- 01326 375705
PFA Research (hereafter referred to as PFA Research or “We”) is based at Tremough Innovation Centre, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9TA.
PFA Research is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.
This privacy policy sets out
Please read the following policy carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. This policy should be read in conjunction with our Data Processing Policy (available on request).
PFA Research offers a range of services, including full market and social research services, customer insights and consultancy services. Services and projects may be covered by separate privacy policies, depending on the services offered, please contact our Data Protection Officer for more information: dpo@pfa-research.com
Grounds for processing your personal data and information
PFA Research processes your personal data on the following ground(s):
We can act as Data Processor
In providing our services, PFA Research acts as a Data Processor on behalf of clients. The client is the Data Controller responsible for ensuring protection of their customers information. Where PFA Research receives or otherwise processes personal data within the meaning of the Data Protection Act, UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) or Data Use and Access Act (DUAA), we will only process that data to the extent needed in order to provide service to our clients.
PFA Research will not use personal data obtained in the course of providing our services for any other purpose and will not release it, in whole or in part, to anyone other than to our client in its capacity as the data controller, unless we are obliged to do so by law.
We can act as Data Controller
PFA Research may also obtain and store personal data and other information for our own purposes, such as managing our What Cornwall Thinks Cornish resident panel, or for administrative and marketing purposes. In those cases, we will act a data controller. PFA Research may request consent to store names, addresses and other contact details. We will not release such information, in whole or in part, to any third parties unless obliged to do so by law.
Information collected
Data collected and processed can include:
Information you give to us – This can include information you give to us by filling in forms on our site www.pfa-research.com or by corresponding with us by phone, email or otherwise. It includes information you provide when you use our site, subscribe to our service, participate in discussion boards or other social media function on any of our sites, enter a competition, promotion or survey and when you report a problem with our site(s) or service. The information you provide may include your name, address, email and/or phone number, personal description and photograph.
Information we collect about you – Use of Cookies
Cookies are small files, which are transferred from websites and stored on your computer’s hard drive.
We may make use of traffic log cookies for website statistics (e.g. Google Analytics) to tell us how you use our website, to identify which pages are being used and to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of certain pages on our site. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Cookies also allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The we application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preference.
We may use cookies to identify whether you have already completed a web survey questionnaire, or to prevent multiple submissions from the same computer. We may also use cookies when you choose to suspend a questionnaire part way through.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor whether pates are useful or not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about your, other than the data your choose to shar with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you form taking full advantage of the website.
How do we use this information?
We will not rent, sell or lease this personally identifiable information to other companies or individuals. You have the right to access, rectify, modify and/or have deleted any data referring to you. In order to exercise this right, please contact us by emailing our Data Protection Officer at dpo@pfa-research.com , or call 01326 375705.
We will only disclose your data if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or to protect your rights, property, or safety, or that of our customers or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purpose of fraud protection.
We will use your personal information to provide you with the information you have requested. For instance if you have completed our ‘contact us’ form, we will contact you by phone or email with the information you have asked for.
As we don’t control the privacy practices of our clients, we advise that you read and fully understand their privacy policies in addition to this privacy policy. If you need more information please contact our Data Protection Officer (dpo@pfa-research.com). Please open and read privacy policies provided by our client displayed in online surveys or request more information from our interviewers when speaking to them over the phone.
Controlling your personal information
We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to select you as part of a special target sample for market surveys. It is possible that surveys may be commissioned by commercial organisations and there may be incentives or rewards offered that have been funded by those organisations.
You may request details of personal information which we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data (Use and Access) Act (DUAA). If you would like a copy of the information held on you, please contact the Data Protection Officer for PFA Research by email (dpo@pfa-research.com) or write to Data Protection Officer, PFA Research Ltd., Tremough Innovation Centre, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9TA.
If you believe that any personal information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
We share aggregated demographic information with our partners and clients; this is not linked to any personal information that can identify any individual person or organization.
Surveys and Panels
Where information – whether general or personal – is voluntarily provided and can identify a survey respondent, it is used to generate insights that help our client(s) develop more efficient and effective products and services for their customers. No further contact will be made with individual respondents unless expressly authorised by the respondent.
