Privacy Policy - Man With Van Barking

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Barking collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man With Van Barking customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, book services, receive moving support, or otherwise interact with our service. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With Van Barking provides man and van moving services to customers in Barking and the surrounding area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller when deciding how and why personal data is processed. This means we determine the purposes and means of the processing of your personal information in connection with our services.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for delivering our services, managing enquiries, and fulfilling legal or business obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information: your name and, where needed, business name.
Contact information: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details: move dates, pickup and delivery locations, inventory details, access requirements, and job instructions.
Payment-related information: billing details and payment status, although full card information is typically processed by third-party payment providers rather than stored by us.
Communication records: messages, emails, call notes, and any feedback or complaints you provide.
Technical information: basic website or device information if you contact us through digital channels, including IP address, browser type, and usage data where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific service requirement. Special category data includes information such as health details, religious beliefs, or trade union membership. If such information is provided, we will treat it with extra care and only process it where lawful and necessary.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for clearly defined purposes connected with our services. These purposes may include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
arranging and delivering moving services;
managing bookings, schedules, and service changes;
processing payments and issuing invoices;
communicating with you about your job or service requirements;
handling complaints, disputes, and service improvement;
maintaining internal records and business administration;
meeting legal, accounting, and tax obligations;
preventing fraud, misuse, or unauthorised activity;
improving our operations and customer experience.

We will only use your data in ways that are compatible with the purposes explained in this policy. Where we need to use your data for a new purpose, we will ensure that a lawful basis applies.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a valid lawful basis for processing your personal data. The lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing your booking, completing the move, and handling payment or service-related communications.

Legitimate Interests

We may process your 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 record-keeping, service improvement, fraud prevention, internal administration, and limited marketing to existing customers where allowed by law.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain data to comply with legal duties, such as accounting, tax, insurance, or regulatory requirements.

Consent

Where required, we will ask for your consent before processing certain data or sending specific types of communications. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests and Public Task

These lawful bases are unlikely to apply in most cases, but if a situation arises where they are relevant, we will process data only where necessary and in line with the law.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties, known as processors, who help us run our services. These processors only act on our instructions and are required to protect your information. They may include:

payment service providers;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
IT hosting, cloud storage, and software providers;
communication service providers;
professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers;
subcontractors or operational partners involved in completing a move, where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, by a court order, or by a public authority with legal powers. Where possible and lawful, we will limit the information shared to what is necessary for the relevant purpose.

We do not sell your personal data. If data is transferred outside the UK or European Economic Area, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the data and our obligations.

Quotation and booking records: retained for a reasonable period to manage service history and business administration.
Invoices and payment records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication and complaint records: retained as needed to resolve issues and demonstrate service handling.
Technical and operational logs: retained for security, troubleshooting, and system maintenance purposes for a limited time.

When data is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. In some cases, we may retain information longer if required for legal claims, insurance matters, or regulatory compliance.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and safe disposal practices. While no system is entirely risk-free, we work to maintain a level of security appropriate to the nature of the data we process.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have important rights under data protection law. Subject to certain conditions and exceptions, these rights may 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 information.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been handled improperly. We encourage you to raise concerns directly with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers arranging moving services. We do not knowingly collect data from children unless it is necessary and provided by an adult customer for service-related purposes. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where required.

10. Automated Decision-Making

We do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and ensure that suitable safeguards are in place.

11. 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 processing practices. When we do, we will revise the policy so that it remains clear and current. We encourage you to review it periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

12. Summary of Key Principles

We collect only the data needed to provide moving services and manage business operations.
We process data on lawful bases such as contract, legitimate interests, consent, and legal obligation.
We share data only with trusted processors or where required by law.
We retain data only as long as necessary and dispose of it securely.
We respect your rights and aim to handle all personal data transparently and responsibly.

Man With Van Barking is committed to protecting your privacy and treating your personal information with care, respect, and accountability.