Privacy Policy - Man With Van Merton

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Merton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our moving and transport services. It applies to all Man With Van Merton customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services or communicate with us in relation to a booking, quotation, or service enquiry.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy sets out the types of information we collect, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep data, the third parties that may process data on our behalf, and the rights available to you.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our services efficiently, safely, and lawfully. The data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name, title, and the name of your business or household where relevant.
Contact details including your phone number, email address, billing address, and service address.
Booking information such as requested dates, service type, access notes, property details, and inventory information relating to the move.
Payment information such as transaction status, payment reference details, and invoicing records. We do not store full card details unless explicitly required by a secure payment provider.
Communication records including emails, call notes, and messages related to quotations, service arrangements, complaints, and follow-up.
Service and operational data such as moving requirements, delivery instructions, parking restrictions, and other details necessary to complete the job.
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, such as device type, IP address, and basic usage information collected through security or analytics tools.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary to fulfil a booking, such as from property managers, employers, landlords, tenants, letting agents, or a person making an enquiry on your behalf.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, schedule services, and manage bookings.
To perform moving, packing, loading, unloading, and transport services safely and effectively.
To communicate with you before, during, and after a service.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, claims, or service issues.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unsafe activity.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.

We only use your data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was originally collected. Where we need to use data for a new purpose that is not compatible, we will ensure we have a lawful basis before doing so.

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:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing quotations, scheduling removals, fulfilling moving services, issuing invoices, and handling service-related communications.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information where required to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, insurance, and safety obligations.

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. Examples include service administration, business security, fraud prevention, quality control, and internal record keeping.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have agreed to receive optional marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process personal data to protect someone???s life or physical safety, for example where emergency contact information is needed in an urgent incident.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it where necessary with trusted third parties who act as data processors or independent controllers.

Processors are organisations that process personal data on our instructions and under a contract requiring them to protect it appropriately. Typical processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle secure card or online payments.
Accounting and invoicing providers that support financial administration.
IT, cloud storage, and communications providers that host data, email systems, and business tools.
Customer management systems used to organise enquiries, bookings, and service notes.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose data to public authorities, courts, law enforcement, or regulators if we are legally required to do so. In some cases, another business may act as an independent controller, for example where they receive information in connection with a payment or a legal claim.

Where processors are used, we take reasonable steps to ensure they provide appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data and only use it for specified purposes.

5. International Transfers

Where any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we ensure suitable safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms. We aim to keep processing within trusted environments that provide a level of protection consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

6. 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 data and the context in which it was obtained.

Booking and service records are generally kept for a period necessary to manage customer service, resolve disputes, and maintain business records.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint or claim records may be retained longer where needed to defend legal rights or satisfy insurance obligations.
Marketing consent records are kept until you withdraw consent or we determine the record is no longer needed.

When personal data is no longer needed, we securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

7. Security of Your Data

We use appropriate 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 limited access to personal information on a need-to-know basis. No system is completely secure, but we work to reduce risks and maintain reasonable safeguards.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain limitations or exemptions.

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 request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing ??? you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object ??? you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability ??? you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent ??? where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you believe we have not handled your personal data correctly, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner???s Office (ICO). We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concerns promptly and fairly.

9. Children???s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is required incidentally for a service arrangement, such as delivery instructions involving a family household. Where we become aware that data has been collected in error, we will take appropriate steps to address it.

10. Changes to This Policy

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

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Merton is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal data throughout the customer journey. We collect only the information we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and share it only with trusted processors or where the law requires. By using our services, you can expect your data to be handled with care, transparency, and accountability.