Privacy policy

Last updated: 29 September 2026

This privacy policy explains how PipeStation collects, uses, stores and shares personal information when you visit pipestation.net, create an account, place an order, contact us, subscribe to marketing or otherwise interact with our business.

We aim to use personal information fairly, lawfully and transparently. This policy also explains your rights and how to contact us about your information.

Who We Are

PipeStation is an online retailer of MAPP Gas, Map-Plus Gas cylinders, blow torches, plumbing torch kits and related supplies.

For UK data-protection purposes, PipeStation is the controller of the personal information described in this policy. This means we decide why and how that information is used, except where another organisation acts as an independent controller for its own purposes.

Contact address:
PipeStation
Unit 10, Shepley Industrial Estate South
Audenshaw
Manchester
M34 5DW
United Kingdom

Email: enquiries@pipestation.net
Telephone: 0161 371 8765

Privacy at a Glance

  • We collect information needed to operate our website, process orders, deliver products and provide customer service.
  • We may also use information to prevent fraud, keep the website secure, improve our services and send marketing where permitted.
  • We share information only where necessary, including with our ecommerce platform, payment providers, delivery companies, technology suppliers and professional advisers.
  • We do not sell personal information for money.
  • We keep information only for as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, accounting and dispute-resolution requirements.
  • You may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, transfer or object to the use of your information.
  • You can unsubscribe from marketing at any time.

Personal Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with PipeStation.

Identity and Contact Information

This may include:

  • Your name
  • Billing and delivery addresses
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Company name, where provided
  • Account username or identifier
  • Delivery instructions and contact details for an authorised recipient

Order and Transaction Information

This may include:

  • Products ordered
  • Order value and discounts
  • Order, invoice and transaction numbers
  • Payment status and limited payment information
  • Delivery method, tracking and fulfilment status
  • Returns, exchanges, refunds and complaints
  • Previous purchases and account order history

Payments are processed by payment-service providers. PipeStation does not generally receive or store the complete payment-card number used at checkout, although we may receive limited information such as payment status, card type, expiry information, billing details or a transaction reference.

Account Information

If you create an online account, we may collect:

  • Login credentials in protected form
  • Saved addresses
  • Order history
  • Account preferences
  • Records of account activity

You are responsible for keeping your login details confidential and for telling us if you believe your account has been accessed without permission.

Communications and Customer-Service Information

This may include:

  • Emails, telephone notes and messages you send us
  • Questions about products or compatibility
  • Order and delivery enquiries
  • Returns and refund requests
  • Photographs or videos supplied to show a damaged, faulty or incorrect item
  • Feedback, survey responses or reviews submitted directly to us

Please do not send information that is not relevant to your enquiry. If photographs or videos are required, avoid including people, documents or other personal information unless necessary.

Marketing Information

This may include:

  • Whether you have subscribed to promotional emails
  • Your marketing preferences
  • Records of consent, unsubscribe requests or objections
  • How you interact with marketing messages, where the technology and your settings allow this

Website, Device and Usage Information

When you browse the website, we and our technology providers may collect:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type and operating system
  • Approximate location derived from an IP address
  • Pages viewed and links selected
  • Referring website or campaign
  • Date, time and duration of visits
  • Cookie identifiers and similar technologies
  • Website errors, security events and diagnostic data
  • Shopping-basket and checkout activity

See the section on cookies and similar technologies for more information.

Fraud-Prevention and Security Information

We may receive or create information used to identify suspicious transactions, protect accounts, verify payments and keep our website and business secure. This may include device signals, IP address, transaction patterns, risk scores and the outcome of security or payment checks.

Information from Other Sources

We usually collect information directly from you, but we may also receive it from:

  • Shopify, which provides our ecommerce platform
  • Payment and fraud-prevention providers
  • Delivery companies and fulfilment partners
  • Marketing, analytics and website-service providers
  • Review or feedback platforms, where you choose to interact with them
  • Public sources, where lawful and relevant
  • Another person who places an order for delivery to you

If someone gives us another person’s details—for example, when sending an order to a different recipient—they should ensure they are entitled to provide that information.

Orders and Delivery

We use your information to accept and process orders, confirm payment, pick and pack products, arrange delivery, provide updates and manage returns or refunds.

