Privacy Policy - Man And Van Swiss Cottage

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Swiss Cottage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our moving, delivery, packing, and related transport services. It applies to all Man And Van Swiss Cottage customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or receives services from us. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We respect your privacy and aim to process only the information necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. This policy should be read carefully so that you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The data we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as your address, email address, telephone number, and move location details.
Service information including booking details, requested dates, inventory notes, access information, property type, and service preferences.
Payment-related information such as billing details and transaction records. We do not knowingly store full card details unless required by our payment provider’s secure systems.
Communication records including messages, call notes, complaint details, and service feedback.
Operational information such as route planning data, delivery instructions, and scheduling records.
Technical information where applicable, including device or browser details if you communicate with us electronically.

We normally collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quotation, confirm a booking, or communicate with us during the delivery or moving process. In some cases, we may receive your data from third parties, such as landlords, letting agents, property managers, payment providers, or business customers who arrange services on your behalf.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and manage bookings.
To carry out moving, packing, loading, unloading, and delivery services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after a service.
To process payments, issue invoices, and manage accounts.
To plan routes, allocate staff, and coordinate jobs effectively.
To respond to complaints, disputes, or customer queries.
To maintain records for operational, accounting, and legal purposes.
To improve our services, customer experience, and internal processes.
To protect our business from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We only use your information where we have a valid lawful basis under data protection law. We do not use personal data in ways that are incompatible with the purposes described in this policy.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, delivering services, arranging payments, and communicating essential service information.

Legal obligation

We may process data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, and lawful disclosure obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing enquiries, improving service quality, preventing fraud, keeping business records, and defending legal claims.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for optional communications or other non-essential processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Booking and service records are usually kept for a reasonable period after completion of the job to deal with follow-up queries, disputes, and service administration.
Accounting and payment records are retained for the period required by law for financial and tax purposes.
Communication records may be kept for as long as needed to manage customer care, complaints, or contract performance.
Legal and insurance-related records may be kept for longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it. We review retention requirements periodically to ensure that data is not held for longer than necessary.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These parties act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We require appropriate safeguards and only share information when necessary.

Examples of processors and recipients may include:

Payment service providers who handle secure transaction processing.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with invoicing, reporting, and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers who store or support our business systems.
Communication service providers who help deliver emails, text messages, or other correspondence.
Operational partners or subcontractors involved in completing a service where required.

We may also disclose data where required by law, for example to tax authorities, regulators, courts, law enforcement bodies, or insurers. If our business structure changes, personal data may be transferred as part of that change, subject to appropriate protections.

We do not sell your personal data. Any sharing is limited to what is necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, or legitimate business operations.

6. International Transfers

If any of our processors or service providers are located outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place before transferring personal data. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms. We take steps to make sure your data remains protected to the required standard.

7. Security of Your Data

We use suitable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data-handling procedures. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of security appropriate to the risks involved.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions.

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 data.
Right to erasure – in some cases, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we process your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – in some cases, you can request your data in a usable 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 will respond in line with applicable law and may need to verify your identity before taking action. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your personal data has not been handled properly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals, deliveries, or related transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children for marketing or service purposes. If we become aware that we have collected a child’s data without proper authority, we will take appropriate steps to delete it or seek lawful parental or guardian consent where required.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, service practices, or operational needs. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

Summary of our commitment: we process personal data fairly, use it only when necessary, protect it with appropriate safeguards, and respect your legal rights at every stage of our service relationship.