Terms of Service

1. About these terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a contract between you ("you", "the customer") and Headmere Limited (company number 17227133), trading as Chequered Past ("we", "us", "our"), operating the website chequeredpast.uk.

By placing an order, you agree to these Terms. Please read them carefully. If you do not agree with them, do not place an order.

2. The service

We offer two things. The free registration check shows the DVLA record and MOT history for a UK registration, at no cost. The vehicle history check is our paid product: a buyer-commissioned, registration-based, automated check on any car registered in the United Kingdom. These Terms refer to it as "the check".

Car advert reports, two-car comparisons and Full reports delivered before we stopped offering them stay at their links until 12 months after they were produced. The Terms that applied when you received one continue to apply to it.

When you submit a UK vehicle registration mark (VRN) and pay the fee, our automated system:

1. Queries our licensed UK vehicle-data provider, Vehicle Data Global Limited ("VDGL"), for the VRN you provided, retrieving model-derivative specification, MOT history where DVSA's service does not answer, provenance data (outstanding finance, write-off categorisation, stolen markers, mileage anomalies recorded by industry sources, keeper-change history, plate-change history, outstanding safety recalls where DVSA's service does not answer), and indicative valuation. VDGL operates under DVLA's bulk data licensing framework; the underlying data is sourced under licence from DVLA, Experian Limited, and other industry providers;
2. Queries the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service for basic vehicle identity;
3. Queries DVSA's MOT history service for the MOT record and whether a recall is outstanding;
4. Queries One Auto API Limited for the manufacturer's build record for the VRN, to show the equipment the car left the factory with;
5. If you enter a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), compares it with the VIN on the official record and tells you only whether they match;
6. Shows the check on screen, typically within seconds, and emails you a link to it. You can save the check as a PDF from your browser.

3. Eligibility and account

To use the service you must be at least 18 years old and able to enter into a legally binding contract. You do not need to register an account: a paid order is placed by submitting a VRN and your email address and paying at checkout.

You are responsible for providing a valid email address you have permission to use. If the email bounces or is undeliverable, we are not obliged to re-attempt delivery beyond reasonable effort.

You are also responsible for providing the correct VRN for the vehicle you intend to analyse. You must have a good-faith reason to query the VRN: typically because the vehicle is being or is intended to be marketed or offered for sale, you are involved in the prospective purchase of it, or you otherwise have a genuine and legitimate interest in determining its provenance, status, or technical specification. If you submit a VRN that does not correspond to the vehicle being advertised by a seller, the check will reflect what the licensed registers say about the VRN you provided, which may differ from the vehicle being shown to you. This is, in fact, one of the discrepancy patterns the check can surface.

4. Placing an order

An order is placed by:

1. Providing the VRN of the vehicle you wish to analyse;
2. Optionally, entering the car's VIN;
3. Providing your email address;
4. Acknowledging these Terms and the Privacy Policy via the tickbox at checkout;
5. Completing payment via Stripe Checkout.

A contract is formed when we confirm payment has been received and your order has been queued for processing. Until then, no contract exists and we are entitled to refuse any order at our discretion: for example, if we suspect fraud or misuse.

Pricing

• Free registration check: free
• Vehicle history check: £10 (any UK registration)

All prices are in pounds sterling (GBP) and are inclusive of any applicable UK VAT. Prices may change from time to time; the price shown at checkout is the price you pay.

5. Delivery

The check is shown on screen as soon as it is produced, usually within seconds of payment, and we email a receipt with a link to it to the address you paid with. The link works for 12 months. Delivery may occasionally be delayed by factors outside our control, such as high load or an outage at one of our suppliers or data providers.

If your check has not appeared, email us at hello@chequeredpast.uk from the address you paid with.

6. Refunds

Consumer cancellation rights

Under the UK Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, you generally have a 14-day right to cancel contracts made online. However, this right does not apply to digital content that has begun to be supplied with your express consent and acknowledgement that the right to cancel will be lost.

By placing an order and ticking the acknowledgement at checkout, you expressly consent to immediate performance of the service and acknowledge that you lose the right to cancel once the vehicle history check has been generated. This is because our service is delivered within seconds of payment: there is no meaningful cancellation window.

