Privacy Policy - Man And Van Abbeywood

Man And Van Abbeywood is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Abbeywood area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our services. It applies to all Man And Van Abbeywood customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who engage us for removals, deliveries, transport, and related moving services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man And Van Abbeywood acts as a data controller when we decide why and how personal data is processed. This means we determine the purposes and essential means of processing your information in connection with our services.

We are committed to processing personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, and meet our legal obligations. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as telephone number and email address.
Address information including pick-up, delivery, billing, and service locations.
Booking and service details such as requested dates, moving requirements, inventory notes, and instructions.
Payment-related information where needed to process invoices and record transactions.
Communication records including emails, messages, quotations, and notes from phone calls.
Complaint or feedback information if you contact us to raise concerns or provide comments.
Technical data such as limited website or device information if you interact with our online services.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or we are otherwise permitted or required by law to process it. Special category data may include information about health, religion, or political opinions, and we handle such data with heightened care.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to provide a reliable moving and transport service and to support our business operations. The main purposes of processing include:

responding to enquiries and preparing quotes;
confirming bookings and arranging service schedules;
carrying out removals, deliveries, loading, and related services;
processing payments, invoices, and accounting records;
communicating service updates or changes;
handling complaints, disputes, and insurance-related matters;
maintaining business records and improving service quality;
meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
preventing fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe another compatible purpose applies or we are required to do otherwise by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, arranging services, providing quotations, and delivering the moving or transport service you requested.

Legal Obligation

We process data where necessary to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, insurance, and other regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, securing our operations, responding to queries, improving services, and defending legal claims.

Consent

In limited cases, we rely on your consent, for example where it is required for optional communications or certain types of processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary and proportionate to provide our services or to comply with legal requirements. These parties may include:

Payment service providers who help process transactions securely.
Accounting or bookkeeping providers who support financial record management.
IT, cloud, and data storage providers who help us store and manage business information.
Professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, and auditors where needed.
Delivery or subcontracted service providers where required to fulfil a booking.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law, regulation, or a court order.

We require processors and third parties to handle personal data securely, to process it only according to our instructions, and to apply appropriate confidentiality and protection measures.

6. Processors

Where Man And Van Abbeywood uses external service providers to process personal data on our behalf, they act as data processors. Processors may only use personal data for the limited purpose of providing services to us and must not use it for their own independent purposes.

Examples of processing activities carried out by processors may include secure data hosting, email delivery, invoicing support, payment processing, and document storage. We take steps to ensure that each processor offers sufficient guarantees regarding data security, confidentiality, and compliance with data protection law.

We do not sell personal data.

7. International Transfers

In some circumstances, data may be stored or accessed outside the UK. Where this happens, we take appropriate safeguards to protect personal information, such as using approved transfer mechanisms and ensuring that equivalent standards of protection are applied wherever possible.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the nature of the information and the reasons for keeping it.

In general:

booking and service records are kept for a reasonable period to manage customer history and disputes;
financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
communications and complaint records are kept as long as needed to resolve issues and maintain business records;
information no longer needed is securely deleted or anonymised.

When personal data is no longer required, we take appropriate steps to destroy or permanently remove it from our systems, except where retention is required by law.

9. Security of Your Data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality expectations, and data minimisation practices.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we do our best to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights regarding your personal data. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in certain cases.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary for arranging services with a parent, guardian, or responsible adult. If we learn that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

12. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use fully automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and provide appropriate information about how such processing works.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operations, or services. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically so you remain informed about how we protect your personal information.

14. Contact and Complaints

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or how we handle information, you may raise your concerns through the usual service channels used when arranging your booking. We will respond in a timely and appropriate manner.

You can also lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you are dissatisfied with how your data has been handled.

By using Man And Van Abbeywood services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.