Privacy Policy - Man And Van Forestgate

Man And Van Forestgate is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in connection with our services. It applies to all Man And Van Forestgate customers in the area, including anyone who enquires about, books, receives, or pays for our services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man And Van Forestgate is the data controller for the personal information described in this Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is used when you interact with us for removals, deliveries, transport, and related services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. Depending on the way you engage with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity information: name, title, and any identification details needed to verify your booking or access arrangements.
Contact details: telephone number, email address, billing address, and service address.
Booking and service information: details of the items being moved, dates, times, access instructions, delivery preferences, and job notes.
Payment information: transaction records, payment status, and limited financial details required for invoicing and accounting.
Communication records: messages, complaints, feedback, and notes from calls or emails.
Technical information: limited device or usage information if you interact with us online, such as IP address and browser data, where applicable.
Special category data: we do not generally seek this type of information. If you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for a service request, we will handle it with additional care and only where permitted by law.

We do not collect more data than we need. Where possible, we keep information accurate and up to date.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal information directly from you when you:

request a quote or make a booking;
communicate with us by phone, email, or other messaging methods;
provide access, delivery, or collection instructions;
pay for services or request an invoice;
submit a complaint, feedback, or enquiry;
interact with our customer service or operations team.

We may also receive information from third parties when necessary to deliver the service you requested, such as a person booking on your behalf, a business client, or a payment provider. In all such cases, we ensure the information is handled in line with data protection requirements.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We use your personal data only for legitimate business purposes and only where we have a lawful basis to do so. These purposes may include:

providing quotes and managing bookings;
planning, carrying out, and completing removals or transport services;
communicating about your booking, schedule, or service requirements;
processing payments, refunds, and invoices;
handling complaints, claims, or disputes;
maintaining records for accounting and tax purposes;
improving our services, operations, and customer experience;
meeting legal, regulatory, and insurance obligations;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud or misuse.

We will never sell your personal information.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR and GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases, depending on the situation:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing quotes, bookings, deliveries, removals, and payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, record-keeping, and responses to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include service improvement, fraud prevention, internal administration, and maintaining secure operations.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example if we use optional communications or collect information that is not strictly necessary for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share information where it is necessary and appropriate, and we require suitable safeguards to be in place.

Payment providers: to process payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping processors: to support financial administration and tax compliance.
IT and system providers: to store data, manage communications, and maintain secure records.
Professional advisers: such as legal, insurance, or compliance advisers where necessary.
Subcontractors or operational partners: where needed to complete a booked service.
Authorities and regulators: where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, safety, or property.

All processors are expected to handle personal data only on our instructions, keep it secure, and comply with data protection law. We do not allow processors to use your data for their own marketing purposes.

7. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, or reporting requirements. The exact retention period depends on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Booking and service records: retained for a period necessary to manage service history, handle complaints, and support business administration.
Financial and tax records: kept for the period required by applicable tax and accounting laws.
Communication records: retained for a reasonable time to resolve issues and support customer service.
Claims and dispute records: retained for as long as necessary to deal with the matter and any related legal obligations.

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

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and limiting access to information on a need-to-know basis.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we do our best to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location and the circumstances of processing, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to restrict the use of your data in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability: to request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your rights have been breached, you may contact the relevant data protection authority in your jurisdiction.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business or household arrangements made by adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a specific service request and provided by a responsible adult or lawful representative.

11. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK or European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections designed to keep your information secure.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or how we handle personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your data is used.

13. Summary of Our Privacy Commitments

Man And Van Forestgate handles personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We also respect your rights and aim to respond to requests promptly and responsibly.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Man And Van Forestgate customers in area and is intended to ensure that your personal information is treated with care, confidentiality, and respect.