Competitions and Draws
Where individual information is required to identify a winner of a competition or prize draw, please refer to individual competition rules, which will provide information on the requirements for the collection and/or publicity or winners’ names.
For incentive payments we may ask you for payment details, such as your bank account number and sort code. This information will not be stored by PFA Research and only kept as hard copy in a secure office location until the payment is made. Once payment has been made the hard copy is destroyed via paper shredding.
Personal Data Storage
All information you provide to us is stored on secure servers within the European Economic Area (EEA) or within approved third countries (third countries which ensure an adequate level of protection according to the GDPR are: Andora, Argentina, Canada (only commercial organisations), Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Israel, Isle of Man, Jersey, New Zealand, Switzerland, Uruguay, Japan, the United Kingdom and South Korea.) Wherever possible, data stored by us will be stored within the United Kingdom or within the EEA.
Where you have been provided with or have chosen a password, which enables you to access certain parts of our site(s), you are responsible for keeping this password safe and confidential. We ask you not to share your password(s) with anyone and to notify us if you have reason to believe that bad actors have access to your password/account.
Please note that the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, it can not be guaranteed that data you transmit to our site is completely secure; any transmission is at your own risk. Once received, we will use our strict procedures and security policies to try o prevent unauthorised access.
Length of data storage
We will store your personal data for no longer than is necessary for us to fulfil the purpose for which it was obtained. If not agreed otherwise with you, your data will not be stored for more than 60 days after it has fulfilled the purpose for which it was obtained.
Personal data – Your rights
You have the right to ask that we do not process your personal data for any reason, with the exception if we are required by law to do so. You will be informed on how we intend to use your personal data (at the time of collection). For example, we will inform you how and if your personal data is intended to be shared with any other third party, such as our client(s) if and when they are survey sponsors. You have the right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect your personal data, or by letting the person who is interviewing know your preference.
In addition, and under the UK GDPR, you have the right to:
Please submit any request to exercise your rights to dpo@pfa-research.com.
Please note that any request might need to be verified by PFA Research with you and/or a nominated agent who makes the request(s) on your behalf. We might request that you and/or your agency submit evidence of your written authorization and identification before we execute the request.
Right to complain
If you believe that we have not handled your personal data properly, or that your data protection rights under the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Data Use Access Act 2025 have been breached, you have the right to complain directly to us as the data controller.
We are committed to listening to concerns and resolving them fairly, quickly, and in line with the law.
How to Make a Complaint
You can raise a complaint with us in any of the following ways:
To help us respond, please provide:
What happens next
Acknowledgement – We will confirm that we have received your complaint within 30 days (sooner if possible).
Investigation – Your concern will be reviewed carefully by us, we will gather relevant information, and may contact you if we need more details. We will take ‘appropriate steps’ to investigate, as required by the DUAA.
Updates – We will keep you informed of progress, especially if the investigation takes longer than expected.
Outcome – We will provide you with a clear response, setting out what we found and what, if any, action(s) we have taken.
We aim to resolve complaints without undue delay.
If you are not satisfied
If you are unhappy with our response, you can:
You also have the right to seek a legal remedy through the courts.
Our commitment
We take every complaint seriously. Handling complaints fairly helps us improve our work and ensure your personal data is respected, protected and used responsibly in line with market research standards.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information that you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Data Protection
PFA Research is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, under registration reference Z7757529.
We are committed to dealing with personal data in the spirit of the Data Protection Act 1998 (“the Act”), the UK GDPR as enforced by 25th May 2018 and the Data (Use and Access Act 2025 (DUAA), protecting personal privacy in accordance with the law.
If you wish to know more about your rights in respect of protection of personal data or need to file a complaint, you should write to the:
Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF or telephone 0303 123 1113 (or 01626 646745 if you would prefer not to call an ‘03’ number).
Homepage: www.ico.gov.uk
The Register: www.dpr.gov.uk
Changes
If your personal details change, please help us to keep your information up to date by notifying us – email info@pfa-research.com or call 01326 375705.
PFA Research may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 9th February 2026.
Contact
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please contact us.
This page was updated on 9th February 2026.