Privacy Policy - Richmonduponthames Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Richmonduponthames Man And Van collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our moving, transport, loading, unloading, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Richmonduponthames Man And Van customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who engage our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Richmonduponthames Man And Van provides local removal and transport services. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller when we determine how and why personal data is processed. In some cases, we may also act as a data processor when handling data strictly on behalf of a customer, for example where a business client instructs us to move records or items containing personal information.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing bookings, and fulfilling our legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

• Identity data, such as your name and title.
• Contact data, such as your telephone number, email address, billing address, and collection/delivery addresses.
• Booking and service data, including details about the move, property access information, inventory notes, preferred dates, service requests, and special handling instructions.
• Payment and transaction data, such as payment status, invoice records, and payment reference details.
• Communication data, including emails, messages, call notes, complaint records, and other correspondence with us.
• Operational data, such as vehicle allocation, scheduling records, route information, and job completion notes.
• Technical data, where relevant, such as basic device or browser information if you interact with our digital systems or online forms.

We generally do not seek special category data unless it is essential to providing a service or complying with a legal obligation. If such information is inadvertently shared with us, we will handle it with appropriate care and only process it where a lawful basis exists.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to respond to enquiries and provide quotes;
• to manage bookings and carry out moving services;
• to plan routes, allocate staff, and organise vehicles;
• to issue invoices, receive payments, and maintain accounting records;
• to communicate with you before, during, and after a job;
• to handle complaints, disputes, and insurance-related matters;
• to meet legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements;
• to improve service quality, training, safety, and operational performance;
• to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or other risks.

We will only use your data for the purposes described above or for closely related compatible purposes. We do not sell your personal data.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

Most processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotes, arranging collections and deliveries, and carrying out removal services.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include scheduling jobs, managing customer communications, preventing fraud, maintaining service records, and improving operations.

Legal Obligation

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

Consent

Where consent is required, we will ask for it clearly and separately. You may withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to deliver our services or meet legal obligations. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the nature of the relationship. Where they act as processors, they may only process data on our instructions and must keep it secure.

The categories of recipients may include:

• Payment service providers who process card or bank payments;
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with tax and financial records;
• IT and cloud storage providers who support our systems, email, backups, and data storage;
• Communication service providers who help us manage messages and calls;
• Subcontractors or crew members involved in carrying out a move or related service;
• Insurance providers, brokers, or claims handlers where a claim or incident must be assessed;
• Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers;
• Regulatory, law enforcement, or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

When we use processors, we take steps to ensure appropriate contractual safeguards, confidentiality obligations, and security standards are in place. If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that suitable transfer mechanisms and protections are implemented in line with applicable data protection law.

6. Data Retention

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

• Booking and service records are generally retained for a period needed to manage the customer relationship and handle after-service issues.
• Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
• Complaint, claim, and dispute records may be kept longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
• General correspondence is retained only as long as needed for business purposes.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices. In some cases, we may need to keep limited records even after the end of a service if required by law or for legitimate business reasons.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain appropriate safeguards proportionate to the risks involved.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal conditions and exceptions, but we will always respond appropriately to any valid request.

• 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 the way we process your data in certain cases.
• 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 we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will review your request and respond within the time limits set by law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not make decisions about customers based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in future, we will update this policy and provide appropriate information about the logic involved and your available rights.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to providing a household service and necessary to complete a job. Where children’s data is involved, it will be processed with the same care and protection as other personal data.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers in the Richmonduponthames area to review this policy periodically.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Richmonduponthames Man And Van is committed to collecting only the personal data we need, using it fairly, retaining it for no longer than necessary, and protecting it with appropriate safeguards. We process data on a lawful basis, work with trusted processors under proper controls, and respect your rights under the UK GDPR. This policy applies to all Richmonduponthames Man And Van customers in the area, and it is designed to ensure that your personal information is handled responsibly, transparently, and lawfully.