Privacy Policy

If you have any questions regarding data protection or your rights, please contact our data protection officer:

Kärcher UK Limited
Chief Operating Officer, Mark Venner
Kärcher House, Brookhill Way, BANBURY, OX16 3ED

Phone: 01295 752000
data.officer@karcher.co.uk

If you use Kärcher's online platform, Kärcher collects various data from you.  In some cases this will also be so-called ‘personal data’ i.e. information that relates to an identified or identifiable individual (known as the ‘data subject’).

1. Visiting the Kärcher websites in general

When visiting Kärcher websites, you transmit data to our web server via your Internet browser (due to technical necessity). The following data is recorded during a running connection for communication between your Internet browser and our web server:

• Date and time of the request
• Name of the requested file
• Page from which the file was requested
• Access status (file transferred, file not found, etc.)
• Web browser and operating system used
• Complete IP address of the requesting computer
• Volume of data transferred

We temporarily store this data for reasons of technical security, in particular to prevent attempts to attack our web server.  It is not possible for us to draw conclusions about individual persons on the basis of this data.

The legal basis of the storage is Legitimate Interest for security of our websites, apps, products and IT systems. 

Further personal information is only collected if you provide it voluntarily, for example as part of an inquiry or registration. Depending on the area concerned, Kärcher uses the personal data you provide to answer your enquiries, to process your order and for the purpose of technical administration of the websites. Specifically, the use in the respective areas of the site is as follows:

2. Onlineshop

If you visit our online shop, we store the following information in order to fulfil the contract between you and Kärcher or to carry out pre-contractual measures in accordance with Article 6 lit. b) GDPR:

a) Order without setting up a customer account
When placing an order in the online shop, all data necessary for the implementation and processing is requested through the mandatory fields: Your full name, your e-mail address, your address (billing address and, if applicable, different delivery address). Your data will only be used to process your order.

b) Customer account / Registration
It is also possible when purchasing to register for a Kärcher account. To do this, you can choose a password together with your e-mail address, both of which will make it easier for you to log in later without having to re-enter your data. Kärcher stores the data entered by you to set up a customer account, via which your orders are recorded, implemented and processed. Kärcher will keep your data for further orders as long as you maintain your registration. You have the right to access, correct and/or have your registration data deleted by Kärcher at any time.

c) Storage of order data
If you transfer data to Kärcher for an order, your data will be stored for as long as necessary to complete the purchase and in accordance with statutory retention periods. Extended storage to fulfil the retention obligations is carried out in accordance with Article 6 lit. c) GDPR.

d) Visiting another dealer’s shop
If you visit another dealer shop when making your purchase (by clicking on a link on the Kärcher website to access the web shop of one of our specialist dealers) and continue the order process there, Kärcher will not collect any order data from you as you are continuing the purchasing process in the other dealer’s shop. In this case, please note the data protection information of the relevant merchant’s shop.

3. Contact forms

If you contact Kärcher via a contact form on the Kärcher website, the data you provide will be stored so that your message can be forwarded to the correct contact person. This is done in accordance with Article 6 lit b) GDPR for processing your request. Your data provided via a contact form will not be used for any other purposes, especially not for advertising. After answering your inquiry we will delete your inquiry and the related personal data.

4. Market research (e.g. Register&Win)

Within the statutory framework Kärcher uses your data for market research purposes and if you have expressly consented to this by ticking the checkbox next to the following text:

"I am interested in further surveys in the context of Kärcher market research!"

As part of "Register&Win" or other market research activities, Kärcher stores your form of address, your name, your address, your e-mail address, your telephone number, the area to which you assign yourself (end user or business) and - if you have filled in these fields or ticked the box - your year of birth as well as the part number, the product name, the date of purchase of your Kärcher product and that you are interested in further market research surveys. Kärcher will only use your data for market research in accordance with Article 6 lit a) GDPR if you have given your consent by ticking the appropriate box. Otherwise, your data will be used exclusively for your information in the event of a win pursuant to Article 6 lit b) GDPR.

5. Competitions 

In the case of competition campaigns, Kärcher only stores the data necessary for the respective competition (e.g. your name, your address, your e-mail address) for the implementation of the competition in accordance with Article 6 lit b) GDPR. Only if you have ticked the box explicitly giving your consent to the use of your data for further purposes, will we also use your data for market research or for sending newsletters in accordance with Article 6 lit a) GDPR.

6. Warranty extension campaign

Our warranty extension campaigns are only aimed at Kärcher's commercial customers. If you participate, you must enter your name, address, e-mail address and product details for the device for which you wish to extend the warranty period in the form (required fields). This data is required for handling the warranty claim and the accompanying need to be able to assign the device to you and is collected in accordance with Article 6 lit b) GDPR for the execution of warranty processing. Filling in the other fields is optional. We therefore collect this data in accordance with your consent under Article 6 lit a) GDPR.

