Privacy Policy - Man With Van Walthamstow

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Walthamstow collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Man With Van Walthamstow customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about, book, or receive removal, delivery, and man and van services, whether by phone, email, online form, message, or in person.

We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently. This policy explains what data we collect, the reasons we collect it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to you.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal and operational requirements. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity data: name, title, and any relevant business or household name.
Contact data: telephone number, email address, billing address, and service address.
Booking and service details: moving date, property access information, inventory details, service preferences, special instructions, and estimates.
Payment and transaction data: payment status, invoices, receipts, and related financial records.
Communication data: messages, call notes, complaint details, and correspondence relating to quotes, bookings, or service delivery.
Technical data: limited website or device information where applicable, such as IP address or browser type, if you interact with our online systems.
Verification and compliance data: information needed to confirm identity, prevent fraud, or comply with legal obligations.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data unless it is strictly necessary for a specific service request or legal requirement. If such information is provided, it will be handled with additional care and only for the purpose for which it was disclosed.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to operate our business and deliver services effectively. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
confirming bookings and arranging service logistics;
providing moving, lifting, loading, transport, or related support services;
communicating about appointments, changes, delays, or service updates;
issuing invoices, processing payments, and managing account records;
handling complaints, claims, and customer support matters;
maintaining business records and audit trails;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
protecting against misuse, fraud, or unlawful activity.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for a compatible purpose and such use is permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each category of processing. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

Processing is necessary for a contract when we use your data to prepare a quote, confirm a booking, carry out a move, take payment, or manage any service you have requested. Without this information, we may be unable to perform the service.

Legal Obligation

We process some data to comply with legal duties, such as tax law, accounting rules, record-keeping requirements, or obligations relating to insurance and dispute handling.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer communications, improving service quality, preventing fraud, maintaining security, and keeping internal business records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain types of marketing communication. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who support the delivery of our services. These parties act as processors or independent controllers, depending on their role. Where processors are used, they are required to process personal data only on our instructions, keep it secure, and comply with data protection law.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and hosting providers: for secure storage, email, or system maintenance;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: for invoicing, tax, and financial administration;
Payment service providers: for taking and processing card or electronic payments;
Communication tools: for managing customer messages and booking notifications;
Professional advisers: such as insurers, lawyers, or auditors where needed;
Regulators or authorities: where disclosure is required by law.

We do not sell personal data. We only disclose information where necessary for the operation of the business, the completion of a service, compliance with law, or the protection of legitimate rights and interests.

5. International Transfers

Where any service provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We aim to ensure that your data remains protected to a standard consistent with UK requirements.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including to meet legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Customer enquiries and quotes: kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up communication and service history.
Booking and service records: kept for the duration of the contractual relationship and for a period afterwards for dispute resolution and administration.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law.
Complaints and claims information: retained as long as needed to resolve the matter and meet insurance or legal requirements.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful management of third-party systems.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risk and maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the data we process.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to limitations and exemptions under the law.

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing: to ask us to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a usable format where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to withdraw consent: where consent is relied upon, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults arranging removals or related services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where necessary as part of a household or service arrangement and only to the extent required for the relevant service.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practice, or operational requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers in the Walthamstow area to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

We aim to process personal data in a way that is lawful, fair, transparent, and proportionate. We collect only what we need, use it for clear purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and ensure it is handled securely by any processors acting on our behalf. Your privacy matters to us, and we are committed to respecting your rights under data protection law.