Privacy Policy - Man With Van Brixton

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Brixton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man With Van Brixton customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who request, book, receive, or enquire about our moving and transport services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With Van Brixton provides removals, delivery, and transport services for customers in and around Brixton. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller when we determine why and how personal data is processed. This means we are responsible for ensuring that your personal information is used appropriately and protected against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on the service you request and the way you interact with us. The information we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your telephone number, email address, and postal address.
Service information including moving dates, pickup and drop-off locations, inventory details, access requirements, and special handling instructions.
Billing and transaction data such as invoice information, payment status, and records of services purchased.
Communication records including enquiries, quotes, complaint correspondence, and service feedback.
Technical and usage data if you interact with us through digital channels, such as device type, browser information, and basic website usage data.
Any other information you choose to provide when requesting a quote, discussing a booking, or giving us instructions related to your move.

We aim to collect only the data that is necessary for the relevant service and to avoid collecting excessive information. In some cases, we may also process limited personal data about third parties, such as building managers, landlords, or recipients, when that information is needed to complete a booking or delivery.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and assess service requirements.
To arrange, manage, and complete removals and transport services.
To communicate with you about bookings, changes, delays, or service updates.
To issue invoices, process payments, and keep accounting records.
To manage customer queries, complaints, and after-service support.
To maintain our business records and improve service quality.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We do not use your data for unrelated purposes without informing you and, where required, obtaining a valid lawful basis.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Man With Van Brixton relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, managing your move, sending service updates, and processing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include customer service management, internal administration, service improvement, fraud prevention, and maintaining secure operations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example when it is required for optional communications or certain types of data processing. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share information with trusted third parties where necessary to deliver our services or run our business efficiently. These parties may act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors to handle secure card or online payments.
IT and cloud service providers that store emails, records, or business systems.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial administration.
Customer management tools used for bookings, quotations, and service records.
Communication providers that help us send emails, messages, or service notifications.

We require processors to handle personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to use appropriate technical and organisational measures. We may also disclose information where necessary to comply with the law, enforce agreements, or protect the rights, property, or safety of our business, staff, customers, or others.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law. Retention periods may depend on the type of data and the reason for processing. Generally, we may retain:

Booking and service records for a reasonable period after completion to manage queries, disputes, or follow-up support.
Financial and accounting records for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records for as long as needed to respond to issues and maintain business records.
Technical logs only for short periods where they are needed for security, diagnostics, or performance monitoring.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. Retention periods may vary depending on legal, contractual, or operational requirements.

7. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as approved contractual protections or transfers to countries recognised as providing adequate protection. We only allow such transfers where they are necessary and appropriately protected.

8. Security of Your Data

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and technical safeguards. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we regularly review our practices to help reduce risk.

9. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have several rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal limits and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erase your data in certain circumstances.
Restrict how we process your information in certain cases.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

You also have the right to complain to the UK data protection authority if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can address them promptly and fairly.

10. Children???s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where required for a service arrangement and provided by an appropriate adult or guardian. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where necessary.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, business practices, or the services we offer. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how we handle personal data.

12. Summary of Key Principles

In summary, Man With Van Brixton only collects personal data that is needed to deliver services, manage customer relationships, comply with legal requirements, and protect legitimate business interests. We process data on valid lawful bases, keep it only as long as necessary, use trusted processors under proper safeguards, and respect your GDPR rights. We are committed to maintaining your privacy and handling your information responsibly throughout your customer relationship with us.