Privacy Policy - Removal Van Soho

Effective for all Removal Van Soho customers in the area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when you use our removal van services in Soho and the surrounding local area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Removal Van Soho is a service provider that arranges and carries out removal and related transport services for domestic and commercial customers. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller in relation to the personal information we collect and use to manage enquiries, bookings, deliveries, invoices, customer support, and operational planning.

This policy applies to all Removal Van Soho customers in area, including anyone who requests a quote, makes a booking, receives a service, or interacts with us in connection with a removal or transport job.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide and manage our services. Depending on the nature of your enquiry or booking, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as email address, telephone number, and postal address.
Service details including move date, collection and delivery addresses, property access information, item descriptions, volume of goods, and special handling requirements.
Payment and billing information such as invoice details and transaction records.
Communication records including emails, messages, complaint details, and notes from customer service interactions.
Technical and usage data if you visit any digital booking or enquiry systems, which may include device information, browser type, and basic log data.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and where you provide it, for example accessibility requirements or health-related information needed to safely provide the service.

We do not intentionally collect more data than is needed. We aim to keep all data relevant, proportionate, and limited to the stated purposes.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes.
To arrange, confirm, and deliver removal services.
To plan routes, schedule staff, and manage vehicles and equipment.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To communicate with you about your booking or service changes.
To handle complaints, claims, and customer support matters.
To meet legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations.
To improve our services, internal processes, and service quality.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We never sell your personal data. Any use of your information is carried out only where there is a clear lawful basis and a genuine business or legal need.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases depending on the context:

Contract: to take steps at your request before entering into a contract and to perform our services once a booking is made.
Legal obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, consumer, transport, and record-keeping requirements.
Legitimate interests: to manage and improve our services, prevent fraud, maintain service quality, and protect our business, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Consent: where required, for example if we need to process certain special category data or use optional marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

If we process special category data, we will only do so where an additional condition under data protection law applies, such as your explicit consent or where processing is necessary for the provision of a service and appropriate safeguards are in place.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for service delivery, administration, or legal compliance. These parties may act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We require processors to handle your data securely and only on our instructions.

Typical processors and recipients may include:

Payment providers that process card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with invoices, tax records, and financial administration.
IT and cloud service providers that host systems, email services, or data storage tools.
Customer management and scheduling tools used to manage bookings and service operations.
Legal, insurance, and dispute resolution professionals where necessary to handle claims or legal matters.
Subcontracted movers or logistics partners if required to fulfil a booking or complete a service safely and effectively.

Where we share data with processors, we use appropriate contracts and safeguards to protect confidentiality and security. If data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure suitable legal safeguards are in place.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the context in which it was collected.

As a general approach:

Quote and booking records are kept for a reasonable period to manage service history and follow-up queries.
Financial and invoice records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Customer service and complaint records are retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and protect our legitimate interests.
Technical logs are kept for a limited time unless needed for security or investigation purposes.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. We do not keep personal data indefinitely.

7. Security of Your Data

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

While we take data security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, we work to reduce risks and to respond promptly if any data incident occurs.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the legal basis for processing and the circumstances of your request.

Right of access: you can ask for confirmation of whether we process your data and request a copy.
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 circumstances.
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 to direct marketing.
Right to data portability: you can request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

We will respond to valid requests in accordance with legal requirements. If we cannot comply fully with a request, we will explain why, subject to any legal restrictions.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not rely on solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects about you. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided in connection with a household move and only as necessary to deliver the service safely. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully or unnecessarily, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

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 processing practices. The most recent version will apply to all Removal Van Soho customers in area. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only what is needed, use it for clear service and legal purposes, share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, and keep it only for as long as necessary. Your privacy matters to us, and we aim to process your information with care and respect at every stage of the service.