Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Shepherds Bush

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Shepherds Bush collects, uses, stores, and shares personal data when providing moving, transport, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Shepherds Bush customers in the area, including individuals, households, and business clients who use our services or communicate with us in connection with a booking, enquiry, or completed job. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy. We only collect and use information that is necessary for legitimate business purposes, service delivery, legal compliance, and the protection of our rights and customers.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The information we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, billing address, and service address.
Booking and service information including the date of move, inventory details, access notes, special handling instructions, and service preferences.
Payment information such as partial card details, transaction references, invoices, and payment status. We do not store more payment information than is necessary to process and confirm payment.
Communication records including emails, telephone notes, text messages, and any other correspondence related to enquiries, quotes, complaints, or service updates.
Technical and usage data where applicable, such as device information, IP address, and cookie-related data if you interact with our digital services.
Proof and verification data if required for fraud prevention, dispute resolution, or legal compliance.

We may also receive personal data from third parties, such as property managers, landlords, estate agents, payment providers, or subcontracted service partners when they are arranging services on your behalf or helping us complete a booking. In all cases, we limit collection to what is relevant and necessary.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and manage bookings.
To deliver moving and transport services safely and efficiently.
To communicate with customers about service arrangements, changes, and completion.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records.
To handle customer queries, complaints, and claims.
To meet legal and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business against fraud, misuse, or legal claims.
To improve service quality, staff training, and operational planning.

We only process data for purposes that are compatible with the reasons it was originally collected, unless we have a valid legal basis to do otherwise. Where possible, we minimise the amount of personal data used and restrict access to staff or service providers who need it to perform their work.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using 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 taking booking details, delivering services, managing payments, and communicating about your move.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where we are required to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, fraud prevention, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided these do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, protecting our business, improving services, maintaining records, and resolving disputes. When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on individuals and limit processing to what is proportionate.

Consent

In some cases, we may ask for your consent, for example for certain optional communications or non-essential data uses. Where consent is relied upon, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect processing carried out before it was withdrawn.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties when necessary for business operations and service delivery. These parties act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. Processors only handle data on our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors that help us take and reconcile payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial administration.
IT and cloud storage providers that host records and secure business systems.
Communication service providers that support email, phone, or message delivery.
Subcontractors or partner movers who assist with the completion of a job under our direction.
Professional advisers such as insurers, lawyers, or auditors where necessary for claims, compliance, or dispute handling.

Where personal data is shared with processors, we put appropriate contractual safeguards in place and ensure they process data securely, lawfully, and only for the purpose instructed. We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority.

5. Data Retention

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

Booking and service records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage customer relations, respond to queries, and defend against claims.
Financial and tax records are typically retained in line with statutory requirements.
Communication records may be retained for operational, evidential, and complaint-handling purposes.
Technical and security logs may be kept for a limited period to maintain system integrity and investigate incidents.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. If data is subject to a legal hold or required for an ongoing dispute, it may be retained until the matter is resolved.

6. International Transfers

If any of our processors or systems store data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data. These safeguards may include adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms. We assess transfer risks and take steps to maintain a level of protection consistent with UK data protection law.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, 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 request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – in certain cases, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit the way we use your data in some situations.
Right to data portability – you may request certain information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable 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 may need to verify your identity before responding. We will aim to respond within the timeframe required by law. Some rights are subject to legal limitations, particularly where we must retain information for compliance, evidence, or legitimate business purposes.

8. Security of Personal Data

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 awareness, confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging moving and transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to a household service or where required in connection with a booking. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without an appropriate lawful basis, we will take steps to delete or protect it as required by law.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled. Transparency, fairness, and accountability are central to how we manage personal information.

11. Summary of Key Principles

In handling personal data, Man With A Van Shepherds Bush follows the principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and confidentiality. We only collect what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and safeguard it with suitable controls. This policy applies to all Man With A Van Shepherds Bush customers in area and is designed to ensure that personal data is treated responsibly at every stage of the service relationship.