Privacy Policy - Swiss Cottage Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Swiss Cottage Man And Van collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, transport, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Swiss Cottage Man And Van customers in the area, including prospective customers, booked customers, and individuals who communicate with us in relation to a service. We are committed to handling personal data fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to anyone who uses, requests, or receives services from Swiss Cottage Man And Van in the Swiss Cottage area and surrounding locations. It also applies to people whose personal data we receive while arranging or carrying out a move, collection, delivery, or related task. This may include customers, tenants, landlords, property managers, business clients, and third parties connected to a booking.

2. Personal data we collect

We collect only the data needed to provide and manage our services effectively. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details: name, title, and any business name where relevant.
Contact details: phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information: move date, collection and delivery addresses, service preferences, and inventory details.
Payment information: billing details, payment status, and transaction records. We do not store more payment data than is necessary.
Correspondence: messages, emails, notes, and records of calls or communications related to the service.
Access and property information: parking notes, building access instructions, floor levels, lift availability, and other relevant logistical details.
Claims or complaints data: information provided if a customer raises an issue, claim, or complaint.

We may also collect limited technical data if you interact with us through digital channels, such as device or usage information, where this is necessary for security, service improvement, or record keeping.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data to deliver our services and manage our business operations. Typical uses include:

processing enquiries and booking requests;
planning, confirming, and carrying out moving or transport services;
communicating with customers about schedules, access, pricing, or service updates;
issuing invoices, handling payments, and maintaining financial records;
responding to complaints, queries, insurance matters, or service concerns;
meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
improving our service quality, operations, and customer experience.

We will only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably need to use it for a compatible purpose or are otherwise permitted or required by law.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every use of personal data. Swiss Cottage Man And Van relies on the following legal grounds:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, carrying out services, and sending essential service communications.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain data to meet legal requirements, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping duties.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include business administration, service improvement, fraud prevention, and defending legal claims.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is appropriate for optional communications or specific uses that are not necessary to perform a contract. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. 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 depend on the type of record and why it is being held.

In general:

booking and service records are retained for a period needed to manage the service and address any follow-up matters;
financial and invoice records are retained for the legally required period;
complaint, dispute, or claim records may be kept longer where needed to resolve the matter or defend a legal claim;
data that is no longer required is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of.

We review retained data periodically to ensure it is still necessary. Where data is no longer needed, we will remove it in a secure manner.

6. Processors and data sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers, sometimes called processors, who act on our behalf and under our instructions. These may include:

payment processing providers;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
IT, cloud storage, and communications providers;
customer administration and scheduling tools;
insurance providers, legal advisers, or dispute resolution services where necessary;
subcontractors or operational partners involved in completing a service.

We only share the minimum amount of data necessary for the relevant purpose. All processors are expected to handle data securely, lawfully, and in line with data protection requirements. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory duty, or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, customers, or the public.

7. International transfers

Where any processor or system is located outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that personal data is protected to a standard that is consistent with UK data protection law. This may include the use of approved safeguards and contractual protections.

8. Security of your data

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices.

While we work to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we do take appropriate steps to reduce risk and respond quickly if an incident occurs.

9. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be limited in some situations, but we will always consider and respond to your request appropriately.

Right of access: you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: you may ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: you may request that we limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability: you may request that certain information 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 may need to verify your identity before responding. We will do our best to respond within the statutory time limit.

10. 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 incidental to providing a service and only where appropriate and lawful.

11. Complaints

If you believe your personal data has been handled incorrectly or you have concerns about how we process information, you have the right to raise a complaint. We encourage you to contact us first so we can review and address the issue. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

13. Summary of our commitment

Swiss Cottage Man And Van is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your rights and aim to handle all personal data responsibly for every customer in the Swiss Cottage area.