1. What Are Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, to provide information to website owners, and to enhance the user experience.
Cookies can be "first-party" (set by the website you are visiting) or "third-party" (set by a different website, such as an embedded service). They can also be "session cookies" (deleted when you close your browser) or "persistent cookies" (remain on your device for a set period).
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies and similar technologies our Platform uses, why we use them, and your choices regarding their use.
2. Our Approach to Cookies
Getcovery has been designed with privacy in mind. We use only the minimum cookies necessary for our Platform to function correctly. Specifically:
- We do NOT use advertising or marketing cookies.
- We do NOT use analytics or tracking cookies (no website analytics tools, no advertising pixels, no similar services).
- We do NOT use social media tracking cookies.
- We do NOT use any cookies for profiling or behavioural targeting.
All cookies set by our Platform are strictly necessary for its operation. This means they are essential for you to use core features such as logging in, making a booking, or tracking your vehicle recovery.
3. Cookies We Use
The following table provides a complete list of all cookies set by our Platform. Cookies set by third-party services are described in Section 5:
Cookies set by the Getcovery Platform| Cookie | Purpose | Category | Type | Duration | Security Properties |
|---|
| Sign-in session cookie | Sign-in session cookie. Set automatically when you log in. This cookie keeps you signed in so you do not need to re-enter your credentials on every page. The cookie is refreshed automatically to keep your session active. | Strictly Necessary | First-Party | Up to 400 days, renewed while you stay signed in; removed when you sign out | Sent only over encrypted (HTTPS) connections; restricted on requests from other websites |
| Sign-in check cookie | Sign-in check cookie. Set when you sign in with Google, reset your password or change your email address. This cookie holds a one-time check code that proves the step was started in this browser. It is removed as soon as that step finishes. | Strictly Necessary | First-Party | Removed when the sign-in, password reset or email change finishes, or when you sign out; if neither happens, up to 400 days | Readable by scripts on the page, because our sign-in service reads it in your browser; sent only over encrypted (HTTPS) connections; restricted on requests from other websites |
| Booking tracking cookie | Booking tracking access cookie. Set after you complete payment for a booking. This cookie allows you to access the real-time tracking page for your vehicle recovery or transport job. Without this cookie, you would not be able to view your driver's location or booking status after payment. | Strictly Necessary | First-Party | 24 hours | Never readable by scripts on the page; sent only over encrypted (HTTPS) connections; never sent with requests from other websites |
| Payment checkout cookie | Payment checkout cookie. Set when you start a card payment for a booking. This cookie keeps an open card payment tied to the browser that started it, so nobody else can take it over. It contains only a random code. | Strictly Necessary | First-Party | 24 hours | Never readable by scripts on the page; sent only over encrypted (HTTPS) connections; restricted on requests from other websites |
| Payment proof cookie | Payment proof cookie. Set when you start a card payment for a booking. This cookie carries a signed code that proves the payment was started in your browser, so we can open your booking tracking page once you have paid. It contains only a signed code. | Strictly Necessary | First-Party | 24 hours | Never readable by scripts on the page; sent only over encrypted (HTTPS) connections; never sent with requests from other websites; sent only with requests about that one booking |
| Photo upload cookie | Photo upload cookie. Set when you add photos of your vehicle while preparing a booking. This cookie keeps your temporary photo uploads tied to the browser that started them, so nobody else can view or remove them. It contains only a signed code. | Strictly Necessary | First-Party | 2 hours | Never readable by scripts on the page; sent only over encrypted (HTTPS) connections; restricted on requests from other websites; sent only to the photo upload service |
| Sign-in progress cookie | Sign-in progress cookie. Set when you start signing in or registering. This cookie remembers where to take you once you have signed in, and which account or invitation you are completing. It holds no password and is removed as soon as sign-in finishes. | Strictly Necessary | First-Party | Up to 20 minutes; removed when sign-in finishes | Never readable by scripts on the page; sent only over encrypted (HTTPS) connections; restricted on requests from other websites |
3.1 Cookie Security Explained
We implement the highest security standards for our cookies:
- Not readable by page scripts: The booking tracking, payment checkout, payment proof, photo upload and sign-in progress cookies are never readable by scripts running on the page. This protects them from being stolen by malicious code.
