Privacy Policy - Man And Van Friern Barnet

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Friern Barnet collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man And Van Friern Barnet customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, or communicates with us in connection with removals, deliveries, packing, loading, unloading, or related transport services.

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service information such as dates, times, property access details, item descriptions, moving instructions, and service preferences.
Payment information such as payment status, billing records, and transaction references. We do not store card details unless this is necessary for a specific payment process managed by a secure payment provider.
Communication records such as emails, text messages, call notes, complaints, and feedback.
Technical information if you interact with our systems electronically, including basic device or usage information where relevant to security and service improvement.
Special instructions you give us about fragile items, access limitations, or service requirements.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed for our services. We also do not seek to collect special category data unless you choose to share it with us for a specific reason, and if that happens, we will handle it carefully and only where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and arrange moving or delivery services.
To confirm bookings and communicate about appointments.
To plan routes, allocate staff, and manage logistics.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To respond to questions, feedback, and complaints.
To improve our services, training, and operational efficiency.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or security incidents.
To comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

We only use your information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and this is permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases depending on the situation:

Contract

We process your information when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, carrying out the service, and handling payment-related administration.

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. This may include service improvement, record keeping, operational planning, internal administration, and protecting our business against misuse or fraud.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where needed to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, insurance, or dispute resolution requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain optional communications or provide information that is not necessary for the service. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to provide our services or manage our business. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We ensure that appropriate contracts and data protection safeguards are in place.

Processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that host our emails, records, or business systems.
Payment processors that securely handle transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial administration.
Communication providers that help us send messages or manage customer correspondence.
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, by a court order, or to prevent or investigate suspected unlawful activity. We do not sell your personal data.

5. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to make sure the transfer is protected by lawful safeguards. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other approved transfer mechanisms.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, tax, insurance, and operational needs. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Booking and service records are normally kept for a reasonable period after completion of the job to manage queries, complaints, and business records.
Financial and invoicing records are kept for the period required by law and standard accounting practice.
Communication records may be retained to support customer service, dispute resolution, or compliance.
Security and system records are retained only as long as necessary for protection and troubleshooting.

When data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are not absolute and may apply only in certain circumstances.

Right of access – You can request 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 request deletion of your data where there is no valid reason for us to keep it.
Right to restrict processing – You can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – You can request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – If we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has not been handled properly. Before doing so, we encourage you to raise any concerns directly so we can try to resolve them.

8. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, password protection, and limiting access to people who need it for legitimate business reasons.

Although we work to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. If a data incident occurs, we will take steps to investigate, contain, and address it in line with legal obligations.

9. Children

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where this is incidentally provided by an adult customer as part of arranging a service. If we become aware that information has been collected inappropriately, we will take reasonable steps to remove it.

10. 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 protection practices. The updated version will apply from the time it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review it periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Approach

Man And Van Friern Barnet only processes personal data that is necessary, uses it for clear and lawful purposes, and keeps it only for as long as needed. We work with trusted processors under appropriate safeguards and respect your rights under data protection law. Our aim is to be transparent, secure, and responsible in every stage of handling personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Man And Van Friern Barnet customers in the area.