Privacy Policy - Man With Van Eltham

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Eltham collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Man With Van Eltham customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or otherwise engages with our moving and transport services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With Van Eltham is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. We only collect information that is necessary to provide our services, manage our operations, meet legal obligations, and improve customer experience.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity data such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a business or organisation you represent.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including information about your move, collection or delivery location, property access details, and any instructions required to carry out the service.
Payment and billing data such as payment status, invoice details, and transaction records.
Communication data including emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and service feedback.
Technical and usage data where relevant, such as basic website or device information if you contact us through digital channels.
Special category data only if you voluntarily provide it and only where it is necessary to handle a specific request, for example access needs linked to a move. We do not seek to collect sensitive data unless there is a lawful reason and a clear operational need.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed to deliver our services.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quote or make a booking;
communicate with us by phone, email, or message;
provide delivery or access instructions;
make a payment or request an invoice;
submit a complaint, enquiry, or feedback;
interact with us through service-related forms or administrative processes.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary to deliver the service, such as payment providers, subcontractors, or business partners involved in the job. In such cases, we will only use the information for the purpose for which it was received.

4. Why We Use Your Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

to provide moving and transport services;
to prepare quotations and confirm bookings;
to communicate with you before, during, and after a service;
to process payments and issue invoices;
to maintain records for administration and accounting;
to manage complaints, disputes, or service queries;
to meet legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
to protect our business, staff, and customers against fraud or misuse;
to improve our service quality and operational efficiency.

We only use personal data in ways that are compatible with these purposes.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. The main bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging a move, confirming service details, fulfilling your booking, and handling related administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal requirements, including accounting, tax, record-keeping, and other obligations imposed by law.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business efficiently, preventing fraud, maintaining service records, and responding to customer issues. When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and balanced.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example if we need to process optional information that is not required for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Who We Share Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it only when necessary and only with trusted third parties acting as processors or independent controllers. These may include:

Payment providers who handle card or bank transactions;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who help with financial administration;
IT and hosting providers who support our systems and data storage;
Communication service providers that enable call or email handling;
Subcontractors or operational partners involved in delivering a booking;
Professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers where necessary;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or to protect our legal rights.

Any processor we use is required to handle your data securely, follow our instructions, and act only for the agreed purpose.

7. International Transfers

Where data is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure an adequate level of protection. This may include using approved contractual clauses or working only with providers in jurisdictions recognized as providing appropriate protection. We take reasonable steps to ensure your data remains protected wherever it is processed.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a reasonable period after completion of the job to deal with follow-up queries or disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by applicable law.
Correspondence and complaints may be retained for as long as needed to evidence service handling and resolution.
Consent-based data is kept only until consent is withdrawn or it is no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of safely.

9. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, restricted permissions, secure storage, and staff confidentiality obligations. Although no system can be guaranteed 100% secure, we work hard to reduce risk and protect your information.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations in certain situations.

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data where there is a valid legal basis to do so.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability – you can request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – if we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with data protection law and may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a specific booking and provided by an adult with authority to do so. Where child-related data is unavoidably included in service arrangements, it is handled carefully and only for the relevant purpose.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, practice, or our services. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

13. Final Statement

Man With Van Eltham is committed to respecting privacy and protecting personal information. We will only process data where we have a lawful basis, we will keep it only for as long as necessary, and we will apply appropriate safeguards when using processors or sharing data with others. This policy applies to all Man With Van Eltham customers in the area and reflects our dedication to lawful, transparent, and responsible data handling.