Privacy Policy - Stjohnswood Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Stjohnswood Man And Van collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, transport, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Stjohnswood Man And Van customers in the area, including anyone requesting a quote, booking a service, or communicating with us in connection with our 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. This policy is designed to help customers understand what information we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, and what rights individuals have over their data.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary to provide and manage our services effectively. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity details, such as your name and title.
Contact details, such as your telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information, including moving dates, property access details, inventory notes, and service requirements.
Payment information, such as billing details and transaction records, where applicable.
Communication records, including enquiries, complaints, instructions, and service updates.
Technical information, such as basic website or device data if you contact us online, including cookies where applicable.
Special instructions related to access, safety, or vulnerable circumstances if you choose to provide them.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data unless it is necessary, provided voluntarily, and relevant to delivering services safely. Where such information is shared, we treat it with enhanced care and only use it where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Use Personal Data

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

Providing quotations and responding to enquiries.
Managing bookings, scheduling services, and confirming service arrangements.
Delivering removal, transport, loading, unloading, and related work.
Processing payments and issuing invoices or receipts.
Communicating with customers before, during, and after a service.
Handling complaints, claims, disputes, and service issues.
Meeting legal, accounting, and insurance obligations.
Protecting our business, staff, customers, and property.

We only use data for the purpose it was collected for, unless we reasonably determine that another compatible purpose is required or permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. The main lawful bases we rely on are set out below:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, confirming bookings, arranging services, and completing your requested work.

Legal Obligation

Some data must be processed to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, and regulatory obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include improving our services, managing business operations, preventing fraud, maintaining records, and defending legal claims.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent, for example in relation to optional marketing communications or the sharing of certain non-essential information. When consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process information to protect someone’s vital interests, such as where urgent action is needed for safety reasons.

4. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These parties act either as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service they provide. We select partners carefully and only share information when necessary.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic transactions.
Accounting providers that support invoicing, reporting, and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers that store data securely and maintain systems.
Email and communication providers used for customer correspondence.
Insurance or claims handlers where a complaint, loss, or damage claim must be investigated.
Professional advisers, including legal and financial advisers, where necessary.

We require processors to use personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, or to law enforcement authorities, or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, customers, staff, or others.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Booking and service records are normally retained for a reasonable period after completion of the work.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint and claims records may be retained longer where needed to resolve disputes or defend legal claims.
Marketing consent records are retained until consent is withdrawn or no longer relevant.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed. We follow a retention approach based on necessity and proportionality.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, disclosure, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and limited access to data on a need-to-know basis.

While we work hard to protect personal information, no method of storage or transmission is completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs and it presents a risk to individuals, we will act in accordance with applicable law and notify the appropriate authorities where required.

7. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place so that the information remains protected. Such safeguards may include adequacy regulations, approved contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

8. Your Rights

Individuals whose personal data we process have a number of rights under data protection law. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing.

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 restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – to 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.

There may be circumstances where we cannot fully comply with a request, such as where we need to retain data for legal reasons or where exemptions under data protection law apply. Even so, we will always respond fairly and within the required time frame.

9. Marketing Preferences

If we send marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may opt out of such communications at any time. We respect your choice and will stop marketing messages when you ask us to do so.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not intentionally collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service and provided by an adult with authority to do so. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated.

By using Stjohnswood Man And Van services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy. We remain committed to treating your information responsibly, securely, and lawfully.