Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Barnsbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Barnsbury collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removals, delivery, packing, collection, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Barnsbury customers in the Barnsbury area, including individuals and businesses who request quotes, make bookings, or otherwise engage our services. We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and applicable privacy laws.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With A Van Barnsbury acts as the data controller in relation to the personal information we collect and use for running our services. This means we determine why and how your personal data is processed. We only collect information that is relevant, necessary, and proportionate to the services we provide.

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal data directly from you, from your use of our services, and occasionally from third parties where permitted by law. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, billing address, pickup address, and delivery address.
Booking information including requested dates, service type, item descriptions, property access details, and moving requirements.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction references, and limited billing records.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and feedback.
Service-related data such as inventory lists, special handling instructions, and any notes needed to complete a move safely.
Technical data such as IP address, device type, browser information, and basic usage data if you interact with our digital systems.
Legal and compliance data where needed for insurance, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, or regulatory obligations.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific service or legal requirement. If such information is provided, we will only process it where a lawful basis applies and with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for legitimate business and service purposes, including:

Providing quotes and confirming bookings.
Planning and carrying out removal or delivery services.
Communicating with you about your booking or service updates.
Managing payments, invoices, and account records.
Handling complaints, claims, and customer support enquiries.
Improving service quality, safety, and operational efficiency.
Meeting legal, insurance, and tax obligations.
Preventing fraud, misuse, and security incidents.

We only process personal data for the specific purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably need to use it for another compatible purpose permitted by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, 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 preparing quotes, arranging transport, completing moves, issuing invoices, and delivering services you have requested.

Legal obligation

We may process certain records to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights do not override those interests. This can include service management, customer support, fraud prevention, business administration, and internal record keeping.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for optional communications or certain non-essential processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it only when necessary and appropriate for service delivery, legal compliance, or business operations. This may include:

Processors that support our operations, such as booking systems, payment providers, IT support, storage services, and administrative software.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, legal advisers, or claims handlers.
Regulatory, law enforcement, or public authorities where required by law or to protect rights, safety, or property.
Subcontracted service providers if needed to fulfil a booking, such as additional movers or transport support.

Where third parties act as data processors, they are only permitted to process your data on our instructions and must implement appropriate security and confidentiality measures. If a third party uses your data for its own independent purposes, it will act as a separate controller and must provide its own privacy information.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, including meeting legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it was collected. In practice, this means:

Booking and service records are kept for a period necessary to manage the transaction and any follow-up issues.
Financial and tax-related records are kept for the period required by law.
Customer communications are retained for a reasonable period to support service history and dispute resolution.
Data no longer needed is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived where appropriate.

We regularly review our records to ensure we do not retain personal data longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff permissions, and procedures for handling incidents. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will only do so where appropriate safeguards are in place and where the transfer complies with data protection law. This may include the use of approved contractual protections or transfers to countries recognised as providing an adequate level of protection.

9. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and legal basis used, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – to request limited processing in certain circumstances.
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.
Right to complain – to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been breached.

Some rights may be limited where there is a lawful reason to retain or continue processing the data, such as compliance with legal obligations or the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers arranging transport, removals, or related services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided in connection with a service and only where necessary. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it or obtain appropriate authority where required by law.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or service operations. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With A Van Barnsbury is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, rely on appropriate lawful bases for processing, keep data only for as long as necessary, and use trusted processors under proper safeguards. We respect your rights and aim to handle all customer information responsibly, securely, and in line with applicable privacy law.