Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Finchley

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Finchley collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, transport, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Finchley customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services or communicate with us about a booking, quotation, or service enquiry.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Man With A Van Finchley is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide how and why your personal information is used in connection with our business activities.

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We only collect information that is necessary to provide our services, manage our business, meet legal obligations, and improve the quality and safety of our operations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service details such as moving dates, collection and delivery addresses, item descriptions, property access information, and service preferences.
Payment and billing information where required to process invoices, payments, refunds, or account records.
Communication records including messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Transaction history including quotations, invoices, and service records.
Technical data such as IP address, browser type, device information, and cookies if you interact with our online systems or digital services.
Special circumstances information that you choose to share with us, for example access needs, property restrictions, or instructions for handling fragile goods.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is necessary, lawful, and provided by you for a specific reason. If such data is shared, we will only process it where appropriate safeguards and a lawful basis apply.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange, perform, and manage moving or transport services.
To communicate with you about bookings, access arrangements, changes, or service updates.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain business records.
To manage complaints, claims, disputes, and customer support matters.
To improve our service quality, training, planning, and operational efficiency.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, staff, customers, property, and third parties from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and that such use is permitted by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where there is a valid lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the context, our lawful bases include:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, confirming service details, completing moves, handling invoices, and responding to service-related requests.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to comply with legal duties, including accounting, tax, insurance, record-keeping, and other statutory obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing operations, preventing fraud, improving services, retaining evidence of instructions, and ensuring security.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is needed for optional communications or certain types of data processing. Where consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In exceptional cases, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as where emergency contact or safety information is necessary.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties, known as processors or service providers, where this is necessary to operate our business and deliver services. These may include:

Payment processors for handling payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration and compliance.
IT and cloud service providers for data storage, communication systems, and technical support.
Customer management or booking systems used to organise service records and enquiries.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and claim handlers where needed to manage disputes, liabilities, or obligations.
Professional advisers such as auditors or consultants acting under confidentiality obligations.

We require all processors to act only on our instructions, use appropriate security measures, and process data in accordance with data protection law. We do not sell personal data.

We may also share information where required by law, court order, or lawful request from public authorities, or where needed to protect our rights, the rights of others, or public safety.

6. International Transfers

If any of our processors or service providers store or access personal data outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure your data is protected. This may include using approved contractual safeguards and assessing the level of data protection offered in the relevant country.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, tax, insurance, and operational requirements. The retention period depends on the type of data and the reason it is held.

Quotation and enquiry data is generally retained for a limited period after the enquiry concludes, unless it becomes part of a booking or dispute record.
Service and transaction records are retained for the time required to complete the contract and to support after-service administration.
Financial and tax records are usually retained for the period required by law.
Complaint, claim, or legal records may be retained longer where necessary to resolve the matter or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed in accordance with our retention procedures.

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and restricted permissions. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of protection.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exemptions:

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 request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in line with legal requirements. We may need to verify your identity before dealing with your request.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online tools that place cookies or similar technologies on your device, these may be used for functionality, security, or performance purposes. Where required, we will provide appropriate information and obtain consent before using non-essential cookies. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children as a primary audience. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a service and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult. If we become aware that data has been collected inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the way we process data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

13. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you may raise the issue with us in the first instance. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

Summary: Man With A Van Finchley explains how customer data is collected, used, shared, retained, and protected, along with lawful bases and user rights under GDPR.