- Encrypted connections only: Cookies are only transmitted over encrypted (HTTPS) connections, never over unencrypted connections.
- Not sent from other websites: The booking tracking and payment proof cookies are never sent with requests that come from other websites. This protects against other websites acting on your behalf without your knowledge.
4. Local Storage (Browser Storage)
In addition to cookies, we use your browser's storage in the cases below. Local storage stays on your device until it expires or is cleared; session storage is removed when you close the browser tab.
Browser storage used by Getcovery| Stored Item | Purpose | Data Stored | Duration | Sensitive Data? |
|---|
| Booking form draft | Saves your incomplete booking form progress so you can resume it if you close the browser or navigate away. This is a convenience feature to prevent you from having to re-enter information. | Booking form field values: selected addresses, vehicle details, service options, timing preferences. Does NOT contain payment data, passwords, or sign-in session data. | 24 hours (auto-cleared), or cleared immediately when you complete or dismiss the booking. | No. Contains only form selections, not financial or sign-in data. |
| Business registration draft | Saves your progress on the business account registration form so you can resume it if you close the browser or navigate away. | Company name, registration number, VAT number, address and phone number; the account holder's name and phone number; and your billing choice. Does NOT contain your password or email address. | 24 hours (auto-cleared), or cleared immediately when your registration is complete. | No. Contains only the business details you typed, not financial or sign-in data. |
| Partner notice choice | Remembers that you closed the notice telling you that you also have a partner admin account, so it does not appear again. | A yes/no marker, labelled with your account's internal identifier. | Until you clear your browser storage. | No. |
| Appearance choice | Remembers whether you chose the light or dark appearance. Saved only when you use the appearance switch. | Your chosen appearance only. | Until you clear your browser storage. | No. |
| Notification device code | Created when you enable browser notifications while signed in. It lets us keep one notification registration for this browser instead of creating a new one each time. | A random code. It is sent to us with your notification registration. | Removed when you sign out. | No. |
| Notification retry timer (session storage) | If setting up your browser notifications fails, this spaces out the next attempts so your browser does not keep retrying. | Your account's internal identifier, the number of failed attempts and the time of the next attempt. | Until you close the browser tab; removed earlier when notifications are set up successfully or you sign out. | No. |
| Photo upload marker (session storage) | Remembers that this browser tab already has an active photo upload session (see the photo upload cookie), so a new one is not started for every photo. | A random session code and the time the photo upload session ends. No photos or personal details. | Until you close the browser tab. | No. |
This browser storage stays on your device and is not sent to our servers, with one exception: the notification device code is sent to us when you enable browser notifications. For logged-in users, booking drafts are additionally saved securely to your account so you can resume on another device; this saved draft is automatically deleted after 7 days.
You can clear this browser storage at any time through your browser settings.
5. Third-Party Cookies
Certain third-party services integrated into our Platform may set their own cookies or store information in your browser when you interact with them. We do not control these cookies or this stored information. The table below describes these third-party services:
Third-party services that may set cookies or store information in your browser| Service | When Active | Cookie Purpose | Category |
|---|
| Payment processor | During the payment process only | Fraud prevention, payment session integrity, and secure checkout. These cookies are essential for processing your payment securely. | Strictly Necessary / Third-Party |
| Map and route service | When you search for an address, choose a location on a map, or view a map, for example in the booking form or on your tracking page | Shows maps and suggests addresses as you type. The provider may set its own cookies while its maps and address search are in use. They are needed for these map and address features. The provider's own privacy policy applies. | Strictly Necessary / Third-Party |
| Bot check service | When you send a delivery link without signing in or send a business enquiry | Checks that the form is being filled in by a person, not an automated program, to protect the service from abuse. The provider may set its own cookies or store information in your browser for this check. It is needed to send these forms. The provider's own privacy policy applies. | Strictly Necessary / Third-Party |
| Browser notification service | Only when you choose to enable browser notifications | Delivers your booking updates and chat messages as browser notifications. It installs a small background script from our website so notifications can arrive when our website is not open, and keeps its notification registration in your browser's storage. It is needed only for browser notifications. The provider's own privacy policy applies. | Strictly Necessary / Third-Party |
We have no access to or control over cookies set by third parties. For more information about how these third-party services use cookies, please contact us using the details in Section 10 (Contact Us).
