1. Who we are

FuelAlert is a trading name of Ovidiu Ungureanu, a sole trader based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. For the purposes of UK data protection law, Ovidiu Ungureanu is the data controller for personal data collected through this service.

As the data controller, Ovidiu Ungureanu is registering with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Our registration number will be published here once issued.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal data, contact us at hello@fuel-alert.co.uk.

2. What data we collect

Account data

Your email address, a hashed password, and the date you created your account.

Contact data for alerts

If you opt in to WhatsApp or SMS alerts, your mobile phone number. We collect it only to send the alerts you have requested, and only after you confirm the number through an opt-in step.

Location data

We use location only to show you fuel prices near you, and only when you ask us to. We never track your location in the background. Location reaches us in the following ways:

Searching nearby (everyone). When you use "find prices near me", your browser asks your permission to share your device location. We use the coordinates to find nearby stations. We do not store your precise coordinates. For anonymous usage statistics (for example, "stations checked this week") we record searches only at approximately 1 km precision, together with a one-way hashed version of your IP address that cannot be reversed to identify you.
Shareable search links. Search results can be shared or bookmarked as a web link. To make this work, your filters and an approximate location are included in the link's web address. Location in links is rounded to roughly street-level precision rather than your exact position. Anyone you share a link with can see the approximate location it contains.
Saved location (registered users). If you provide a postcode, we convert it to approximate coordinates and store this against your account so we can show your local prices without you re-entering it. You can change or remove it in your account settings, and it is deleted when you delete your account.

Payment data

Payment card details are collected and processed by Stripe, our payment processor. FuelAlert does not see, store, or otherwise have access to your card numbers. We retain only your Stripe customer ID and subscription metadata (plan, billing cycle, renewal date).

Usage data

Features you use, queries you make, and alerts you configure — used to deliver the service and improve it.

Technical data

IP address, browser type and version, device type, and operating system — used for security, fraud prevention, and basic analytics.

Marketing preferences

Only collected if you opt in to marketing communications.

3. Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data under the following bases of UK GDPR Article 6:

Account creation and service delivery — contract (Art. 6(1)(b)).
Sending the alerts you configure, including by email, WhatsApp, SMS or push — contract (Art. 6(1)(b)).
Finding stations near you on request (device location) — consent (Art. 6(1)(a)), given through your browser's location permission and withdrawable at any time.
Storing your saved location as a registered user — contract (Art. 6(1)(b)).
Payment processing — contract (Art. 6(1)(b)).
Security and fraud prevention — legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)).
Aggregated, non-identifying analytics and product improvement — legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)).
Marketing emails — consent (Art. 6(1)(a)). You can withdraw consent at any time.

4. How we use your data

To create and operate your account (contract).
To deliver fuel price information and the alerts you have configured (contract).
To find fuel stations near you when you request it (consent).
To process subscription payments via Stripe (contract).
To keep our service secure and prevent abuse (legitimate interests).
To understand which features are used and improve the product, using aggregated, non-identifying data (legitimate interests).
To respond to your support enquiries (contract / legitimate interests).
To send marketing emails if you have opted in (consent).

5. Who we share data with

We use the following processors to deliver the service. We do not sell your data to anyone.

Stripe — payment processing. Card details, billing address, and subscription events flow to Stripe. See Stripe's privacy policy.
Ionos — infrastructure where our application and database run, and the mail servers (SMTP) that send account, billing and alert emails on our behalf.
Umami Analytics — we run our own self-hosted Umami instance to collect aggregated, cookieless usage metrics (pages viewed, referrer, country, device type). It does not store data that identifies you as an individual, and no analytics data is shared with third parties.
Vonage — delivers WhatsApp and SMS alerts if you opt in to those channels. Your phone number is shared only to send messages you have requested. See Vonage's privacy policy.
OneSignal — delivers web push notifications if you opt in to push alerts. See OneSignal's privacy policy.

6. International transfers

Some of our processors — including Stripe, Vonage and OneSignal — operate outside the UK and EEA, including in the United States. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards under UK GDPR: the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, or an equivalent mechanism, depending on the processor.

7. How long we keep data

Active account data: for as long as your account is open, plus 12 months after closure.
Saved location (registered users): while your account is active; deleted when you delete your account.
Payment records: 6 years, to meet HMRC requirements for self-employed traders.
Marketing data: until you withdraw consent.
Logs and analytics: a maximum of 24 months.

8. Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access — ask for a copy of the data we hold about you.
Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data.
Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing — ask us to pause processing in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format.
Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Rights related to automated decision-making — we do not make solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects on you.
Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on consent (for example, device location or marketing).

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@fuel-alert.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

9. Cookies

We use only a small number of essential cookies to operate the service, and self-hosted, cookieless analytics. Full details are in our Cookie Policy.

10. Security

All traffic between your device and our service is encrypted with HTTPS. Passwords are stored as one-way hashes — we never see your plaintext password. Sensitive fields in our database are protected by access controls, and our infrastructure receives regular security updates. No system is ever 100% secure; if a breach occurs that affects you, we will notify you and the ICO as required by law.

11. Children

FuelAlert is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

12. Complaints

We hope you'll contact us first if you have a complaint, so we can try to put it right. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office at any time.

ICO website: ico.org.uk · ICO helpline: 0303 123 1113.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. If we make material changes we will notify registered users by email. Non-material changes will be shown by an updated "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

14. Contact

For any privacy queries, email hello@fuel-alert.co.uk.