Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Kingston

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Kingston collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, delivery, collection, transportation, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Kingston customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and businesses that use our services or interact with us in connection with a booking, quotation, service enquiry, or completed job.

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 aim to be transparent, fair, and respectful in the way we use personal information. This policy should be read together with any service terms you agree to when booking our services.

1. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name, title, and company name if applicable.
Contact details such as address, email address, telephone number, and any preferred method of communication.
Service information such as move details, delivery instructions, item descriptions, collection and drop-off locations, dates, times, and access notes.
Payment information such as billing records, payment status, transaction references, and limited financial details needed to process payments.
Correspondence including emails, messages, call notes, quotes, complaints, and feedback.
Website or device data if you contact us online, such as basic technical information, cookies, and usage data where applicable.
Special instructions you provide that may be necessary to complete a job safely and efficiently, such as parking details or property access notes.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific service interaction. Where such information is not required, we ask that you do not share it.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and assess service requirements.
To book, manage, and complete removals, deliveries, and related services.
To communicate with you about your booking, arrival times, changes, and service updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, and support requests.
To improve our services, train staff, and maintain service quality.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or unauthorised activity.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.

We only use data in ways that are compatible with the purpose for which it was collected. If we need to use your information for a new purpose, we will ensure that this is lawful and appropriate.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing a quote, confirming a booking, completing a move or delivery, and handling payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain data where required by law, including for accounting, tax, insurance, and record-keeping 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. This may include managing customer relationships, improving operations, preventing fraud, and maintaining business records. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider whether processing is proportionate and necessary.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain marketing communications or where specific optional information is collected. When consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our business. These parties act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. We only share the minimum information necessary and require appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment processors who handle card or electronic transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial records and tax compliance.
IT and cloud storage providers who securely host or maintain our systems.
Communication tools used for sending emails, messages, or booking confirmations.
Insurance, legal, or professional advisers where disclosure is necessary for advice, claims handling, or compliance.
Subcontracted service partners where required to complete a customer booking.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, by a regulator, or in connection with legal proceedings. Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only permitted to process data on our instructions and must keep it secure.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy and to meet legal or operational requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it is held.

In general:

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up questions and service history.
Booking, job, and customer service records may be retained for contract management and dispute resolution.
Invoices, receipts, and tax-related records are kept for the period required by law.
Complaint and claim records may be retained longer where needed for insurance, legal, or regulatory purposes.

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

6. Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to data on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to protect your information at all times.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain limits, depending on the legal basis and the circumstances.

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

To exercise your rights, you may make a request using the details provided through our normal customer service channels. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law.

8. Marketing Communications

We do not send marketing messages unless permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. If you have agreed to receive marketing, you can opt out at any time. Service-related messages, such as booking confirmations or updates, are not marketing and may still be sent when necessary to deliver our services.

9. Cookies and Online Data

If you interact with our online services, we may use cookies or similar technologies to support basic functionality, understand usage, and improve performance. Any cookie use will be limited to what is necessary and appropriate. You can usually control cookies through your browser settings.

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 a household booking and provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

11. International Transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect personal data in line with applicable law. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated to customers. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your data is used.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and aim to use personal data fairly, securely, and only where necessary. Man With A Van Kingston processes customer information to deliver services efficiently, meet legal duties, and maintain professional standards. We will not use your data in ways that are incompatible with this policy, and we will always seek to protect your rights under data protection law.