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 when providing moving, removal, transport, packing, and related services. It applies to all Man And Van Swiss Cottage customers in the area, including people who request a quote, make a booking, receive a service, or communicate with us in connection with our operations.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect data that is relevant and necessary for our services, and we take appropriate steps to keep it secure.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name, title, and if needed, business name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details such as pickup and delivery addresses, property access information, inventory lists, item descriptions, preferred dates, and move requirements.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records. We do not routinely store full card details where a secure payment provider is used.
Communication records including emails, notes from phone calls, message history, and customer instructions.
Website and technical data where applicable, such as IP address, browser type, and usage information if you interact with our online services.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and only if you voluntarily provide it, for example accessibility or health-related information needed to safely plan a move.

We aim to keep personal data accurate and up to date. If you provide information about other people, such as household members or building contacts, you should ensure that you have the right to share it with us.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and assess service requirements.
To manage bookings, plan routes, and carry out removals or related services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after the service.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, claims, or disputes.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, training, operational planning, and customer experience.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorized access to our systems and services.

We only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably need to use it for a compatible purpose or where the law allows or requires us to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, arranging move logistics, providing services, and managing payment.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain records to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, safety, and other legal requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include service administration, internal record keeping, fraud prevention, operational improvements, and customer support. We always consider whether such processing is proportionate and relevant.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications or when handling special category data that is not required for the service. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services and run our business. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Payment processors that handle secure payments and card transactions.
IT and cloud service providers that support data storage, email, scheduling, and operational systems.
Accounting and invoicing providers that help manage finance and taxation records.
Subcontractors or specialist service partners where needed for the delivery of a job.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and claims handlers where required to manage incidents or disputes.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights and safety.

We only appoint processors that provide sufficient guarantees regarding data protection and security. Where required, we put data processing agreements in place to ensure that personal data is handled only in accordance with our instructions and the law.

We do not sell your personal data. If data is transferred outside the UK, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, and dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a reasonable period after the job is completed to manage follow-up, complaints, and service history.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communications may be retained for a limited time to support customer service and operational needs.
Marketing consent records, where applicable, are kept until you withdraw consent or the record is no longer needed.

When personal data is no longer needed, we delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, limited staff access, secure storage, staff training, and review of our processing practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of security appropriate to the risks involved.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under data protection law. These rights may be subject to conditions and exceptions, but they include the following:

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 restrict processing – you may request that we limit how we use your data in some situations.
Right to data portability – you may request data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – if we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection authority if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve the issue promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals or related services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a family or household context and provided by an adult with appropriate authority.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our operations, legal obligations, or data protection requirements. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And Van Swiss Cottage values privacy and treats personal data with care. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, use it on a lawful basis, keep it no longer than necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. Our approach is designed to be transparent, secure, and compliant with GDPR for all customers in the area.

This Privacy Policy is written to provide a clear explanation of our data protection practices and may be read alongside any service terms or customer agreements that apply.