Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Highbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Highbury collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to its customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Man And A Van Highbury customers in area, including individuals who request quotes, make bookings, receive moving services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with removals and man and van services in Highbury and surrounding local areas.

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 should be read carefully to understand how your information is managed and what rights you have.

1. Who We Are

Man And A Van Highbury provides moving, transport, delivery, collection, and related services. In the course of delivering these services, we may act as a data controller for personal data collected directly from customers, or in some cases as a data processor where we handle information on behalf of another organisation or person.

We take our responsibilities seriously and aim to limit data use to what is necessary for the delivery and administration of our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including moving date, pickup and delivery addresses, property access information, item descriptions, and service preferences.
Payment and billing information such as payment method, transaction status, and invoice details.
Communication records including emails, call notes, and messages exchanged in relation to a quote, booking, complaint, or enquiry.
Operational information such as instructions relevant to collection, loading, transport, and delivery.
Technical information where applicable, such as basic device or usage information collected through our digital systems.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and usually only if you voluntarily provide it, for example information that may be relevant to access needs or vulnerability considerations.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary personal data. If you provide information about another person, you should ensure you have the authority to do so.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data in several ways:

Directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, or communicate with us.
From correspondence relating to your service request or completed job.
From third parties where necessary for service fulfilment, such as a person making a booking on your behalf.
From payment providers, where needed to confirm transactions.
From our internal operational records created during service delivery.

Where data is collected indirectly, we aim to ensure that it is used only for legitimate and necessary purposes connected to the service.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and manage bookings.
To carry out moving and transport services safely and efficiently.
To communicate with you about service details, changes, or issues.
To issue invoices, process payments, and manage accounts.
To respond to enquiries, feedback, and complaints.
To keep records for operational, legal, and insurance purposes.
To maintain service quality and improve our operations.
To comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.

We will only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must identify a lawful basis before processing your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling your details for quotes, bookings, service delivery, payment, and customer support.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, tax, fraud prevention, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing our operations, handling customer service matters, preventing misuse, and maintaining business records.

Consent

Where required, we will rely on your consent, for example in relation to the processing of certain optional information. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In rare circumstances, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency where health or safety concerns arise.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the operation of our business or the delivery of our services. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the situation.

Typical processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle card or bank transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers used for financial administration.
IT and cloud service providers that store or support our business systems.
Communication service providers that assist with email, telephone, or messaging operations.
Insurance providers where required for claims handling or risk management.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, to use it only for the agreed purpose, and to comply with appropriate data protection obligations. We do not sell your personal data.

7. International Transfers

If any service provider stores or processes data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure an adequate level of protection. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or ensuring that the destination country has been recognised as providing appropriate data protection standards.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, reporting, insurance, or operational reasons. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Booking and service records may be retained for a reasonable period after completion of the service.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaints records may be kept for as long as needed to resolve issues and protect our business interests.
Optional or unnecessary information is deleted or anonymised when it is no longer required.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in accordance with our retention procedures.

9. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the information and the risks involved.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to ensure that personal data is handled with care and only by persons who need access for legitimate business purposes.

10. Your Rights

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

The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, also known as the right to be forgotten.
The right to restriction of processing in certain situations.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.

You also have the right to be informed about how your data is used and to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

11. Exercising Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to deal with valid requests within the timeframes required by law and will provide a clear response once your request has been reviewed.

In some cases, your rights may be limited by legal obligations or the rights of others. Where that happens, we will explain the reason where appropriate.

12. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business use in connection with removal and transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally included in service-related communications and only to the extent necessary for providing the service or meeting legal requirements.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, our services, or our 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.

14. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And A Van Highbury is committed to respecting your privacy and using personal data responsibly. We collect only the information needed to provide moving and related services, use it on a lawful basis, retain it only for as long as necessary, share it carefully with trusted processors, and uphold your data rights.

By using our services, requesting a quote, or making a booking, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.