Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Tolworth

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Tolworth collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to all customers and prospective customers in the Tolworth area. It applies to every individual who uses, enquires about, or receives services from Man With A Van Tolworth, whether the interaction takes place by phone, email, online enquiry, or in person. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With A Van Tolworth provides removal and transport services for customers in Tolworth and the surrounding area. In the course of delivering these services, we may need to process personal data belonging to customers, landlords, property managers, business clients, and others connected with a booking. This policy explains what information we may collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over your information.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for us to provide and manage our services, communicate with you, and meet legal obligations. The type of information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking information including collection and delivery addresses, dates, times, access notes, and service preferences.
Payment information such as payment status, invoice records, and transaction references. We do not store unnecessary full payment card details where a secure third-party payment provider is used.
Service history including quotations, job details, customer instructions, and communication records.
Technical data where relevant, such as IP address or device data if you submit information through a digital enquiry method.
Special category data only where you voluntarily provide it and only when strictly necessary, for example information relating to access needs or health-related moving requirements. Such data is handled with extra care and only when appropriate safeguards are in place.

We do not intentionally collect more data than we need. If you provide information about another person, you should ensure that you have the right to do so and that they are aware of this Privacy Policy where appropriate.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, book services, and carry out removals or transport work.
To communicate with you about your booking, scheduling, access arrangements, or service updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To manage customer service queries, complaints, and follow-up correspondence.
To improve our services, efficiency, and customer experience.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will only use your personal data for purposes that are compatible with the reasons for which it was collected, unless we inform you otherwise and have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Man With A Van Tolworth relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract – where processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform the contract for moving or transport services.
Legal obligation – where we must process information to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests – where processing is needed for our legitimate business interests, such as responding to enquiries, maintaining service records, preventing fraud, and improving our operations, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Consent – where we rely on your clear permission for a specific purpose, such as where special category data is provided voluntarily and explicit consent is required or appropriate.

If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and deliver services. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share data where there is a lawful reason to do so and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

Types of processors we may use

IT and hosting providers who store business records, emails, or booking data securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping processors who help manage invoices, tax records, and financial reporting.
Payment service providers who process transactions securely on our behalf.
Customer communication tools used for sending booking confirmations or service updates.
Insurance providers and claims handlers when required to manage incidents, claims, or disputes.
Professional advisers such as legal or financial advisers, where needed for compliance or legitimate business purposes.

Where processors handle personal data for us, they are required to act only on our instructions, keep the data secure, and comply with data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

6. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses your personal data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections. We take steps to make sure your personal data receives a level of protection that is consistent with UK data protection standards.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, or reporting obligations. The retention period depends on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

Booking and service records are usually kept for a reasonable period after completion of the job to handle queries, disputes, or follow-up matters.
Invoices and tax-related records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be kept where needed for customer service, evidence, or business administration.
Special category information is retained only for as long as necessary and is removed earlier where it is no longer required.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

8. Data Security

We take the security of personal data seriously and use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect it against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and limited access to records on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risk and respond appropriately to any suspected incident.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under UK data protection law. These rights apply to all customers of Man With A Van Tolworth in the Tolworth area, subject to certain legal limits and exemptions.

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 – you may request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability – you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format where the legal conditions are met.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law. If we cannot act on a request, we will explain why.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business or household customers arranging moves or transport. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to a service and necessary for lawful business purposes. If we become aware that we have collected a child’s data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. Complaints

If you are concerned about how we have handled your personal data, you may raise the matter with us so we can review it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or your local data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

12. 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 updates will apply from the date they are published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your information is used.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With A Van Tolworth is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only what is needed, use it for clear purposes, apply appropriate retention periods, and share it only with trusted processors where necessary. We respect your rights and take data protection seriously for every customer in the Tolworth area.