Privacy Policy - Man With Van Merton

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Merton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removals, moving, and van transport services. It applies to all Man With Van Merton customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services or make enquiries about them. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to anyone who interacts with Man With Van Merton in connection with our services. This includes customers requesting quotes, booking removals, providing delivery instructions, submitting feedback, making complaints, or otherwise communicating with us in relation to a move or van service. It also applies where we receive personal data from third parties connected to the service, such as property managers, estate agents, landlords, or business representatives.

2. Personal data we collect

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

Identity data such as your name and any business or trading name you provide.
Contact data such as email address, telephone number, and move-related correspondence details.
Service information such as addresses for collection and delivery, property access details, item descriptions, preferred dates, and instructions.
Billing and payment data such as invoice details, payment confirmation, and limited transaction records.
Communication data such as enquiries, complaints, notes from calls, messages, and service feedback.
Operational data such as booking records, route information, and service scheduling details.
Technical data if you interact with digital systems we use, including basic device or usage information where relevant to security or service performance.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. For example, you should avoid sharing sensitive information unless it is directly relevant to your service request.

3. How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and manage bookings;
to arrange, carry out, and confirm moving or van services;
to communicate with you about schedules, access, and service details;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to manage customer service, complaints, and follow-up enquiries;
to maintain internal records and improve our operations;
to comply with legal obligations such as tax, accounting, and record-keeping requirements;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We only use your data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected and where we have a valid legal basis to do so.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging a quotation, confirming a booking, providing the service, or handling payment and service administration.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain records where required to meet legal and regulatory obligations, including tax, accounting, and business compliance duties.

Legitimate interests

We may use personal data where necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relations, preventing fraud, improving service quality, maintaining internal records, and safeguarding our operations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is appropriate for specific optional communication preferences or where you voluntarily provide information requiring explicit permission to process. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods will vary depending on the type of record and the purpose for which it is held.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a period needed to manage the service, respond to queries, and resolve disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Customer communications are kept for a reasonable period to support service quality and complaint handling.

When personal data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed in line with our retention practices.

6. Processors and third parties

We may use trusted third-party service providers to help deliver our services. These may include:

payment service providers;
accounting or bookkeeping providers;
IT, hosting, and data storage providers;
communications tools used for customer management;
professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary.

These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. Where they process data on our behalf, they are required to protect it and use it only according to our instructions and applicable data protection law.

We may also share data where necessary with other parties involved in your move, such as property contacts or designated representatives, but only to the extent needed to deliver the service. We do not sell your personal data.

7. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data we handle and the risks involved. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection that is appropriate and proportionate.

8. International transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in line with applicable law. This may include standard contractual clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms designed to protect your data.

9. Your rights under data protection law

You have rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits, these include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to request that processing is limited in certain situations.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

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 infringed.

10. Children’s data

Our services are directed to adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to a service arrangement and necessary for the move, such as where family details are relevant to access or delivery instructions. Where this occurs, we handle the information with the same care and legal safeguards as other personal data.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, or our service operations. Any revised version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

12. Summary of our commitments

Man With Van Merton is committed to processing personal data lawfully, transparently, and securely. We collect only the information needed to provide and manage our services, retain it only for as long as necessary, and use trusted processors where appropriate. We also respect your rights and aim to ensure that every customer in the area can trust us to handle personal data responsibly and in line with GDPR requirements.