Privacy Policy - Man With Van Docklands

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

We respect your privacy and only process 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 what rights you have over your information.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact information such as phone number, email address, billing details, and moving address.
Service details including pickup and delivery addresses, preferred dates and times, inventory descriptions, access notes, and any special handling instructions.
Payment and transaction information such as payment status, invoice records, and service history.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence related to your booking.
Technical information if you interact with us online, such as IP address, device details, browser type, and basic usage information where relevant.
Optional information that you choose to provide, for example details about fragile items, access limitations, or preferred contact times.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you provide it voluntarily, for example if you disclose mobility, access, or health-related information that affects the moving service. Where such information is provided, we will process it only when permitted by law and with appropriate safeguards.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To manage bookings and deliver moving services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after a move.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records.
To handle complaints, claims, and service issues.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.
To comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance obligations.
To protect our business from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for a compatible purpose. If we need to use your data for a new purpose that is not compatible, we will explain the legal basis before doing so where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes providing quotes, confirming bookings, organising transport, handling delivery details, and delivering the agreed service.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax requirements, accounting rules, record-keeping duties, insurance matters, and responses to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests include running and improving our business, managing customer relationships, preventing fraud, ensuring service quality, and defending legal claims.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent. For example, if we ask for permission to use certain optional information beyond what is required to provide the service, we will do so only with your clear agreement. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis.

4. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who help us operate our business. These third parties act as processors when they handle data on our behalf and under our instructions. They may include:

Payment service providers that process card or online payments.
Accounting or bookkeeping providers that support financial record management.
IT and data storage providers that maintain secure systems, backups, or email services.
Administrative service providers that help with scheduling, quoting, or customer administration.
Insurance or claims-related providers where necessary to assess or manage claims.

We require all processors to protect personal data, act only on our instructions, and maintain appropriate security measures. We do not sell personal data. We will only disclose information to other third parties where required for the service, where you have asked us to do so, where we are legally required, or where it is necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety.

Where service delivery requires it, we may also share limited booking information with subcontracted operational partners or personnel involved in the move. They will only receive the information necessary to complete the service.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for processing.

In general:

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a limited period to manage follow-up, business administration, and dispute resolution.
Booking, invoice, and payment records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication and service records may be retained for a period necessary to handle complaints, claims, or contractual matters.
Records needed for legal defence or insurance purposes may be kept until the relevant limitation period expires or the matter is fully resolved.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our internal retention practices and legal obligations.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to those who need the data to carry out their work.

While we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs and we are legally required to do so, we will notify the relevant authorities and affected individuals in line with GDPR requirements.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain legal conditions and 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 where there is no lawful reason for us to keep it.
Right to restriction - you may ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Right to object - you may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including any direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability - you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format where the right applies.
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in line with GDPR timescales and requirements. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

8. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms that provide a suitable level of protection.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided by an adult customer in connection with a move. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without proper authority, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data practices. The updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Docklands is committed to processing personal data in a lawful, secure, and transparent manner. We collect only the information needed to provide moving services, manage bookings, and comply with legal obligations. We keep data for no longer than necessary, use trusted processors where required, and respect your rights under GDPR.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or booking a move, you acknowledge that your personal data will be handled in line with this Privacy Policy. We are committed to treating your information with care, using it only where there is a lawful basis, and ensuring that all customers in the Docklands area receive fair and consistent data protection standards.