Terms of Service

These terms apply to all services provided by RTBF.uk. By instructing us, you agree to them. If you would like to discuss anything in them before proceeding, please do — we would rather answer a question now than resolve a disagreement later.

1. Who we are

RTBF.uk is a Right to Be Forgotten consultancy operating in the United Kingdom, trading as RTBF.uk. Our registered details are set out in our Privacy Policy. References to "we", "us" and "our" mean RTBF.uk; references to "you" mean the client.

• Registered entity: RTBF UK
• Contact: hello@rtbf.uk

2. What we do — and what we do not do

We provide consultancy and submission services in relation to the Right to Be Forgotten under Article 17 UK GDPR. That means we assess eligibility, prepare submissions, submit requests to search engines on your behalf, monitor responses, and advise on appeals to the Information Commissioner's Office.

We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. Nothing we do creates a solicitor–client relationship or constitutes legal representation. Where a matter requires legal advice — for example, a defamation claim, a judicial review, or an application to the High Court — we will tell you and recommend that you instruct a solicitor.

We do not assist with active criminal proceedings, with concealing current public-interest information, or with the removal of content from the website on which it is published. We cannot compel a publisher to remove anything.

3. No guarantee of outcome

The decision whether to delist rests entirely with the search engine. Its assessment involves a discretionary balancing exercise between your privacy rights and the public interest, and reasonable decision-makers can reach different conclusions on the same facts.

We will give you an honest view of the prospects at the assessment stage, and we will decline to act where we think a request is unlikely to succeed. But we cannot and do not guarantee that any request will be granted, and a refusal does not mean our work was not properly performed.

4. Your responsibilities

• Provide accurate, complete and current information, including all name variants that appear in search results
• Provide identity verification documents promptly when a search engine requires them
• Tell us if you have already submitted a request in respect of the same URLs
• Respond to our requests for information within reasonable time
• Do not ask us to submit information you know to be false or misleading

If you provide false or misleading information, we may terminate the engagement and retain fees for work already done.

5. Fees and payment

Our fees are agreed in writing before any chargeable work begins. As a guide:

• Initial assessment: £95
• Submission of a Right to Be Forgotten request: a fixed fee depending on the complexity of the case. Fees start from £295 and will be agreed with the client in advance, in writing
• Appeal or ICO complaint: a separate fixed fee, quoted and agreed with the client in advance

Fees are payable in advance unless we agree otherwise in writing. Fees are quoted exclusive of VAT; VAT is added where applicable. We will not begin chargeable work until payment has cleared, unless agreed otherwise.

We do not work on a contingency or "no win, no fee" basis, because the outcome is outside of our control.

6. Your right to cancel (consumers)

If you are a consumer, you have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days of entering into it, without giving a reason, under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

To cancel, email hello@rtbf.uk with a clear statement that you wish to cancel. You may use the model cancellation form if you prefer, but you do not have to.

Because our service begins as soon as you instruct us, we ask you to acknowledge at the point of instruction that you want us to start immediately. If you then cancel within the 14-day period, you will be charged for the proportion of the service already supplied and refunded the balance. Once the service has been fully performed — for example, once a request has been submitted — the right to cancel is lost. You acknoledge this if instructing us to begin work immediately via email, telephone or WhatsApp.

7. Refunds

If we have not begun chargeable work, we will refund your fee in full. If we have begun work, we will refund the proportion not yet performed. Fees for work already carried out — including case preparation and submission — are not refundable, except where we have failed to provide the service with reasonable care and skill.

Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights, including your right under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 that services be performed with reasonable care and skill.

8. What delisting means

You should understand before instructing us that a successful request results in delisting, not deletion. The specific URL will no longer appear in name-based search results within the UK and EU. The underlying page remains online and accessible by other means.

Delisting does not affect searches conducted from outside the UK and EU, direct access to the URL, or new URLs published after the request. We explain this in more detail on our service page.

9. Third-party decisions and delays

Search engines and the ICO are independent of us. We are not responsible for their decisions, their response times, or their internal processes. Statutory response periods may be extended where a request is complex, and search engines may seek further information from you or from us.

10. Confidentiality and data protection

We treat all client information as confidential and handle personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which explains what we collect, why, how long we keep it, and your rights. Information about criminal convictions is treated as special category data and access is restricted accordingly.

You agree that we may share information with search engines and the ICO where necessary to perform the service you have instructed us to provide.

11. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

Subject to that:

• We are not liable for loss arising from a search engine's decision, including a refusal to delist;
• We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of opportunity, or loss of reputation;
• Our total liability in connection with any engagement is limited to the fees you have paid us for that engagement.

12. Intellectual property

The content of this website, and the written submissions and materials we prepare, remain our intellectual property or are used with permission. You may use the submissions we prepare for you for the purpose for which they were prepared. You may not reproduce our website content commercially without our written permission.

13. Termination

Either party may end the engagement on written notice. If you end it, you remain liable for fees for work carried out up to that point. We may end the engagement immediately if you provide false or misleading information, if continuing would require us to act improperly, or if a conflict of interest arises. In that event we will refund any fees for work not carried out.

14. Complaints

If you are unhappy with our service, please tell us at hello@rtbf.uk. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days and aim to resolve it within four weeks. We will explain what we have done and, where appropriate, what we will do to put things right.

15. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute, save that if you are a consumer resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland you may also bring proceedings in your local courts.

16. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The version in force is the one published on this page at the date you instruct us. Material changes will be highlighted here.