Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Hackney

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Hackney collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man With A Van Hackney customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, book, or receive moving, delivery, collection, removal, or related services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to anyone who interacts with our services as a customer, prospective customer, recipient, sender, site contact, or other person whose information is provided to us in connection with a move or delivery. It also applies to data received from third parties where a customer has arranged a booking and shared details of another person, such as a landlord, estate agent, property manager, building concierge, or business contact.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or providing personal data to us, you acknowledge that your information will be processed in accordance with this policy.

2. Personal data we collect

We collect only the data necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, fulfil legal obligations, and improve our operations. The categories of personal data we may collect include:

Identity data: name, title, and where relevant the name of a business or organisation.
Contact data: address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service data: service date, collection and delivery addresses, access details, item lists, volume estimates, and service preferences.
Payment data: payment status, billing records, and limited transaction details necessary for accounting and reconciliation. Card details are typically processed by secure payment providers and not stored by us in full.
Communication data: messages, calls, complaint details, and customer service records.
Operational data: photographs, notes, route information, and service records created to plan, evidence, or complete a job.
Technical data: limited information such as device or browser details if you contact us through online systems that record them for security or diagnostic purposes.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it or it is strictly necessary for a specific service issue. If special category data is disclosed to us accidentally, we will handle it carefully and only where permitted by law.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and assess service requirements;
to manage bookings, allocate staff, and carry out collections, deliveries, and removals;
to communicate with customers about service arrangements, changes, delays, or follow-up matters;
to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records;
to manage customer support, complaints, disputes, and insurance-related matters;
to meet legal, regulatory, tax, and record-keeping obligations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access;
to improve our services, operations, safety, and customer experience.

We only use personal data where there is a lawful and appropriate reason to do so.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. The lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing a quote at your request, managing a confirmed booking, and carrying out moving or delivery services.

Legal obligation

We may process data to comply with legal duties, including tax compliance, accounting requirements, record retention obligations, and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests may include running and improving our business, handling customer communications, preventing fraud, ensuring service security, and maintaining evidence of services provided.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you agree to receive optional marketing communications or where a specific processing activity requires consent by law. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and for any additional period required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Booking and service records: kept for a reasonable period after the job is completed to handle queries, disputes, or insurance issues.
Financial and tax records: kept for the period required by law and accounting standards.
Customer communications: retained as needed to evidence instructions, resolve complaints, and maintain service history.
Marketing records: kept until you opt out or the data is no longer needed.
CCTV or photographic evidence, if used: retained only where necessary for operational, security, or claims purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

6. Processors and sharing of data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, but only where necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards. These may include:

Payment processors that securely handle card or online payments;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support invoicing, reporting, and tax compliance;
IT and cloud service providers that store or support business systems, email, scheduling, and document management;
Communication providers used for telephone, messaging, or email delivery;
Insurance providers, claims handlers, or legal advisers where needed to assess or resolve claims and disputes;
Regulatory, tax, or law enforcement authorities where disclosure is required by law;
Subcontractors or partner service providers where they are required to help complete a move, delivery, or related service.

All processors are required to handle personal data securely and only in accordance with our instructions or their own legal obligations. We do not sell personal data.

7. International transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms.

8. Data security

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

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take the protection of your information seriously and continuously review our safeguards.

9. Your rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law, subject to certain conditions and exemptions:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: to request transfer of data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
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 respond within the time limits required by law unless an extension is permitted.

10. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults arranging moving or delivery services. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children. If we become aware that children’s data has been provided to us without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to remove or safeguard it.

11. Marketing preferences

We may send limited service-related communications where necessary for booking administration or customer service. If we send optional marketing messages, you may opt out at any time. Where legally required, we will obtain consent before sending marketing communications.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. The most current version will apply to all relevant processing from the time it is made available.

13. Complaints and further rights

If you believe your data has been mishandled, you have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. We also encourage you to raise concerns directly so they can be reviewed and addressed promptly. We will handle any complaint with care and in accordance with applicable law.

This policy is intended to give clear information about how personal data is processed for customers of Man With A Van Hackney in the area. It reflects our commitment to privacy, accountability, and respectful data handling across every stage of service delivery.