Our refund policy

Because the service is automated and delivered immediately, we do not offer refunds under normal circumstances. This includes (but is not limited to):

• You changed your mind after receiving the check;
• You no longer want to buy the car;
• The seller withdrew the car advert after you ordered;
• You found the same information elsewhere;
• You disagree with what the check shows.

We do offer refunds in the following specific circumstances:

• The VRN does not return data. The VRN you submitted is rejected by our data providers, or returns data so incomplete that a meaningful check cannot be produced.
• Data provider unavailable. Our licensed data provider (currently VDGL) or the relevant UK government registers are unavailable for an extended period and we are unable to generate the check within a reasonable time of payment.
• System failure. Our system failed to produce the check because of a fault on our side, and we cannot produce it on a retry.
• Duplicate charge. You were charged twice for the same order due to a technical error.

We review refund requests in good faith. If we decline a request we will explain why. These refund terms do not affect your statutory rights under UK consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which entitles you to a remedy if a digital service is not of satisfactory quality, not fit for purpose, or not as described.

7. What the vehicle history check is, and is not

7a. What the vehicle history check is

The vehicle history check is a finished check derived from licensed and public data sources. Specifically:

• An automated check based on the data returned by VDGL for the VRN you submitted (model-derivative specification, MOT history, provenance and damage history, recall data, and indicative valuation), the manufacturer's build record returned by One Auto, and any redundancy data returned by the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service;
• Informational: designed to help you ask better questions and notice things you might otherwise miss;

You are the end recipient of the analytical output. The check is produced for your personal use in connection with the prospective purchase of the specific vehicle referenced in it. You are not an intermediary in, or an onward-distributor of, the underlying data we obtain from our licensed provider; the check is the data's terminus.

The check does not contain:

• Any Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in any form: neither full nor partial. Where our licensed provider returns VIN data to our pipeline, the VIN is used only as an internal key for matching vehicle records within our pipeline; it never appears in the check itself, including in any hidden field, metadata, or source code; The VIN check tells you only whether the VIN you entered matches the official record. It never shows the record's VIN.
• Any raw engine number, raw structured DVLA records, raw industry record identifiers, or any data field in a form that would enable the check to be used to impersonate the vehicle or to harvest data for fraudulent purposes.

This data architecture is deliberate. The licensed data we receive is presented as a finished check for you to read, in plain words and labelled findings (for example, "four previous keepers"), not as raw records or data fields for reuse. The omission of VIN data reflects DVLA Schedule 5, under which the full VIN must not be disclosed to consumers, and is implemented by us as a deliberate product design choice; the finished-check delivery model is a fraud-prevention measure required of us by our data licensing arrangements and adopted by us on the same basis.

7b. What the vehicle history check is not

• A physical inspection of the vehicle;
• A mechanical, electrical, or structural assessment;
• A pre-purchase inspection (PPI) by a qualified mechanic;
• A formal valuation, professional appraisal, or certified inspection report;
• A guarantee of the vehicle's condition, history, or fitness for purpose;
• A guarantee that the seller is who they claim to be, or that the vehicle being shown matches the VRN provided;
• A vehicle history "guarantee" product comparable to those offered by HPI Limited or AA Car Data Check (we do not offer financial reimbursement for losses arising from inaccurate data);
• Financial, legal, or investment advice.

Where a check includes valuation figures, those figures are indicative market estimates produced automatically from licensed third-party vehicle data. They reflect general market data for vehicles of the same specification, age and mileage, and are not a certified valuation of the specific vehicle, which we have not inspected. They must not be relied upon for insurance, finance, probate, taxation, or legal or dispute purposes.

7c. What we check, and what we do not verify

We strongly recommend commissioning a physical pre-purchase inspection by a qualified specialist before buying any used performance car. The vehicle history check is intended to complement, not replace, such inspection.

