Which? Connect terms and conditions

Which? Connect is a consumer research access panel owned and operated by Which?.

As a member of the panel, you will have the opportunity to participate in consumer research activities such as online surveys, one-to-one interview sessions, focus groups, workshops and online discussion forums.

Joining this panel is voluntary and you only have to respond to opportunities you want to.

The terms and conditions listed below apply to anyone using Which? Connect so please read them carefully. You should only use Which? Connect if you agree to them.

If you have any questions, then please email us at connecthelpdesk@which.co.uk and we'll be happy to help you.

Your personal data: We take the security of your personal data seriously and we will always act reasonably and in accordance with our privacy policy and cookies. Please take the time to read these policies.

1. How does it work?

1.1 Registration

When registering, you will be asked to provide some personal details to help us contact you only about the surveys which are likely to apply to you. Once you submit this information, you will receive an email message to the contact email address you provided.

The email message will give you an option to either confirm your email to join the panel or, if you changed your mind about being a panel member, request that all the information you provided is forgotten and your email is deleted from our records.

1.2 Eligibility

In order to initially join Which? Connect, you have to be:

• over 18 years of age;
• currently residing in the UK; and
• a current Which? member (this includes individuals who are members on a trial basis).

1.3 Finding out about surveys

There are several ways in which you will be informed about available surveys and other opportunities to contribute to our research:

• through a monthly email newsletter that we will send to your email address.
• we may email you direct if, on the basis of what you told us about yourself, we believe a particular survey may be suitable specifically for you. You may unsubscribe from receiving such email alerts for particular projects at any time.

2. What you should do for us

By joining Which? Connect, you agree that you will not use Which? Connect in any way that is:

• illegal or unlawful, or likely to encourage illegal or unlawful behaviour;
• likely to damage the reputation of Which?; or
• likely to be a nuisance, harmful or deceptive to any other person.

You must ensure that any information and/or content you provide in the course of participating in our research is:

• factually accurate and/or your genuinely held belief or opinion that is based on facts;
• not defamatory, obscene or offensive;
• not infringing on the copyright, trademarks or any other intellectual property rights of another person; and
• not promoting your own or your employer's business, seeking to recruit new staff, or otherwise inclusive of any advertising or promotional material.

You also agree/confirm that you:

• will not discuss, disclose or reveal any details relating to research you participated in as a member or contributor of Which? Connect given the sensitivities of the research which may be part of an undercover investigation;
• will not try to access any confidential information (including usernames and passwords) of any other person, or try to collect, store or otherwise use any personal data of other Which? Connect members or contributors;
• are over 18 years of age;
• will not do anything to damage or disrupt our websites;
• will not use, or encourage others to use, our website, or the details relating to research you participate in, for their or your commercial gain; and
• will not use our websites in a way that may cause a nuisance to others.

Please tell us as soon as possible if you think someone is misusing Which? Connect or if you think someone else is using your login details by emailing us at connecthelpdesk@which.co.uk.

3. Termination

You can close your account at any time by emailing us at connecthelpdesk@which.co.uk.

If at any time you do not participate in any surveys for a continuous six month period we will contact you to check whether you would like us to remove you from the panel.

We reserve the right to close your account at any time and immediately, if you are in breach of these terms and conditions.

We also reserve the right to terminate the operation of Which? Connect at any time without reason.

4. Other important things you need to know

Please ensure any content you print, copy or download from our website is for your personal use only. You must not use or encourage others to use our website (or its contents) for their or your commercial gain or in a way that could damage the reputation of Which?.

Occasionally, companies whose products or brand have been the topic of a survey ask to see the relevant data. This is only shared with them at an aggregate level and, if they ask for further information, we may provide quotes from our Connect members. We will not however, attach any personal data to the quotes that may be shared with them from time to time.

The information we send you may include links to other websites operated by third parties. We do not endorse these third parties and we do not have any control over the nature or accuracy of content on these websites or the way in which they will use the data you provide to them.

Which? reserves the right to vary these terms at any time.

5. What happens if you don't comply with these terms?

We will treat any non-compliance as a serious issue, and if we think you have breached any of these terms, we may take any action that we consider appropriate. This may include:

• temporary or permanent suspension of your access to Which? Connect; or
• taking legal action against you, possibly to recover any financial loss that we have suffered as a result of your actions.

6. About Us

Which? Connect is operated by Which? Limited, a subsidiary company of the Consumers' Association. Both companies are part of the Which? Group. The Which? Group is also known simply as Which?. We are required to provide you with the following information about our companies:

The Consumers' Association is a registered charity under number 296072.