Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Forest Gate

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Forest Gate collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Man With A Van Forest Gate customers in the area, including anyone who requests, receives, or enquires about our moving, transport, loading, unloading, and related services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With A Van Forest Gate acts as the data controller when we determine the purpose and means of processing personal data. This means we decide why and how personal data is used in order to provide our services, manage bookings, respond to enquiries, and comply with legal and contractual obligations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for operating our services and meeting our obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity data such as your name and title.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and phone number.
Booking and service data such as collection and delivery addresses, access details, property information, moving dates, service preferences, inventory details, and special handling requirements.
Payment data such as billing details and payment status.
Communication data such as enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data such as basic device or usage information if you interact with our digital systems.
Verification data where needed to confirm identity, prevent fraud, or manage disputes.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a service request, such as information relevant to access needs or health-related handling instructions. In such cases, we will treat the information with appropriate care and only process it where permitted by law.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and manage bookings;
to plan and deliver moving and transport services;
to communicate with you about your service;
to process payments and handle refunds or billing queries;
to manage complaints, claims, and service issues;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory duties;
to maintain business records and improve our operations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, and security incidents.

We will only use your data for a purpose that is compatible with the original reason it was collected, unless we notify you otherwise or the law permits us to do so. We aim to process data in the least intrusive way possible while still delivering a reliable service.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the situation, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotes, arranging moves, confirming service details, and carrying out the service itself.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, taxation, record-keeping, insurance, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

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 managing our operations, preventing fraud, improving services, keeping business records, and resolving disputes.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications or where the law requires permission for a specific type of processing. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that assist us in delivering our services. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and under our instructions. They are required to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

payment processing providers;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
IT support and cloud storage providers;
communication and scheduling tools;
insurance and claims handling partners;
professional advisers such as lawyers or auditors;
subcontracted staff or partners assisting with delivery, where necessary to complete the service.

We may also disclose personal data to authorities, courts, or other third parties where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. We do not sell your personal data.

6. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms approved under applicable data protection law. We take reasonable steps to make sure that any international transfer is secure and lawful.

7. Data Retention

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

Booking and service records are retained for a period appropriate to service administration and dispute handling.
Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaint records are retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and maintain evidence of our handling.
Unused enquiry data may be deleted after a reasonable period if no service is booked.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices. Retention is limited to what is necessary and proportionate.

8. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal exceptions and limitations, but we will always respond appropriately and within the required timeframes. Your rights 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 data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can ask for certain data to be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

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

9. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and system safeguards. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond promptly to any suspected incident.

10. Automated Decision-Making

We do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will notify you and explain the logic involved, the significance of the processing, and your rights.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and businesses arranging moving and transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of a booking or service arrangement and provided by an adult with authority to do so.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your data is handled.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With A Van Forest Gate is committed to privacy, transparency, and responsible data handling. We collect only the information needed to deliver our services, use it for clear and lawful purposes, share it only where necessary, and keep it only for as long as required. Your rights matter, and we aim to respect them at every stage of our processing.