Privacy Policy - Man With Van Barnes

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Barnes collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Man With Van Barnes customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, book, or receive our moving and transport services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With Van Barnes provides local moving, delivery, collection, and related transport services. In carrying out these services, we act as a data controller for the personal data we collect and use about our customers, prospective customers, suppliers, and other individuals whose information we may process.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity information such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact information such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details such as the collection and delivery addresses, move date, property access information, item descriptions, and any special handling requirements.
Payment-related information such as billing details and payment confirmations. We do not intentionally store full card details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication records including enquiries, quotations, booking notes, and correspondence.
Technical information if you contact us electronically, which may include device information, IP address, and limited usage data where required for security or system administration.
Complaint and claims information where you raise a concern or request resolution in relation to a service.

We do not seek to collect more data than is reasonably necessary. We ask that you only provide information relevant to your enquiry or booking. If you share special category data or other sensitive information, we will only process it where it is necessary and lawful to do so.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To schedule, manage, and perform moving and transport services.
To confirm access arrangements, service requirements, and delivery details.
To process payments, invoices, and related administrative tasks.
To communicate with customers about bookings, changes, delays, or service updates.
To handle complaints, damage claims, and dispute resolution.
To keep business records, maintain service quality, and improve operations.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To establish, exercise, or defend legal claims where necessary.

We process personal data only for specified and legitimate purposes. We will not use your data in a way that is incompatible with the original purpose for which it was collected.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, arranging bookings, carrying out the move, and handling payment and service administration.

Legal obligation

We may process data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, insurance, record-keeping, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business efficiently, improving services, preventing fraud, protecting property, and dealing with customer queries or disputes.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need to use certain optional information that is not otherwise covered by another lawful basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Booking and service records are generally kept for a reasonable period after the service is completed so that we can manage follow-up questions, complaints, and business records.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Claims and dispute records may be retained longer where necessary to resolve the matter or defend legal claims.
Enquiry records that do not lead to a booking may be kept for a limited period before being securely deleted or anonymised.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to delete, destroy, or anonymise it securely.

6. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third-party processors who assist us in delivering our services. These third parties process data on our behalf and only in accordance with our instructions and applicable law. Examples may include:

Payment processors who handle transactions securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial administration.
IT, cloud storage, and communications providers who support our systems, email, scheduling, and record management.
Insurance providers where needed for claims handling or risk management.
Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers when required.

We may also disclose personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, enforce our agreements, protect our rights, prevent fraud, or respond to lawful requests. Any processor used by us is expected to apply appropriate security measures and to process personal data only for the agreed purpose.

7. Data Security

We take the security of personal data seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and procedures designed to reduce the risk of loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, or alteration. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we aim to use proportionate safeguards based on the nature of the data and the risks involved.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data protection laws. This may include the use of approved contractual protections or transfers to countries recognised as providing adequate protection.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under the UK GDPR. These rights may be subject to legal conditions and exemptions, but we will always consider requests carefully and respond appropriately.

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction – you may request that we limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability – you may request that we provide certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing 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 may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits set by law unless an extension is permitted.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service request and provided by an adult with authority to do so. If we become aware that data has been collected inappropriately, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use websites, online forms, or digital tools connected to our services, limited technical data may be collected through cookies or similar technologies for functionality, security, and basic analytics. Any such use will be kept proportionate and compliant with applicable law. Where consent is required, we will obtain it before placing non-essential cookies.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data-handling practices. The latest version will apply from the time it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is used.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Barnes is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and only when there is a valid lawful basis to do so. We collect information that is necessary to provide moving and transport services, retain it only for as long as needed, use trusted processors where appropriate, and respect your rights under data protection law. Our aim is to maintain transparency, accountability, and fairness in every stage of data handling for all customers in the area.