Hornchurch Man and Van Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Hornchurch Man and Van collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Hornchurch Man and Van customers and enquirers in our service area, including anyone who contacts us, requests a quote, books a service, or otherwise interacts with us in relation to our man and van and related services.

Who we are and scope of this policy

Hornchurch Man and Van is a provider of man and van and related transport and removal services. For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, including the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, Hornchurch Man and Van is the data controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy covers personal data collected in connection with our services, including when you contact us by phone, by online form, by message, or in person, when we provide quotations, when we carry out removals or deliveries, and when we handle payments and customer queries.

Personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you:

Identification and contact details, such as your name, postal address, collection and delivery addresses, contact preferences, and other information you choose to provide when contacting us or making a booking.

Service and booking information, such as details of the items to be moved, property access details, dates and times of bookings, notes about special handling requirements, and records of communications relating to your booking or enquiry.

Payment and transaction data, such as payment method, limited payment details as required to process a transaction, invoice information, amounts paid, and payment status. We do not store full card details when using external payment processors.

Communications and correspondence, including emails, messages, notes from phone calls, and any feedback, complaints, or testimonials that you provide to us.

Technical and usage data, where applicable, such as basic technical data from your use of our online contact forms or browsing interactions with our website. This may include device information, approximate location data derived from your use of online services, and log information necessary for security and service improvement.

How we collect personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us for a quote, make a booking, request a change to an existing booking, ask a question, provide feedback, or pay for our services.

We may also receive personal data from third parties who are authorised to act on your behalf, such as family members, colleagues, landlords, letting agents, or businesses arranging a move for you. In those circumstances, we treat the information we receive as if it were provided by you.

Where permitted by law, we may supplement the information you provide with additional data from public sources or trusted third parties, such as address validation services, to help ensure that your details are accurate and up to date.

Lawful basis for processing your data

We only process your personal data when we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. Depending on the specific situation, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Performance of a contract: We process personal data where it is necessary to provide our services to you or to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract. This includes handling enquiries, preparing quotations, managing bookings, delivering items, and communicating with you about your move.

Legal obligations: We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal requirements, such as tax, accounting, or regulatory obligations, and to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate interests: We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include improving our services, managing our customer relationships, conducting internal administration, handling queries and complaints, and ensuring the security of our operations.

Consent: In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of direct marketing or for using optional cookies or similar technologies where required by law. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

How we use your personal data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, confirm availability, and manage your bookings.

To plan and deliver our man and van services, including collection, transport, and delivery of goods, and to communicate any changes or updates.

To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accurate financial and transaction records.

To respond to your enquiries, feedback, and complaints, and to provide customer support.

To improve our services, processes, and customer experience, including training and quality assurance.

To protect our business and our customers, including fraud prevention, security monitoring, and dispute resolution.

To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.

Data sharing and processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with third parties where necessary and lawful, as described below.

Service providers and data processors: We may engage carefully selected third parties to help us operate our business and provide our services. These may include payment processors, accounting and invoicing providers, customer relationship management providers, secure data storage providers, and information technology support services. These third parties act as data processors on our behalf and are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and applicable law.

Professional advisers: We may share limited personal data with professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers, where necessary for advice, compliance, or dispute resolution.

Authorities and legal obligations: We may disclose personal data to law enforcement agencies, courts, regulators, government authorities, or other third parties where we believe disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or to protect our rights, property, or safety, or the rights, property, or safety of others.

If we are involved in a business sale, merger, or restructuring, we may need to share relevant personal data with prospective or actual buyers, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, including to provide our services, meet our contractual obligations, comply with legal and regulatory requirements, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

In general, operational and booking records are retained for a period that reflects applicable limitation periods for legal claims and statutory record-keeping requirements. Financial records, including invoices and transaction details, are typically retained for a period required by tax and accounting laws.

Where personal data is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with an identifiable individual.

International data transfers

If we use service providers or systems located outside the United Kingdom, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in other countries. Where this occurs, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as use of standard contractual clauses or reliance on an adequacy decision, to protect your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

How we protect your data

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures may include access controls, secure storage solutions, data minimisation practices, staff training, and regular review of our security arrangements.

While we take reasonable steps to secure your data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You also play an important role by keeping any reference numbers, booking details, and communications safe and by notifying us promptly if you suspect any unauthorised use of your information.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you. These may include:

The right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, together with certain information about how we use it.

The right to rectification: You can ask us to correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

The right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data. This right is not absolute and may not apply where we need to retain data for legal or legitimate business purposes.

The right to restrict processing: You can ask us to limit the way we use your personal data in certain situations, for example while we consider a request to rectify data.

The right to data portability: In some cases, you may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, or that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.

The right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as our lawful basis. We will consider your objection and stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds or the processing is necessary for legal reasons.

Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you are concerned about how we handle your personal data.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business practices, or legal requirements. Any updated version will apply from the time it is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we use your personal data.