Who we are
Smile Technologies, P.O. Box 32004, Blantyre, Malawi, is responsible for the personal information described in this policy. If you have any questions, you can reach us on +265 884 451 260 or +265 992 296 550, or by email at smiletemechome@gmail.com.
Information we collect
We only collect what we need to repair your device, sell you something, and keep a record of it.
- Your contact details — your name, phone number, and where you give them, your email address and physical or postal address. For business customers we may also hold the names and numbers of individual contacts at your organisation.
- Device details — the type, make, model and serial number of any device you leave with us, the fault you report, and the condition it arrived in.
- Repair records — our diagnosis, the work carried out, parts used, quotes and approvals, status history, and photographs of your device taken at drop-off and during the repair.
- Messages you send us — the content of enquiries you submit through this website, including any attachments, and our replies.
- Feedback — the star rating and any comment you leave after a completed repair.
- Basic website data — a random identifier stored in your browser so we can count visits to our shop pages without identifying you, and limit abuse of our public forms. We do not use advertising trackers.
How we use it
- To diagnose, quote for, carry out and test repairs.
- To contact you about your device — to confirm a quote, ask a question, or tell you it is ready for collection.
- To sell and supply parts and hardware, and to handle warranty claims.
- To keep an accurate history of work we have done, so that repeat faults and warranty questions can be answered properly.
- To respond to enquiries you send us.
- To understand which items in our online shop people are interested in, so we stock better.
- To keep our systems secure and to investigate misuse.
Photographs of your device
We photograph devices at drop-off and during repair. This protects both of us: it records the condition your device arrived in and documents the work done. These photos are stored against your job in our system and are visible to our staff. We do not publish them or use them for marketing without asking you first.
Tracking your repair
When you leave a device with us we give you a job code and a private tracking link. Anyone holding that link can see the status of that job — its current stage, the device, and when it is ready. The link is deliberately hard to guess and is not listed on our website or indexed by search engines, but please treat it as private and only share it with people you want to see your repair.
Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only where necessary:
- Our staff — technicians and front-desk team members who need it to do their work. Access is limited by role, and significant actions are recorded in an internal audit log.
- Our service providers — the companies that host our systems and deliver our notifications. They process data on our instructions only.
- Suppliers — where a repair needs a part ordered in, we share only what is needed to source the correct part (such as a model number). We do not share your contact details unless you ask us to.
- Where the law requires it — if we are legally obliged to disclose information.
Where your information is stored
Our systems are hosted by third-party cloud providers whose servers may be located outside Malawi. We use providers that apply recognised security practices, and access is restricted to our staff with their own accounts.
How long we keep it
We keep repair and sales records for as long as we need them to support warranty claims, answer questions about past work, and meet our business and tax obligations. Enquiries that do not lead to a job are kept for a shorter period. If you would like your records removed, contact us and we will do so where we are not required to keep them.
Keeping it safe
Access to our system requires an individual account, and staff only see what their role allows. Sensitive accounts can be protected with two-factor authentication, sessions time out when idle, and administrative actions are logged. No system is perfectly secure, but we take these measures seriously.
Your data on the device itself
Please back up your data before leaving a device with us. We will take reasonable care, but repairs sometimes require reinstalling software or replacing storage, and we cannot guarantee that data on a faulty device can be preserved. If we need to access files to test a repair, we access only what is necessary and do not copy your personal files.
Your choices
- You can ask us what information we hold about you, and ask for a copy.
- You can ask us to correct anything that is wrong.
- You can ask us to delete your information where we are not required to keep it.
- You can ask us to stop contacting you for anything other than an active job.
To make any of these requests, contact us and we will respond as quickly as we reasonably can.
Your browser
This website stores a small amount of information in your browser — a random visit identifier, and anything you save yourself such as shop items you mark as favourites. You can clear this at any time through your browser settings. Doing so will not affect any repair you have with us.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle your information we will update this page and change the date at the top.