Privacy Policy

(with German legal references)

This Privacy Policy informs you about the processing of personal data when using our website and when interacting with us as an insurance broker.

1. Controller

Bechstein Versicherungsmakler GmbH & Co. KG
Eichendorffstr. 12
65187 Wiesbaden
Germany

Phone: +49 611 945892402
E-mail: jb@vmwi.de

Represented by the general partner:
VMWi GmbH, represented by Managing Director Jürgen Bechstein.

Type of activity: Insurance broker authorised under Section 34d (1) German Trade Regulation Act (§ 34d Abs. 1 Gewerbeordnung – GewO, German law)
Registration number in the German Insurance Intermediary Register: D-739V-2YNDS-19
Supervisory authority: IHK Wiesbaden, Wilhelmstr. 24–26, 65183 Wiesbaden, Germany

2. Data Protection Officer

No Data Protection Officer has been appointed because there is no legal requirement under the General Data Protection Regulation (Datenschutz-Grundverordnung – DSGVO / GDPR).

3. Hosting and Server Log Files

Our website is hosted in Germany by:

• ALL-INKL.COM – Neue Medien Münnich
• Hetzner Online GmbH

Data processing agreements are in place in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR (Auftragsverarbeitung nach Art. 28 DSGVO).

Server log data processed automatically includes:

• IP address
• Date and time of access
• Requested page or file
• Referrer URL
• Browser type and operating system

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (berechtigtes Interesse, German law). Log files are deleted regularly unless required for evidence.

4. Cookies

We use only technically necessary cookies. No analytics, marketing or tracking cookies are used.

Legal basis:
Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (berechtigtes Interesse) and, where required, Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (Vertrag / contract performance).

5. Contact (Email, Phone, Contact Form)

When you contact us, we process the personal data you provide to respond to your request.

Legal basis:
Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (Vertragsanbahnung / contract initiation)
Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (berechtigtes Interesse)

5.1 Contact forms with Fluent Forms

We use the WordPress plugin Fluent Forms for contact and enquiry forms on this website. The plugin runs on our own web server (see Section 3). The data you enter is stored in the database of our website and forwarded to us by e-mail. It is not transmitted to the provider of the plugin.

Only the fields shown on the respective form are processed (usually name, contact details and your message), together with the time of submission. Data is transmitted via TLS encryption where your browser supports it. Some forms contain a checkbox to confirm that you have read this Privacy Policy or to give your consent, which must be ticked before submission.

We delete entries once they are no longer needed to handle your request. Statutory retention periods (see Section 12) remain unaffected.

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (Vertragsanbahnung / contract initiation) or Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (berechtigtes Interesse in user-friendly contact options); where you tick a consent checkbox, Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.

 

6. Processing of Customer Data (Insurance Brokerage)

We process customer and prospect data necessary for insurance brokerage, including:

• Contact details
• Personal identification and address information
• Financial and occupational details
• Insurance contract and claims data
• Health data (only when required)

Purposes:

• Advisory services and insurance brokerage
• Execution of pre-contractual measures
• Legal documentation and compliance duties (German law)
• Claims support
• Obtaining information and documents from insurers, including for taking over contract administration (Bestandsübertragung)

Legal bases:
Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (Vertrag / contract)
Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR (gesetzliche Pflichten / legal obligations)
Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (berechtigtes Interesse)
Art. 9(2)(a), (g), (h) GDPR (besondere Kategorien personenbezogener Daten, health data)

7. Comparison Tools, Broker Pools and External Software

We use various professional platforms:

• simplr / blau direkt
• Softfair
• Mr-Money
• VEMA
• Other industry-standard tools
• Embedded calculators from up to ~80 insurers

Data entered into calculators or online applications is transmitted directly to the respective provider or insurer.

Providers may act as:
– Data processors (Auftragsverarbeiter, Art. 28 DSGVO)
– Independent controllers (eigene Verantwortliche, German law)

Processing agreements (AV-Verträge) exist where required.

8. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We use AI-based services to make our work more efficient and our information clearer. Because providers and features develop quickly, we describe here the areas of use and the safeguards we apply. An up-to-date overview of the services in use is available on request.

8.1 Website content

For this website we use AI-based services (for example text, research and image assistants), in particular for:

• Layout and structural support for website content
• Language editing and text corrections
• Translations
• Creation or editing of images (AI-generated image content)

For this purpose we use general or anonymised content, as a rule no personal data.

8.2 Insurance brokerage activities

In the course of our brokerage activities we may use AI-based services to process documents and cases efficiently, for example to read, organise and summarise policies, applications and correspondence, to support research, comparisons and drafts, and to handle cases. This may involve master data, contract data and claims data.

Special categories of personal data (in particular health data) are entered into AI-based services only where a valid legal basis exists, in particular your consent.

We only use services whose providers have concluded a data processing agreement with us under Art. 28 GDPR (Auftragsverarbeitung), and we take care that your data is not used to train the providers’ AI models. We review the results ourselves before use. We do not make decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR.

Legal bases: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (performance of the brokerage contract or pre-contractual measures) and Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (berechtigtes Interesse in efficient, high-quality processing); for special categories of data Art. 9(2)(a) GDPR (consent).

8.3 Third countries

Some providers are located outside the EU (in particular in the USA). Data is transferred to third countries (Drittländer) only on the basis of an adequacy decision (Art. 45 GDPR) or appropriate safeguards pursuant to Art. 46 GDPR (e.g. EU Standard Contractual Clauses / Standardvertragsklauseln). We keep the amount of data to a minimum and, where possible, do not transmit directly identifying data.

Other or additional AI services may be used in the future. If changes are material, this Privacy Policy will be updated.

9. External Links

External websites (e.g. insurers, platforms) are governed by their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for external providers.

10. No Social Media Plugins – No Newsletter

We do not use social media plugins and we do not operate newsletters.

11. Recipients of Personal Data

Possible recipients include:

• Insurance companies
• Broker pools and comparison platforms
• Providers of AI-based services (see Section 8), where data is transmitted to them
• IT and hosting providers
• Legal and tax advisors (German law)
• Government authorities

12. Storage Periods and Legal Retention (German law)

Data is stored only as long as necessary or as required by German legal retention rules.

• 6 years – commercial correspondence (Section 257 HGB – Handelsgesetzbuch; Section 147 AO – Abgabenordnung)
• 10 years – tax-relevant records (HGB / AO)
• Up to 10 years or exceptionally 30 years for claims-related data (German civil law)

After expiry, data is deleted or anonymised.

13. Obligation to Provide Data

Certain data must be provided to enter into or manage insurance contracts. Without such data, brokerage services cannot be performed.

14. Rights of Data Subjects

You have the following rights under GDPR (DSGVO):

• Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
• Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
• Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
• Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
• Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
• Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)
• Right to withdraw consent (Art. 7(3) GDPR)

15. Right to Lodge a Complaint

You may lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority:

Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
(Der Hessische Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit, German law)

16. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy if legal requirements or our data processing change. The current version is always available on this website.

Last updated: October 2026 (German law: „Stand“ der Datenschutzerklärung)