Privacy Policy - Man With Van Paddington

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Paddington collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing moving and transport services. It applies to all Man With Van Paddington customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who request or receive our services. We are committed to handling personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary to provide our services effectively, manage bookings, and meet legal and contractual requirements. The type of information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service details including move dates, pickup and delivery locations, inventory notes, access instructions, and service preferences.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records, where applicable.
Communication records including emails, messages, quotes, complaints, and service feedback.
Technical data such as IP address, device information, and browser details if you interact with our digital systems.
Special instructions that may relate to fragile items, parking arrangements, entry access, or time-sensitive delivery requirements.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is strictly necessary and you provide it voluntarily. If such information is shared with us, we will handle it with extra care and only where permitted by law.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal information for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and confirm bookings.
To plan, manage, and complete moving services.
To communicate with you about your service request.
To process payments, invoices, and refunds where required.
To maintain records, handle complaints, and resolve disputes.
To comply with legal obligations such as tax, accounting, insurance, and transport requirements.
To improve our operations, service quality, and customer experience.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use your data for the purposes described in this policy or for closely related legitimate business purposes.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform the contract itself. This includes providing quotes, arranging moves, and delivering services you have booked.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal requirements, including accounting records, tax obligations, insurance obligations, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This includes managing bookings, preventing fraud, maintaining service records, and improving operations.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, particularly where it is required for optional communications or non-essential processing. Where consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate and deliver services. These third parties act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers for secure transaction handling.
IT and cloud hosting providers for data storage and system support.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration.
Communication tools and scheduling systems used to manage service delivery.
Insurance, legal, or compliance advisers where necessary.

All processors are required to protect personal data, use it only for authorised purposes, and maintain appropriate security measures. We do not sell your personal information.

We may also disclose data if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect our rights, property, customers, or staff. Any transfer outside the UK will only occur where appropriate safeguards are in place.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Booking and service records are typically retained for a reasonable period after completion to manage follow-up queries, complaints, or disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be kept to document service arrangements and customer support history.
Technical data is retained only as long as needed for security, analytics, or system maintenance.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it. We review retention regularly to ensure information is not kept longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

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

While no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free, we work to maintain reasonable and proportionate safeguards. Protecting your information is an important part of how we operate.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These may include:

The right of access to request a copy of the data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, also known as the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing in certain situations.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability for information you provided to us, where legally applicable.
The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you may lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner???s Office (ICO) or the relevant supervisory authority.

8. Children???s Data

Our services are not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally included in service arrangements provided by an adult customer. Where such information is received, it will only be processed as necessary for the service and in line with legal requirements.

9. Changes to This Policy

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

10. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data processed by Man With Van Paddington in connection with our moving, transport, packing, and related customer services. It applies to all customers in the Paddington area and surrounding local service area who engage our services, request quotations, or otherwise interact with us.

Summary of our commitment: we process personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently; we collect only what is needed; we keep it secure; we retain it for no longer than necessary; and we respect your rights under data protection law.