Privacy Policy - Man With Van Barnes

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Barnes collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, delivery, and related transport services. It applies to all Man With Van Barnes customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with us in connection with our services.

1. Who We Are

Man With Van Barnes provides local and regional man and van services, including home moves, office moves, furniture transport, item collection, and other delivery-related services. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal data about customers, recipients, and other individuals connected to a booking.

We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to process data fairly, lawfully, and transparently, and to keep it secure and limited to what is necessary.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data:

Identity information: name, title, and, where needed, business name.
Contact information: address, telephone number, and email address.
Service details: move date, collection and delivery addresses, item lists, access notes, and service instructions.
Payment information: billing details, payment status, and transaction records. We do not store unnecessary payment information beyond what is required for administration and accounting.
Communication records: messages, booking notes, complaints, and customer service correspondence.
Technical data: limited information such as device or browser details if you interact with us through digital systems used to manage bookings or communications.
Special instructions: details you provide about access, parking, fragile items, or other service-related requirements.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific service request. If such data is supplied, we will only process it where permitted by law and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide moving and transport services;
to manage enquiries, quotations, and bookings;
to communicate with customers about appointments, timings, access, and changes;
to prepare invoices, process payments, and maintain accounts;
to record service history and handle complaints or disputes;
to comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our operations, service quality, and customer experience;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We only use personal data for purposes that are compatible with the original reason it was collected or for a lawful purpose permitted by data protection law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a valid lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, confirming bookings, completing moves, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where needed to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data based on our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business, improving services, preventing fraud, responding to complaints, and maintaining service records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to provide optional information that is not required for service delivery. When consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our business. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share what is necessary and require appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and hosting providers that support our systems, email, or storage services;
accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with invoices and financial records;
payment service providers that handle transactions securely;
customer communication tools used to manage bookings and messages;
insurance providers or claims administrators where needed to handle incidents;
professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers when necessary.

We may also disclose data where required by law, court order, or lawful request from a public authority. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legal mechanisms approved under data protection law.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and in line with legal and business requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Booking and service records: retained for a reasonable period after the service is completed to manage queries, complaints, or claims.
Financial and accounting records: retained for the period required by law, including tax and audit obligations.
Communication records: kept as needed to maintain service history and resolve disputes.
General enquiry data: retained only for as long as necessary to respond and follow up appropriately.

When data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe and appropriate manner.

8. How We Protect Your Data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access to information on a need-to-know basis.

While we take data security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will assess the risk and take the steps required by law, including notifying the relevant authority and affected individuals where necessary.

9. 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 ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to request that we limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: to request transfer of certain data to you or another organisation, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been breached. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve the matter promptly.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental to a booking and necessary for service delivery. If we become aware that personal data has been collected inappropriately, we will take steps to remove it where appropriate.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling in a way that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. If this changes, we will update this policy and ensure any such processing complies with applicable law.

12. 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 published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their personal data is protected.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Barnes is committed to treating your personal data with care, lawfulness, and transparency. We collect only what we need, use it for legitimate service-related purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and protect it through appropriate safeguards. This policy is intended to ensure that every customer in the Barnes area understands how their information is handled and what rights they have under data protection law.