8. Acceptable use

8.1 Purpose limitation

The vehicle history check is provided solely for your personal use in connection with your potential purchase of the specific vehicle referenced in the check. The data and analysis contained within the check may not be used for any other purpose, including (but not limited to):

• Commercial redistribution, resale, or licensing of the check or any part of it;
• Marketing, lead generation, or direct mail of any kind;
• Repurposing of any analysis or data point for another vehicle (whether yours or anyone else's);
• Automated extraction, scraping, parsing, or machine-readable reproduction of check content;
• Use in any onward commercial product, service, comparison tool, or data aggregation activity;
• Use unconnected with the assessment of the specific vehicle's provenance, status, or technical specification.

If you commission a vehicle history check and subsequently decide not to purchase the referenced vehicle, the check remains valid for your own records and may continue to be used to inform that single purchase decision, including in negotiations with the seller, but the restrictions in this clause continue to apply.

8.2 No redistribution

You may not reproduce, redistribute, publish, sell, transfer, license, or otherwise make available the contents of a vehicle history check (in whole or in part) to any third party.

For the avoidance of doubt: you may not post the check on a public forum, upload it to a public document repository, share it on social media, or include it in any onward commercial offering. You may not share it with other prospective buyers of the same vehicle, or with the wider public.

8.3 No database compilation

You must not use the vehicle history check, or any data or analysis derived from it, to create, compile, contribute to, or maintain any database, directory, index, lookup service, or other systematic record of vehicles. This applies whether the database is intended for your own use, for use by others, or for any commercial purpose.

8.4 Breach notification

If you become aware of any suspected misuse, unauthorised access, or unauthorised disclosure of a vehicle history check (whether by you, by someone to whom you have lawfully shared the check under §8.2, or by any third party) you must notify us promptly at hello@chequeredpast.uk.

8.5 Other restrictions

You also agree not to:

• Use the service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws;
• Attempt to circumvent our validation, rate limits, payment flow, or authentication;
• Submit a VRN that you have no good-faith reason to query (see §3);
• Use automated tools to scrape, copy, or interfere with the service;
• Submit another person's email address without their permission.

We reserve the right to refuse service, cancel orders, suspend or terminate access to the service, or refuse to deliver further checks where we reasonably believe these terms have been breached.

9. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for:

• Death or personal injury caused by our negligence;
• Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;
• Any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Subject to the above:

• We provide the service on an "as-is" and "as-available" basis. We do not guarantee that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that checks will be completely accurate or comprehensive.
• We rely on data provided by Vehicle Data Global Limited (VDGL), One Auto API Limited, and the UK government registers (DVLA and DVSA). We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of that third-party data, and we are not liable for losses arising from inaccuracies, omissions, or delays in data we receive from those sources.
• Our total liability to you arising out of or in connection with the service, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), or otherwise, is limited to the amount you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the liability.
• We are not liable for any indirect, consequential, or special losses; loss of profit; loss of opportunity; or losses arising from your decision to buy, not buy, or negotiate a vehicle based on a check.

10. Our suppliers and your data

To deliver the service we use a number of third-party suppliers, including:

• A licensed vehicle-data provider: Vehicle Data Global Limited (VDGL), a UK-based commercial provider operating under DVLA's bulk data licensing framework. VDGL aggregates data sourced under licence from DVLA, Experian Limited, and other industry providers.
• UK government register access for redundancy: the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service.
• A licensed provider of manufacturer build records: One Auto API Limited, a UK company.
• A payment processor (Stripe), an email delivery service (Resend), and a hosting platform (Railway).

Where these suppliers process personal data on our behalf, they do so under written agreements (or equivalent terms in their service contracts) that comply with Article 28 of the UK GDPR. The full list of suppliers, what data they receive, where they are based, and the international transfer safeguards in place is set out in our Privacy Policy.

11. Changes to the service or these terms

We may modify the service (features, pricing, suppliers used) or these Terms at any time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Changes apply to orders placed after the change is published; they do not apply retroactively to checks already delivered.

Substantive changes will be highlighted on the homepage or communicated by email to existing customers where reasonably possible.

12. Jurisdiction-specific terms and governing law

UK United Kingdom

These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them are governed by the laws of England and Wales. You and we both agree that the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any such dispute, except that if you are a consumer resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may bring proceedings in your local courts.

Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer under UK law, including but not limited to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

13. Contact