Privacy Policy - Man And Van Acton

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Acton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, delivery, transport, and related moving services. It applies to all Man And Van Acton customers in the area, including private individuals, landlords, tenants, businesses, and anyone who uses our services or interacts with us in connection with a booking, quotation, or service enquiry.

We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We respect your privacy and aim to process personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

1. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, comply with legal obligations, and run our business efficiently. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name, title, and where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking details including moving date, pick-up and delivery addresses, property access notes, and service preferences.
Payment information such as invoice details and payment status. We do not intentionally store full card information unless required by a secure payment processor.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and any instructions you provide.
Service and logistics information such as item descriptions, property size, parking arrangements, and special handling requirements.
Complaints or claims information if you raise a concern, request compensation, or report damage.
Technical data if you interact with digital systems, such as basic device, browser, or usage information collected for security and performance purposes.

We do not deliberately collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary to handle your request. Special category data may include health information or other sensitive personal data. If such information is provided, we will only process it where we have a lawful basis and appropriate safeguards.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for specified and legitimate purposes. These may include:

providing quotations and confirming bookings;
planning, carrying out, and managing removal or transport services;
communicating with you before, during, and after a job;
issuing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining financial records;
resolving complaints, disputes, and insurance or damage claims;
improving our service quality, operational planning, and customer experience;
meeting legal, accounting, tax, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud or misuse.

We will not use your data for purposes that are incompatible with the reason it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the activity, we may rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, arranging logistics, delivering services, and managing payment or service fulfilment.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain records where required by law, such as for tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory purposes.

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. Examples include customer service, internal administration, service improvement, fraud prevention, and maintaining secure systems.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

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

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. The length of retention depends on the type of record and the reason it was collected.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a reasonable period after completion to allow for administration, follow-up, and dispute resolution.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint or claim records may be kept for longer where needed to handle legal or insurance matters.
General correspondence is kept only as long as necessary to manage the relevant matter.

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

5. Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers. These organisations support our business and help us provide services. Examples may include:

IT and cloud service providers that store data or support systems used for administration and communication;
payment service providers that securely handle transactions;
accountants and professional advisers who assist with financial, legal, or compliance matters;
insurance providers or claims handlers where a complaint, damage issue, or liability matter needs to be assessed;
subcontractors or operational partners assisting with service delivery under appropriate confidentiality and data protection arrangements;
regulatory, tax, or law enforcement bodies where disclosure is required by law.

We require processors to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to use appropriate technical and organisational measures. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protections approved under data protection law. We will take reasonable steps to ensure your data remains protected to a standard consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

7. Data Security

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

Although we take data security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs and there is a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in accordance with applicable law and, where required, notify the relevant authority and affected individuals.

8. Your Rights

You have important rights under data protection law. Subject to legal limits, these may include:

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 data.
Right to erasure – you can request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where relevant.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. We will respond within the time limits required by law and may refuse requests only where permitted by applicable legislation.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised representative for a legitimate service-related purpose.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. The most current version will apply to your use of our services. We encourage you to review it periodically so you remain informed about how we handle your information.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And Van Acton is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and transparently. We only collect what we need, use it for lawful purposes, retain it for a justified period, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We also respect your rights and aim to make it easy for customers to understand how their information is handled.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to all Man And Van Acton customers in the area.