Swiss Cottage Man and Van Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Swiss Cottage Man and Van collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in the Swiss Cottage area. We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and relevant data protection laws. This policy applies to all personal data we process in connection with our man and van, removals and related services.
Who This Policy Applies To
This Privacy Policy applies to all Swiss Cottage Man and Van customers, potential customers and individuals who contact us or whose data we process in the Swiss Cottage area in connection with enquiries, bookings, service delivery and related activities. By using our services or contacting us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Types of Personal Data We Collect
We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services and running our business. The types of personal data we may collect include:
Identification and contact details, such as name, postal address, service addresses, billing address and general location information in the Swiss Cottage area, as well as any other contact details you choose to provide when communicating with us.
Booking and service information, such as details of the services you request, collection and delivery addresses, property access details you provide, dates and times of moves, job notes and instructions, and information about the items you ask us to transport where relevant to planning and delivering the service.
Communication records, such as information you provide when you contact us, make an enquiry, request a quote, provide feedback or make a complaint. This may include the content of messages and any information you choose to share with us.
Payment and transaction information, such as records of payments made, amounts charged, payment method type and invoicing information. We do not store full payment card numbers ourselves and we use third party payment processors for card transactions.
Technical data, such as basic technical information about how you access any online forms or digital contact methods we may use. This may include device type and general usage information, where relevant and proportionate.
How We Collect Personal Data
We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us for a quotation, make a booking, request or receive our services, or communicate with us in any way. This may be via phone, online forms, messaging tools or in person when our team attends your property.
We may also receive limited personal data indirectly from third parties where necessary to deliver our services. For example, if a letting agent, landlord, business or relative books a service for you and provides your contact or address details for the purpose of carrying out the move or delivery.
Lawful Basis for Processing
We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under applicable data protection law. The main lawful bases we rely on are:
Performance of a contract: we need to process your personal data to provide a quotation, respond to enquiries, manage bookings, deliver our man and van services, take payment, and handle any follow up matters relating to the services you have requested.
Legitimate interests: we may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes managing and improving our services, maintaining records for operational purposes, preventing fraud and misuse of our services, and handling queries or complaints.
Legal obligations: we may process and retain certain data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax and accounting rules, and to respond to lawful requests from authorities where required.
Consent: where we rely on consent, for example for certain forms of direct marketing or optional communications, we will obtain your clear and informed consent in advance. You can withdraw your consent at any time.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To provide quotations, respond to your enquiries and manage bookings in the Swiss Cottage area. This includes assessing your needs, planning the job and confirming arrangements.
To deliver our man and van and related services, including collecting, transporting and delivering your items safely and efficiently, and ensuring our team can access the relevant properties.
To manage payments, invoicing, and accounting records relating to the services we provide to you.
To communicate with you about your booking, service updates, changes, cancellations, follow up questions, feedback and complaints handling.
To improve and develop our services, internal processes and customer experience based on aggregated and anonymised information where possible.
To maintain business and administrative records, including service history, and to comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
Data Retention
We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting or reporting requirements. The specific retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and our legal obligations.
In general, we retain core booking and transaction records for a period that allows us to address queries, disputes or claims relating to our services and to meet our tax and accounting obligations. Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage our relationship with you and to improve our services.
When personal data is no longer required, we will either delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to an identifiable individual.
Data Sharing and Processors
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with third parties only where necessary and in line with data protection laws.
Service providers and processors: we may share personal data with trusted third party providers who perform services on our behalf, such as payment processors, accounting or administrative support providers, and secure data storage or IT service providers. These organisations act as data processors and are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and for the purposes specified by us. We require them to implement appropriate security measures.
Operational partners: where necessary for delivering our services, we may share limited data with subcontractors or partner drivers who assist in completing your job in the Swiss Cottage area. They receive only the information required to perform the service, such as addresses, contact names and relevant job details.
Legal and regulatory disclosures: we may disclose personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms, or protect our rights, property or safety, or the rights, property or safety of others. Any such disclosure will be carried out in accordance with applicable laws.
International Transfers
Our services are focused in the Swiss Cottage area and we aim to store and process personal data within the United Kingdom or equivalent jurisdictions wherever possible. If we ever need to transfer personal data outside of the United Kingdom or other areas with comparable protections, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with data protection laws.
Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures may include secure storage, access controls, limited access to personal data on a need to know basis, and staff awareness of data protection responsibilities. While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection laws, you have certain rights in relation to your personal data, subject to applicable conditions and exemptions. These rights include:
Right of access: you can request confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and request a copy of the data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct or complete inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we are considering a request to rectify or erase data.
Right to object: you may object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, and we will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests or we need to continue for legal reasons.
Right to data portability: where applicable, you may request a copy of certain personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and ask us to transfer it to another controller, where technically feasible.
You also have the right to withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent as the legal basis for processing. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
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 date it is made available. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.
Contact and Complaints
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise your data protection rights, you can contact us using the details provided on our customer communication channels.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you approach an authority, and we encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any issues.
