Distinguish permanent deletion from other actions
Permanently deleting an account is not the same as signing out. Signing out only ends the current session; the account and its content remain in place. If you only want to sign out on one device, read How do I log out of my suchen.expert account?
If you only want to stop using the account temporarily, you can sign out and review the available notification or privacy settings. Permanent deletion is not necessarily required for this.
A temporary account restriction or a failed sign-in is not deletion either. Do not delete the account prematurely if you only want to resolve an access problem or have a restriction reviewed.
Permanent deletion is intended to terminate the account and cannot readily be reversed.
Check outstanding matters before deletion
Before submitting a deletion request, check in particular:
- active, reserved, pending or archived listings,
- ongoing messages and agreements with other users,
- outstanding handovers, deliveries, payments or disputes,
- favourites, saved searches and account settings,
- invoices, payment confirmations and booked add-on services,
- ongoing or unused paid listing promotions,
- documents that you may later need as evidence.
Account deletion does not automatically terminate private agreements with other users or remove payment, return or other obligations that have already arisen. Nor does it automatically create an entitlement to a refund of fees already paid. The General Terms of Service, the terms of the specific booking and statutory rights apply.
Where possible, resolve outstanding matters before deletion. Retain any necessary invoices, receipts and correspondence in a lawful manner.
Save required data in good time
After deletion, you may lose access to profile information, listings, messages, favourites, invoices and other account content. Therefore, save beforehand any documents that you need for your own legitimate purposes.
If a download or export option is provided, you can use it. However, a copy of data that is provided does not transfer the account to another person. Guidance on the distinction can be found in Can I transfer my listings and personal data to another account?
If no suitable option is available, you can ask about the available possibilities through the contact form before deletion. Do not complete the final deletion until a required copy of data has been provided or the request has been resolved.
Delete the account through the account settings
After signing in, open your account settings. If the red Delete my account option is displayed there, open it and carefully read all information about the consequences.
Depending on the current process, a further confirmation, re-entry of login details or another security step may be required. Complete the process only when you are certain that the correct personal or business account is affected.
The name, location and individual confirmation steps may change. The visible option and the guidance displayed immediately with it govern the current process. Merely opening the deletion option does not necessarily mean that a final deletion request has already been submitted.
Check the final confirmation carefully
Before the final confirmation, check the profile name, account type and, where applicable, the company name once again. If you use multiple browser profiles or Google accounts, make sure that you are signed in to the correct suchen.expert account.
A final confirmation may trigger account deletion immediately or after a processing step required for technical or legal reasons. Do not rely on being able to withdraw the request later. Restoration or reactivation may be impossible once deletion is complete and is not guaranteed.
Consequences for the profile and listings
Once deletion has taken effect, access to the account generally ends. Publicly visible profile and listing content may be removed, no longer associated with the previous profile or anonymised in a legally permitted manner.
You should not assume that every representation will disappear from every view at the same time. Caches, search-engine copies, notifications that have already been sent or content stored by third parties may persist temporarily or beyond suchen.expert’s control.
Deleting the account also does not remove original files, screenshots or exported data from your own devices or cloud storage.
Messages and reviews
Messages that have already been sent generally also concern the other participants in the conversation. They may therefore continue to be stored, or displayed in anonymised or restricted form, to preserve an understandable conversation history, prevent misuse, preserve evidence or meet legal requirements.
Reviews may also be relevant to the traceability of previous interactions and the integrity of the review system. Whether text, star ratings, associations or account labels are removed, anonymised, restricted or retained for a permitted period depends on the relevant purpose, the applicable rules and the legal requirements.
Account deletion must not be understood as a way to eliminate legitimate complaints, moderation processes or necessary evidence.
Storage, backups and legal obligations
The public removal of an account is not equivalent to the immediate deletion of every copy held in technical systems. Data may remain temporarily in backup copies or technical logs. Certain information may also continue to be processed because of statutory retention obligations, for security purposes or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Once the relevant purpose no longer applies and the applicable periods have expired, data will be deleted, anonymised or made subject to restricted processing in accordance with legal requirements. Continued retention does not mean that the deleted account can continue to be used normally or can be restored.
The Privacy Policy contains details of the purposes, legal bases, retention periods and data-subject rights.
Data protection rights are not unrestricted
Subject to the statutory conditions, you may request, in particular, access, rectification, erasure or restriction of processing. However, the right to erasure is not absolute. Statutory retention obligations, legal claims, security interests or other grounds provided for by law may prevent the immediate and complete erasure of certain data.
A request under data protection law and the technical deletion of an account may be separate processes. Therefore, state precisely in a request whether you want to close the user account, rectify specific data or exercise a data protection right.
Signing in with Google
For a personal account, signing in with Google can serve as both registration and activation. Deleting the suchen.expert account does not delete or change your Google account.
Conversely, deleting or changing the Google account does not automatically delete the suchen.expert account. If you also want to manage an existing connection in your Google account, use only Google’s official features. Never disclose Google passwords or confirmation codes to suchen.expert.
Signing in via Facebook or Apple is planned for the future. Neither option’s availability nor a specific launch date is promised. This does not provide any additional deletion methods.
Special considerations for a business account
Deletion of a business account should be initiated only by a person authorised to act for the company. Beforehand, check in particular any current listings, business communications, invoices, paid add-on services, documentation obligations and outstanding matters.
A change in the responsible person, management, legal form or company name does not necessarily require account deletion. For such changes, first contact support so that it can assess whether updating the company details is sufficient.
Support may request company documentation or proof of authority to act in order to verify authorisation. Do not send such documents unless asked; submit them only through the secure method specifically identified. Deleting a business account does not remove the company’s statutory retention or business obligations.
If you suspect unauthorised access
If you suspect that another person has access to the account, do not rush to have it deleted. First, secure the associated email or Google account and, where possible, check the profile details and account content for unauthorised changes.
If the account uses an email address and password, then change the suchen.expert password. If you sign in with Google, secure the relevant Google account instead using its official features.
Instructions for resetting the suchen.expert password can be found in How do I reset my password?
Retain relevant evidence and inform support. Premature deletion may make it harder for you to access information needed to clarify the incident.
Restricted account
Account deletion must not be used to circumvent a restriction, suspension, moderation decision or other measure. Do not create a replacement account after a restriction.
If you want the measure to be reviewed, read Why is my account temporarily restricted? and contact support.
Even when a deletion request is made, data may be retained to the extent that this is permitted and necessary to document breaches, prevent misuse, comply with legal obligations or defend legal claims.
If you do not have access to the account
If you can no longer sign in, first try the designated recovery process. For a forgotten password, follow How do I reset my password?
If access cannot be restored or the deletion option is not displayed, use the contact form. Provide:
- the registered email address,
- the account type,
- the profile name and profile link,
- for a business account, the company name and your role,
- whether you still have access to the account,
- whether there are outstanding matters or security problems,
- the precise subject of your request.
Support may need to verify whether the person making the request is associated with the account and authorised to delete it. This does not guarantee a particular processing period or restoration of an account that has already been deleted.
Protect passwords and evidence
Never send support your password, full activation or reset links, PINs, TANs or one-time confirmation codes. Do not submit copies of identity documents, payment documents or company documents unless asked.
If a screenshot is required, obscure sign-in details, security codes, payment information and unnecessary personal information. Use only the official contact form for deletion and data-protection requests.
