Privacy Policy - Man With Van Hammersmith

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Hammersmith collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man With Van Hammersmith customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who request or use our moving, delivery, loading, unloading, packing, and related transport services. We are committed to handling personal information 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, making an enquiry, requesting a quote, or otherwise interacting with us, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy. We only collect information that is necessary for providing our services, managing our business, meeting legal obligations, and improving customer experience.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name, title, and business name where applicable.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service information including dates, move details, item descriptions, access requirements, and special instructions.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records. We do not retain unnecessary payment card data.
Communication records including emails, messages, notes from phone calls, and any feedback or complaints.
Technical data where applicable, such as device or browser information gathered when you interact with digital systems used for administration.
Identification and verification data if required for fraud prevention, insurance, or legal compliance.

We may also process limited information about third parties where you provide it to us in connection with a booking, for example landlord, building management, recipient, or alternate contact details. Please ensure you have permission to share such information with us.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We process personal data to deliver our services efficiently and securely. This includes:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Planning and completing removals, van hire, and related logistics.
Communicating before, during, and after a booking.
Managing payments, invoicing, refunds, and account administration.
Handling complaints, claims, and customer support requests.
Maintaining records for tax, accounting, insurance, and legal purposes.
Protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.
Improving service quality, operational planning, and customer experience.

We only use personal information for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that it is needed for a compatible lawful purpose. We do not sell personal data.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract — processing is necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, and fulfil our agreement with you.
Legitimate interests — processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving services, handling enquiries, maintaining security, and preventing fraud, provided that your rights and freedoms do not override those interests.
Legal obligation — processing is required to comply with laws relating to accounting, taxation, health and safety, insurance, and record keeping.
Consent — used only where required, for example for certain optional communications or specific uses of information. You may withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and ensure that data use is proportionate and necessary. Where we rely on consent, you can change your mind without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. They may include:

Payment service providers who process transactions securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping processors who manage financial records.
IT and cloud service providers who support storage, communication, or scheduling systems.
Insurance providers and claims handlers where needed to manage risk or resolve incidents.
Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers.
Subcontractors or operational partners involved in fulfilling a service booking, where necessary.

All processors are required to protect personal data, use it only for authorised purposes, and implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We do not permit processors to use your information for their own independent marketing purposes unless they are separately acting as a controller and have a lawful basis to do so.

We may also disclose data if required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

5. Retention of Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the context of processing.

Booking and service records are generally retained for the period needed to manage the service and any follow-up matters.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Customer communications may be retained for a reasonable period for service quality, dispute resolution, and record keeping.
Claim or incident-related records may be retained longer where necessary for insurance or legal purposes.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention procedures. In some cases, legal or regulatory obligations may prevent immediate deletion.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and confidentiality obligations. While no system can be completely secure, we work to use reasonable and proportionate safeguards based on the nature of the information we process.

Only authorised personnel and trusted processors may access personal data where necessary to perform their duties. We also review our procedures periodically to maintain appropriate protection standards.

7. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that suitable safeguards are in place in line with data protection law. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other approved transfer mechanisms. We aim to keep data transfers limited and secure.

8. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and legal basis for processing, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

Right of access — to request a copy of your personal data.
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 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 or direct marketing.
Right to data portability — to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent.

Please note that these rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. For example, we may need to retain certain records to comply with law or to defend legal claims.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not generally use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If that changes, we will provide clear information about the logic involved, the significance and consequences of the processing, and the rights available to you.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in connection with a booking and provided by a responsible adult. If we learn that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take reasonable steps to address the issue.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our operations, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically so they remain informed about how we handle personal data.

Summary of Our Commitment

We aim to process personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only what we need, keep it secure, share it only with appropriate processors or where required by law, and respect your rights as a data subject. This policy applies to all Man With Van Hammersmith customers in the area and is designed to support trust, accountability, and privacy protection in every service we provide.