Privacy Policy - Man With Van Westkensington

Man With Van Westkensington is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when you use our moving, transport, packing, loading, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Man With Van Westkensington customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who engage our services.

We aim to handle all personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner 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 Privacy Policy.

1. Data Collection

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for providing and managing our services, complying with legal obligations, and improving service quality. The types of information we may collect include:

• Identity data such as your name, title, and any account or booking identifiers.
• Contact data such as address, email address, telephone number, and preferred communication details.
• Service details such as pickup and delivery addresses, moving dates, property access information, item descriptions, and special handling requirements.
• Payment data such as payment status, billing information, and transaction records. We do not store full card details where payment is handled by a secure third-party provider.
• Communication data including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence with our team.
• Technical data where relevant, such as device information or usage logs if you interact with digital systems used for booking or service management.

We generally collect this data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, book a service, sign a contract, communicate with us, or provide instructions during the service. We may also receive information from third parties where necessary, such as payment providers, referral partners, insurers, or property representatives acting on your behalf.

We only collect special category data in exceptional situations, and only if it is necessary and lawful to do so. For example, this may arise if you share health-related access requirements for the safe delivery of your service. Where such data is processed, we apply heightened safeguards.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide moving and transport services;
• to prepare quotations and confirm bookings;
• to plan routes, allocate staff, and manage logistics;
• to communicate with you about your booking, schedule, or service requirements;
• to process payments and maintain business records;
• to handle complaints, disputes, and insurance matters;
• to comply with legal, accounting, tax, and regulatory obligations;
• to maintain safety, security, and service quality;
• to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
• to improve our operations and customer experience.

We do not use your personal data for unrelated purposes unless we have a valid legal basis to do so and you are informed where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, managing service delivery, invoicing, and customer support connected to the agreed service.

Legal Obligation

We process data when required to comply with legal duties, such as tax reporting, accounting requirements, record retention obligations, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service improvement, administration, fraud prevention, internal record keeping, and business continuity.

Consent

In limited cases, we rely on your consent. For example, this may apply to optional communications or certain types of non-essential processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

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

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary for the operation of our business and the delivery of services. These third parties act either as processors acting on our instructions, or as independent controllers in their own right.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

• Payment processors that securely handle transactions;
• IT and hosting providers that support our systems and data storage;
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial records;
• Customer management and communication providers used for administration;
• Insurance and claims handlers where a claim or incident requires review;
• Subcontracted movers or logistics partners where support is required to fulfil a booking;
• Professional advisers such as lawyers, auditors, or tax advisers.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, confidentially, and only in accordance with our instructions and applicable law. They are not permitted to use your data for their own purposes unless separately authorised by law.

We may also disclose data where necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect our rights, protect the safety of our customers or staff, or prevent fraud or criminal activity.

5. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms designed to protect your data to the required standard.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including service delivery, legal compliance, dispute resolution, and business record keeping.

Retention periods depend on the type of data and the relevant legal or operational need. In general:

• Booking and service records are kept for a period necessary to manage service history and aftercare.
• Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
• Complaints and claims records may be retained for longer where needed to defend or establish legal rights.
• Enquiry data that does not lead to a booking may be deleted after a reasonable period unless retention is required for legal or business reasons.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, confidentiality obligations, secure storage, staff training, and limited data access on a need-to-know basis.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take appropriate action in accordance with applicable law.

8. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and legal basis for processing, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

• Right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• Right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
• Right to erasure to request deletion of data in certain cases;
• Right to restriction to limit how we use your data in certain situations;
• Right to data portability to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format;
• Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
• Right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• Right to complain to the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. Some rights may be limited where legal obligations, contractual requirements, or the rights of others apply.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online tools that rely on cookies or similar technologies, these may be used for essential functionality, performance monitoring, and service improvement. Where consent is required, it will be obtained in advance and can be withdrawn according to applicable rules.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, or our business operations. Any updated version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their personal data is handled.

11. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data processed by Man With Van Westkensington in connection with our services for customers in the area. It covers data collected before, during, and after service delivery where we act as a data controller. By continuing to use our services, you acknowledge that your information will be handled in accordance with this policy and applicable data protection law.

Summary of commitment: We only collect the data we need, process it lawfully, keep it securely for appropriate periods, share it only with trusted processors when necessary, and respect your data protection rights.