Privacy Policy - Man And Van Barnet

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Barnet collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Man And Van Barnet customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, receives a move, or communicates with us in relation to our removals and van services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only process personal data where we have a valid legal basis and only keep it for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

1. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your business or organisation.
Contact details including your address, phone number, and email address.
Service information such as collection and delivery addresses, moving dates, item descriptions, access details, and service preferences.
Billing and payment information where needed to process payments, issue invoices, or manage refunds.
Communication records such as messages, notes from calls, complaint details, and any correspondence relating to your booking.
Technical and usage data if you interact with our digital systems, including basic device or browser information where collected for security or operational purposes.
Special category data only where you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific service requirement, for example information about access needs or health-related moving requirements. We only process this type of data when permitted by law and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

We generally collect personal data directly from you. In some cases, we may also receive data from third parties involved in arranging or paying for a service, such as landlords, estate agents, employers, or family members acting on your behalf.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business and legal purposes connected with our services. These purposes may include:

Providing quotations and confirming bookings.
Planning and delivering removal, transport, loading, and unloading services.
Communicating with you about your service, schedule, access, or requirements.
Managing payments, invoices, deposits, and refunds.
Keeping records of completed work and service history.
Handling complaints, disputes, and insurance-related matters.
Meeting our legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
Protecting our business, staff, property, and customers from fraud or misuse.
Improving the quality, efficiency, and safety of our services.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was originally collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, we have informed you.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes quoting for services, confirming bookings, carrying out a move, and managing related administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process certain information where needed to comply with legal obligations, such as record-keeping, tax, accounting, fraud prevention, or 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. This may include managing service quality, maintaining records, improving operations, securing our systems, and defending legal claims.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, especially where the law requires it. If we do, you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Vital Interests and Public Task

These bases are unlikely to apply in most routine services. However, if needed in exceptional circumstances, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests or where processing is required under public interest or legal authority.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only where necessary and lawful. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. When we use processors, they are required to protect your data and only act on our instructions.

Examples of processors or service partners may include:

Payment providers that handle card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who support financial records and compliance.
IT and cloud service providers that store or secure business data.
Communication service providers that help manage emails, messages, or booking communications.
Insurance providers and claims handlers where needed for incidents or liability matters.
Professional advisers such as accountants, lawyers, or auditors.

We may also disclose data if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our business, customers, or others. We do not sell your personal data.

5. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures permitted by data protection law.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, insurance, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the nature of the service.

In general:

Customer and booking records are kept for the period needed to manage the service and any related follow-up.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint or dispute records may be retained longer where necessary to resolve issues or defend legal claims.
Inactive or unnecessary data is securely deleted or anonymised when no longer needed.

Where data is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to be proportionate to the nature of the data we process and the risks involved. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of data protection and only provide access to personal data on a need-to-know basis.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits and exceptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erase your data in certain circumstances.
Restrict how we process your data in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability for information you provided to us, where applicable.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are not generally directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of a household move or similar service arrangement and is provided by an appropriate adult or lawful representative.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, business practices, or how we process data. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised policy. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their information is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And Van Barnet is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to deliver our services, use it on a valid legal basis, share it only with trusted processors where required, and keep it only for as long as necessary. We respect your rights and aim to ensure that all customers in the area can trust us to handle their information with care and professionalism.