Privacy Policy - Man And Van Bloomsbury

Man And Van Bloomsbury is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the Bloomsbury area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when we provide our man and van, removals, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Man And Van Bloomsbury customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, students, and business clients who use our services.

This policy is written in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to be transparent about what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have over your personal data.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity information such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including pickup and delivery addresses, access instructions, property type, move size, item descriptions, and preferred service times.
Payment information such as billing details, transaction references, and payment status. We do not store more financial data than is necessary for processing or record-keeping.
Communication records including emails, messages, notes from calls, complaints, and service updates.
Technical information if you interact with our digital systems, such as device information, browser type, and basic usage data.
Special category data only where it is accidentally disclosed to us and only if needed to provide the service safely. We do not intentionally request sensitive personal data unless it is strictly necessary and lawful.

We do not collect more information than is reasonably required. If you choose not to provide certain information, we may be unable to complete your booking or deliver the service properly.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for legitimate business purposes connected to our services. These purposes include:

providing quotes and confirming bookings;
planning and carrying out removals, deliveries, and related work;
communicating with you before, during, and after the service;
issuing invoices, processing payments, and handling refunds where appropriate;
maintaining service records and managing customer relationships;
dealing with complaints, disputes, insurance matters, and claims;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements;
improving our operations, service quality, and customer experience;
preventing fraud, misuse, and unlawful activity.

We only use your data for the purposes explained in this policy or for purposes that are compatible with them.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing a quote, managing a booking, carrying out the move, and handling payment.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information when required to comply with legal obligations, such as record-keeping, accounting, tax compliance, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include service administration, internal record management, business improvement, fraud prevention, and resolving disputes. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing activities or optional communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service provided.

Payment providers to handle transactions securely.
IT and hosting providers that support our systems, data storage, and communications.
Accountants and professional advisers for financial, legal, or compliance purposes.
Insurance providers when claims, incidents, or liability issues must be addressed.
Subcontracted workers or service partners where needed to perform a booked job.
Authorities or regulators where disclosure is required by law.

We require processors to protect personal data, use it only on our instructions, and implement appropriate security measures. We do not sell your personal information.

5. International Transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we take steps to ensure that an adequate level of protection is in place. This may include using approved contractual safeguards and assessing the legal environment of the destination country.

6. 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 obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Booking and service records are normally retained for a period needed to manage the contract and address post-service queries.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable time to help with customer service, complaints, and dispute resolution.
Technical and security logs are retained only as long as needed for operational and security purposes.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymise it.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff training, and careful management of third-party processors. While no system is completely risk-free, we take data security seriously and regularly review our safeguards.

8. Your Rights

You have rights over your personal data under data protection law. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exceptions.

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 request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you may request certain data 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.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. We will respond within the time limits required by law unless the request is unusually complex or numerous.

9. Marketing Communications

If we send marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You can object to direct marketing at any time. If you opt out, we will stop sending marketing messages, though we may still contact you about active bookings, legal matters, or essential service-related issues.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If our systems use cookies or similar technologies, they are used only for basic functionality, security, analytics, or improving user experience. Where consent is required, we will obtain it before placing non-essential cookies. You may manage cookie settings through your browser or device controls.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary for a service arrangement made by an adult customer, such as access details related to a household move. In such cases, we limit processing to what is strictly required.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal duties, or data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And Van Bloomsbury only processes personal data where it is necessary, fair, and lawful. We collect information to provide and improve our services, retain it only for as long as needed, and share it responsibly with trusted processors. We respect your rights and aim to handle your data with care, security, and transparency at every stage of the customer relationship.