Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Westhampstead

This Privacy Policy applies to all Man With A Van Westhampstead customers in the area. It explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when you use our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With A Van Westhampstead provides removal and transport services for customers in and around Westhampstead. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal data about customers, household members, business contacts, and other relevant individuals associated with a booking. This policy explains the categories of data we collect and the reasons for processing it.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a business or organisation.
Contact information such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service details including collection and delivery addresses, property access information, moving dates, item descriptions, and service preferences.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction references, and billing records. We do not store card details unless a secure payment provider supplies limited confirmation information.
Communication records including emails, messages, notes from calls, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Operational information relating to the delivery of services, including scheduling details, route information, parking requirements, and special handling instructions.
Technical information if you interact with our digital systems, such as device type, IP address, and basic usage data collected for security and troubleshooting.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you request a quotation, make a booking, communicate with us, or provide information relevant to the service. In some cases, data may be provided by a third party acting on your behalf, such as a family member, business representative, landlord, estate agent, or payment provider.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use your personal data only where we have a valid legal reason to do so. Typical purposes include:

providing quotations and managing bookings;
planning and carrying out removals and transport services;
communicating with you about your service;
arranging payment and maintaining accounting records;
responding to enquiries, complaints, and claims;
improving our services and customer experience;
protecting our business from fraud, misuse, and security risks;
meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance obligations.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and provide any required notice.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must identify a lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the context, we rely on the following bases:

Contract: when processing is necessary to provide a quotation, take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or perform the services you have booked.
Legal obligation: when we must keep records for tax, accounting, consumer law, insurance, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests: when processing is needed to run and improve our business, manage customer relationships, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, or ensure operational security, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent: in limited situations where we ask for your permission, for example for certain optional communications or non-essential processing.

If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected service providers and partners who act as processors on our behalf. These processors are only permitted to process data according to our instructions and must keep it secure and confidential. Examples may include:

Payment processors that handle secure payment transactions;
IT and cloud service providers that store data, email records, or booking systems;
Accountants and bookkeepers who assist with financial records and compliance;
Insurance providers and claims handlers where needed to manage claims or incidents;
Professional advisers such as legal advisers, where necessary for dispute resolution or compliance;
Subcontracted service providers assisting with the delivery of agreed services, if required.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, government authority, or where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. Any sharing will be limited to what is necessary and appropriate.

6. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure a suitable level of protection. This may include using approved contractual safeguards and verifying that the recipient protects personal data in a manner consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, reporting, and dispute-resolution obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service.

In general, we may keep:

Booking and service records for a period needed to manage customer relations, handle queries, and address complaints;
Financial and tax records for the period required by law;
Correspondence and claims information for as long as necessary to manage the matter and any related legal obligations.

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

8. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and review of processor safeguards. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risk and handle information responsibly.

9. Your Rights

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

Right of access – to obtain 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 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, machine-readable format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals or transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally included in booking or service arrangements supplied by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected such data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

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 data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we process personal data.

12. Summary of Key Points

What we collect

We collect identity, contact, booking, payment, communication, and operational details necessary to deliver our services.

Why we collect it

We use data to provide services, manage bookings, communicate with customers, comply with law, and improve operations.

Who may process it

Trusted processors such as payment, IT, accounting, insurance, and professional service providers may process data under contract and strict instructions.

How long we keep it

We retain data only for as long as necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, and dispute handling.

Your control

You have rights under UK data protection law, including access, correction, deletion, objection, restriction, portability, and withdrawal of consent where applicable.

Man With A Van Westhampstead is committed to processing personal data lawfully, securely, and transparently for all customers in the area.