Privacy Policy - Man With Van Elephant And Castle

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Elephant And Castle collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, moving, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Man With Van Elephant And Castle customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who request quotations, make bookings, receive services, or communicate with us in connection with our operations. We are committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With Van Elephant And Castle is the data controller for personal information collected and used in connection with our services. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your data. We take privacy seriously and have implemented measures designed to ensure that personal data is handled securely and only for legitimate business purposes.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The information we collect may include the following:

Identity data such as your name and, where relevant, company name.
Contact data such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service data such as moving dates, property access details, inventory information, service preferences, and instructions.
Payment data such as billing information and payment status. We do not store card security details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication data such as correspondence, enquiries, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data such as device type, browser type, and basic usage information if you interact with digital systems used to manage our services.
Operational data such as records of completed jobs, customer notes, and service history.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data, such as health information, political opinions, or religious beliefs. If such information is voluntarily provided by you and is necessary to deliver a service safely, we will only process it where a lawful basis applies and appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for specified and legitimate purposes. These include:

providing quotes and estimates;
managing bookings and service delivery;
contacting you about schedules, access arrangements, and service updates;
processing payments and keeping accounting records;
responding to questions, complaints, or claims;
maintaining internal records and improving our services;
meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
preventing fraud, misuse, and security incidents.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we notify you and have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, arranging logistics, and completing removal or delivery services.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including bookkeeping, tax reporting, insurance-related obligations, and lawful record keeping.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. These interests may include service management, quality control, customer support, business administration, and protecting our operations from fraud or misuse.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent. For example, if we need to process optional information that is not essential for service delivery, we will ask for your permission. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Such parties may act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum data needed and require appropriate safeguards.

Recipients may include:

Payment providers who process transactions securely;
IT and hosting providers who support systems, storage, and communications;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial records and compliance;
Subcontractors or logistics partners involved in service delivery;
Professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, or auditors;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

We do not sell personal data. If data is shared outside the UK or EEA, we will ensure that appropriate transfer safeguards are in place as required by law.

6. Data Processors

We may use third-party processors to carry out certain functions on our behalf. These processors only act on our documented instructions and are contractually required to protect your data. Their responsibilities may include secure hosting, payment processing, scheduling tools, email management, customer record storage, and backup services.

Man With Van Elephant And Castle ensures that processors are selected carefully and that they implement appropriate technical and organisational measures. We review processor arrangements periodically to make sure data remains protected and processed lawfully.

7. Data Retention

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

Booking and service records are normally retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up queries, claims, and internal administration.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be kept for as long as needed to resolve disputes or maintain service history.
Technical and operational records are retained only as long as needed for security, performance, and business purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe manner.

8. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure storage, encryption where appropriate, staff awareness, and routine review of our data handling practices. While no system can guarantee complete security, we take reasonable steps to minimise risks.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under UK data protection law. These rights may be subject to legal conditions and exemptions, but we will always handle requests carefully and fairly.

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

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. This helps protect your privacy and prevents unauthorised disclosure.

10. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how we process your personal data, we encourage you to raise them with us first so that we can address the issue promptly. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We value transparency and will cooperate with any lawful investigation or request from the relevant authority.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult in connection with a service arrangement. Where such data is processed, it will be handled with particular care and only where lawful.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

13. Summary

Man With Van Elephant And Castle collects and uses personal data to provide moving and related services, communicate with customers, meet legal obligations, and improve operations. We process data under lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where applicable. We share data only with trusted processors and other parties when necessary, retain it only as long as required, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Man With Van Elephant And Castle customers in the area.