Privacy Policy
Merton Man and Van Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Merton Man and Van collects, uses, stores and protects the personal data of all customers and prospective customers in our service area. We are committed to handling your information in a fair, transparent and secure way and in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act.
By using our services or contacting us to request a quote or booking, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Who we are and scope of this policy
Merton Man and Van provides man and van, removals and related transportation services to residential and business customers. This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data we process about individual customers, prospective customers, recipients of deliveries, and individuals acting on behalf of business customers within our service area.
This policy applies whenever you interact with us, including when you request a quote, make a booking, use our services, visit our website, or communicate with us by any channel.
Types of personal data we collect
We only collect personal data that is relevant for providing and managing our services. The types of personal data we may collect include:
Identification and contact details, such as your name, address, service addresses for collection and delivery, and general contact details you choose to provide.
Service and booking information, such as preferred dates and times, details of the items to be moved, property access information you choose to share, special instructions and any related notes that help us deliver the service safely and efficiently.
Payment and transaction information, such as amounts charged, payment method used and billing-related records. We do not store or have access to full card details when payments are processed through a secure payment provider.
Communication data, such as messages, enquiries, feedback, and any information you provide when you contact us by phone, online or in writing.
Technical and usage information, such as basic website analytics, including pages visited and general device and browser information, collected to improve our website and services. This information is usually aggregated and does not identify you directly.
How we collect your personal data
We collect personal data from you directly when you request a quote, make a booking, use our services or contact us with an enquiry. This may be done via our website forms, telephone calls, messaging services or in person.
We may also receive personal data indirectly where a third party arranges a service on your behalf, for example where an employer, letting agent or family member provides your details for a move or delivery. In such cases we rely on them to confirm that they have a lawful basis to share your information with us.
Lawful bases for processing your data
We process your personal data on one or more of the following lawful bases:
Performance of a contract: where processing is necessary for us to provide a quote, accept a booking, deliver our man and van services, take payment or manage your account.
Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as managing and improving our services, handling customer queries, ensuring security, preventing fraud and maintaining appropriate business records. We balance these interests against your rights and expectations.
Legal obligations: where we are required to process and retain certain information in order to comply with tax, accounting or other legal obligations.
Consent: in limited situations where we ask for your clear consent for specific purposes, such as sending certain types of optional updates or marketing communications. Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
How we use your personal data
We use your personal data to:
Provide quotes, confirm availability and manage bookings for man and van services.
Plan, organise and carry out your move or delivery, including contacting you about access and timing.
Process payments, issue invoices and keep appropriate financial records.
Communicate with you regarding your enquiry, booking, service updates, feedback and aftercare.
Improve our services, website and customer experience, including through internal analysis and quality checks.
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including record keeping and responding to lawful requests from authorities where required.
Data retention and storage
We keep your personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy and to meet our legal, accounting and reporting requirements.
In general, booking and transaction data is retained for a period consistent with tax and accounting requirements. Routine enquiry information that does not lead to a booking may be kept for a shorter period, after which it is securely deleted or anonymised. Where we rely on consent, we will retain your information until you withdraw consent or we determine it is no longer needed for the original purpose.
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access.
Data processors and third-party sharing
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors and help us deliver our services and manage our business. These may include:
IT, hosting and software service providers who support our website, booking systems and data storage.
Payment service providers who process card and electronic payments securely on our behalf.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where sharing is necessary for legitimate business and compliance purposes.
These processors are only permitted to use your personal data in accordance with our instructions and for the specific purposes described in this policy. They are required to implement appropriate security measures and to protect your information.
We may also share personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, enforce our terms or protect our rights, property or safety, or the rights, property or safety of others.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
International transfers
Where any of our chosen service providers or their systems are located outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data remains protected in line with applicable data protection laws. This may include using standard contractual clauses or relying on other recognised safeguards where necessary.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:
Right of access: you can request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of the information we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to retain it.
Right to restriction of processing: you can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we are considering a correction request.
Right to data portability: where processing is based on your consent or on a contract and is carried out by automated means, you may request that we provide your personal data in a commonly used, machine readable format or transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.
Right to object: you can object to processing that is based on our legitimate interests, including certain forms of profiling, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds or the processing is needed for legal claims.
Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
Exercising your rights and complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have questions about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our website or in your booking documents. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you are concerned about how we process your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any concerns directly.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or the way we process personal data. The updated version will be posted on our website with a revised effective date. We recommend that you review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
