Privacy Policy - Man With Van Acton

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Man With Van Acton customers in the Acton area and explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Introduction

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way. This policy explains what data we collect when you use our moving and transport services, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over your data.

By using our services, requesting a quote, making a booking, or otherwise communicating with us, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data we need to provide our services safely and efficiently. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

Identity information: your name and, where relevant, the name of your business or organisation.
Contact information: phone number, email address, and service address details.
Booking information: moving dates, pickup and delivery addresses, inventory details, access requirements, and service preferences.
Payment information: billing details and transaction records. We do not store card details unless explicitly required by a secure payment processor.
Communication records: emails, messages, notes from calls, and any information you provide when asking for a quote or support.
Service and operational data: information needed to carry out removals, loading, transport, and delivery.
Technical data: limited website or device information such as IP address, browser type, and usage data if you contact us online. This is collected only where necessary for security, performance, or analytics.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is voluntarily provided by you and is necessary for a specific service request. Where such information is received, we will only process it where a lawful basis exists and, if required, an additional condition under data protection law applies.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and manage bookings;
to plan and deliver moving and transport services;
to communicate with you before, during, and after a service;
to process payments and manage invoicing;
to keep accurate records of services provided;
to improve our services, operations, and customer experience;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or other unlawful activity;
to comply with legal obligations, including tax and accounting requirements;
to resolve complaints, disputes, or claims.

We only use your data where it is necessary and proportionate to the purpose stated.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract: when processing is necessary to prepare for or perform a contract with you, such as arranging a move, delivering goods, or managing payment.
Legal obligation: when we must process data to comply with legal or regulatory duties, including record-keeping, tax, and accounting obligations.
Legitimate interests: when processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms, such as service improvement, administration, security, and fraud prevention.
Consent: where required by law, we will ask for your consent before processing your data for specific purposes. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we carefully assess the impact on your privacy and ensure that our use of your data is fair and necessary.

5. Data Retention

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

Booking and service records: retained for a reasonable period after the service to manage queries, disputes, and operational records.
Financial and accounting records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Correspondence and complaints: retained as long as needed to deal with the matter and keep appropriate business records.
Technical and security data: retained only for a limited period unless needed for investigation or legal reasons.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it or anonymise it securely. We do not keep information indefinitely.

6. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business and deliver our services. These third parties act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share data where necessary and on an appropriate legal basis.

Payment providers: to process card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to support invoicing, tax compliance, and financial records.
IT and cloud service providers: to store data securely and maintain our systems.
Communication service providers: to send emails, messages, or service updates.
Professional advisers: such as lawyers, insurers, or auditors where necessary.
Regulators, authorities, or law enforcement: where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

We require processors to handle your data securely, to act only on our instructions, and to use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure suitable safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and limiting access to those who need it for business purposes.

Although we work hard to protect your data, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will act in line with applicable legal requirements.

8. Your Rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, these may include:

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 data.
Right to erasure: you may request deletion of your data where there is no valid reason for us to keep it.
Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability: you may request that certain data be provided to you or transferred to another controller in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the timeframe required by law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided in connection with a move and is necessary for service delivery. If we become aware that we have collected such data improperly, we will take appropriate steps to delete or secure it.

10. Marketing and Preferences

If we send you marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may opt out at any time, and we will respect your preferences. Service-related messages, such as booking confirmations and operational updates, are not marketing and may still be sent when necessary to deliver our services.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or how we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle your data.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Acton will only collect data that is needed, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it for no longer than necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We aim to process personal data in a way that is fair, secure, and transparent, while respecting your rights and privacy at all times.