Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Lewisham

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Lewisham collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing services to customers in the Lewisham area. It applies to all Man With A Van Lewisham customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, make bookings, receive moving services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a way that is lawful, fair, transparent, and secure, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is designed to help you understand what information we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have over your personal data.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect information that is necessary for operating our business, responding to enquiries, and delivering moving and transport services. Depending on the nature of your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity information: your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact information: phone number, email address, service address, and billing address.
Booking details: moving dates, collection and delivery locations, property access information, inventory descriptions, and service preferences.
Payment information: payment status, transaction references, and limited financial details needed to process payments or issue invoices. We do not normally store full card details.
Communication records: emails, messages, call notes, complaint details, and any other information you provide when contacting us.
Service-related information: details about items to be moved, special handling requirements, parking instructions, access limitations, and time-sensitive delivery requests.
Technical data: basic website or device information if you contact us online, such as IP address, browser type, and interaction logs, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is clearly necessary and you choose to share it with us. If such information is provided, we will only use it where permitted by law and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

2. How We Use Your Data

We process personal data for specific and limited purposes connected to our services. These purposes include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotes;
managing bookings and scheduling removals;
delivering moving, transport, loading, and unloading services;
handling payments, invoices, and accounting tasks;
contacting you about changes to your booking or service arrangements;
resolving disputes, complaints, and service issues;
maintaining internal records, business administration, and service quality;
meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, vehicles, equipment, and customers from fraud or misuse.

We will not use your personal data for unrelated purposes without telling you and, where required, obtaining a valid lawful basis.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. We rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, carrying out removals, and managing payment or service-related communications.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal duties, such as accounting, tax, insurance, or record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal 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 customer relations, improving our services, preventing fraud, protecting our property, and keeping internal business records. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and whether it is reasonable for you to expect that use of your data.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain marketing communications or provide optional information. If consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Personal Data

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties when necessary to run our business and provide services. These recipients may include:

Payment providers: for processing card or bank-related transactions.
Accountants and bookkeeping services: for financial records, tax administration, and compliance.
IT and storage providers: for secure data hosting, email, and document management.
Subcontractors or service partners: where needed to complete a booked service, such as additional moving support.
Insurers and legal advisers: where required for claims, disputes, or legal matters.
Public authorities: where disclosure is required by law or a lawful request.

Where we use third-party processors, we require them to handle personal data securely, only on our instructions, and in compliance with data protection law.

5. Processors and Data Handling Standards

We may use external processors to help us deliver services and manage our operations. These processors may include customer management systems, cloud storage providers, email platforms, payment processing services, and accounting software.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that each processor:

processes data only for the agreed purpose;
implements appropriate technical and organisational security measures;
keeps data confidential;
does not transfer data without authorisation;
assists us in meeting data protection obligations where necessary.

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will make sure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protection measures.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Quotes and enquiry records: typically retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up requests and business administration.
Booking and service records: retained for the duration of the service and for a period after completion in case of queries, disputes, or claims.
Financial and accounting data: retained for the legally required period under tax and accounting rules.
Complaint and correspondence records: retained for as long as necessary to resolve the matter and demonstrate compliance.

When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate security measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, limited staff access, and regular review of data handling practices. While we take care to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

8. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you have the following rights under data protection law:

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 where legally permitted.
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 certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the timeframes required by law, unless an exemption applies. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request.

9. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you are unhappy with the way we handle your personal data, you should raise the issue with us first so we can try to resolve it. 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 breached.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

11. Summary of Our Approach

In summary, Man With A Van Lewisham only collects personal data needed to provide reliable moving and transport services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. We process data under lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where appropriate. We retain data only for as long as necessary, use trusted processors under strict safeguards, and respect your rights over your personal information.

This policy applies to all customers of Man With A Van Lewisham in the Lewisham area.