Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Bloomsbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Bloomsbury collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data when providing moving, courier, collection, delivery, and related transport services. It applies to all Man With A Van Bloomsbury customers in the Bloomsbury area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, students, and business customers who request or receive our services.

We are committed to handling personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to be clear, transparent, and easy to understand.

1. Who We Are

Man With A Van Bloomsbury provides transport and removal services in and around Bloomsbury. In the context of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal information we collect and use in connection with our services, unless stated otherwise.

This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed, and we are responsible for ensuring it is handled lawfully, fairly, and securely.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data depending on the service requested:

Identity data, such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your organisation.
Contact data, such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Service details, including moving dates, collection and delivery addresses, item descriptions, access details, and preferred timing.
Billing and payment data, such as invoice information, payment status, and transaction references.
Communication data, including messages, enquiries, complaints, and service-related notes.
Technical data, where applicable, such as device or browser information if you contact us online.
Special instructions, for example notes about fragile items, parking restrictions, or building access needs.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary personal data. Where sensitive information is not required to provide the service, you should not provide it.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data in several ways:

Directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, book a service, or communicate with us.
From third parties acting on your behalf, such as a family member, landlord, estate agent, or business colleague.
From service-related documents, such as invoices, booking records, or delivery instructions.
From lawful verification or fraud-prevention checks, where needed.

We may also receive information from building managers or access-controlled sites when required to complete a service safely and efficiently.

4. Why We Use Your Personal Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and manage bookings.
To plan and carry out moving and delivery services.
To communicate with you about your service.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To handle complaints, claims, and customer support matters.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
To maintain service quality, operational records, and internal business administration.

We may use your data to improve our services, but only in ways that do not override your privacy rights.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

We will only process personal data when we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, 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 bookings, transporting items, and completing delivery or removal services.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where needed to comply with legal obligations, such as tax recordkeeping, accounting requirements, insurance documentation, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is in our legitimate interests to operate and improve our business, manage customer communications, prevent fraud, and keep accurate service records. When relying on this basis, we consider whether your rights and freedoms override those interests.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example if you agree to optional communications or the use of certain information not required for the contract. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary to provide our services or comply with the law. These may include:

Payment service providers who process transactions securely.
Accountants and tax advisers who assist with financial compliance.
IT and cloud service providers who support our recordkeeping and communications systems.
Insurance providers where claims or liability matters require disclosure.
Legal or regulatory bodies where disclosure is required by law.

These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. When acting as processors, they process data only on our instructions and must protect it appropriately.

We do not sell your personal data.

7. Data Processors

Where we use processors, we ensure that appropriate contractual safeguards are in place. Processors may include providers of:

booking and scheduling systems;
secure data storage and backup services;
email, messaging, and telephone support tools;
accounting and invoicing software;
website hosting or technical maintenance, if applicable.

We only appoint processors that can demonstrate suitable security measures and compliance with data protection law.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the legal or operational need to retain it.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a period needed to manage the service, resolve disputes, and maintain business records.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by accounting and tax law.
Complaint or claim records may be kept longer where necessary to defend legal rights or manage insurance matters.
Enquiry data that does not lead to a booking is retained only for a reasonable time unless further retention is justified.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it where appropriate.

9. Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure storage, password protection, and data minimisation practices.

Although we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in accordance with applicable law.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits, these rights may include:

Right of access â€“ to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification â€“ to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure â€“ to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction â€“ to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object â€“ to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability â€“ to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent â€“ where processing is based on consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the time limits set by law. We may ask for information to verify your identity before acting on a request.

11. Childrenâ€™s Data

Our services are not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer in connection with a household move or related service. Where such data is necessary, it will be processed only for legitimate service purposes and protected appropriately.

12. International Transfers

Where any service provider stores or processes data outside the UK, we will ensure that suitable safeguards are in place so that your information remains protected to an adequate standard in accordance with data protection law.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operations, or service arrangements. The latest version will apply to all relevant processing activities. We encourage customers to review it periodically.

14. Contact and Complaints

If you have questions about how we use your personal data, or if you wish to exercise your rights, you may raise a privacy request through the usual business communication channels. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissionerâ€™s Office (ICO).

This Privacy Policy is intended to give customers in Bloomsbury a clear understanding of how their information is handled. By using our services, you acknowledge that personal data may be processed in line with this policy and applicable law.