Privacy Policy - Removal Van Merton

This Privacy Policy explains how Removal Van Merton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Removal Van Merton customers in the area, including people who request quotes, book services, receive deliveries, or otherwise interact with us in connection with removal van services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Removal Van Merton provides removal van services for domestic and commercial customers in the local area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller when we determine why and how your personal data is used. In some situations, we may also use service providers who process data on our behalf as data processors.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identity information: name, title, and any business name you provide.
Contact information: address, email address, telephone number, and moving location details.
Service information: details about the items to be moved, property access, preferred dates, special handling needs, and service notes.
Payment information: billing details and transaction records. We do not store full card details where payment providers handle that information directly.
Communication records: emails, messages, phone call notes, complaints, feedback, and records of any queries.
Technical information: limited device and usage data if you interact with digital systems we use for administration, such as IP address, browser type, or timestamps.
Special category data: only where necessary and lawfully permitted, for example if you voluntarily share information that affects access needs, health-related handling requirements, or other sensitive circumstances relevant to the move.

We aim to collect only the information that is necessary for the service requested. Removal Van Merton does not intentionally collect more data than is needed to manage enquiries, bookings, operations, payments, and legal obligations.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to arrange and deliver removal van services;
to manage bookings, schedules, and route planning;
to communicate with customers about services, changes, or issues;
to process invoices, payments, and refunds where applicable;
to keep internal records for administration and quality control;
to meet legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
to deal with complaints, disputes, or insurance-related matters.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and you have been informed where required.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, managing bookings, moving belongings, issuing invoices, and fulfilling agreed services.

Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, recordkeeping, or other legal requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer communications, improving service quality, protecting against misuse, and maintaining business records.

Consent

In some cases, we rely on consent, particularly where it is appropriate for optional communications or the use of certain types of sensitive information. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency affecting health or safety.

Where special category data is involved, we only process it where a further condition under data protection law applies, such as explicit consent or necessity for legal claims or substantial public interest, as applicable.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to provide our services or meet legal obligations. These may include:

Payment providers who process transactions securely;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial records;
IT and cloud service providers who support storage, email, or administrative systems;
Insurance providers in connection with claims or risk management;
Legal or regulatory authorities where disclosure is required by law;
Subcontractors or operational partners involved in completing a removal service, where necessary.

When we use a processor, they act only on our instructions and must protect your data appropriately. We require processors to implement suitable technical and organisational security measures and to process personal data only for the purposes we specify. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected and to meet legal, accounting, or operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record and the context of the service.

Enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and service history.
Booking and service records may be retained to support contract performance, customer support, and dispute resolution.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Complaint, claim, or legal records may be retained longer where needed to handle a dispute or legal obligation.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you. Removal Van Merton reviews retention needs periodically to ensure we do not keep data for longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate security measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality expectations, and careful selection of third-party processors. While no system is completely risk-free, we work to reduce the likelihood and impact of any incident involving personal data.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

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 certain circumstances, you can request deletion of your data;
Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how your data is used in some situations;
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to data portability: you can request 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;
Right to complain: you may raise concerns with the UK data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. Some rights may not apply in all situations, and legal exceptions may limit what we can do. We will always aim to respond appropriately and within the time limits required by law.

9. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure suitable safeguards are in place so that it remains protected in accordance with data protection law. This may include approved contractual safeguards or transfers to jurisdictions with adequate protection.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Removal Van Merton is committed to respecting privacy, processing personal data lawfully, and using only the information needed to deliver reliable removal van services. We apply the principles of data minimisation, purpose limitation, storage limitation, and security across our operations. This policy applies to all customers in the area who use our services, and it is intended to provide clear, transparent information about how personal data is managed.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable law.