Privacy Policy - Richmonduponthames Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Richmonduponthames Man And Van collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to its customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Richmonduponthames Man And Van customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, receives a moving-related service, or otherwise communicates with us in connection with our services.

We are committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is written to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have in relation to that information.

1. Who We Are

Richmonduponthames Man And Van provides man and van, removals, transport, and related moving services. In the context of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use about customers, prospective customers, suppliers, and other individuals whose data we handle in connection with our services.

This means we decide how and why your personal data is used. We only use your personal data where we have a valid legal basis and where it is necessary for a legitimate and lawful purpose connected to our business.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing bookings, handling payments, and complying with our legal and operational obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

Identity data, such as your name and title.
Contact data, such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information, including moving dates, collection and delivery addresses, access details, inventory descriptions, and service preferences.
Payment data, such as payment status, invoice details, and transaction records. We do not normally store full card details where payment is processed through a secure payment provider.
Communication data, including messages, call notes, emails, booking requests, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data, if you interact with our digital systems, such as IP address, browser type, and device information where applicable.
Special category data, only where you voluntarily provide it and it is strictly necessary, for example information about access needs or health-related moving requirements. Where such data is involved, we apply extra safeguards.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary personal information. We ask that you only provide information that is relevant to your booking or enquiry.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quotation or submit an enquiry;
make a booking;
communicate with us by phone, email, text, or other means;
complete forms or provide service instructions;
make a payment or request an invoice;
leave feedback, make a complaint, or ask a question.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary for service delivery, for example from estate agents, landlords, letting agents, family members acting on your behalf, or payment providers. In all such cases, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is provided lawfully.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract: Processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform our contract with you, such as arranging and delivering a move.
Legal obligation: We may process data where required to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, or other legal obligations.
Legitimate interests: We may process data for legitimate business purposes, such as responding to enquiries, improving services, preventing fraud, managing records, and handling disputes, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent: In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for optional marketing communications or the processing of sensitive information where consent is appropriate and required.

Where we rely on legitimate interests or consent, you have the right to object or withdraw consent, as explained in the section on user rights below.

5. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and estimate service requirements;
to accept, manage, and complete bookings;
to communicate with you about your service;
to plan routes, timings, vehicle allocation, and loading requirements;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records;
to respond to queries, complaints, and customer support requests;
to comply with legal, regulatory, insurance, and tax obligations;
to improve service quality, training, and operational efficiency;
to prevent and detect misuse, fraud, or security incidents.

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

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the operation of our business and the delivery of our services. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and under our instructions. Examples may include:

IT and cloud service providers, for data storage, email, scheduling, and business administration;
payment processors, for secure handling of financial transactions;
accountants or bookkeepers, for financial management and tax compliance;
insurance providers or claims handlers, where needed for coverage or claims management;
subcontracted service providers, if additional support is required to complete a booking;
professional advisers, such as legal or regulatory advisers where necessary.

We require our processors to handle personal data securely, to use it only for specified purposes, and to comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, or lawful request from public authorities, or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, or the public.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it is held.

As a general rule:

booking and customer service records are retained for a reasonable period after completion of the service;
financial and tax-related records are kept for the period required by law;
complaints, claims, and dispute records may be kept for longer where necessary to defend or establish legal claims;
marketing data is kept until you opt out or the data is no longer needed.

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

8. Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, misuse, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff awareness, and limiting access to only those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

Although we work hard to protect your data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will act in accordance with our legal obligations.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply in full or in part depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing.

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 information.
Right to erasure: In some cases, you may ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction: You may ask us to limit the way we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability: You may request that data you provided to us be transferred to you or another controller, where legally applicable.
Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests, and in all cases to direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

10. International Transfers

Where personal data is processed outside the UK, we will only do so where appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in line with applicable law. Such safeguards may include approved contractual protections or transfers to jurisdictions recognised as providing adequate protection.

11. Children

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals and transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children unless it is provided by an adult customer as part of a legitimate service arrangement and only where necessary.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised version. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

13. How We Apply This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Richmonduponthames Man And Van customers in the area, whether services are booked once, repeatedly, or as part of a broader arrangement. By using our services or submitting your personal data to us, you acknowledge that your information will be handled in accordance with this policy and applicable data protection law.

In summary, we aim to keep your data use limited, lawful, secure, and transparent. We only collect what we need, only keep it for as long as necessary, and only share it with trusted processors or others where there is a valid legal reason to do so.