Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Plumstead

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Plumstead collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, delivery, transport, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Plumstead customers in the Plumstead area and surrounding service area, including anyone who enquires about, books, receives, or pays for our services. We are committed to handling personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With A Van Plumstead acts as the data controller for the personal data collected in connection with our services. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed. We take data protection seriously and aim to ensure that all personal data is handled fairly, lawfully, and transparently.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This can include:

Identity data, such as your name and title.
Contact data, such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service details, such as moving dates, collection and delivery locations, item descriptions, and access information.
Payment information, such as billing details and transaction records.
Communication data, including emails, phone calls, messages, and notes from enquiries or complaints.
Technical data, if you use our website or online forms, such as IP address, browser type, device information, and usage data.
Special instructions you provide, such as fragile item handling, parking restrictions, or access requirements.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data unless it is necessary for a specific reason and permitted by law. If such data is ever provided to us inadvertently, we will handle it with extra care and only retain it where there is a lawful basis to do so.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange and deliver removal, transport, and related services.
To communicate with you about bookings, timing, and service updates.
To process payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable.
To manage customer relationships and handle complaints or disputes.
To maintain business records and meet legal, accounting, and insurance obligations.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use your data where it is necessary and relevant to the service being provided. We do not sell personal data.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, planning services, confirming requirements, and completing the move or delivery.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing enquiries, improving operations, maintaining service records, and preventing fraud or misuse.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain data to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where we send optional marketing communications. If consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

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

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors who handle card or online payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with invoicing, tax, and financial records.
IT and cloud storage providers who host email systems, customer records, and digital files.
Communication service providers who support call handling, messaging, or email delivery.
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where required.

We require processors to protect your data and only use it according to our instructions and applicable law. We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, regulator, or to protect our rights, staff, customers, or property.

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure it remains protected in line with applicable data protection requirements.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service provided.

In general:

Booking and customer records are retained for a period appropriate to business and contractual needs.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint and dispute records may be retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and protect our legal position.
Unneeded personal data is securely deleted or anonymised once it is no longer required.

We regularly review the data we hold to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary. Where data is no longer needed, we take appropriate steps to delete or securely dispose of it.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to help protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, and staff awareness practices.

Although we work to protect your information, no system is completely secure. If a data breach occurs that affects your rights and freedoms, we will act in accordance with applicable law and take appropriate steps to investigate and mitigate the issue.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exemptions. They include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to request transfer of certain data to you or another provider, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled with the relevant supervisory authority. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

9. Cookies and Online Data

If we use a website or online enquiry form, technical information may be collected automatically through cookies or similar technologies. This may help us understand how visitors use the site, improve functionality, and maintain security. Where required, we will obtain consent for non-essential cookies.

You can usually manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the performance or functionality of some online features.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business contacts. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided by an adult customer as part of a service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where legally required and appropriate.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or how we process data. 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 your information is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With A Van Plumstead respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, share it only where necessary with trusted processors, and keep it only for as long as required. Our aim is to provide reliable moving and transport services while safeguarding the rights and freedoms of every customer in the Plumstead area.