Privacy Policy - Man With Van Ratcliff

Man With Van Ratcliff is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Man With Van Ratcliff customers in area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and individuals who contact us about our services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With Van Ratcliff is the data controller of the personal information we collect and process in connection with our removal and van services. This means we determine why and how your personal data is used. We take our responsibilities seriously and are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, and meet legal and operational requirements. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details including address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service details such as move dates, collection and delivery addresses, access information, item descriptions, and service preferences.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records. We do not store full card details if payment is processed by a secure third-party payment provider.
Communications including messages, calls, complaints, and feedback you send to us.
Business and account information where relevant for trade or invoicing purposes.
Technical data if you interact with our digital services, such as IP address, device information, and usage data, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is necessary and you have provided it voluntarily in connection with a service request. If such information is shared with us, we will handle it with additional care and only process it where lawful to do so.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and manage bookings.
To deliver moving, transport, loading, unloading, and related services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after a service.
To issue invoices, process payments, and manage accounts.
To handle complaints, claims, and service queries.
To meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To maintain business records and improve service quality.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or other unlawful activity.

We only process personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe another lawful reason applies and it is compatible with the original purpose.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases, depending on the circumstances:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as providing a quote, making a booking, or completing a moving service.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This includes managing our business operations, improving services, protecting against fraud, and maintaining internal records. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and appropriate.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or where required for specific types of processing. Where consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to run our business and provide our services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Processors are organisations that handle personal data on our behalf and under our instructions. Examples may include:

Payment processors that securely handle card or online payments.
Accounting and invoicing providers used for financial administration.
IT and cloud storage providers that host business systems and records.
Communication service providers that assist with email, messaging, or telephone systems.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.

We require processors to handle your data securely, only for the purposes we specify, and in compliance with data protection law. We do not sell personal data. We may also disclose information where required by law, to public authorities, or to protect the rights, safety, and property of our business, staff, or customers.

6. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it in accordance with applicable data protection requirements. Such safeguards may include adequacy regulations or standard contractual protections, where relevant.

7. Data Retention

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

Booking and service records are generally retained for as long as needed to administer the service and address any follow-up issues.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaint records may be retained for a reasonable time to resolve disputes and demonstrate compliance.

When data is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. We apply retention controls to ensure information is not kept longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect the information entrusted to us.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limitations, these may include:

The right to be informed about how your data is used.
The right of access to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing in certain situations.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
The right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law and may need to verify your identity before proceeding. In some cases, we may not be able to comply fully if we have a legal obligation or overriding reason to retain or continue processing the data.

10. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, we encourage you to raise them with us first so we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

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 handling practices. Any updates will take effect when published. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how we protect your personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitments

Man With Van Ratcliff will:

Collect only the personal data needed to deliver our services.
Use data only for clear, lawful, and legitimate purposes.
Share data only with trusted processors or where legally required.
Keep data only as long as necessary.
Respect and support your data protection rights.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to all Man With Van Ratcliff customers in area. We are committed to handling your information responsibly and in a way that respects your privacy and legal rights.