Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Colindale

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Colindale collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving and transport services. It applies to all Man With A Van Colindale customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and businesses who request or receive our services. We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We understand that personal information must be treated carefully and lawfully. This policy is intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your data.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data necessary to deliver our services, manage bookings, communicate with customers, and meet legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information including collection and delivery addresses, dates, times, item descriptions, and access notes.
Payment information such as payment status, invoice records, and transaction references.
Service and correspondence records including emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and feedback.
Operational details such as parking restrictions, building access instructions, and moving requirements.
Technical data if you contact us electronically, such as basic device or communication metadata where applicable.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for a specific service request. If you share sensitive information with us, we will only use it where lawful and necessary.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and confirm bookings.
To plan and complete moving, delivery, and transport services.
To communicate with you about schedules, access, delays, or service changes.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To respond to queries, complaints, and customer service requests.
To improve our operations, service quality, and safety procedures.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory requirements.
To defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We only use data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected, unless we have a valid legal basis to use it differently.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the nature of the interaction, we may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, providing moving services, and completing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process your information to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, consumer law, and insurance requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights do not override those interests. This can include managing customer relationships, improving service delivery, preventing fraud, ensuring site safety, and keeping internal service records.

Consent

Where consent is required, we will ask for it clearly and separately. For example, this may apply to certain optional communications or non-essential processing. You may withdraw consent at any time where we rely on it.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors when they process data on our behalf and only according to our instructions. They are required to keep your data secure and use it only for agreed purposes.

Examples of processors and third-party service providers may include:

Payment service providers who handle card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who support invoicing, tax, and financial record management.
IT and cloud service providers who store or secure emails, documents, and operational records.
Communication providers that help manage phone or messaging systems.
Insurance or claims handlers where needed to manage incidents or disputes.
Professional advisers such as solicitors or accountants when necessary for legal or financial matters.

We may also disclose data where required by law, by a court order, or to competent authorities. If a business transfer occurs, such as a sale or restructuring, personal data may be shared as part of that process, subject to appropriate safeguards.

We do not sell personal data.

5. International Transfers

Where data is stored or processed outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. This may include relying on adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protection mechanisms required by law. We will only transfer personal data internationally where lawful and necessary.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a period necessary to manage the contract, resolve disputes, and maintain service history.
Financial and invoicing records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Customer correspondence may be retained for a reasonable period to handle follow-up queries, complaints, and service quality review.
Legal or claims-related records may be kept longer where required to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful selection of processors. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond promptly to any suspected data incident.

8. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and the basis for processing, you may have the following rights under data protection 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 data.
Right to erasure in certain situations, also known as the right to be forgotten.
Right to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent at any time where consent is the legal basis.
Right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal limits. For example, we may need to retain certain records to comply with legal obligations or to defend claims. We will always assess requests carefully and respond in line with applicable law.

9. How We Handle Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging moving or transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children unless it is unavoidably included in service-related information provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that child data has been collected improperly, we will take appropriate steps to delete it where required.

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 updates will apply from the date they are published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitments

We are committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for legitimate service and business purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We also respect your rights and aim to provide a responsible, secure, and compliant service to all customers in the Colindale area.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.