Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Hackney

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Hackney collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our moving and transport services. It applies to all Man And A Van Hackney customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business customers who use our services or communicate with us in relation to a booking, quotation, or service enquiry. We are committed to handling personal data in a fair, lawful, transparent, and secure manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy. We aim to collect only the information necessary to provide our services, meet our legal obligations, and improve our operations.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include information that you provide directly, information generated during service delivery, and limited technical information where relevant.

Personal data you provide

Identity data: your name and, where relevant, company name.
Contact data: address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking data: service date, collection and delivery addresses, property access details, item descriptions, moving requirements, and any special instructions.
Payment data: transaction details and billing information necessary to process payments or issue invoices.
Communication data: messages, calls, complaint details, feedback, and any correspondence you send to us.
Service-related information: photos or notes you share to help us assess access, volume, or handling requirements.

Information collected during service delivery

Operational data: records relating to the booking, scheduling, completion, and management of the job.
Damage or incident information: details of any issues, claims, or disputes connected with a service.
Staff and vehicle records: logs necessary to manage routes, work allocation, safety, and service quality.

Information from third parties

In some cases, we may receive data from third parties acting on your behalf, such as landlords, estate agents, solicitors, business clients, payment providers, or referral partners. We only use such information where it is necessary and lawful to do so.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for specific purposes and only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. The main reasons we process your data include the following:

to provide quotations, manage bookings, and deliver moving and transport services;
to contact you about arrangements, changes, access requirements, or service updates;
to process payments, issue invoices, and manage refunds where applicable;
to maintain internal records, scheduling, and administrative operations;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and claims;
to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to monitor and improve the quality, efficiency, and safety of our services;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or other unlawful activity;
to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims if required.

We do not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless permitted by law or we have obtained your consent where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract: processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging and delivering a move or transport service.
Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping obligations.
Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving operations, managing customer communications, preventing fraud, and maintaining secure business records, provided your rights and interests do not override those interests.
Consent: where we rely on your explicit permission for a specific activity, such as certain optional communications or the use of particular images or information, you may withdraw consent at any time.

Where we process special category data, if ever required, we will only do so where permitted by law and with an appropriate additional condition under data protection legislation.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties, but only when necessary for service delivery, business operations, or legal compliance. These parties may act as processors on our behalf or as independent controllers in their own right.

Processors may include

IT and hosting providers: for secure data storage, email systems, and business software.
Payment service providers: for handling transactions and payment processing.
Accountants and bookkeeping providers: for financial administration and tax compliance.
Insurance providers and claims handlers: for the administration of policies, incidents, or claims.
Communication and scheduling tools: for managing bookings, customer records, and internal operations.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, use it only on our instructions, and apply appropriate technical and organisational measures. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, law enforcement request, or to protect our rights, customers, staff, or property. If a business restructuring, merger, or asset transfer occurs, personal data may be transferred subject to appropriate safeguards.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, insurance, or reporting requirements. The exact retention period may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service.

Booking and service records: retained for a reasonable period to manage service history, customer support, and dispute resolution.
Financial records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Claims and incident records: retained for as long as needed to handle claims or potential legal matters.
General correspondence: retained only as long as necessary to deal with the relevant enquiry or issue.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate steps to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These steps may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and other operational safeguards. However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and we encourage customers to share only the information needed for their service.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations and exemptions.

Right of access: you may request confirmation of whether we process your data and obtain a copy of it.
Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability: where applicable, you may request a copy of data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests, and in some cases to direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
Right not to be subject to automated decision-making: you have rights relating to decisions made solely by automated means where applicable.

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

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

9. 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 for a specific service arrangement and lawful to do so. In such cases, we will only process the minimum information required.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. The latest version will apply to all customers in the Hackney area who use our services or interact with us.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and aim to process your personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only what is needed, use it for clear business and legal purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. If you have any concerns about how your data is handled, your rights under data protection law remain available to you.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Man And A Van Hackney customers in the area.