Hammersmith Man and Van Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Hammersmith Man and Van collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when you use our services. It applies to all Hammersmith Man and Van customers and prospective customers in our service area, including anyone who visits our website, makes an enquiry, books a service, or otherwise interacts with us.

We are committed to handling your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy explains the types of personal data we collect, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep your data, with whom we share it, and the rights you have over your information.

Who We Are

Hammersmith Man and Van is a removals and transport service provider operating in the Hammersmith area and surrounding locations. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identification and contact details such as name, address, service address, postcode, and contact details you provide, including your preferred contact method.

Booking and service information such as date and time of your move, collection and delivery addresses, access details for properties, inventory or description of items to be moved, special handling instructions, and related notes required to perform the service.

Communication records such as information you provide when you contact us, request a quote, make a complaint, or give feedback. This may include messages, enquiry details, and our responses.

Payment and transaction information such as the amount charged, date and time of payment, method of payment, and confirmation of successful payment. We do not store full card details where payment is processed through a third party payment processor.

Technical and usage data such as basic information about how you use our website and services, which may include IP address, device type, browser type, and pages visited, where such data is collected through cookies or similar technologies.

Optional marketing preferences such as whether you wish to receive updates, offers, or service information from us.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us for a quote, book a service, speak with our staff, or provide details required to carry out the service. We may also collect data when you use our website or respond to our marketing communications.

In some cases, we may receive your details from a third party who is arranging the service on your behalf, for example an estate agent, landlord, or relative. Where appropriate, we will inform you that we have received your data from another source.

Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract: We process your data to provide our services, including giving quotes, confirming bookings, planning routes, carrying out removals, handling payments, and communicating with you about your booking.

Legal obligation: We may process your data to comply with legal and regulatory duties, including record-keeping, tax, and accounting requirements, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests: We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include improving our services, managing our business operations, training staff, handling complaints, and protecting our property and systems.

Consent: Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before sending certain types of marketing communications or before using certain optional cookies or technologies. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage our services including processing enquiries, preparing quotes, confirming bookings, planning the logistics of your move, and completing the removal service.

To communicate with you about your booking, including sending confirmations, updates, reminders, and responses to your questions or requests.

To process payments, issue invoices and receipts, and maintain financial records for accounting and tax purposes.

To improve our services, monitor performance, train staff, and develop our business operations.

To handle complaints, disputes, and claims, and to protect or exercise our legal rights.

To send you marketing communications relating to similar services where we are permitted to do so by law, and where you have not opted out of such communications.

To ensure the security and proper use of our systems and to prevent or detect fraud or misuse.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These may include:

Payment service providers who process payments and refunds.

IT and website service providers who support our systems, hosting, and data storage.

Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where reasonably necessary for the management of our business or to deal with legal matters.

Service partners or subcontractors where they are assisting us in delivering your service, for example additional transport support, while ensuring they only receive the data necessary for their role.

Where third party processors are used, we require them to process your data only in accordance with our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection laws.

We may also share your personal data where required by law, for example with law enforcement, regulators, or other authorities, or in connection with legal proceedings.

International Transfers

We aim to keep your personal data within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. If it becomes necessary to transfer data outside these locations, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms, to protect your personal data.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.

Customer and booking records are generally kept for a period that allows us to manage your booking, handle any complaints or queries, and meet our tax and accounting obligations. After this period, data that is no longer needed will be securely deleted or anonymised.

Records of enquiries that do not lead to a booking may be retained for a shorter period to help us manage follow-up queries and improve our services.

Where we rely on your consent for marketing, we will keep your contact details for marketing purposes until you withdraw your consent or opt out, after which we will stop sending marketing communications and, if appropriate, delete or suppress your details in our marketing lists.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions. Your rights include:

Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and ask for a copy of the data we hold about you.

Right to rectification: You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data, for example where the data is no longer needed for the original purpose or where you withdraw consent.

Right to restriction: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as when you contest its accuracy.

Right to data portability: In some cases, you may request to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a commonly used format and ask us to transfer it to another organisation where technically feasible.

Right to object: You have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests and to object at any time to the use of your data for direct marketing.

Rights related to consent: Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within the time limits set by data protection law.

Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include limiting access to personal data to staff and processors who need it for their role and requiring them to handle it confidentially and securely.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no system can be guaranteed as completely secure. You should also take care to protect your own data, for example by not sharing sensitive information unnecessarily.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the services we offer. Any significant changes will be highlighted where appropriate. The updated version will apply from the date it is published.

By continuing to use our services or interact with us after changes are made, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the updated Privacy Policy.