Woking Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Woking Removals collects, uses and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Woking Removals customers and enquiries in the Woking area and surrounding locations where we provide our services.

We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy describes the types of personal data we collect, the purposes and lawful bases for processing, how long we keep data, who we share it with, and the rights you have in relation to your personal data.

Data Controller

For the purposes of data protection law, Woking Removals is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data when you use our services or contact us regarding removals, storage, or related services.

Personal Data We Collect

We only collect information that is necessary for us to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details such as your name, postal address, moving address, email address, and any contact details you choose to provide.

Service and booking information such as dates and times of your move, collection and delivery addresses, property access details, inventory details you provide, special instructions, and information about the services you request.

Communication records such as details of enquiries, quotes, bookings, complaints, feedback, and any other correspondence you have with us by phone, in writing, or through our online forms.

Payment related information such as records of payments, payment method, and billing details. We do not store full payment card details when payments are processed through third party payment providers.

Technical and usage data such as basic information about how you access and use our website or online forms, including date and time of access and data submitted. We do not intentionally collect more data than needed for standard website functionality and security.

How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us for a quote, make a booking, use our services, complete forms on our website, communicate with us by phone or in writing, or provide feedback or reviews.

We may also receive personal data about you from third parties where this is necessary to provide our services, for example if another person books a removal on your behalf and provides your contact details, or where a business client gives us contact information for coordination purposes.

Purposes and Lawful Basis for Processing

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

To provide quotes and respond to enquiries. We use your identification and contact details and enquiry information to respond to your requests and provide quotations. The lawful basis is our legitimate interest in responding to prospective customers and, where you are close to entering into a contract with us, taking steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.

To perform our contract with you. When you book our services, we process your personal data to plan, schedule and perform the removal or related services, manage your booking, take payment, and communicate with you. The lawful basis is performance of a contract with you and taking steps at your request to enter into that contract.

To manage our business and improve services. We may use your data to manage our accounts, maintain records, improve our services, train staff, and monitor service quality. The lawful basis is our legitimate interest in running and improving our business, provided this does not override your rights and freedoms.

To comply with legal obligations. We process certain data to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as record keeping, tax and accounting requirements, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

To handle feedback, complaints and disputes. We may process your data to investigate and resolve complaints, handle claims or disputes, and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. The lawful basis is our legitimate interest in protecting our business and resolving issues relating to our services.

With your consent. In situations where we rely on your consent, for example for certain forms of direct marketing, we will only process your data once consent has been clearly obtained. You may withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on it.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet legal, accounting and reporting requirements.

In general, we keep customer and booking records for a period necessary to complete the service and for a number of years afterwards where required for tax, accounting, warranty, or legal purposes. Enquiry and quote information is usually retained for a shorter period, unless it leads to a booking or must be kept for legal or regulatory reasons.

We regularly review the personal data we hold and securely delete or anonymise data that is no longer required. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data, the nature of the service, and our legal obligations.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We only share your data where necessary and appropriate, and always in line with data protection law.

Service providers and processors. We may share personal data with carefully selected third party service providers acting as data processors on our behalf. These may include IT and hosting providers, website and software providers, secure document storage or destruction services, and payment processing services. These processors are contracted to process personal data only on our instructions and are required to keep your data secure and confidential.

Operational partners. Where necessary to deliver our services, we may share limited information with trusted subcontractors or partner companies who assist with removals, storage, or specialist services. They receive only the data required to perform their role and are required to handle it lawfully.

Professional advisers and authorities. We may share personal data with professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers and accountants, and with regulators, law enforcement, or other authorities when required by law or to protect our rights or the rights of others.

In all cases where we share data, we take steps to ensure that the recipients protect and handle your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

International Data Transfers

Our services are primarily provided to customers in the Woking area and within the United Kingdom. If we ever need to transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as using countries with an adequacy decision or approved standard contractual clauses, in accordance with data protection law.

Security of Your Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include restricting access to personal data to those employees, contractors and third parties who need to know it for legitimate business purposes, and ensuring that they are subject to confidentiality obligations.

While we use security measures to protect your personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We continually review and update our security practices in line with industry standards and legal requirements.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all Woking Removals customers in the Woking area and may be subject to conditions and exemptions in certain circumstances.

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to request a copy of that data, together with information about how we use it.

Right to rectification. You have the right to request that we correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you may request that we delete or remove your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected or where you have withdrawn consent and there is no other lawful basis for processing.

Right to restriction of processing. You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we verify its accuracy or assess an objection you have raised.

Right to object. You may object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis. We will then stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or where processing is required to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Right to data portability. Where processing is based on your consent or on a contract and carried out by automated means, you have the right to request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, and to request that it is transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you are concerned about how we handle your personal data.

Updates 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 provide. Any changes will be posted in the latest version of the Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we process your personal data.

Your continued use of our services after any updates to this Privacy Policy will be taken as your acknowledgement of the updated terms to the extent permitted by law.