Privacy Policy - Man With Van Locksbottom

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Locksbottom collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, transport, and related services. It applies to all Man With Van Locksbottom customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or receives services from us. We are committed to handling personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We respect your privacy and aim to be clear about what information we collect and why we use it. This policy applies to personal data we receive directly from you, data generated during the delivery of our services, and data received from third parties where relevant to a booking or lawful business purpose.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and, where needed, the name of a business or property owner.
Contact details such as telephone number and email address.
Service details including pickup and delivery addresses, moving dates, item lists, access notes, and special handling instructions.
Billing and payment information necessary to take payment, issue invoices, and keep financial records.
Communication records including emails, messages, phone notes, and complaint or enquiry history.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you interact with our online services, where applicable.
Security and operational data such as records needed for risk management, insurance, or service verification.

We do not seek to collect more information than is necessary. If you provide special category data, for example information about health or access needs that helps us deliver services safely, we will only process it where it is necessary and permitted by law.

2. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect data when you:

request a quote or make a booking;
communicate with us by phone, email, message, or in person;
provide instructions for a move, delivery, or collection;
make a payment or receive an invoice;
submit feedback, a complaint, or a claim;
interact with our service processes or administrative records.

We may also receive information from third parties such as landlords, letting agents, property managers, business clients, insurers, or payment providers where this is necessary to arrange or deliver services properly.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract - to provide quotes, arrange bookings, carry out removals, and manage our agreement with you.
Legal obligation - to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, and other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests - to operate, improve, and protect our business, manage enquiries, prevent fraud, and keep appropriate service records, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent - where required, for example for certain optional communications or where we rely on consent for specific processing.
Vital interests - only in rare cases where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life or safety.

If we process special category data, we will do so only where a separate lawful condition applies, such as explicit consent, legal claims, employment law, or substantial public interest, depending on the circumstances.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to:

provide and manage our moving and transport services;
prepare quotes and confirm service details;
contact you about your booking, arrival times, or service updates;
process payments, refunds, and invoices;
keep records for administration, accounting, and tax purposes;
handle complaints, claims, and legal matters;
maintain safety, insurance, and operational standards;
improve our services and customer experience;
meet legal and regulatory obligations.

We will not use your personal data for unrelated purposes without a valid lawful basis.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service they provide. These may include:

Payment providers to process card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers to manage financial records, tax reporting, and invoicing.
IT and system providers who support email, storage, record keeping, or administrative tools.
Insurance providers, surveyors, or claims handlers where required for service protection or claim resolution.
Professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants, or auditors when necessary.
Public authorities where we are legally required to do so.

Where a processor handles data on our behalf, they are required to process it only according to our instructions and to apply appropriate security measures. We seek to ensure that processors are bound by contracts that protect personal data and maintain confidentiality.

We do not sell your personal data. We also do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes unless you have clearly agreed or the law allows it.

6. Retention of Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

In general:

Booking and service records are kept for a reasonable period to manage customer history, disputes, and service verification.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint or claim records may be retained longer where needed to defend legal claims or meet insurance obligations.
Enquiry records that do not result in a booking may be kept for a limited period to manage follow-up, service planning, or business administration.

When data is no longer needed, we will 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 loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality procedures, and limited access to records on a need-to-know basis.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take the protection of personal data seriously and regularly review our practices to reduce risk.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 ask us to delete your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction - to request limited processing in specific circumstances.
Right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability - to receive certain 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 exceptions or practical limitations. If you wish to exercise a right, we will respond within the timeframe required by law and may ask for information to verify your identity.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been breached.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will only do so where appropriate safeguards are in place and where such transfers comply with data protection law. This may include standard contractual protections or other approved mechanisms designed to protect your information.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for service delivery and lawfully provided by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult.

11. Changes to This 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. We encourage you to review it periodically so that you remain informed about how we use personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Locksbottom is committed to processing personal data fairly, securely, and lawfully. We only collect information that is relevant to our services, we use it for clear and legitimate purposes, and we keep it only as long as necessary. We aim to maintain trust by treating customer data with care, transparency, and respect.

This policy applies to all Man With Van Locksbottom customers in the area and forms part of our ongoing commitment to privacy and data protection.