Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

CoolCompair is operated by Shiftline AI Ltd ("we", "us", "our"). We publish editorial buying guides and a price-comparison catalogue for air conditioners and fans at https://coolcompair.com. We act as the controller for personal data described in this policy. Questions about privacy can be sent to hello@coolcompair.com.

2. What we collect

We only collect what we need to run the site responsibly:

2.1 Information you give us

• Email address — if you sign up to our editorial newsletter or set a price-drop alert, we store the email address with the locale you used at signup.
• Account details — if you sign in with our supported identity provider, we receive your display name and a hashed identifier; we do not see your password.
• Free-text descriptions — if you use the AI buyer or the rules-based advice tool, the description you type is processed to return a recommendation and is not retained beyond that session.

2.2 Information we collect automatically

• Approximate country — derived from your IP address (we look at the country only) and used to route you to the right regional version of the site. The IP itself is not stored.
• Click events — when you click a "See at retailer" button, we log that the click happened and which offer it was for, so we can show you fresh pricing and report aggregate click volume to affiliate networks. We do not store identifying information against these clicks.
• Locale preference — stored in a small first-party cookie / browser localStorage entry so the site remembers which country/currency you chose.

3. Why we process it (lawful bases)

• Consent — newsletter sign-ups and price-drop alerts are stored only after you opt in, and you can withdraw consent at any time by unsubscribing.
• Legitimate interests — running the site, preventing abuse, measuring aggregate traffic, attributing affiliate-tracked clicks for commission.
• Contractual necessity — operating any features you have signed in to use.

4. Affiliate tracking and third parties

Many product links on CoolCompair are affiliate-tracked. When you click one, you are redirected via our endpoint at /api/aff/<offer-id> , which appends a tracking parameter (e.g. ?tag=... for Amazon programmes, or UTM-style parameters for other networks) and forwards you to the retailer. The retailer or affiliate network then sets its own cookies. Networks we work with include Amazon Associates, Awin, Impact, Commission Factory, TradeDoubler and ArabyAds. Each operates under its own privacy policy.

We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

5. Cookies and similar technologies

We use a small number of first-party cookies and localStorage entries to remember your locale and (if you sign in) your session. Affiliate cookies set after you click a retailer link are dropped by that retailer or its network, not by us, and are subject to their policies. If we add an analytics tool (e.g. Google Analytics 4 or Plausible), you will see a consent banner first and analytics cookies will not be set until you accept.

6. How long we keep data

• Newsletter subscribers — until you unsubscribe.
• Price-drop alerts — until the alert fires or you cancel it.
• Click logs — aggregated to monthly counts after 90 days.
• Session cookies — cleared when you log out or your browser deletes them.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, port or object to processing of your personal data:

• UK / EU (UK-GDPR / GDPR) — rights under Articles 15–22, plus the right to lodge a complaint with the UK ICO or your national supervisory authority.
• California (CCPA/CPRA) — right to know, delete, correct, opt out of sale (we do not sell), and to non-discrimination.
• South Africa (POPIA) — rights under sections 23–25, including access and correction, and the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

Send any request to hello@coolcompair.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. International transfers

We operate from England & Wales. Some of our processors (e.g. email delivery, hosting) are based outside your country. Where we transfer personal data internationally, we rely on adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses (or POPIA's binding corporate rules / consent equivalents).

9. Security

Personal data is stored in encrypted databases and transmitted over HTTPS. We limit access to authorised staff and review our security controls regularly. No system is completely secure, so we ask you to choose a strong password and notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.

10. Children

CoolCompair is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under that age.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of the page tells you when it was last changed. Material changes will be announced on the site.

12. Contact

Shiftline AI Ltd
Email: hello@coolcompair.com
Governing law: England & Wales