Cookie Policy

1. Scope of this policy

This Cookie Policy applies to the Sonaire Hearing website operated by Budget Hearing Aids LLC. In UK law, the rules commonly described as “cookie rules” can apply more broadly to technologies that store information on, or access information from, a person’s device. For simplicity, this policy refers to these technologies collectively while explaining the practical categories used on the site.

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, as amended, govern many storage and access activities, alongside UK data protection law where personal information is involved. Current UK regulatory guidance recognises that some technologies may be used without consent where a legal exception applies, while other uses require a valid choice before activation.

2. Necessary technologies

Necessary technologies support functions that the website needs in order to operate as requested. This can include maintaining security, enabling page delivery, preventing abusive use and remembering the privacy choice you have made so that the consent interface does not repeatedly ask the same question.

Where a technology is used only for a purpose that falls within an applicable legal exception, we do not ask for consent merely to make the website function. Necessary technologies are not used as a way to disguise optional advertising or audience measurement.

The website’s privacy-choice record may be retained for up to six months before we ask you to confirm your preferences again, unless you clear it earlier through your browser or device controls. Security-related records can have shorter or event-based retention depending on the purpose.

3. Analytics technologies

Analytics technologies can help us understand how people use the site, such as which pages are visited, how users move through the consultation guide, whether a page loads correctly and which parts of the experience may need improvement. Where the analytics activity requires consent, it is treated as optional and is controlled by the Analytics choice in the privacy settings.

Optional analytics is not intended to activate merely because you continue browsing. If an analytics supplier is used, information may include device or browser details, page interactions and pseudonymous identifiers. We aim to limit collection to what is useful for audience and performance measurement and to avoid using hearing-related questionnaire answers as analytics event content.

Where enabled, analytics identifiers would normally be configured with a retention period appropriate to the measurement purpose, generally no longer than 13 months unless a shorter period is suitable. Actual supplier-specific retention may be shorter and should be documented when such a supplier is active.

4. Marketing technologies

Marketing technologies can be used to understand whether advertising led to a site visit or consultation enquiry and to measure campaign effectiveness. Because these uses can involve recognising a browser or device across interactions, they are treated as optional where consent is required and are controlled by the Marketing choice.

We do not intend to use the hearing-related content of your consultation answers to build advertising profiles. If campaign measurement technology is active, the relevant implementation should be limited to information necessary for attribution or measurement and should not receive free-text clinical details through the questionnaire.

Where enabled, marketing identifiers are generally expected to be retained for a campaign-appropriate period of up to 90 days unless a different period is specifically required and lawfully implemented. Third-party platforms may apply their own shorter technical retention or aggregation rules.

5. Third parties

Some site resources may be provided by external technology suppliers. For instance, font resources can be delivered by Google Fonts to display the site consistently. If optional analytics or advertising measurement is introduced, the relevant supplier may also receive limited technical information when the category has been enabled.

Third-party suppliers are responsible for their own technology and may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service. Where an optional third-party technology requires consent, our aim is to prevent its activation until the relevant choice has been made. Supplier privacy information may provide additional detail about processing that occurs within that supplier’s service.

6. Managing your choices

The cookie banner offers a way to accept all optional categories, reject optional categories, or open the settings interface and choose Analytics and Marketing separately. Necessary technologies remain available because they support core operation and the management of your privacy choice.

You can also use browser or device settings to delete stored site information or restrict storage and access technologies. Blocking all technologies may affect functions that depend on a device remembering a choice or session state. Browser controls operate independently from our site interface and the exact steps vary by browser.

If you change your mind after making a choice, clearing the site’s stored privacy preference will cause the website to ask for a new decision. We aim to make refusal of optional categories as straightforward as acceptance.

7. Consent and withdrawal

Where consent is required, it must be a genuine affirmative choice. We do not treat inactivity as permission for optional Analytics or Marketing technologies. You can refuse optional categories and still use the core hearing guide and consultation questionnaire.

Consent can be withdrawn. Withdrawal applies to future optional storage or access activity and does not retrospectively invalidate processing that took place while a valid consent was active. If personal information created through a technology continues to be retained for another lawful reason, that separate processing is explained under the Privacy Policy or relevant supplier information.

8. Updates to technology use

Technology used for websites can change. We may add, remove or replace tools to improve security, accessibility, performance or campaign measurement. If a new use changes the purpose or requires a new consent choice, we will update the interface and this policy as appropriate rather than silently extending an earlier choice to a materially different purpose.

The date at the top of this page indicates the current version. We periodically review the descriptions and retention periods so that they remain aligned with the way the site is actually operated and with current UK guidance.

9. Contact

Questions about this Cookie Policy or the way privacy choices are handled can be directed to Budget Hearing Aids LLC. Address: Hm Revenue And Customs Ruby House 8 Ruby Place Aberdeen, AB10 1ZP. Email: [email protected]. Telephone: +44 312 584 801. VAT number: GB 384116400.

For broader questions about how personal information is used, including consultation and hearing-related information, read the Privacy Policy.