7. my Kärcher

The creation of a password-protected user area (myKärcher account) enables or simplifies the use of our provided services, e.g. online shop and online repair processing.

The following data will be stored: first and last name, e-mail address, password and date of birth as mandatory data. Form of address, title, telephone and mobile phone number as optional data.

If a purchase (online shop or repair order) is made via the password-protected user area, the address data is also stored.

The password-protected user area can be deleted at any time by the user themselves using the "Delete account" function.

This my Kärcher data is stored with our cloud provider Amazon Web Service in Ireland and / or Frankfurt.

8. Online repair process

If you use the online repair process on myKärcher or on the Kärcher Infonet, we will collect your name, address and the type of device you specify, in order to carry out your repair order in accordance with Article 6 lit b) GDPR.

After completion of the repair order, your data will be stored for as long as required by the statutory retention periods. Extended storage to fulfil the retention obligations is carried out in accordance with Article 6 lit. c) GDPR.

9. Newsletter / Kärcher Club

You can subscribe to the Kärcher Club e-mail newsletter - without giving your name - by registering with an e-mail address and expressly agreeing to receive it by ticking the checkbox next to the following text:

"I would like to subscribe to the Kärcher newsletter and accept the data protection regulations."

After your consent, which is requested by sending a confirmation e-mail, Kärcher will then use your e-mail address as the recipient address for newsletter e-mails, through which you will be regularly informed about current offers and Kärcher products. This data processing is carried out on the basis of your consent in accordance with Article 6 a) GDPR. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.

1. Visiting the Kärcher websites

The data stored when simply visiting the Kärcher websites (§ 1) will not be passed on to third parties.

2. Onlineshop

a) Passing on to specialist dealers
Your personal data will only be passed on to third parties within the framework of the online shop, if it is necessary for the purpose of contract processing, billing purposes or collecting payment. If you do not order the goods directly from Kärcher UK Limited, but have selected one of the specialist dealers integrated in the Kärcher online shop as contractual partner, Kärcher will collect your order data on behalf of the dealer you have selected, as described in § 1 Section 2. After completion of your order, Kärcher will forward this data to the specialist dealer for processing. The respective specialist dealer is responsible for the handling of your personal data in order to process your order. Kärcher only provides specialist dealers with the information they need to fulfil their respective tasks. They are not permitted to use the information for any other purpose.

b) Deletion of your customer account
If you have registered for a customer account in the Kärcher online shop, Kärcher will delete your registration, if you notify the data protection officer of this request.

c) Credit assessment
Our company regularly checks your creditworthiness when concluding contracts and in certain cases where there is a justified interest, also for existing customers.

3. Contact form

Your message and the associated data will be only be transmitted beyond the Kärcher company whose contact form you have used if your inquiry is for another part of the Kärcher Group.  In this case, the enquiry will be forwarded to the correct contact person within the correct Kärcher company. The data you have entered in a Kärcher online contact form will not be passed on to other third parties unless you are specifically notified of this.

4. Market research

All data collected on the Kärcher websites for the purpose of market research will be used exclusively for Kärcher internal purposes and will not be passed on to third parties. This data is deleted when the information is no longer necessary for the specific market research.

5. Competitions

The data collected within the scope of a competition on the Kärcher websites will be completely and immediately deleted after the end of the campaign and also not passed on to third parties.

6. Warranty extension campaign

Kärcher will delete the data collected during the warranty extension campaign after expiry of the extended warranty period. The data will not be passed on to third parties outside of the Kärcher Group.

7. Newsletter / Kärcher Club

The e-mail address you provide for newsletter registration will not be passed on to third parties.  If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter (§ 5 Section 3), your e-mail address will be deleted from the distribution list.

8. Transmission to authorities and other public bodies

Your data will only be passed on to third parties outside the Kärcher Group if a government body or state institution orders the disclosure, wherein we are obliged to comply by law.

1. General technical and organizational measures:

Kärcher has taken a variety of security measures to adequately protect personal information.

All data stored at Kärcher is protected by physical and technical measures as well as procedural measures that restrict access to the information to specially authorized persons in accordance with this data protection declaration.

The Kärcher websites are located behind a software firewall to prevent access from other networks connected to the Internet. In addition, only employees who need the information to perform a specific task will have access to personal information. These employees are trained in security and privacy practices and will keep your information confidential. 



2. Secure data transmission

The transmission of your personal data within the framework of an order process in the online shop is encrypted using the industry standard Secure Socket Layer ("SSL") technology (SSL encryption version 3).

3. Credit card information

Credit card information provided by you is not stored at Kärcher, but encrypted via hypertext transfer protocol secure ("https") directly by the payment service provider.

4. Passwords

You should never give your password for access to our website to third parties and you should also change it regularly. If you want to leave your customer account in the online shop, you should press the logout button and close your browser to prevent unauthorized access.

