Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Richmond Upon Thames

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Richmond Upon Thames collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing services to customers in Richmond Upon Thames and the surrounding area. It applies to all Man And A Van Richmond Upon Thames customers in area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and businesses that use our removal, transport, loading, unloading, and related moving services.

We are committed to handling personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws. This policy is written to help you understand what data we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your personal information.

1. Information We Collect

We collect and process only the personal data that is necessary to arrange, deliver, manage, and improve our services. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as phone number, email address, and address.
Service details including pickup and delivery locations, access instructions, inventory information, preferred dates, and special handling requirements.
Payment and billing information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records including emails, messages, booking notes, complaints, and customer service correspondence.
Technical information if you use digital forms or online services, such as device details, browser type, and basic usage data.
Verification information where necessary to confirm booking details, identity, or ownership of goods.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific service, for example where access needs, health-related handling instructions, or vulnerability considerations must be taken into account. If such information is provided, we treat it with extra care and only use it where lawful and necessary.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to deliver moving and transportation services efficiently and safely. Typical uses include:

Managing enquiries and bookings.
Providing quotations and confirming service arrangements.
Planning routes, vehicle allocation, and staffing.
Contacting you about service updates or changes.
Processing payments, issuing invoices, and keeping financial records.
Handling complaints, disputes, and service issues.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
Improving our services, customer experience, and operational safety.

We only use your data for clear and legitimate purposes. We do not sell personal information and we do not use it in ways that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every processing activity. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, providing moving services, managing delivery details, and processing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain records to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, insurance, and transport-related requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service improvement, fraud prevention, record keeping, and business administration. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and expected.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly where processing is optional or relates to certain marketing activities. If consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. Where they act as processors, they process data only on our instructions and must keep it secure.

Examples of processors and recipients may include:

IT and hosting providers that store data and support our systems.
Payment service providers that handle transactions securely.
Accountants and bookkeeping services for financial administration.
Insurance providers where a claim or incident requires review.
Vehicle, logistics, or subcontracted service providers involved in completing a move.
Professional advisers such as legal or compliance advisers where required.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, property, staff, or customers. Where reasonably possible, we limit disclosures to what is necessary.

All third parties are expected to handle data securely and in accordance with applicable data protection obligations.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service.

In general:

Booking and service records are retained for a reasonable period to manage administration, queries, and dispute resolution.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Correspondence and complaints may be retained for as long as needed to address the issue and preserve a record of the outcome.
Data that is no longer required is securely deleted or anonymised.

We review retention periodically to ensure that information is not kept longer than necessary. If data is no longer needed, we will take appropriate steps to dispose of it securely.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and restricted handling of sensitive records.

No system is completely risk-free, but we work to reduce the risk of privacy breaches and to respond promptly if an incident occurs. Where required by law, we will notify relevant authorities and affected individuals.

7. Your Rights

As a customer, you have rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations or exceptions, but we will always assess requests fairly and within the required timeframe.

Right of access — you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification — you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure — you can ask us to delete data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction — you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object — you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability — you can request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them quickly and fairly.

8. Marketing Preferences

We may send service-related communications that are necessary for bookings, quotations, invoices, or updates. These are not marketing messages. If we ever send optional marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent.

You can opt out of marketing at any time. Choosing not to receive marketing will not affect your ability to use our services.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals or transport services. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data except where it is incidentally included in service arrangements and only when necessary for the booking or delivery process. If we become aware that we have collected data that is not needed, we will delete it where appropriate.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, business operations, or service delivery. When we do, the revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their information is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and handle personal data responsibly. For all Man And A Van Richmond Upon Thames customers in area, we collect only the data needed to provide moving services, rely on lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, consent, and legitimate interests, retain data only as long as necessary, use trusted processors where appropriate, and uphold your rights under data protection law. We aim to process personal information fairly, securely, and transparently at every stage of the service relationship.