We provide the information reasonably required by the selected carrier, which may include your name, delivery address, telephone number, email address, parcel details and delivery instructions. Carriers may use contact details to provide tracking, delivery estimates or resolve delivery problems.

Some products, including pressurised gas cylinders, may require specialist delivery arrangements. Information may be shared with an authorised carrier to meet transport, safety and delivery requirements.

Accounts

Creating an account may make checkout and order tracking more convenient. We use account information to authenticate you, store permitted preferences and display relevant order history.

You may ask us to close your account. Closing an account does not necessarily mean that all related information can be deleted immediately. We may need to retain order, transaction, tax, fraud-prevention or dispute records for legal and legitimate business reasons.

Customer Service, Returns and Complaints

When you contact us, we use the information provided to investigate and respond. We may link the communication to the relevant order or account so we can understand the issue.

For a faulty, damaged or incorrect item, we may ask for photographs, video or other reasonable evidence. We use this information to assess the issue, arrange a remedy, work with the carrier or supplier, prevent repeat problems and maintain appropriate records.

Marketing Communications

We may send promotional emails if:

  • You have asked to receive them; or
  • The law allows us to contact an existing customer about our own similar products and we offered a clear opportunity to opt out when collecting the details and in every subsequent message.

You can stop marketing emails at any time by:

An unsubscribe request will stop marketing communications, but we may still send service messages needed to fulfil an order, respond to an enquiry or manage an account.

We may keep a minimal suppression record after you unsubscribe so that we can respect your preference and avoid adding you back to the marketing list inadvertently.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small files or technologies stored on or accessed through your device. They can be used to operate the website, remember settings, understand usage, secure checkout and measure marketing.

We may use the following categories:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These support essential functions such as page navigation, basket operation, checkout, account login, security and fraud prevention. The website may not work correctly without them.

Functional Cookies

These remember choices or provide enhanced website features.

Analytics Cookies

These help us understand how visitors use the site, identify errors and improve performance.

Advertising and Marketing Cookies

These may measure advertising, limit repetition or help present more relevant marketing on this or other websites.

Where consent is legally required, non-essential cookies will not be used until you make a choice through our cookie controls. You can change available preferences at any time through the site’s cookie settings. You can also manage cookies through your browser, although blocking essential cookies may affect website operation.

More detailed information—including cookie names, providers, purposes and durations—should be available through the cookie banner or a separate Cookie Policy.

Shopify

Our online store is hosted on Shopify. Shopify provides the ecommerce platform that allows us to display products, operate checkout, process orders and manage the online store.

Personal information may be processed through Shopify’s systems when you browse the site, create an account, use checkout or place an order. Depending on the Shopify services used, Shopify may act as our processor, as an independent controller or in another legally defined role for particular processing activities.

Shopify may process information in countries outside the UK. The section on international transfers explains the safeguards that must apply when personal information is transferred internationally.

You can read Shopify’s consumer privacy information on Shopify’s website.

Payment Providers

Payments are handled by authorised payment-service providers made available at checkout. The available methods may change over time.

Payment providers receive the information required to process the transaction, authenticate payment, prevent fraud and handle refunds or disputes. They may process personal information as independent controllers under their own privacy notices.

PipeStation does not generally receive the complete card information entered into a hosted or secured payment form.

Who We Share Personal Information With

We may share personal information with the following categories where necessary:

  • Ecommerce and website providers, including Shopify
  • Payment processors and financial institutions
  • Delivery, courier and fulfilment providers
  • Fraud-prevention, identity and security providers
  • Website hosting, technical support and IT providers
  • Analytics, cookie-consent and performance providers
  • Email, newsletter and customer-communication providers
  • Review and feedback services, where applicable
  • Product suppliers or manufacturers, where needed to resolve a fault, safety concern or technical issue
  • Professional advisers, including accountants, insurers, solicitors and auditors
  • Government bodies, regulators, courts, law-enforcement agencies or tax authorities, where required or permitted by law
  • A purchaser, investor or successor organisation in connection with a proposed or completed sale, restructuring or transfer of all or part of the business, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards

We require service providers acting on our behalf to use information only for authorised purposes and to protect it appropriately.

We do not sell personal information for money. Some advertising or analytics activities may be described as “selling”, “sharing” or “targeted advertising” under laws outside the UK. Where such laws apply, relevant controls or rights will be provided as required.

