Privacy Policy - Man And Van Vauxhall

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Vauxhall collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Man And Van Vauxhall customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, obtain quotations, make bookings, receive removals or delivery support, or otherwise interact with us in relation to our operations.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws. We recognise the importance of privacy and aim to process personal information only where it is necessary for legitimate business purposes and in a manner that respects your rights.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on the nature of your enquiry or booking. The information we collect may include:

Identity data, such as your name and title.
Contact data, such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information, such as collection and delivery addresses, moving date, items to be moved, access details, property type, and service preferences.
Payment information, such as billing details and payment status, where relevant to the service arrangement.
Communication data, including emails, call notes, text messages, and other correspondence with us.
Transaction and booking records, such as quotations, invoices, scheduling information, and service history.
Technical data, if you interact with our digital systems, which may include device information, IP address, browser type, and usage data.
Special category data, only where strictly necessary and where you voluntarily provide it, for example if you tell us about health-related access needs or mobility requirements linked to the delivery of our service.

We aim to collect only the data needed for the purposes described in this policy. Where possible, we limit collection to information that is relevant and proportionate.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To manage bookings and deliver our moving, transport, and related services.
To communicate with customers about schedules, access arrangements, service updates, and operational matters.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To verify identity where necessary to protect against fraud or misuse.
To handle complaints, disputes, and service-related queries.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To maintain business records, internal administration, and service quality.
To improve our services, processes, and customer experience.

We do not use personal data in ways that are incompatible with the original purpose for which it was collected, unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotations, arranging bookings, providing services, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, record-keeping, and regulatory requirements.

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 interests. This may include managing customer relationships, preventing fraud, improving our services, and protecting our business operations.

Consent

In some circumstances, we may rely on consent, particularly where processing is optional or involves special category data that you choose to provide. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to provide our services or to operate our business. These third parties act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the context.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors and financial service providers.
Accounting and bookkeeping services.
IT and cloud storage providers.
Communication and messaging service providers.
Administrative support providers.
Professional advisers such as legal or compliance advisers.

Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only permitted to process personal data on our instructions and must implement appropriate security and confidentiality measures. Where a third party is an independent controller, they are responsible for their own privacy obligations.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or where disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We do not sell personal data.

5. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that an adequate level of protection is in place. This may include using approved contractual safeguards and carrying out appropriate risk assessments, as required by applicable data protection law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose of processing.

In general:

Quotation and booking records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage customer relationships and business administration.
Invoice, payment, and tax records are typically retained for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaint records may be retained for as long as needed to resolve issues and for evidential purposes.
Information no longer required is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of.

When determining retention periods, we consider legal requirements, the nature of the data, the potential need to defend legal claims, and operational necessity. We review data regularly to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of processors. While no system can be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and to respond promptly to any suspected data incident.

8. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

Right of access – to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – to request that certain data be provided to you or another organisation in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions or conditions. We will assess each request carefully and respond in accordance with applicable law.

How We Handle Rights Requests

If you make a request, we may need to verify your identity before responding. This helps us protect your information from unauthorised disclosure. We aim to respond without undue delay and within the time limits required by law. If a request is complex or numerous, the response period may be extended where permitted.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not intentionally collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service request and provided by an adult acting on their behalf. Where we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete or secure it.

10. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use fully automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and ensure that any such processing is carried out lawfully and with appropriate safeguards.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our operations, legal obligations, or data protection practices. When we do so, we will revise the policy to keep it accurate and current. We encourage customers to review it periodically so they remain informed about how personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And Van Vauxhall is committed to treating personal data with care, transparency, and respect. We only collect information that is necessary, use it for lawful and specific purposes, retain it for no longer than required, and share it only with trusted processors or where legally necessary. We also recognise and support your rights as a data subject. Our approach is designed to ensure that all Man And Van Vauxhall customers in the area are served in a privacy-conscious and compliant manner.

If you provide us with personal data, you can expect it to be handled in accordance with this policy and the principles of data protection law.