Privacy Policy - Man With Van Acton

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Acton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal and van services. It applies to all Man With Van Acton customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or otherwise uses our 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 Van Acton is the controller of personal data we collect in connection with our services. This means we decide why and how your personal data is used. We take our responsibilities seriously and aim to collect only the information necessary to operate our services safely, efficiently, and legally.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The information we collect may include:

Identity details, such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your business or organisation.
Contact details, such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information, such as moving dates, collection and delivery addresses, property access details, item descriptions, and any special handling requirements.
Billing and payment details, such as invoices, payment status, and transaction-related information.
Communication records, including messages, call notes, and correspondence relating to enquiries, bookings, complaints, or service updates.
Technical and usage data, if you interact with digital systems we use, such as basic device, browser, or log data needed for security and operational purposes.
Service-related preferences, such as delivery instructions, parking requirements, or access notes that help us perform the service properly.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. Special category data includes information about health, religion, political opinions, biometric data, and similar sensitive categories. If such data is ever provided incidentally, we will only use it where a lawful basis exists and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and respond to enquiries.
To arrange, manage, and complete moving and transport services.
To communicate about bookings, schedules, access requirements, and service changes.
To issue invoices, process payments, and keep financial records.
To handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests.
To maintain the safety, security, and quality of our operations.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We may also use limited personal data for internal administration, record keeping, service improvement, fraud prevention, and business continuity. Any such use will remain proportionate and relevant to the purposes described in this policy.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, Man With Van Acton relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract – processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you, such as providing moving services or managing bookings.
Legal obligation – processing is necessary to comply with laws, such as tax, accounting, or record-keeping requirements.
Legitimate interests – processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include service improvement, operational security, fraud prevention, and basic customer administration.
Consent – where required, we will rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or uses not covered by another lawful basis. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we will always consider whether the processing is necessary and whether it is balanced against your privacy rights. Where consent is used, it will be informed, specific, and freely given.

5. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to deliver our services and operate our business. These third parties may act as processors on our behalf or as separate controllers in limited circumstances.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and hosting providers that support data storage, security, and communications.
Accounting and invoicing providers that help with financial administration and record keeping.
Payment service providers that process transactions securely.
Customer administration tools used to manage enquiries, schedules, and service records.
Professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary for compliance or dispute handling.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to keep personal data secure, and to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures. We do not sell personal data. We do not share data for unrelated marketing purposes without an appropriate lawful basis.

In some cases, personal data may be disclosed where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Man With Van Acton, our customers, staff, or others.

6. International Transfers

Where a service provider or tool involves transferring personal data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, and operational requirements. The exact retention period depends on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Quotation and booking records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage customer history, disputes, and service administration.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for customer service, accountability, and legal protection.
Data that is no longer needed will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe and proportionate manner.

We review retention regularly to ensure data is not stored longer than necessary. In some cases, we may retain information for longer if it is needed for a legal claim or regulatory requirement.

8. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data and the risks involved. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain appropriate safeguards and limit access to personal data to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing.

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

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your personal data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to raise any concerns directly so we can try to resolve them promptly and fairly.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is unavoidably provided in the context of a service arrangement and only to the extent necessary. If we become aware that we have collected child-related data inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete or protect it.

11. 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 protection practices. The most current version will apply to all relevant processing. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Acton is committed to respecting privacy, protecting personal data, and using information only where it is necessary, lawful, and proportionate. We aim to be transparent about what data we collect, why we collect it, who processes it, how long it is kept, and what rights you have. This policy applies to all customers in the area and forms part of our ongoing commitment to GDPR compliance.