Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Dagenham

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Dagenham collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man With A Van Dagenham customers in the area, including anyone who enquires about, books, pays for, or receives moving and transport services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way 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 A Van Dagenham acts as the data controller for the personal information we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. We only use personal data where we have a valid legal basis and only for the purposes described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information including pick-up and drop-off locations, moving requirements, dates, property access details, and inventory information.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction references, and billing records. We do not retain full card details where payment processing is handled by secure payment providers.
Communication records including enquiries, quotes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical information such as basic website usage data if you interact with our online services, where applicable.
Special category data only if you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for service delivery, for example information about access needs or health-related moving requirements. We limit this carefully and only use it where appropriate and lawful.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may obtain personal data directly from you when you:

request a quote or make a booking;
communicate by phone, email, text, or other messaging methods;
make a payment or ask for an invoice;
give feedback or raise a complaint;
provide service instructions or delivery details.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary to perform a contract, such as payment processors, referral partners, or business clients acting on your behalf.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, arranging removals, completing transport services, handling payments, and managing customer support related to the service.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may use your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your rights do not override those interests. This may include improving our services, managing customer enquiries, preventing fraud, protecting our business, and keeping internal operational records. We always consider whether such use is proportionate and necessary.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, especially for optional communications or any use of data that is not necessary for a contract or legal obligation. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and confirm bookings;
to deliver removal and transport services;
to communicate with you before, during, and after a job;
to manage payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable;
to maintain accurate business and service records;
to comply with legal duties and resolve disputes;
to improve service quality and customer experience;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or other unlawful activity.

We only process data that is relevant, adequate, and limited to what is necessary for these purposes. We do not sell your personal data.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. These parties are only permitted to use data for specific purposes and under appropriate contractual safeguards.

Examples of Processors

Payment providers for processing secure payments and preventing fraud.
IT and hosting providers for storing records and supporting our systems.
Accounting and invoicing services for financial administration and compliance.
Communication service providers for sending service-related messages.
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority. If business assets are transferred, data may be shared with the acquiring organisation under appropriate legal protections.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods can vary depending on the type of data and the context in which it was collected.

In general:

customer booking and service records are kept for a reasonable period after completion of the service;
financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
communication records are retained while needed to manage the relationship or resolve disputes;
data no longer required is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in a restricted format.

We review retention regularly to make sure we do not keep information longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable steps to safeguard the information we hold.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure that suitable safeguards are in place in line with data protection law. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful protections.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and legal conditions.

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – you may request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been breached. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging moving and transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided as part of service arrangements and only where lawful and necessary.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data-handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With A Van Dagenham is committed to using personal data responsibly, transparently, and securely. We only collect what we need, use it for clear purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and respect your legal rights. This policy applies to all Man With A Van Dagenham customers in the area and is designed to ensure our processing is lawful, fair, and respectful of your privacy.