Man and Van Highbury Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Man and Van Highbury collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in the Highbury area and surrounding locations. It is intended to be fully compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. By engaging our services or contacting us for a quotation, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Man and Van Highbury customers and prospective customers in our service area, including individuals, households, and business clients who contact us, request a quote, or use any of our removal or transportation services. It covers personal data collected both online and offline, including data provided by telephone, in person, or through digital communication channels.

Data Controller

Man and Van Highbury is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As data controller, we decide how and why your personal data is processed and are responsible for ensuring that processing is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different categories of personal data, depending on how you interact with us and the services you require. This may include:

Identification and contact details, such as your name, address, service address, and general location.

Communication details, such as your preferred contact methods and the content of correspondence between you and Man and Van Highbury, including enquiries, quotations, and service-related messages.

Service-related information, such as details of the move or transport job, dates and times of bookings, collection and delivery addresses, property access information, and any specific instructions you provide.

Billing and payment data, such as transaction records, amounts charged, payment status, and limited payment method details required to confirm that a transaction has been completed. We do not store full card details when third-party payment processors are used.

Technical and usage data, where applicable, such as basic information about how you interact with our online content or communication tools, including the date, time, and duration of your visit or interaction and your approximate geographic region. This is used only as necessary to operate and secure our services.

How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in several ways:

Directly from you when you contact Man and Van Highbury to request information, an estimate, or a booking, or when you provide details during the performance of our services.

Through ongoing communication when we update or confirm booking details, clarify instructions, or provide customer support and after-service care.

From third parties where you have given permission or where the data is necessary for us to provide services to you, for example if a business client provides contact details of a designated contact person for coordination of a move.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We only process your personal data when we have a lawful basis to do so under the UK GDPR. The primary lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract: We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide you with a quotation, confirm a booking, carry out a move, or manage payment and invoicing.

Legal obligation: We may process personal data when we must comply with a legal obligation, for example obligations related to tax, accounting, or responding to valid requests from law enforcement or regulatory authorities.

Legitimate interests: We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our relationship with you, improving our services, preventing fraud or misuse, and maintaining the security of our operations.

Consent: In limited circumstances, we may process personal data on the basis of your consent. Where consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide services, including preparing quotations, planning and carrying out moves, transportation, and associated tasks, and providing customer support.

To manage bookings and customer relationships, including confirming appointments, handling changes or cancellations, and responding to enquiries or complaints.

To process payments, maintain accurate financial records, and manage invoicing, receipts, and outstanding balances.

To improve and manage our business, including service quality checks, staff training, internal audits, and analysis of service usage on an aggregated basis.

To ensure security and prevent misuse, including verifying identity where necessary, helping prevent fraud, and protecting our property and the property of our customers.

To comply with legal obligations and to cooperate with authorised authorities where required by law.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties when necessary for the operation of our business and the delivery of our services. These third parties act as data processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.

Data processors we may use include:

Payment processing providers that handle card or digital payments on our behalf. These providers only receive the information required to process the transaction and are required to protect it.

Accounting and administrative service providers who assist with bookkeeping, invoicing, and financial reporting.

IT and communications service providers that supply systems used for booking management, secure data storage, and communication tools.

In all cases where we use processors, we ensure that appropriate data processing agreements are in place. These agreements require processors to handle personal data securely, only according to our instructions, and in compliance with relevant data protection laws.

We may also share personal data with professional advisers such as auditors or legal advisers, where necessary for the management of our business or the protection of our legal rights, and with regulatory or law enforcement authorities if we are legally required to do so.

Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The specific retention periods depend on the type of data and the context in which it was obtained.

Customer and booking records are generally kept for a period necessary to handle any queries, complaints, or potential legal claims and to comply with tax and accounting obligations. Payment and transaction data are retained for a legally required period for financial record-keeping.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to an identifiable person.

International Data Transfers

Where any of our service providers process personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data, such as standard contractual clauses or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms. We require these providers to maintain the same level of protection over your data as is required in the United Kingdom.

Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include restricted access to personal data, secure storage systems, and limiting access to staff and contractors who have a business need to know the information and who are subject to confidentiality obligations.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions. These rights include:

The right of access, which allows you to obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of that data.

The right to rectification, which allows you to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

The right to erasure, sometimes called the right to be forgotten, which allows you to request the deletion of your personal data where there is no longer a legitimate reason for us to continue processing it.

The right to restrict processing, which allows you to request that we limit the use of your personal data in certain circumstances.

The right to data portability, which allows you to receive your personal data in a commonly used, machine-readable format and, where technically feasible, to have it transmitted to another controller.

The right to object, which allows you to object to processing based on our legitimate interests or to direct marketing.

The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, where such a decision has legal or similarly significant effects.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you can contact us using the details available through our usual communication channels. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

Complaints and Contact

If you have concerns about how Man and Van Highbury processes your personal data, you are encouraged to contact us so that we can address your concerns. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in the United Kingdom if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data processing practices. Any updated version will be made available through our usual communication and information channels and will take effect from the date of publication. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.