Privacy Policy – Man And Van Kingston Upon Thames

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Kingston Upon Thames collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man And Van Kingston Upon Thames customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about, book, pay for, or receive our moving and transport services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man And Van Kingston Upon Thames provides man and van services, including removals, item transport, loading and unloading, and related logistics support. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller when we decide why and how personal data is used for our business operations. In some cases, we may also act as a data processor where we process data on behalf of another organisation under their instructions.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data necessary to provide and manage our services, respond to enquiries, and meet our legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information: name, title, and any details needed to identify you.
Contact information: postal address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information: booking details, moving date, collection and delivery addresses, property access notes, item descriptions, and service preferences.
Payment information: payment status, billing details, and transaction records. We do not store more payment data than is necessary for accounting and verification purposes.
Communication records: emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and feedback.
Usage and technical information: basic information generated when you interact with our digital systems, where applicable, such as device or browser data.
Special category data: we do not routinely collect special category data. If such information is accidentally provided, we will handle it with additional care and only where a lawful basis applies.

We do not intentionally collect data from children unless it is required for a service request made by an adult customer and is necessary for that request to be fulfilled.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and respond to enquiries;
to manage bookings and schedule services;
to carry out moving, loading, delivery, and related operations;
to communicate with customers about service arrangements or changes;
to process payments, invoices, and refunds where relevant;
to keep business and financial records;
to deal with complaints, claims, or disputes;
to improve service quality, internal administration, and customer experience;
to comply with legal and regulatory requirements;
to protect our staff, customers, property, and business from fraud or misuse.

We will only use your information for the purposes explained in this policy or for purposes that are compatible with those original reasons.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, delivering services, and communicating about the work.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where required to comply with tax, accounting, employment, safety, or other legal duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing operations, preventing fraud, maintaining records, and improving services.

Consent

Where consent is required, such as for certain types of optional communication, we will ask for it clearly. You may withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.

Vital Interests and Public Task

These lawful bases are unlikely to apply in most cases, but if they ever do, we will only use personal data where permitted by law and necessary for the relevant purpose.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary and only to the extent required for the service or legal compliance. These third parties may include:

Payment providers for processing transactions;
Accountants and tax professionals for financial record-keeping and compliance;
IT, hosting, and communications providers that support our business systems;
Operational contractors or subcontractors assisting with service delivery;
Insurers, legal advisers, and claims handlers where needed for risk management or disputes;
Regulators, law enforcement, or public authorities when disclosure is required by law.

Where a third party processes data on our behalf, they act as a processor and are required to follow our instructions and maintain appropriate security and confidentiality measures. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

If any service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms. We only transfer data where it is necessary and where suitable protection is provided.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected and to satisfy legal, accounting, and operational requirements. Retention periods depend on the nature of the information and why it is held. In general:

Quote and enquiry records: kept for a limited period after the enquiry ends, unless they lead to a booking or legal issue.
Booking and service records: retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records: kept for the period required by law.
Complaints and claims records: retained as long as necessary to resolve the issue and defend legal rights.
Marketing preferences: kept until you opt out or withdraw consent, where applicable.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

8. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices. Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of protection.

9. Your Rights

You have rights under UK data protection law in relation to your personal data. These rights may include:

Right of access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Right to rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Right to erasure: request deletion of your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction: ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations;
Right to data portability: receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format;
Right to object: object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to withdraw consent: withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions or limitations. If you make a request, we will respond within the time limits required by law and may need to verify your identity before acting on it.

10. Marketing Communications

We will only send marketing messages where lawful to do so. If you receive optional marketing communications, you may opt out at any time. We will respect your preferences and stop sending marketing where required. Essential service-related messages, such as booking updates or payment notices, are not marketing and may still be sent when necessary.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We do not normally use fully automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will provide appropriate information about how decisions are made and the rights available to you.

12. How We Handle Requests and Complaints

If you wish to exercise your data rights or raise a concern about how your personal data is handled, we will review the matter carefully and respond in a fair and timely manner. We may ask for clarification to ensure your request is properly understood. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection authority if you believe your data rights have been infringed.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review it periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

14. Summary of Our Commitment

At Man And Van Kingston Upon Thames, we use personal data responsibly, only when we have a lawful reason to do so, and only for legitimate service and business purposes. We aim to keep information accurate, secure, and no longer than necessary. This Privacy Policy applies to all Man And Van Kingston Upon Thames customers in the area and is designed to ensure that your data is treated with care, transparency, and respect.