1. Use of cookies

Cookies are used for behavioural targeting on our website.  These are text files by means of which data containing usage information (websites visited, number of visits, visiting times, length of stay on pages, etc) are stored on your hard disk.

The profiles are anonymised and evaluated for statistical purposes, in order to allow the interests of the respective user when Internet advertising (e.g. banners) is uploaded to other websites.  Cookies do not hold any personal data such as name, address or email.

By continuing to use our websites and apps, you accept that cookies will be set on your device.  You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. However, we would like to point out that in this case you may not be able to use all functions of this website to their full extent.

2. Behavioural Advertising

Your IP (Internet Protocol) address is collected via the use of our websites, directly from the behavioural targeting service provider. This is GroupM Competence Center GmbH. Your IP address is anonymised and cannot be traced back to you again. The purpose of collecting this data is for user oriented advertising.

You can learn more about Interest-Based Advertising and your right to opt-out, at this link:
https://www.groupm.com/mplatform-privacy-notice/

3. Adobe Analytics

The website also uses Adobe Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Adobe Systems Software Ireland Limited (“Adobe”).  Adobe Analytics uses “cookies” to help the website analyse how users are navigating the site.  The IP address is anonymised before storage and is not merged with other Adobe data.  The information will allow reports to be compiled on website activity and to provide other services relating to website use and internet use to the website operator.

You can prevent Adobe from collecting the data (including your IP address) generated by the cookie and relating to your use of the website and from processing this data by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available at the following link: http://www.adobe.com/uk/privacy/opt-out.html

4. Use of Google's Consent Mode

At Kärcher we are committed to protecting the privacy of our users and complying with applicable privacy regulations. To align with these obligations and ensure a transparent and secure environment for all of our website visitors, we implement Google's "Consent Mode" functionality on our website. “Consent Mode” is an advanced technological solution designed to optimise cookie consent management and ensure respectful data collection and in accordance with the preferences of our users.

4.1. What is Google's "Consent Mode"?

Google "Consent Mode" is a technology that adjusts the operation of cookies and data processing on our website according to the user's consent. The technology dynamically modifies how Google services, such as Google Analytics and Google Ads, interact with user data, based on specific consent preferences. On a technical level, Consent Mode uses API consent signals to communicate with our web services and Google solutions, adapting data collection and use in real time. This approach reduces the collection of personal data to the minimum necessary, in line with user preferences, while maintaining the comprehensive functionality of our digital services.

Kärcher has implemented the advanced v2 version of “Consent Mode” which increases flexibility and control over data handling and audience measurement in compliance with relevant privacy laws in the United Kingdom.

4.2. Purpose and Function

The purpose of "Consent Mode" is to ensure that we respect our visitors' consent choices regarding the collection and use of their data. When a user visits our site, they are presented with a detailed consent interface, allowing an informed choice about the categories of cookies they wish to enable. This modular approach ensures precise compliance with user privacy preferences, allowing from full acceptance to specific rejection of cookie categories.

4.3 Measurement without third-party cookies:

Even without tracking cookies, we use "Consent Mode" to obtain crucial information about site usage in an anonymous and aggregated form. This ability to collect data, complemented by conversion modelling techniques based on machine learning when specific consent for cookies is not granted, allows advertisers to evaluate the performance of our campaigns in an aggregated and anonymous way, optimising the user experience while protecting your privacy.

4.4 Third party information

You can find more information about “Consent Mode” in the Google Help Center https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/10000067?hl=en

1. Information

You have the right to be informed at any time about the data stored concerning your person, its origin and recipient as well as the purpose of data processing. Please contact the Kärcher data protection officer (§ 6).

2. Objection (market research)

You can object to the future processing of the data concerning you in accordance with Art. 21 GDPR at any time. The objection may be made in particular against processing for direct marketing purposes. Please send a short e-mail to data.officer@karcher.co.uk (no reason required).

3. Withdrawal of consent (e.g. newsletter emails)

You can withdraw your consent to the use of your personal data by Kärcher at any time, for example for sending you the Kärcher newsletter. If you wish to withdraw your consent please click on the "Unsubscribe" link included at the bottom of a received e-mail. In all other cases, please contact the Kärcher Limited data protection officer.

4. Your other rights

You have the right to correct or delete or to limit the processing of your personal data, a right of objection to future processing and a right to data transferability.

Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right of appeal to a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State where you are staying, working or the place of suspected infringement, if you consider that the processing of personal data concerning you is contrary to data protection rules.

5. Supervisory authority

If you have any questions, comments, complaints or suggestions in relation to this notice, or any other concerns about the way in which we process information about you, please contact our Data Protection Officer: data.officer@karcher.co.uk.

You also have a right to make a complaint to your local privacy supervisory authority:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire, United Kingdom
SK9 5AF

Phone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate)