Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Chiswick

Man And A Van Chiswick is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Chiswick area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in connection with our removal, delivery, and moving services. It applies to all Man And A Van Chiswick customers in the area, including individuals, households, and business clients who use our services or enquire about them.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Man And A Van Chiswick acts as the data controller for the personal information collected in the course of providing our services. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for delivering our services, managing enquiries, and meeting our legal and business obligations. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, business or organisation name.
Contact details including email address, telephone number, and service address.
Service details such as moving date, collection and delivery addresses, access information, inventory details, and special handling requirements.
Billing and payment information such as payment status, invoice details, and transaction records.
Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaints, and any correspondence related to a booking or service.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you submit an enquiry through a digital form, including IP address and browser details where applicable.
Risk and insurance-related information where needed to assess the safe handling of items, resolve claims, or comply with insurance obligations.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it to us and it is necessary for a specific service request. If such information is provided, we will handle it with heightened care and only where a lawful basis applies.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange, manage, and complete moving or delivery services.
To communicate about bookings, timing, access, and service updates.
To issue invoices, process payments, and keep financial records.
To handle complaints, queries, and customer support matters.
To manage insurance claims, liability issues, and service disputes.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.

We will only use your personal data in a way that is compatible with the purposes for which it was collected.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, Man And A Van Chiswick relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, providing the moving service, and issuing invoices.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business efficiently, preventing fraud, improving service quality, and maintaining internal records.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide optional information or agree to a specific type of communication. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties where necessary to deliver our services or meet our obligations. These third parties act either as processors or independent controllers depending on the situation.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors who handle card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with invoices, tax records, and financial administration.
IT and hosting providers who support data storage, email systems, or software used for business operations.
Insurance providers or claims handlers where necessary to process or investigate a claim.
Professional advisers such as accountants, legal advisers, or auditors when needed for compliance or dispute resolution.

Where processors are used, they are required to act only on our instructions, keep your data secure, and comply with applicable data protection law. We may also disclose personal data to law enforcement, regulators, or courts if required by law.

6. Data Retention

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

Enquiry and quotation records may be kept for a limited period to help with follow-up, dispute handling, and service improvement.
Booking and service records are generally retained for as long as needed to complete the service and manage any after-service issues.
Financial records are retained in line with tax and accounting obligations.
Claims and complaint records may be kept longer where needed to defend legal claims or manage insurance matters.

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

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data-handling processes. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to protect your information to a standard appropriate to the risk.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply subject to legal conditions and exceptions:

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – in certain cases, you may request deletion of your data.
Right to restrict processing – you may ask us to limit how your data is used in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you may request transfer of certain data in a structured format.
Right to withdraw consent – where consent is the basis for processing, you can withdraw it at any time.

Please note that some rights may not apply in every situation, for example where we must retain information for legal reasons or where deletion would conflict with our contractual obligations.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it in accordance with applicable law. This may include standard contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

11. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. We also encourage you to contact us first so that we may try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

In summary, Man And A Van Chiswick processes personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently, using only the information needed to provide moving and delivery services to customers in the area. We retain data for appropriate periods, use trusted processors where necessary, and respect your rights under data protection law.