Privacy Policy - Man And Van West Kensington

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van West Kensington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man And Van West Kensington customers in the area, including anyone who requests, books, receives, or enquires about our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man And Van West Kensington provides moving and transport services for customers in and around West Kensington. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal data relating to customers, prospective customers, and individuals connected to a booking. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in relation to our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for our service operations, customer support, legal obligations, and business administration. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name and, where needed, the name of a contact person.
Contact data such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking data such as move date, service preferences, property access details, and job notes.
Payment data such as payment status, billing records, and transaction references. We do not store unnecessary card details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication data including emails, messages, and call records relating to enquiries, quotations, complaints, or service updates.
Service and operational data such as moving requirements, item descriptions, special handling needs, and records of completed services.
Technical data where applicable, such as basic website or device information used to maintain security and performance of digital systems.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you provide it voluntarily, for example if you share accessibility requirements or other information relevant to your move. Where special category data is processed, we will do so only with an appropriate lawful basis and additional safeguards.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and respond to enquiries.
To manage bookings and deliver moving services.
To communicate about schedules, changes, and service updates.
To process payments and keep financial records.
To handle customer service issues, claims, and complaints.
To comply with legal, accounting, insurance, and tax obligations.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.
To protect against fraud, misuse, and security incidents.

We only process personal data when it is relevant and necessary for one or more of these purposes. Man And Van West Kensington will not use your data in ways that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on the following bases:

Contract – when processing is necessary to provide a quotation, manage a booking, or complete a service you have requested.
Legitimate interests – when processing is necessary for our business operations, service improvements, customer support, fraud prevention, or record keeping, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Legal obligation – when processing is required to meet tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory duties.
Consent – where required, for example for optional marketing communications or certain types of non-essential data processing. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your rights and interests before proceeding. If you want further information about the balancing test used for legitimate interests, you may request it.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our business. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on their role. Processors may include:

Payment service providers used to process transactions securely.
IT and cloud hosting providers used to store or manage records.
Communication service providers used for emails, messaging, or call handling.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and claims handlers where necessary.
Subcontractors or operational partners involved in fulfilling a booking.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to use appropriate security measures, and to process personal data lawfully. We do not sell your personal data. We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including service delivery, legal compliance, and dispute resolution. Retention periods vary depending on the category of data and the reason for holding it.

As a general approach:

Booking and service records are kept for a period necessary to manage the service and handle after-service queries.
Financial and tax-related records are kept for the period required by applicable law.
Customer correspondence may be retained for a reasonable time to support service history and complaint handling.
Data no longer needed is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived where appropriate.

We regularly review retention needs to ensure we do not keep information longer than necessary. In some cases, data may be retained for longer if needed for legal claims, insurance matters, or regulatory requirements.

7. Data Security

Man And Van West Kensington takes the security of your personal data seriously. We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, and staff awareness procedures.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we aim to keep personal data protected and to respond promptly to any suspected data incident. If a personal data breach occurs and it is legally required, we will notify the relevant supervisory authority and affected individuals without undue delay.

8. Your Rights

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

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to 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.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal or practical limitations. If you make a request, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law.

9. Marketing Communications

We may send marketing communications only where permitted by law. If you have given consent or if we otherwise have a lawful basis to contact you, you may receive occasional information about our services. You can opt out of marketing at any time. Even if you opt out of marketing, we may still send service-related messages that are necessary for a booking or contract.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in relation to a booking and provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without a proper basis, we will take appropriate steps to remove or protect it.

11. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law. This may include the use of approved contractual protections or transfers to countries with adequate protection standards.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and handle personal information with care. Man And Van West Kensington processes data only when necessary, uses it for clear and lawful purposes, retains it only as long as required, and works with processors that are expected to protect it properly. This policy applies to all Man And Van West Kensington customers in the area and is designed to ensure transparent, secure, and responsible data handling.