6. Cookie Consent and Legal Basis
6.1 PECR Regulation 6 — The Cookie Rules
Under Regulation 6 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), storing or accessing information on a user's device (including cookies) requires the user's consent, unless the cookie is "strictly necessary" for the provision of a service explicitly requested by the user.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) confirms in its detailed cookie guidance that strictly necessary cookies are exempt from the consent requirement. The ICO states:
"This exception is a narrow one. To fall within it, the storage of (or access to) information must be essential for the user to be able to use a service they have requested. It would not cover, for example, a cookie used to deliver ads... but would cover a cookie used to ensure that an item is added to a shopping basket."
6.2 Our Position
All cookies set directly by Getcovery fall within the PECR strictly necessary exemption:
- Sign-in session cookie: This cookie is strictly necessary because without it, you cannot maintain a logged-in session. You would be required to sign in again on every page load, making the service unusable. The ICO recognises authentication cookies as strictly necessary.
- Sign-in check cookie: This cookie is strictly necessary because without it, we cannot safely complete a Google sign-in, password reset or email change that you started.
- Booking tracking cookie: This cookie is strictly necessary because without it, you cannot access the booking tracking service you have explicitly requested and paid for. It is the equivalent of a session cookie for the tracking feature.
- Payment checkout cookie: This cookie is strictly necessary because without it, we cannot securely provide the card payment you have requested. It keeps an open payment tied to the browser that started it, so nobody else can take it over.
- Payment proof cookie: This cookie is strictly necessary because without it, we cannot connect the card payment you started to your booking or open your tracking page after you pay.
- Photo upload cookie: This cookie is strictly necessary because without it, we cannot keep the photos you added tied to your browser, so nobody else can view or remove them.
- Sign-in progress cookie: This cookie is strictly necessary because without it, we cannot return you to the page you were using after you sign in or complete an invitation.
Because all our first-party cookies are strictly necessary, we are not required to display a cookie consent banner under PECR.
If we introduce non-essential cookies in the future (for example, analytics or marketing cookies), we will update this policy and implement a compliant consent mechanism before doing so.
6.3 UK GDPR Lawful Basis
Where cookies process personal data (such as the sign-in session cookie that identifies you), the lawful basis under UK GDPR Article 6(1)(b) is that processing is necessary for the performance of a contract — specifically, to provide you with the vehicle recovery or transport service you have requested.
7. How to Manage Cookies
Although our cookies are strictly necessary and the Platform may not function correctly without them, you can manage cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:
- View what cookies are stored on your device.
- Delete individual cookies or all cookies.
- Block cookies from specific websites.
- Block all cookies (note: this will prevent you from logging in to Getcovery).
- Clear cookies when you close your browser.
Instructions for managing cookies in common browsers:
Browser cookie management instructions| Browser | Instructions |
|---|
| Google Chrome | Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data |
| Mozilla Firefox | Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data |
| Safari (macOS/iOS) | Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data |
| Microsoft Edge | Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies |
Important:
If you block or delete our strictly necessary cookies, you will not be able to log in to your account or track your bookings. The booking and tracking features require these cookies to function.
8. Do Not Track (DNT) Signals
Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" (DNT) setting that sends a signal to websites you visit indicating that you do not wish to be tracked. Because we do not use any tracking, analytics, or advertising cookies, the DNT signal has no effect on our cookie behaviour — we already do not track you.
9. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time, particularly if we introduce new cookies or change how existing cookies are used. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy.
If we ever introduce non-essential cookies, we will provide you with clear notice and obtain your consent before setting those cookies, in accordance with PECR and UK GDPR requirements.