International Transfers

Some service providers—including ecommerce, payment, analytics, marketing and technology companies—may process or make personal information accessible outside the UK.

Where UK data-protection law treats this as a restricted international transfer, we will use a lawful transfer mechanism. Depending on the destination and provider, this may include:

  • UK adequacy regulations;
  • The UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
  • The UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses; or
  • Another safeguard or exception permitted by data-protection law.

We also consider whether supplementary technical, contractual or organisational protections are appropriate.

You may contact us for further information about the safeguards used for relevant transfers. Certain commercial or security-sensitive details may be redacted where legally permitted.

How Long We Keep Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, tax, accounting, security and dispute-resolution requirements.

The retention period depends on the type of information and why it is used. Our general approach is:

  • Order, invoice and transaction records: retained for the period needed to fulfil the order and meet applicable tax, accounting and legal requirements.
  • Account information: retained while the account remains active and for a reasonable period afterwards, subject to records we must keep separately.
  • Customer-service and complaint records: retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and manage related claims, trends or legal obligations.
  • Returns, refunds and safety records: retained for appropriate operational, accounting, product-safety and dispute-resolution periods.
  • Marketing records: retained while you remain subscribed or while marketing is lawfully permitted, with suppression information kept as necessary to honour opt-out requests.
  • Cookie and analytics information: retained for the periods shown in the cookie controls or Cookie Policy.
  • Security and fraud-prevention records: retained for a period proportionate to the risk and the need to protect transactions, accounts and the website.

When information is no longer required, we delete or anonymise it unless continued retention is required or permitted by law.

How We Protect Personal Information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information from accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These measures may include access controls, account permissions, secure connections, supplier due diligence, system monitoring, staff procedures and backups.

No website, network or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. If you believe your PipeStation account or personal information has been compromised, contact us promptly.

Your Data-Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the following rights:

Right of Access

You can ask whether we process your personal information and request a copy, together with other information about how it is used.

Right to Rectification

You can ask us to correct inaccurate information or complete information that is incomplete.

Right to Erasure

You can ask us to delete personal information in certain circumstances. This right is not absolute—for example, we may need to retain transaction information to comply with the law or establish legal claims.

Right to Restrict Processing

You can ask us to limit how we use information in certain circumstances.

Right to Object

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests in certain circumstances. You have an absolute right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.

Right to Data Portability

Where the legal conditions apply, you can ask to receive information you provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format or request that it be sent to another organisation.

Right to Withdraw Consent

Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

Rights Relating to Automated Decisions

You may have rights where a decision producing legal or similarly significant effects is made solely by automated means.

PipeStation does not intend to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about customers. Payment and fraud-prevention providers may use automated checks under their own processes. Contact us if a transaction is declined or you believe a significant decision has been made solely by automated means.

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise a data-protection right, email enquiries@pipestation.net or write to the address in the “Who We Are” section.

Please explain what you are requesting and provide enough information for us to locate the relevant records. We may ask for reasonable proof of identity to protect your information from unauthorised disclosure.

We normally respond within one month, although the law permits an extension for particularly complex or numerous requests. We will tell you if an extension is needed.

Data-protection requests are usually free of charge. We may charge a reasonable fee or refuse a request where the law permits—for example, if a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

Complaining to the ICO

If you are concerned about how we use personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: ico.org.uk

You can complain to the ICO at any time, but raising the issue with us first may allow it to be resolved more quickly.

Children’s Information

The PipeStation website and products are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children for marketing or account purposes.

If you believe a child has provided personal information to us without appropriate authority, contact enquiries@pipestation.net so we can investigate and take appropriate action.

Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites, social platforms, payment providers or services. Those organisations control their own privacy practices, and their policies apply when you use their sites or services.

We encourage you to read the relevant privacy information before providing personal information to another organisation.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy when our services, suppliers, technology or legal obligations change.

The latest version will be published on this page with a revised “last updated” date. If a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to the attention of affected individuals where required.

Contact Us About Privacy

For privacy questions or requests, contact:

PipeStation
Unit 10, Shepley Industrial Estate South
Audenshaw
Manchester
M34 5DW
United Kingdom

Email: enquiries@pipestation.net
Telephone: 0161 371 8765