Privacy Policy - Man With Van Finchley

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Man With Van Finchley customers in the Finchley area and to anyone who enquires about, books, or uses our moving services.

1. Introduction

Man With Van Finchley is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We aim to handle all personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. Personal data means any information that identifies, or could identify, an individual. This policy applies to customers, prospective customers, website or phone enquirers, and anyone whose data we process in connection with our removals and transport services.

2. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With Van Finchley is the data controller for the personal data we collect and use for our own business operations. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed.

We only collect information that is necessary, relevant, and proportionate to provide our services and manage our business.

3. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and any details needed to identify you.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and move location details.
Booking and service data: information about your move, service preferences, collection and delivery addresses, item lists, access requirements, and scheduling details.
Payment data: payment status, billing records, and transaction details. Where card payments are used, payment processing may be handled securely by third-party providers.
Communication data: records of enquiries, messages, complaints, service updates, and feedback.
Technical data: basic information about how you interact with our digital systems, where relevant, such as device or browser information.
Special category data: we do not usually seek this information. If you choose to share data of this kind, we will only process it where necessary and permitted by law.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed to arrange and complete your move or manage our lawful business operations.

4. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

make an enquiry;
request a quote;
book a service;
communicate with us by phone, email, or other methods;
provide delivery, access, or scheduling instructions;
submit feedback, complaints, or claims.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary for service delivery, for example from a person acting on your behalf, a landlord, estate agent, business client, or payment provider.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing a quote, arranging the move, confirming details, completing the service, and managing related payments or service communications.

Legal obligation

We may process data to comply with legal or regulatory duties, such as tax, accounting, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights do not override those interests. This can include improving our services, handling enquiries, preventing fraud, maintaining business records, and managing customer communication.

Consent

Where required, we will ask for your consent before processing your data. If we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect any processing already carried out before withdrawal.

6. How We Use Your Data

We may use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide moving and transport services;
to prepare quotations and confirm bookings;
to contact you about schedules, service updates, or access arrangements;
to manage payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and claims;
to maintain internal records and business administration;
to meet legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of our services;
to defend or establish legal claims if necessary.

We do not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.

7. Data Sharing and Processors

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

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud storage providers;
customer communication and email service providers;
accounting and bookkeeping providers;
payment processing providers;
booking or administrative support systems;
professional advisers such as solicitors or insurers where needed.

Where we use processors, we ensure they only process personal data on our instructions, under appropriate security and confidentiality obligations.

We may also disclose data to:

law enforcement or public authorities where required by law;
courts, tribunals, or legal advisers;
third parties involved in a dispute, claim, or insurance matter.

We do not sell your personal data.

8. International Transfers

In some cases, your personal data may be processed outside the UK if our service providers use systems or servers located elsewhere. If this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections, to keep your data protected.

9. Data Retention

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

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason for holding it. As a general approach:

booking, invoicing, and service records may be retained for several years to meet legal and tax obligations;
enquiry records may be kept for a shorter period if no booking is made;
complaint or claim-related information may be retained longer where necessary to resolve the matter or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

10. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality practices, and data minimisation.

Although no system can be guaranteed 100% secure, we work to protect your information using reasonable and proportionate safeguards.

11. Your Rights Under GDPR

Depending on the legal basis for processing and other conditions, 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 ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law.

Please note that these rights are not absolute and may be limited where we have a lawful reason to continue processing your data.

12. Children’s Data

Our services are not aimed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service request made by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

13. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online systems that place cookies or similar technologies, these may be used for basic functionality, security, and service improvement. Where required, we will provide appropriate information and obtain consent for non-essential cookies.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or how we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated.

15. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, you can raise them with us so we can review the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

16. Summary of Key Principles

In summary, Man With Van Finchley processes personal data fairly, securely, and only for legitimate purposes connected with our services and legal duties. We collect only what we need, keep it only as long as necessary, and share it only with processors or other third parties where required for service delivery, compliance, or lawful business operations.

This policy applies to all Man With Van Finchley customers in the Finchley area.