Man With a Van Swiss Cottage Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With a Van Swiss Cottage collects, uses, stores and shares personal data in connection with our moving and transport services. It applies to all Man With a Van Swiss Cottage customers and website visitors located in our service area, including prospective, current and past customers.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a transparent and lawful way, in accordance with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act, together referred to as GDPR.

Data Controller

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With a Van Swiss Cottage is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed in connection with our moving and transport services.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process personal data that you provide to us directly when you request a quote, make a booking, contact us with a query, or use our services. The categories of personal data we typically collect include:

Identification and contact details, such as your name, contact address, service address, email address, and any other contact information you choose to provide. Booking and service information, such as collection and delivery addresses, access details, dates and times of moves, inventory descriptions, and any special instructions relevant to the service. Communication records, such as information contained in emails, online forms, or messages you send to us when you make an enquiry, request support, or give feedback. Payment-related information, such as records that a payment was made, the payment method used, and billing-related data. We do not store full payment card numbers; these are handled by our chosen payment processors. Technical and usage data, such as basic information about how you use our website or contact forms, which may include device information, approximate location information, and standard log data depending on how you access our services.

We do not intentionally collect or require special category data, such as health information, unless you choose to share it with us because it is relevant to providing safe and appropriate moving services. In such cases, we will treat that information with additional care and only use it where strictly necessary to deliver the service you request.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis under GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on the following legal grounds:

Contract performance. We process your personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide you with a quote, confirm your booking, and deliver our man with a van services. Legal obligation. We may process and retain certain data to comply with applicable laws, such as tax and accounting requirements or to respond to lawful requests from public authorities. Legitimate interests. We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your data protection rights and freedoms. This includes managing our business, improving our services, handling queries and complaints, preventing fraud, and protecting our legal rights. Consent. In limited situations, we may rely on your explicit consent, for example where required for specific types of optional communications or for the use of certain cookies or similar technologies. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

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

To provide quotes, arrange bookings, and deliver our moving and transport services in the Swiss Cottage area and surrounding locations. To manage our relationship with you, including sending booking confirmations, service updates, and responding to your enquiries or complaints. To manage payments, invoicing, and accounting records associated with the services we provide to you. To operate, maintain, and improve our website, booking processes, and customer service, including by analysing how our services are used. To enforce our terms and conditions, protect our rights, resolve disputes, and prevent misuse or fraudulent activity. To comply with legal obligations, regulatory requirements, and to cooperate with law enforcement or regulatory authorities where required by law.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We share your information only where necessary and with appropriate safeguards in place. Your personal data may be shared with:

Service providers and data processors. We use trusted third parties to help us deliver our services and operate our business. These may include payment processors, website hosting providers, customer management tools, and professional advisers such as accountants. These providers act as data processors and may only process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. Drivers and operational staff. Where needed to deliver your service, limited personal data such as your name, collection and delivery addresses, and contact details will be shared with our drivers or subcontractors performing the move so that they can carry out the service safely and efficiently. Authorities and legal bodies. We may disclose your personal data where required to do so by law, or where we reasonably believe that such action is necessary to comply with legal processes, respond to claims, or protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our customers or others.

Whenever we use processors who process personal data on our behalf, we ensure that appropriate contractual and technical safeguards are in place to protect your data in line with GDPR requirements.

International Data Transfers

Our main processing activities are based in the United Kingdom. If we ever need to transfer personal data to a country outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that an adequate level of protection is in place. This may include using countries that have been recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection or relying on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.

Data Retention

We only keep your personal data for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of providing services to you, meeting our legal and accounting obligations, and resolving any disputes.

In practice, this means that booking and invoice records are usually retained for a period necessary to comply with tax and accounting rules, typically several years from the end of the relevant financial year. Enquiry records and correspondence may be kept for a shorter period, based on our need to manage customer relationships and handle potential follow-up queries. When personal data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise remove it from our systems.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under GDPR, you have several important rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to certain conditions and legal limits, these include:

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and, if we do, to obtain a copy of that data and certain related information. Right to rectification. You have the right to request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data about you is corrected or completed. Right to erasure. You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing. Right to restriction. You can request that we restrict our processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we are verifying accuracy or handling an objection. Right to object. You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our legal basis and you believe your rights override our interests. Right to data portability. For certain data processed by automated means on the basis of consent or contract, you may request a copy in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and ask us to transfer it to another controller where technically feasible. Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time. The withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to address your concerns directly.

Security of Your Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include access controls, secure storage, and limiting personal data access to personnel who need it to perform their duties. However, no transmission of information over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and you share information with us at your own risk.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. Any changes will apply from the date the updated policy is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.