Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Chessington

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Chessington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man With A Van Chessington customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, receives a delivery, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our moving and transport services. We are committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, transparently, and in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We take privacy seriously and only use personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your information.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, communicate effectively, manage bookings, and meet legal and operational requirements. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity details: name, title, and, where relevant, business or organisation name.
Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and collection or delivery addresses.
Service information: details of your move, item descriptions, access notes, preferred dates, and any special handling instructions.
Payment information: billing details, transaction records, and payment confirmations. We do not necessarily store full card details if payment is processed through a secure third-party provider.
Communication records: emails, call notes, text messages, and any correspondence relating to your enquiry, booking, complaint, or feedback.
Technical data: basic website or device information, if you contact us online, such as IP address, browser type, and cookies where applicable.
Legal and compliance information: records needed for accounting, tax, insurance, or dispute handling.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to provide it. If you share sensitive information with us, we will treat it with appropriate care and only use it for the purpose for which it was provided.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to deliver our services and to manage our business responsibly. Typical uses include:

providing quotations and confirming bookings;
planning and carrying out removals or transport services;
communicating about schedules, access issues, or service updates;
processing payments and maintaining financial records;
handling complaints, insurance matters, and claims;
maintaining internal records and service history;
meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
improving our customer service and operational efficiency;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We never sell your personal data. Any sharing of information is limited to what is necessary for legitimate business or legal purposes.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for every use of personal data. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

a) Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing a quote, managing your booking, providing the moving service, processing payments, and dealing with service-related questions.

b) Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate interests and where your rights do not override those interests. This may include business administration, service improvement, record keeping, internal reporting, fraud prevention, and responding to customer complaints. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and ensure the processing is proportionate.

c) Legal Obligation

We process data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax requirements, accounting rules, insurance obligations, and lawful requests from authorities.

d) Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you agree to receive optional marketing communications. If we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate effectively. These organisations act as processors when they process data on our instructions, or as separate controllers where they determine their own purposes. We ensure that any third party handling personal data is subject to appropriate contractual and security protections.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors: to handle secure payment transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to manage invoices, tax records, and financial administration.
IT and cloud storage providers: to host data, backup systems, and email services.
Communication platforms: to send service messages or manage enquiries.
Insurance and claims handlers: where needed for incident reporting or claim assessment.
Professional advisers: such as lawyers, accountants, or consultants, where necessary for advice or compliance.

We may also disclose data to public authorities, courts, or law enforcement agencies where required by law or where necessary to protect our legal rights. If our business is restructured, sold, or merged, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to legal protections.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Retention periods depend on the type of data, the nature of the service, legal requirements, and the need to resolve disputes or enforce agreements.

Quotation and booking records: retained for a reasonable period to manage customer service and business records.
Invoice and accounting data: retained in line with tax and financial legal requirements.
Correspondence and complaint records: retained for as long as needed to handle the matter and for a further period where necessary for evidence or legal defence.
Marketing preferences: retained until you withdraw consent or opt out.
Technical logs: retained for a limited time for security, troubleshooting, and system maintenance.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe and appropriate manner.

6. Security of Your Information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include password protection, restricted access, secure storage, staff awareness, and careful selection of processors. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work hard to reduce risk and respond promptly to any suspected incident.

7. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that your information remains protected. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, contractual protections, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply in different circumstances and are subject to legal limits. They 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 information.
Right to erasure: you can request deletion of your data where the law allows.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

We will respond to valid requests within the time limits set by law. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

9. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you believe your data protection rights have been breached, you have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority. We would also appreciate the chance to address your concerns directly so that we can resolve matters quickly and fairly.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

11. Summary of Our Commitment

At Man With A Van Chessington, we aim to handle personal data responsibly, transparently, and securely. We only collect what we need, use it for legitimate purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and limit access to trusted processors and personnel. This policy applies to all customers in the area and is designed to ensure your privacy is respected throughout every stage of our service.