Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Bloomsbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Bloomsbury collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, delivery, packing, loading, unloading, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Bloomsbury customers in the area, including individual clients, households, landlords, tenants, students, and business customers who request services from us. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With A Van Bloomsbury is a moving and transport service provider operating in the Bloomsbury area. In relation to the personal data described in this policy, we act as the data controller. This means we determine why and how personal data is processed for the purposes of delivering our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal obligations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for operating our services, responding to enquiries, and fulfilling our contractual and legal responsibilities. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and title
Contact information such as address, email address, and telephone number
Service details such as pickup and delivery addresses, access notes, inventory lists, moving dates, and scheduling preferences
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records
Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaints, and service instructions
Property and logistics information such as floor levels, parking details, and item dimensions where needed for planning
Account or booking information if you make repeat requests or manage bookings with us

We generally do not intentionally collect special category data, such as health information, religious beliefs, or biometric data. If such information is incidentally shared with us, we will only process it where strictly necessary and where a valid legal condition applies.

3. How We Collect Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

Request a quote or booking
Communicate by phone, email, or message
Provide service instructions or access details
Make a payment or receive an invoice
Submit feedback or a complaint

We may also receive limited information from third parties where necessary, such as from landlords, letting agents, business representatives, or authorised family members arranging services on your behalf. In such cases, those parties should ensure they have the authority to share your information with us.

4. Why We Use Personal Data

We process personal data only for clear and legitimate purposes. These include:

Providing moving and transport services
Preparing quotes, confirming bookings, and managing schedules
Communicating about service requirements and updates
Handling invoices, payments, and refunds
Keeping records of completed work
Resolving disputes, complaints, or claims
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations
Improving our operations, service quality, and customer experience

We do not use your personal data for unrelated purposes without informing you and, where required, obtaining a valid legal basis.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the purpose, we may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes providing quotations, booking services, carrying out removals, and issuing invoices.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include service management, responding to enquiries, preventing fraud, maintaining security, improving services, and managing business administration.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you ask us to send optional marketing communications or share specific information for a non-essential purpose. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and only under our instructions, or as independent controllers where they determine their own purposes. We require appropriate data protection safeguards when using such parties.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment providers for processing card or electronic payments
Accounting software providers for invoices and financial records
IT and cloud storage providers for secure record keeping and communications
Customer management tools used to organise bookings and enquiries
Professional advisers such as accountants, lawyers, or insurers where necessary

We may also disclose data to public authorities, regulators, courts, or law enforcement bodies where required by law. We do not sell your personal data.

7. International Transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or processes data outside the UK, we take reasonable steps to ensure an adequate level of protection. This may include using approved safeguard mechanisms and checking that the recipient offers appropriate security and privacy standards.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Retention periods depend on the type of data, why it was collected, and any legal requirements that apply. Typical retention periods may include:

Quotation and enquiry records: kept for a limited period to manage follow-up and business administration
Booking and service records: kept for the duration needed to complete services and resolve issues
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law
Complaints or claims: retained while the matter is open and for a reasonable period afterwards

When data is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. Retention may be extended where necessary for legal proceedings, insurance matters, or regulatory compliance.

9. Data Security

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

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These may include the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data
Erase your data in certain circumstances
Restrict how we process your data in certain situations
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
Data portability in certain cases where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means
Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has not been handled in accordance with the law. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We do not normally use automated decision-making or profiling that has legal or similarly significant effects on customers. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide information about the logic involved and the rights available to you.

12. 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 necessary as part of a booking arranged by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult. If we become aware that we have collected a child’s data without proper authority, we will take appropriate steps to remove it.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational needs. 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 data is handled.

14. Summary of Our Commitments

Man With A Van Bloomsbury is committed to processing personal data in a lawful, transparent, and secure manner. We collect only the information needed to deliver services, manage bookings, comply with legal obligations, and improve customer support. We use appropriate processors, apply suitable safeguards, and retain data only for as long as necessary. We also respect your rights and aim to make it easy for customers in Bloomsbury to understand how their information is used.