Privacy Policy - Man And Van Stepney

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Man And Van Stepney customers in the Stepney area and anyone who uses our moving, van hire, packing, storage, delivery, or related services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your personal data.

1. Who we are

Man And Van Stepney provides local moving and transport services in Stepney and surrounding areas. In this policy, “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Man And Van Stepney, and “you” refers to any customer, prospective customer, website visitor, or other individual whose personal data we process.

This policy applies to all individuals using our services in the Stepney area, whether they book a service directly, request a quote, communicate with us, or are otherwise connected to a move or delivery arranged by a customer.

2. Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing bookings, responding to enquiries, and meeting legal obligations. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name and title.
Contact data such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service data including move date, delivery details, property access information, inventory notes, special instructions, and any service preferences.
Payment data such as payment status, transaction reference, or billing details. We do not store more payment information than is necessary for accounting and record-keeping purposes.
Communication data including emails, call notes, messages, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, which may include IP address, device information, browser type, and usage data.
Proof and verification data where required for identifying customers, confirming an address, or resolving a dispute.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it, for example if it is included in instructions related to access needs, health-related moving considerations, or other sensitive arrangements. If this happens, we will apply extra safeguards and process it only where permitted by law.

3. How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and manage bookings.
To plan, carry out, and complete removal or delivery services.
To communicate with you about schedules, service changes, or important updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To handle complaints, disputes, insurance matters, or claims.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes explained in this policy, unless we reasonably need to use it for a compatible purpose or a purpose required by law.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process personal data only when we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to take steps before entering into a contract with you, and to perform the contract once our moving or transport services have been booked. This includes managing quotations, arranging collections, moving items, and completing delivery services.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal requirements, including tax rules, accounting obligations, insurance record requirements, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and rights do not override those interests. This may include maintaining service records, improving our operations, managing internal administration, preventing fraud, and protecting our property, staff, and customers. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and ensure that processing is proportionate.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where we process optional data or use certain marketing communications where consent is required. If we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

5. Data sharing and processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with trusted third parties who help us provide our services. These third parties may act as data processors or, in some situations, as independent controllers. We require processors to handle your data securely and in accordance with data protection law.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle payment transactions securely.
IT and cloud service providers that host records, email systems, and administrative tools.
Accountants and bookkeeping providers that support financial management and tax compliance.
Insurance or claims handlers where a customer issue, incident, or claim must be assessed.
Professional advisers such as legal or regulatory advisers when required.
Subcontractors or operational partners where they assist in completing a move or delivery.

We may also disclose personal data if required to do so by law, court order, regulator, or law enforcement authority.

We do not sell your personal data.

6. International transfers

If any service provider processes personal data outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your information remains protected. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or relying on adequacy regulations where applicable.

7. Retention of personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. The exact retention period may vary depending on the nature of the information and the reason it was collected.

Booking and customer records are generally retained for a period necessary to administer the service and resolve disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaints, claims, and correspondence may be retained longer if needed to evidence actions taken or to defend legal claims.
Technical and security logs are kept only for the time needed to maintain system security and reliability.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

8. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices.

Although we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs that affects your rights and freedoms, we will handle it in line with legal obligations.

9. Your rights under data protection law

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Erase your data in certain situations, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.
Restrict our processing of your data in certain cases.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.

You also have the right to be informed about how your data is used and to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concern promptly and fairly.

10. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults arranging moves or transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of a household move and is provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated to you. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how we handle personal data.

12. Summary of your privacy commitments

In summary, Man And Van Stepney collects only the personal data needed to deliver services safely and efficiently, uses it for clear and lawful purposes, keeps it only as long as required, and shares it only with trusted processors or where the law requires it. We aim to be transparent, respectful, and compliant in every stage of processing.

Last note: This policy applies to all Man And Van Stepney customers in the area and is intended to help you understand how your personal information is handled under GDPR principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and accountability.