Privacy Policy - Man With Van Muswellhill

Effective Date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Man With Van Muswellhill customers in the area.

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Muswellhill collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, man and van, collection, delivery, and related services. 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 aim to keep information accurate, secure, and used only for the purposes for which it was collected.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to arrange, deliver, manage, and improve our services. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information: name, title, and any business or household name provided for a booking.
Contact details: phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information: move date, collection and delivery locations, property access details, inventory descriptions, and service preferences.
Payment information: billing details, payment status, and transaction records. Where card payments are handled by a payment processor, we do not store full card details unless required by law or the payment provider.
Communication records: emails, messages, notes, complaints, and any service-related correspondence.
Technical and usage information: limited website or device data such as IP address, browser type, and cookies, where applicable.
Special instructions: access information, parking notes, or other details needed to complete a booking safely and efficiently.

We do not intentionally collect more data than is needed for operational, legal, or service-related purposes. If you provide information about third parties, such as a family member, landlord, tenant, or business contact, you should ensure you have the right to do so and that they are informed where appropriate.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations, confirm bookings, and arrange moving services;
to communicate with customers about service details, timing, access, and updates;
to deliver, complete, and document our services safely and efficiently;
to process payments, refunds, charges, and accounting records;
to handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests;
to meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
to maintain business records and improve service quality;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
to protect the rights, property, and safety of customers, staff, and third parties.

Where necessary, we may also use data to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. Any use outside the original purpose will be assessed carefully to ensure it remains lawful and compatible with the reason the data was collected.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the circumstances, Man With Van Muswellhill relies 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 taking bookings, arranging services, issuing invoices, and completing your move or delivery.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal requirements, including accounting rules, tax obligations, record-keeping requirements, and responses to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include service management, business administration, fraud prevention, customer communications, and record keeping.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or cookie-related preferences where applicable. When we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Important: We do not usually rely on consent where another lawful basis is more appropriate, such as contract or legitimate interests.

4. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, including for legal, accounting, insurance, and dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the data and the service provided.

Booking and service records: retained for the period needed to manage the service and any follow-up issues.
Financial and accounting records: retained for the period required by law and tax rules.
Complaint and claims records: retained for as long as needed to investigate, resolve, and defend claims.
Marketing or optional consent data: retained until you withdraw consent or the data is no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you. We review retention needs periodically to ensure we do not keep information for longer than necessary.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide services. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the context.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment processors that handle secure transactions;
IT and cloud service providers that store or support business systems;
Accounting and invoicing providers that assist with financial records;
Communication platforms used for email, scheduling, or customer correspondence;
Insurance providers or claims handlers where a service issue or claim must be managed;
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers.

Where processors act on our behalf, they are only permitted to process personal data under our instructions and must protect it appropriately. We take reasonable steps to ensure processors meet data protection and security requirements.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Man With Van Muswellhill, our customers, or others.

6. International Transfers

If any service provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include approved contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms required under applicable data protection law.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, data minimisation, staff awareness, and limiting access to those who need the information for business purposes.

Although we work to protect personal data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we will act promptly and responsibly in the event of any suspected data breach.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. We will assess each request in line with applicable law and may need to verify your identity before responding.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use cookies or similar technologies on any digital service, they may be used for essential functionality, performance, and analytics. Where consent is required, you may choose whether to allow non-essential cookies. You can usually control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling some cookies may affect functionality.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children without appropriate authority. If we become aware that we have collected such data without lawful basis, we will take reasonable steps to delete it promptly.

11. 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 updated version will apply from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

12. Further Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal data is processed, you may raise your concerns through the appropriate service channels. You also have the right to complain to the UK data protection authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

Man With Van Muswellhill is committed to respecting privacy, using data responsibly, and maintaining trust with every customer in the area. We will continue to process personal data in a way that is lawful, fair, secure, and proportionate to the services we provide.