Privacy Policy - Man With Van Stockwell

Man With Van Stockwell is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of every customer in the Stockwell area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our removal and van services. It applies to all Man With Van Stockwell customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and businesses that arrange or receive our services.

1. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies whenever we process personal data in connection with bookings, quotations, service delivery, customer support, invoicing, complaints, or any related business activity. It covers information provided directly by you, information collected automatically, and information obtained from third parties where necessary to deliver our services lawfully and effectively.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to keep all processing fair, transparent, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact information including telephone number and email address.
Service details such as collection and delivery addresses, moving date, property access notes, inventory details, and special handling instructions.
Billing and payment information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and service feedback.
Technical information such as device data, IP address, browser type, and basic usage data if you interact with our digital systems.
Business and job-related information where you are acting on behalf of a company, landlord, or letting agent.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is voluntarily disclosed by you and is required for a specific service or legal obligation. Where such information is provided, we handle it with additional care and only process it where permitted by law.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and arrange services;
to plan and carry out removals and van transport;
to communicate with you about bookings, timing, access, and service changes;
to issue invoices, process payments, and manage accounts;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and service requests;
to maintain business records and comply with legal, tax, and regulatory duties;
to improve service quality, safety, and internal operations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
to defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We only use your data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was originally collected, unless we are legally allowed or required to use it differently.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our lawful bases include:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, taking bookings, delivering services, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process certain data based on our legitimate interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. These interests include managing our business, improving services, protecting against fraud, maintaining security, and handling customer communications.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive optional marketing communications or where certain information is supplied voluntarily and requires explicit permission for its use. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. These parties are only engaged where necessary and are required to handle personal data securely and lawfully.

Typical processors may include:

Payment service providers for processing card or electronic payments;
Accounting and invoicing providers for financial administration;
IT and cloud storage providers for secure data hosting and communication tools;
Customer management systems used to organise bookings and service records;
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or to protect rights and safety.

We do not sell your personal data. Any sharing is limited to what is necessary for the provision of our services, compliance with law, or protection of our legitimate business interests. Processors are selected carefully and are expected to maintain appropriate technical and organisational security measures.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason it was obtained.

In general:

quotation and booking records may be kept for a reasonable period to support service administration and dispute resolution;
invoice and payment records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
communication records may be retained to manage complaints, service quality, and legal claims;
technical logs may be kept for security, troubleshooting, and fraud prevention purposes for limited periods.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. Where data is archived for legal purposes, access is restricted and kept under review.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access on a need-to-know basis.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to keep risk low and handle data responsibly. If a personal data breach occurs and we are legally required to do so, we will notify the relevant authorities and affected individuals without undue delay.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 your data is used 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, you may withdraw it at any time;
Right to complain – to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

To protect your privacy, we may ask for information to verify your identity before responding to a request. Some rights may not apply in every case, particularly where we must retain information to comply with legal obligations or defend legal claims.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If our systems use cookies or similar technologies, they are used only for basic functionality, security, performance monitoring, or service improvement. Where consent is required, it will be requested before non-essential cookies are used. You can manage browser settings to control cookie behaviour, though some features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

10. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data protection law. This may include approved contractual protections or transfers to countries recognised as providing adequate protection.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or operational practices. Any updates will apply from the date they are issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

12. Our Commitment

Man With Van Stockwell respects your privacy and recognises the importance of handling personal data carefully. We aim to be transparent about what information we collect, why we collect it, who may process it, and how long it is kept. We also aim to make sure your rights are respected and that data is used only where we have a valid legal reason.

This Privacy Policy is intended to apply to all customers of Man With Van Stockwell in the Stockwell area and should be read as part of our standard customer service and data protection practices.