Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Stjohnswood

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Stjohnswood collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our moving, transport, loading, unloading, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Stjohnswood customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request quotations, make bookings, or otherwise interact with us in relation to a move or delivery.

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is designed to help you understand what we do with your information and the rights you have over it.

1. Personal data we collect

We collect only the data that is necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, communicate effectively, and meet legal or operational requirements. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a business or organization.
Contact details such as email address, telephone number, and service address.
Booking and service information including move dates, property details, access instructions, item descriptions, collection and delivery locations, and service preferences.
Billing and payment data such as invoice details, transaction records, and payment status.
Communication records including messages, call notes, and correspondence relating to enquiries, quotations, complaints, or service updates.
Special instructions needed to carry out a move safely and efficiently, such as parking details, access limitations, or fragile item handling requirements.
Technical data in limited cases, such as device or browser information if you interact with our digital systems.

We do not intentionally collect more data than is required. We also do not seek to collect sensitive information unless you choose to provide it and it is strictly necessary for the service being arranged.

2. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange, confirm, and carry out moving or transport services.
To communicate about scheduling, access, changes, delays, or service issues.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain business records.
To manage complaints, claims, and customer support requests.
To comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, and record-keeping duties.
To protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.
To improve our services and operational efficiency.

We will only use personal data for the purpose for which it was collected, or for a closely related compatible purpose, unless a new lawful basis applies.

3. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis to use your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes quotations, bookings, scheduling, and delivery of moving services.

Legal obligation

We process certain information where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax laws, accounting rules, business record retention, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing and improving our services, maintaining internal records, protecting against fraud, and handling customer enquiries efficiently.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example if you agree to receive certain non-essential communications. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

4. Data sharing and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, but only when necessary and with appropriate safeguards in place. These may include:

Payment service providers who handle card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who support invoicing, tax records, and financial administration.
IT and cloud service providers who store or help manage business systems, emails, and secure records.
Communication service providers used for messaging, telephone, or customer support tools.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.
Regulatory, law enforcement, or public bodies where disclosure is required by law.

Where a third party acts as a processor, it may only process your data on our instructions and must protect it appropriately. We require processors to implement security measures and to use the data only for the agreed purpose.

We do not sell your personal data. We also do not permit unauthorized sharing of customer information. If data is transferred outside the UK or the European Economic Area, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it.

5. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to meet the purposes set out in this policy, including legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period will vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Quotation and enquiry data may be kept for a reasonable period in case you return with a booking request or follow-up question.
Booking and service records are retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a period afterwards to manage disputes, claims, and customer history.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint and correspondence records may be retained as long as needed to resolve issues and demonstrate compliance.

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

6. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality duties, and careful management of third-party systems.

Although no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we aim to reduce risk and act promptly if any issue is identified.

7. Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under data protection law. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exemptions.

Right of access - You can ask for 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 - You can ask us to delete your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction - You can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object - You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability - You can ask for certain data to be provided in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent - Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have not been respected. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the matter promptly and fairly.

8. Automated decision-making

We do not normally use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects for customers. If this changes in future, we will update this policy and explain the process clearly.

9. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals or transport. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data except where it is incidentally included in service records provided by an adult customer, and only where necessary for the service.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practice, or service operations. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how your data is handled.

11. Summary of key commitments

Man With A Van Stjohnswood is committed to processing personal data responsibly, keeping it secure, and using it only when there is a valid reason to do so. We collect only what is needed, retain it for only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or when required by law. Customers in the area can exercise their rights and expect transparent, lawful handling of their information at every stage of the service.