services, The Canine VA may collect, use and store personal information relating to clients, prospective clients, suppliers and other individuals we interact with. Where The Canine VA acts as a data controller, we process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
We are registered with the ICO as a data controller. Our ICO registration number is ZB059637
CONTACT US
If you have any questions about this notice or how we handle personal information more generally, please get in touch.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.thecanineva.co.uk
ACCESSIBILITY
We want this process to be accessible to everyone. If you need this notice in a different format – for example, in large print, or if you would like to speak to someone directly rather than communicate in writing – please let us know and we will do our best to help.
Contact us at: [email protected]
This notice was last reviewed in August 2026. We review it at least once a year and update it whenever our contact details or processes change. If you have questions about this notice, please contact us at [email protected]