Privacy Policy - Man And Van Colliers Wood

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Colliers Wood collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, delivery, loading, unloading, and related moving services. It applies to all Man And Van Colliers Wood customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, book, or receive our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a fair, transparent, and secure manner in line 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 information that is relevant, necessary, and proportionate to the services you request.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, business or company name.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service information such as move dates, item lists, property access details, delivery instructions, and special handling requests.
Billing and payment details such as payment status, invoice records, and transaction references. We do not keep card details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, complaint records, and customer support correspondence.
Operational information such as driver notes, route details, job completion records, and photographs taken for evidence of condition or delivery where appropriate.
Technical data if you contact us by electronic means, such as device information, IP address, and basic usage data from our systems.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where needed to provide the service, for example from landlords, estate agents, property managers, storage providers, or payment processors acting on your behalf.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for lawful and legitimate business purposes connected to our moving and transport services. These purposes may include:

providing quotations and confirming bookings;
planning, managing, and delivering removal and transport services;
communicating with you about your booking, schedule, or service requirements;
issuing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining accounting records;
handling complaints, claims, insurance matters, and dispute resolution;
improving service quality, training staff, and maintaining operational records;
meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance obligations;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud or misuse.

We do not sell personal data. We also do not use your data for unrelated marketing without the required permissions.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. We rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging services, completing moves, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We process certain records where required by law, including tax, accounting, health and safety, insurance, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, such as service improvement, fraud prevention, security, internal administration, and responding to customer enquiries, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms.

Consent

Where we rely on consent, such as for optional marketing communications or certain non-essential uses of photographs, you may withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process data where necessary to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency involving health or safety.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to operate our services. These parties act either as processors under our instructions or as independent controllers where they manage their own legal obligations.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and cloud hosting providers that store booking, communication, or system records securely.
Accounting and invoicing providers that assist with financial administration.
Payment service providers that process card or electronic payments securely.
Communication tools used for email, telephone, scheduling, or customer support.
Insurance providers, claims handlers, and legal advisers where needed to handle disputes, damages, or claims.
Subcontracted movers or drivers where required to deliver services you have booked.

We ensure processors are subject to appropriate data protection obligations and are only permitted to use your data for the purposes we define. We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to prevent fraud or serious harm.

5. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to protect your information. This may include UK adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms. We review these arrangements to ensure your data remains protected.

6. Data Retention

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

Quotation and enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and service history.
Booking, invoicing, and accounting records are generally kept for the period required by tax and financial laws.
Communication and complaint records may be retained to support service quality, dispute handling, and legal defence.
Insurance or claims documents may be stored for the time needed to resolve the matter and any associated limitation periods.

When data is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in a controlled manner. In some cases, we may retain limited records for compliance, audit, or legal purposes even after a service ends.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, encryption where appropriate, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices.

While we take reasonable steps to protect data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that affects your rights or freedoms, we will respond in accordance with our legal obligations.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These may include:

The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes known as the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing where you want us to limit how your data is used.
The right to data portability for certain data provided by you and processed by automated means.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Rights related to automated decision-making, if such processing is ever used in a way that has legal or similarly significant effects.

These rights are subject to certain conditions and legal exceptions. If we cannot comply with a request, we will explain why where permitted by law.

9. How to Exercise Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, please provide enough information for us to identify you and understand your request. We may need to verify your identity before taking action to protect your privacy. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law, usually within one month, although complex requests may take longer where permitted.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided in connection with a household move or similar service request. Where children’s data is encountered, it is handled only as necessary to provide the service and with appropriate care.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

12. Contacting the Data Protection Regulator

If you are concerned about how we handle your personal data, you have the right to raise a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concern promptly and fairly.

Man And Van Colliers Wood is committed to respecting privacy and handling personal information responsibly. This Policy reflects our ongoing efforts to maintain trust, transparency, and compliance in every service we provide across the Colliers Wood area.