Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Bow

Man And A Van Bow is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our customers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and safeguard personal information in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Man And A Van Bow customers in the area, including anyone who uses our moving, transport, delivery, packing, or related services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man And A Van Bow is the data controller of the personal information described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is used when you engage our services.

We only process personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our business, meeting legal obligations, and improving customer experience. We apply the principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and confidentiality.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact information such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information including service date, move details, property access notes, and special instructions.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records.
Communication data including emails, messages, and notes from phone conversations.
Service-related data such as inventory lists, item descriptions, and delivery preferences.
Technical data if you interact with our digital services, such as IP address, device information, and browsing behaviour.
Usage and feedback data including reviews, complaints, and survey responses.

We may also process limited additional information where required to support the service, for example access requirements, parking instructions, or details needed to handle fragile or bulky items. We aim to collect only what is relevant and necessary.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data in several ways:

Directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, ask a question, or provide instructions.
From payment and invoicing processes.
From communication records when you contact us by phone, email, text, or other methods.
Automatically through technical tools if you use our website or online forms, where applicable.
From third parties where necessary to fulfil a service, such as landlords, estate agents, business partners, or family members acting on your behalf.

Where you provide data about another person, you should ensure that you have the authority to share it with us and that they understand how their information may be used.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a valid lawful basis under GDPR. The lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, arranging transport, completing removals, issuing invoices, and managing service delivery.

Legal obligation

We may need to process and retain certain information to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, safety, and regulatory obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights do not override those interests. This may include responding to enquiries, improving our services, preventing fraud, managing operations, and maintaining records of completed work.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where we wish to send certain types of marketing communications and the law requires consent. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital interests

In rare situations, we may process data to protect someone’s life or physical safety, such as in an emergency relating to a move or delivery.

5. How We Use Your Personal Data

We may use your information for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and manage bookings.
To carry out moving and transport services.
To communicate about service arrangements, timing, and delivery.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To respond to enquiries, feedback, complaints, and claims.
To improve our operations, customer service, and service quality.
To comply with legal and regulatory duties.
To maintain security, prevent misuse, and protect against fraud.

We do not sell your personal data. We only use it for legitimate service-related and operational purposes.

6. Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services or meet legal obligations. These may include:

Payment providers for processing transactions.
Accountants and professional advisers for financial, tax, or legal support.
IT and data storage providers who support our systems and record-keeping.
Subcontractors or service partners who assist with the delivery of a booking or related task.
Insurance providers where a claim or incident requires review.
Public authorities or regulators where disclosure is required by law.

All processors and service providers acting on our behalf are required to handle your data securely, use it only according to our instructions, and comply with applicable data protection law. Where we use processors, we ensure appropriate contractual safeguards are in place.

7. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will only do so where appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections to ensure your information remains secure and receives a level of protection consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the data and the service provided.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a period needed to manage administration, queries, and follow-up.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Complaint, claim, and dispute records may be kept longer where needed to defend legal rights or resolve issues.
Marketing preferences are kept until you withdraw consent or object to processing.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

9. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices.

While no system is completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect the information entrusted to us.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

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

To exercise your rights, you may contact us using the details provided in our service communications or official records. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits set by law, usually one month, unless your request is complex.

11. Marketing Communications

We may send you service-related updates that are necessary for booking or completing a job. These are not marketing messages. If we send promotional communications, we will do so only where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. You can opt out of marketing at any time.

12. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a service arrangement and provided by an adult with appropriate authority. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without proper authorisation, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or how we process data. Any updated version will replace the previous version from the date it is published or otherwise communicated.

By using the services of Man And A Van Bow, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We are committed to processing personal data responsibly and in a manner that respects your privacy rights and legal protections.