Privacy Policy - Dartford Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Dartford Man And Van collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removals, man and van, transport, loading, unloading, and related services. This policy applies to all Dartford Man And Van customers in the area, including individuals, households, businesses, and anyone who enquires about or uses our services.

1. Who We Are

Dartford Man And Van provides local and regional transport and moving services for customers in and around Dartford and surrounding areas. In carrying out our work, we act as a data controller for the personal data we collect and use about our customers, suppliers, and other individuals connected to our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a way that is lawful, fair, transparent, and secure, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service details such as collection and delivery addresses, property access notes, move dates, item descriptions, and preferred service times.
Billing and payment information such as invoice records, payment status, and transaction references.
Communication records including enquiries, quotes, booking notes, complaints, and customer correspondence.
Operational information such as parking instructions, stair access, inventory notes, and special handling requirements.
Technical data if you contact us electronically, such as device or message metadata, where necessary for security and service administration.

We only collect data that is relevant and necessary for our services. We do not deliberately collect special category data unless it is provided by you and required for a specific service arrangement, and even then only where lawful to do so.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and manage bookings.
To plan and complete moving and transport services.
To communicate with you about schedules, access, and service changes.
To issue invoices and process payments.
To keep records for accounting, tax, and legal compliance.
To handle complaints, disputes, or insurance matters.
To improve the quality and efficiency of our services.
To protect our business, staff, vehicles, and customers from fraud or misuse.

We will only use your data for the purposes described above or for compatible related purposes. If we need to use it for something materially different, we will inform you where required by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. We rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform the contract once agreed. This includes quoting, booking, moving items, and managing the service you requested.

Legal Obligation

We process data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, record keeping, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes managing operations, maintaining business records, preventing fraud, improving services, and handling internal administration.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have expressly agreed to receive certain types of communication not required for service delivery. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to deliver our services, administer our business, or comply with legal obligations. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Typical processors may include:

Payment service providers who handle card or bank payment processing.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with invoicing, records, and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers who store or maintain business systems, email, and data backups.
Insurance providers and claims handlers where a claim or incident requires disclosure.
Professional advisers such as solicitors, accountants, or consultants when necessary.
Subcontractors or partner carriers involved in completing a move or delivery on our behalf.

Where we use processors, we ensure appropriate contracts and safeguards are in place so that your data is processed only on our instructions and with adequate security. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect our legal rights, staff, or customers.

6. International Transfers

Where any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will only allow this where appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections. We take reasonable steps to ensure your personal data remains protected to a standard consistent with UK GDPR.

7. 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 requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason for holding it.

Quotation and booking records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage service history and customer enquiries.
Invoice and payment records are typically retained for the period required under tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be retained to resolve disputes, monitor service quality, or maintain an accurate customer record.
Incident, insurance, or claims records may be kept for longer where needed to defend or establish legal claims.

When personal data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed. We regularly review retained data to ensure we are not keeping it longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and data minimisation practices.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free. We therefore take reasonable steps to reduce risk, but we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exemptions in certain circumstances.

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 data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can ask for certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before responding, to protect your data from unauthorised disclosure.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of a move or service and provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate justification, we will take steps to delete it where required.

11. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we use your personal data, you have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority. We would also encourage you to raise any concerns directly with us so that we can try to resolve them promptly and fairly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal duties, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their personal data is used.

By using Dartford Man And Van services in the area, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We are committed to treating your information with care, respecting your privacy, and using personal data only where there is a lawful and necessary reason to do so.