Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Surrey

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Surrey collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing moving, delivery, collection, and related transport services. It applies to all Man With A Van Surrey customers in the area, including individuals, households, and business clients who request or receive our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Important: This policy applies to personal data we process as part of enquiries, quotations, bookings, service delivery, payments, customer support, and any related communication. By using our services, you acknowledge that your data may be processed as described below.

1. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing our relationship with you, and meeting our legal obligations.

Information you provide directly

Identity details: name, title, and any business name provided.
Contact details: telephone number, email address, billing address, and service address.
Service details: moving date, collection and delivery locations, inventory information, access instructions, and special handling requirements.
Payment information: invoicing details and payment confirmation records.
Communication records: messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and other correspondence.

Information collected automatically

When you interact with us online or by digital means, we may collect limited technical information such as device type, browser type, approximate location, and usage data related to our systems or forms. This information is used to maintain security, improve performance, and help us understand how our services are used.

Information from third parties

We may receive personal data from third parties where necessary to carry out a booking or complete a service. For example, this may include property managers, landlords, estate agents, payment providers, or subcontractors acting on our behalf. In each case, we will only use such data for the relevant service purpose.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and respond to enquiries;
to arrange and carry out moving, delivery, and collection services;
to communicate with you about bookings, timings, access, and service requirements;
to process invoices, payments, and refunds where applicable;
to maintain service records and manage customer accounts;
to handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests;
to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, and legal obligations;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, abuse, or misuse;
to improve our services, planning, and operational efficiency.

We do not use your personal data for unrelated marketing purposes without giving you appropriate information and, where required, obtaining consent.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing your booking, delivering services, handling payment, and communicating essential service details.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain data to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax records, insurance requirements, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include preventing fraud, maintaining service quality, protecting property, improving operations, and keeping internal records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily agree to specific optional processing. If consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing and Processors

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

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud storage providers;
payment processing and invoicing systems;
customer communication platforms;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
administrative support services;
subcontracted movers or logistics providers engaged to complete a service;
professional advisers such as insurers, accountants, or legal advisers.

Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only permitted to process data on our instructions and must keep it secure. We take reasonable steps to ensure that all processors provide appropriate safeguards and handle data in compliance with applicable law.

We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect our rights, to prevent crime, or to protect the safety of our customers, employees, or the public.

5. International Transfers

In some cases, personal data may be stored or processed outside the UK, for example by a cloud service provider. Where this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements.

Typical retention periods

Quotation and enquiry records: retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and business administration.
Booking and service records: retained for the period needed to evidence the service and resolve disputes or claims.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law.
Complaint and incident records: retained until the matter is resolved and for any further period needed to defend legal claims.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and applicable legal obligations.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited data access on a need-to-know basis. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and legal exceptions.

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 request deletion of your data.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in specific circumstances.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: where applicable, you can request your data in a portable format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, you may make a request using the usual communication channels provided when you contact us. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to handle requests within the time limits required by law.

9. Complaints

If you are concerned about how your personal data has been handled, you should raise the issue with us first so we can try to resolve it. You also have the right to complain to the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters if you believe your rights have been infringed.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for the arrangement of a service and provided by an adult with authority to do so. Where such information is processed, it will be handled in accordance with this policy and only for the relevant service purpose.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review it periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

Summary of our approach: we collect only the information needed to deliver our services, process it under a valid lawful basis, share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, retain it for no longer than necessary, and respect your data protection rights.