Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Islington

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Islington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man And A Van Islington customers in the area, including anyone who requests, books, receives, or enquires about moving, delivery, collection, packing, or related services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that some personal data will be processed in order to provide quotes, arrange services, complete bookings, manage logistics, respond to queries, and meet our legal and operational obligations. We only collect data that is relevant and necessary for these purposes.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect personal data directly from you, from your authorised representative, or from information needed to deliver the service. The categories of data we may process include:

Identity details: name, title, and any business name where applicable.
Contact details: phone number, email address, and postal address.
Service details: moving date, collection and delivery addresses, property access information, inventory details, preferred time slots, and special instructions.
Payment and billing information: billing details and transaction-related records, where required to manage invoices or payments.
Communication records: messages, booking notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence related to the service.
Technical information: limited website or device-related data if you contact us through digital channels, such as IP address or browser information, where applicable.
Special category data: we do not usually seek to collect special category data. If you choose to disclose such information, we will only process it where necessary and lawful.

We do not knowingly collect more information than is needed. If you provide details that are unnecessary for the service, we will treat them with appropriate care and only use them where there is a lawful reason to do so.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to carry out our moving and transport services efficiently and responsibly. Typical uses include:

providing quotations and confirming bookings;
planning routes, timings, staffing, and vehicle allocation;
communicating with you about service arrangements or changes;
carrying out collection, transport, delivery, loading, and unloading;
managing payments, invoices, and accounting records;
responding to enquiries, complaints, and service issues;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unauthorised activity;
meeting legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
improving our services, training staff, and maintaining business records.

We will only process your data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected, unless we have a separate lawful basis to do otherwise.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming a move, coordinating the service, and completing the work you have requested.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights. This may include operational planning, record keeping, service improvement, fraud prevention, and handling complaints.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information when required to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, tax, insurance, health and safety, and regulatory requirements.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for optional communications or certain types of data use. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Important: we do not use personal data for unrelated purposes unless the law allows us to do so or you have given permission.

4. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including to meet legal, accounting, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Booking and service records: retained for a reasonable period to manage service history, claims, and customer support.
Invoices and payment records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communications and complaints: retained for as long as needed to resolve queries and support business records.
Incident or insurance-related records: retained as necessary to manage claims, disputes, and legal obligations.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. Retention is never unlimited; we review records periodically and remove data that is no longer needed.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us deliver our services. These parties act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share data where necessary and we require appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment providers for processing transactions and managing billing;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial records and compliance;
IT and cloud service providers for secure storage, email, and business systems;
Customer management tools for booking administration and communication;
Insurance providers or claims handlers where an incident, loss, or dispute must be assessed;
Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers where necessary.

Where processors handle data on our behalf, they are expected to protect it, use it only according to our instructions, and maintain confidentiality. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or lawful request from a public authority, or where needed to protect our rights, customers, staff, or property.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and procedures for handling data securely.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and continually review our practices to reduce risk. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to create a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will deal with it in accordance with applicable law.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have important rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal conditions or exemptions, but we will always respond fairly and within the required time limits.

Right of access: you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction: you can request that we limit how we use your data in some situations.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: you can request a copy of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. This helps protect your information from unauthorised access.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in the context of a service request made by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where required.

9. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place so that the data remains protected to a standard required by law. These safeguards may include approved contractual protections or transfers to countries recognised as providing an adequate level of protection.

10. 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 issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their information is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And A Van Islington is committed to respecting privacy and handling personal data responsibly. We collect only what is necessary, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, and uphold your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all customers in the Islington area who use our services or contact us in connection with them.