Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Paddington

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Paddington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man And A Van Paddington customers in the area, including anyone who enquires about, books, receives, or pays for our moving and transport services. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man And A Van Paddington provides local moving, delivery, loading, unloading, and related transport services. In the context of this policy, we act as the data controller for personal data we decide to collect and use in connection with our services. This means we determine the purposes and the means of processing personal data, and we are responsible for ensuring that such processing is carried out in a privacy-compliant way.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing and managing our services. Depending on the nature of your interaction with us, we may collect the following information:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as phone number and email address.
Service details including pickup and delivery addresses, property access information, item descriptions, dates, and time preferences.
Payment and billing information such as invoicing details and transaction records.
Communication records including messages, booking notes, complaints, and service feedback.
Technical information that may be generated when you interact with our systems, such as basic device or usage data where applicable.
Special instructions that you provide to help us carry out the service safely and efficiently.

We do not deliberately collect more information than is required for legitimate business purposes. If we ever need to process sensitive personal data, we will only do so where a lawful condition exists and where such processing is strictly necessary.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect information directly from customers when they request a quote, make a booking, communicate with us, or use our services. We may also receive data from third parties where required to complete a service, such as payment providers, referral partners, or persons acting on your behalf. In limited circumstances, we may receive data from public sources or from service-related records needed to prevent fraud, manage risk, or comply with legal obligations.

4. Why We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only for clear and legitimate purposes. These include:

providing moving and transport services;
responding to enquiries and issuing quotations;
managing bookings, scheduling, and route planning;
processing payments and issuing invoices;
communicating service updates and customer support information;
handling complaints, disputes, or claims;
maintaining internal records and service quality;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will not use your data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason for collection unless we are legally permitted to do so and have informed you where required.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, providing the requested service, processing payments, and dealing with service-related communications.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information where required to comply with legal duties, such as tax rules, accounting obligations, record keeping, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include improving service operations, maintaining records, protecting against fraud, and resolving disputes. When we rely on this basis, we carefully assess the impact on your privacy.

Consent

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before processing certain data. If consent is used as the lawful basis, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

6. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and deliver services. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the role they perform. We only share information when there is a proper legal and business reason to do so.

Typical processors and service providers may include:

IT and cloud storage providers that host our systems;
payment processing providers that handle transactions;
accounting and bookkeeping providers;
communication and customer management tools;
subcontractors or logistics partners involved in fulfilling a booking;
professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, or auditors, where necessary.

Where we use processors, they are required to act only on our instructions, keep personal data secure, and comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell personal data. If data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, tax, insurance, or dispute resolution purposes. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the nature of the service provided.

In general:

booking and service records are retained for a reasonable period after completion;
invoice and payment records are retained for the period required by law;
correspondence and complaints may be kept while the matter is active and for a further period where needed to protect legal rights;
data that is no longer required is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed.

When determining retention periods, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data, the risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, and the legal requirements that apply.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to safeguard the information entrusted to us.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject under the UK GDPR, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing.

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 – in some cases, you can request deletion of your personal data.
Right to restriction – 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, and in some cases to direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request that certain data be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise your rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to deal with requests within the timeframe required by law. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been breached.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business-related users. We do not intentionally collect personal data from children unless it is necessary to fulfil a service request and is provided by an adult with authority to do so. Where child-related information is incidentally included in service details, we will handle it with care and only for the required purpose.

11. Changes to This Policy

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

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And A Van Paddington is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear business purposes, keep it no longer than necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. We recognise the importance of privacy and respect the rights of every customer in the Paddington area who uses our services.