Privacy Policy - Man With Van Stratford

Man With Van Stratford is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Stratford area and surrounding local service area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information, and sets out the rights available to individuals under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all Man With Van Stratford customers in area, including individuals who request quotes, make bookings, receive moving services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our services.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide and manage our services effectively. Depending on the nature of your enquiry or booking, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as your telephone number and email address.
Service details including pickup and delivery addresses, property access information, moving dates, inventory lists, and service preferences.
Transaction information such as payment status, invoices, and records of services provided.
Communication records including enquiries, messages, complaints, and service-related correspondence.
Technical information where applicable, such as basic device or usage data generated through digital communications.
Special instructions that may relate to fragile items, access issues, or other moving requirements.

We do not intentionally collect more personal data than is necessary for legitimate operational purposes. If you provide information about another person, for example a landlord, tenant, or family member, you are responsible for ensuring that you have the right to share that information with us.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange, manage, and deliver moving and transport services.
To communicate with customers about schedules, service changes, or requirements.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records.
To handle complaints, claims, and service improvements.
To meet legal, regulatory, and insurance obligations.
To protect our business, staff, and customers against fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We only process personal data in ways that are fair, lawful, and transparent. Where possible, we keep information accurate and up to date so that services can be performed efficiently and safely.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Man With Van Stratford relies on the following lawful bases, depending on the activity involved:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes responding to a quote request, confirming a booking, arranging logistics, and completing a removal or transport service.

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. This may include managing customer communications, improving service quality, maintaining internal records, preventing fraud, and defending legal claims.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal duties, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory obligations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is needed for specific communications not required to deliver a service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

We do not rely on consent where another lawful basis is more appropriate for service delivery or compliance.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services or operate our business. These third parties act as processors when they handle data on our behalf and under our instructions, or as independent controllers where they determine their own purposes.

Examples of processors and recipients may include:

Payment service providers for processing payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for tax and financial administration.
IT and software providers for storage, scheduling, communication, and business management.
Professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers where necessary.
Subcontracted service providers assisting with parts of a move or transport service.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or to protect rights and safety.

All processors are selected carefully and are required to handle personal data securely, only for specified purposes, and in compliance with applicable data protection law. We aim to ensure appropriate contractual safeguards are in place before any data is shared.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including the fulfilment of a contract, legal obligations, dispute resolution, and record-keeping. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Customer and booking records are retained for the period needed to manage services and any follow-up issues.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by applicable accounting and tax laws.
Communications and complaints may be retained for a reasonable period to assist with customer service and legal defence.
Insurance-related records may be retained where needed to support a claim or protect against future claims.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our data retention practices. We do not keep data indefinitely unless there is a lawful reason to do so.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure storage, encryption where appropriate, staff awareness procedures, and limiting data access to people who need it for legitimate business purposes.

Although we take reasonable steps to safeguard information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs and we are legally required to do so, we will notify the appropriate authority and affected individuals without undue delay.

7. Your Rights

Individuals whose data we process have rights under data protection law. Subject to legal conditions and exceptions, you may have the right to:

Access your personal data and receive a copy of the information we hold about you.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in specific situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and is carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis used.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data has been processed unlawfully or your rights have not been respected. We encourage you to raise concerns directly so that we can address them promptly and fairly.

8. Marketing and Communications

We do not use personal data for unnecessary marketing. Where we send service-related messages, these are usually based on contract performance or legitimate interests. If any communications require consent, you will be given a clear choice. You may object to marketing communications at any time, and we will respect your preferences.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business clients. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to providing a service requested by an adult customer, such as moving household items from a family home. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully from a child, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or service operations. The most current version will apply to your use of our services. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Contact and Further Information

If you wish to exercise your rights, ask questions about this Privacy Policy, or raise a concern about how your data is handled, you can make a request through our usual customer communication channels. We will respond in accordance with applicable data protection law and within the relevant time limits.

Summary of our commitment: Man With Van Stratford processes personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently; keeps it only as long as necessary; shares it only with trusted processors; and respects the rights of all customers in the Stratford area.