Privacy Policy - Man With Van Ealing

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Ealing collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man With Van Ealing customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, uses our moving or delivery services, or communicates with us in connection with a service. We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We aim to be clear, fair, and transparent about the data we process. This policy describes what information we collect, why we collect it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your personal data.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, and meet our legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following types of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service information such as moving dates, property access details, item lists, and special handling instructions.
Payment information such as transaction details and billing records. We do not normally store full card details where a secure payment provider is used.
Communication records including emails, messages, and notes from phone conversations.
Customer preferences such as service instructions, delivery requirements, and accessibility needs.
Complaint or claim information if you report a problem or request compensation.
Technical data where relevant, such as basic website usage records, device information, and IP-related logs, if you contact us through digital channels.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you provide it, for example if you share information relevant to accessibility or health considerations that affect the moving service. If such data is provided, we will only use it where lawful and necessary for the specific purpose you disclosed it.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations, schedule services, and complete removals or deliveries;
to manage your booking and customer account records;
to communicate with you about the service, including timing, access, and changes;
to process payments, refunds, and billing matters;
to respond to questions, complaints, and claims;
to maintain business records and service quality;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
to improve our operational efficiency and customer experience.

We only use data in ways that are compatible with the purpose for which it was collected, unless we have a valid legal reason to do otherwise.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. The lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, confirming bookings, carrying out moving services, issuing invoices, and managing service-related communication.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal obligations, such as tax record keeping, accounting requirements, insurance documentation, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, preventing fraud, maintaining records, improving services, and resolving disputes.

Consent

In some situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide information that is not strictly necessary for the service or where consent is required by law. When we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and deliver services. These third parties act as processors or independent data controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle secure card or electronic payments;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support invoicing and tax compliance;
IT and cloud storage providers that host email, records, and business systems;
Customer communication tools used for scheduling and service updates;
Insurance or claims support providers where relevant to an incident;
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers.

Where a processor is used, we ensure appropriate contractual protections are in place so your data is handled securely and only according to our instructions. Some processors may store data outside the UK; if this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are used in line with UK GDPR requirements.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, customers, staff, or property.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

As a general approach:

Quotation and booking records are retained for a reasonable period after the service in case of follow-up queries or disputes.
Invoice, payment, and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Complaint, claim, and incident records may be retained longer where needed to defend legal claims or meet insurance obligations.
General correspondence is retained only as long as necessary to manage the relationship and resolve issues.

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

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to data on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to protect your information using reasonable and proportionate safeguards.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing.

Right of access ??? you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification ??? you can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure ??? you can ask for your data to be deleted 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 we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner???s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been breached. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve the matter promptly.

8. Third-Party Websites and Services

If you interact with external services linked to our business systems, those services will have their own privacy notices and practices. We are not responsible for the privacy policies of third parties, and we encourage you to review them before sharing personal data.

9. Children???s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business-related communications. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for the provision of a service and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult. If we become aware that data has been collected improperly, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. 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 handling practices. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised policy. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Ealing respects your privacy and handles personal data carefully and lawfully. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and protect it through suitable safeguards. We are committed to operating transparently and giving customers meaningful control over their personal information.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Man With Van Ealing customers in the area.