Privacy Policy - Lewisham Man And Van

Lewisham Man And Van is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when we provide moving, transport, packing, delivery, and related services to customers in Lewisham and the surrounding area. It applies to all Lewisham Man And Van customers in the area, including people who enquire about our services, request a quote, make a booking, or use our services directly or through a third party.

We aim to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information needed to manage enquiries, provide services, meet legal obligations, and improve our operations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name, title, and business name where relevant.
Contact details including phone number, email address, and property address.
Service information relating to your booking, collection and delivery addresses, moving dates, items to be moved, access details, and special instructions.
Payment information such as payment status, billing records, and transaction references. We do not intentionally store full card details where payment is processed securely by a third-party provider.
Correspondence including messages, emails, call notes, complaint records, and service feedback.
Technical data where applicable, such as IP address, device details, and basic website usage data if you submit an enquiry online.
Verification or risk information if needed to protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We do not collect more information than necessary for the purposes described in this policy. We also do not deliberately collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is relevant to your service request, for example accessibility needs. In such cases, we only use it when there is a lawful basis and appropriate safeguards in place.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to:

respond to enquiries and provide quotes;
confirm and manage bookings;
carry out removals, transport, packing, and related services;
communicate about timing, access, changes, or issues;
process payments and maintain accurate records;
handle complaints, refunds, or disputes;
meet tax, accounting, and legal obligations;
protect our business, staff, customers, and property;
improve service quality and customer experience;
prevent fraud, abuse, or unlawful conduct.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for a compatible purpose.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

Performance of a contract: to provide a quotation, manage a booking, and deliver the services you have requested.
Legitimate interests: to run and improve our business, manage customer relationships, prevent fraud, maintain service records, and protect our legal rights, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, regulatory, and record-keeping requirements.
Consent: where we rely on your permission for specific activities, such as certain marketing communications or the processing of particularly sensitive information when consent is appropriate.

If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

4. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services. These parties act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. They may include:

Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with invoicing, financial administration, and tax compliance.
IT, hosting, and cloud storage providers who help us store data and operate systems.
Communication service providers who support email, phone, or messaging functions.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and claims handlers where necessary to manage incidents or protect our rights.
Subcontractors or removal partners where needed to complete a service you have booked.
Authorities or regulators when disclosure is required by law or to respond to a lawful request.

Where we use processors, we require them to process data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with data protection obligations. We do not sell your personal data.

International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected. This may include standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards permitted by law.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a reasonable period after the service ends so we can manage queries, complaints, and business records.
Invoices and financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Correspondence and dispute records may be kept longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.
Marketing preferences are retained until you change your preferences or withdraw consent.

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

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of processors.

Although we work hard to safeguard information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to pose a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in accordance with applicable law.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to request transfer of data you provided to us, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with the law and may need to verify your identity before taking action. In some cases, we may not be able to comply fully if we have a legal obligation or overriding legitimate ground to retain the information.

8. Marketing Preferences

We will only send direct marketing where permitted by law. If you have given consent or where soft opt-in rules apply, you may receive information about our services. You can opt out of marketing at any time, and we will respect your choice.

We will never use your personal data for marketing in a way that is unfair or unexpected.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging moving and transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to providing a service requested by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. 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 process data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers in Lewisham and the surrounding area to review this policy periodically.

11. Summary of Our Commitments

We collect only the data needed to provide and manage our services.
We process data using a valid lawful basis.
We share data only with trusted processors or where required by law.
We retain information only for as long as necessary.
We respect your rights and take security seriously.

This Privacy Policy is intended to give clear and transparent information about how Lewisham Man And Van handles personal data. It applies to all customers in the area and reflects our commitment to responsible and lawful data protection practices.