Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Docklands

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Docklands collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in the Docklands area. This policy applies to all Man And A Van Docklands customers in area, including anyone who requests, books, receives, or enquires about our services. We are committed to handling personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Man And A Van Docklands provides moving, transport, and related logistics services. In delivering these services, we act as a data controller for the personal data we collect and use about customers, suppliers, website visitors, and other individuals whose data we process in connection with our business operations.

2. Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for our business and service delivery. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity information: name, title, and any additional identifying details needed to manage a booking.
Contact information: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details: pickup and delivery addresses, property access information, moving inventory, service preferences, dates, and timing requirements.
Billing and payment information: records needed to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records.
Communication records: messages, booking notes, call logs, complaints, and other correspondence.
Technical information: limited device, browser, and usage information where collected through digital systems for security and performance purposes.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily or another lawful condition applies. Please avoid sharing sensitive personal data unless it is essential to your request.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to manage bookings and deliver moving services;
to communicate about changes, arrival times, access requirements, and service updates;
to process payments, refunds, and accounting records;
to handle complaints, disputes, and service issues;
to maintain safety, security, and business records;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our services, systems, and customer experience;
to protect our business from fraud, misuse, and unlawful activity.

We only use personal data for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe that another compatible purpose applies or a legal obligation requires otherwise.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, carrying out removal services, and managing related administrative tasks.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and rights do not override those interests. This may include service improvement, customer communications, fraud prevention, record keeping, and business administration.

Legal obligation

We process certain data where required to meet legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory requirements.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where consent is needed for a specific optional activity. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing personal data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, manage our business, or comply with legal requirements. These parties may act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances.

Processors are third parties that process personal data on our behalf and only in line with our instructions. We may use processors for:

booking and scheduling systems;
payment processing;
accounting and invoicing services;
IT hosting, maintenance, and security;
customer communication tools;
document storage and record management.

We require processors to protect personal data appropriately, keep it confidential, and use it only for the agreed purpose. We may also share data with:

professional advisers, such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers;
public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where required by law;
other third parties where necessary to fulfil a service or resolve a dispute.

Where personal data is transferred to another controller, that party is responsible for its own compliance and privacy practices.

6. Retention of personal data

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

In general:

booking and service records are kept for a period needed to manage the service relationship and any follow-up issues;
financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by law and tax rules;
communications and complaint records are kept for a reasonable period to help resolve disputes and maintain service quality;
technical and security logs are kept only as long as needed for operational and security purposes.

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

7. Security of personal data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and regular review of our data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed 100% secure, we work to protect data in line with good industry practice.

8. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply in full or in part depending on the lawful basis and the circumstances of the processing.

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: in some cases, you may ask us to delete your personal data.
Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability: you may request transfer of certain data in a commonly used format where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits set by law unless an extension is permitted.

9. Automated decision-making

We do not use fully automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects for customers. If this position changes, we will update this policy and provide the required information.

10. International transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it, such as an adequacy decision, standard contractual clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism permitted by data protection law.

11. Children’s data

Our services are directed to adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided as part of a service arrangement and is necessary to complete that arrangement. If we learn that we have collected data from a child without a proper basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is handled.

13. Summary of our commitments

In handling personal data, Man And A Van Docklands aims to be lawful, fair, and transparent. We collect only what we need, use it for clear purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and protect it through appropriate safeguards. We also respect your rights and will act on valid requests in accordance with data protection law.

This policy applies to all Man And A Van Docklands customers in area. By using our services, making an enquiry, or entering into a booking with us, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.