Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Kingston Upon Thames

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Kingston Upon Thames collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man And A Van Kingston Upon Thames customers in the area, including individuals and businesses that request quotations, book services, communicate with us, or receive moving and transport services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that we may process personal data for legitimate business and legal purposes. This policy is intended to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have regarding your information.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The data we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and phone number.
Service details such as moving date, pickup and delivery locations, property access information, inventory information, and requested vehicle or crew size.
Payment and billing information such as payment status, invoicing details, and transaction records.
Communication records such as emails, messages, notes from calls, and service-related correspondence.
Usage and technical information where applicable, such as basic website interaction data, device type, or browser details.
Special circumstances information if you choose to provide details relevant to your move, such as access issues, time restrictions, or fragile item handling requirements.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is necessary for providing our services. Where possible, we limit the collection of personal data to what is needed for booking, service delivery, customer support, invoicing, and legal compliance.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only for specific and legitimate purposes. These may include:

Providing quotations and managing bookings.
Planning and carrying out removal and transport services.
Communicating with you about your booking, timings, access, and service requirements.
Processing payments and issuing invoices or receipts.
Handling complaints, claims, and customer support enquiries.
Maintaining internal records and business administration.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
Protecting our services, assets, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes without a lawful basis.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. For example, we need your name, address, contact details, and service information to provide moving services, confirm arrangements, and complete the booking.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is in our legitimate interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, maintaining records, improving service quality, preventing fraud, and protecting our business operations.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain personal data to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, regulatory, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide certain optional information or agree to specific types of communication. Where consent is used as the basis for processing, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the operation of our business and the delivery of our services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share information where there is a valid reason and appropriate safeguards are in place.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that process card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with invoicing, tax records, and financial administration.
IT and cloud storage providers that support data storage, email systems, and business software.
Customer communications providers that help manage booking confirmations or service-related messages.
Insurance or claims administrators where necessary to handle loss, damage, or liability matters.

We may also disclose data if required by law, by a court order, or to law enforcement or other public authorities. If our business undergoes a sale, merger, or restructuring, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal protections.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Quotation and booking records are generally kept for a reasonable period to manage enquiries, service history, and follow-up matters.
Financial and tax records are retained in line with legal and accounting obligations.
Complaint, claim, and dispute records may be held longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.
Communication records are kept for as long as necessary for customer service and business administration.

When personal data is no longer needed, we take appropriate steps to delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. Retention is reviewed periodically to ensure data is not kept for longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and limiting access to information on a need-to-know basis.

While we strive to protect your personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. In the event of a data breach that presents a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take appropriate steps in line with applicable law.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under data protection law. These rights may apply in full or in part depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing. Your rights include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data where there is no lawful reason for us to keep it.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability – to request that certain data be provided in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where consent is relied upon, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise any concerns directly so that we can address them promptly and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or authorised representatives acting on behalf of households or businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental to the provision of our services and provided by an adult with authority to do so.

9. International Transfers

If any service provider processes data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate legal safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include standard contractual protections or other approved transfer mechanisms designed to protect your personal data.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made effective. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your information is used.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and handle your personal data responsibly. Our approach is based on data minimisation, security, transparency, and compliance with UK GDPR principles. We only collect information that is necessary, use it for clear purposes, retain it only as long as needed, and share it only with appropriate processors or where required by law.

Man And A Van Kingston Upon Thames is committed to protecting the privacy of every customer in the area and ensuring that personal data is handled with care and accountability.