Privacy Policy - Shepherdsbush Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Shepherdsbush Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Shepherdsbush Removals customers in the area and to anyone who contacts us, requests a quote, books a service, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our moving and removals services.

1. Who We Are

Shepherdsbush Removals provides removals, packing, transportation, storage coordination, and related moving services. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we process in the course of providing our services, unless we state otherwise.

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and any details needed to identify you or another person linked to your booking.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and moving addresses.
Service and booking data: quote requests, booking details, property access information, inventory information, move dates, and service preferences.
Payment data: billing information, payment confirmations, and limited transaction details. We do not intentionally store full card details unless handled by a secure payment processor.
Communication data: emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and records of any correspondence with us.
Technical data: limited device, browser, and usage information if you interact with our digital systems or forms.
Special category data: only where strictly necessary and only if you choose to share it, for example information about health, disability, or access needs that may affect the moving service.

We aim to collect only the data needed to provide our services effectively and safely. We do not seek unnecessary personal information.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in several ways:

Directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, or communicate with us.
From third parties acting on your behalf, such as family members, landlords, estate agents, solicitors, or business representatives.
From our service providers and processors who support administration, billing, scheduling, or secure document handling.
Automatically through our systems when you submit forms or interact with our digital tools.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes, manage bookings, and deliver removals services.
To plan routes, assess access, and coordinate staff and vehicles.
To communicate with you about your service, changes, or issues.
To process payments, invoices, refunds, and account administration.
To manage customer support, complaints, and service improvements.
To comply with legal, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping obligations.
To protect the security of our staff, customers, property, and operations.
To establish, exercise, or defend legal claims where necessary.

We will only use personal data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected. If we need to use it for a new purpose, we will ensure there is a valid lawful basis before doing so.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:

Contract: processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as providing a quote, arranging a move, or fulfilling a removals booking.
Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with laws, including tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as service administration, operational planning, security, fraud prevention, and improving our services, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Consent: where required, such as for processing certain special category information you choose to provide, or for optional communications where consent is the appropriate basis.
Vital interests: in rare circumstances, where processing is necessary to protect someone???s life or physical safety.

If we process special category data, we will only do so when a valid Article 9 condition applies, such as your explicit consent or where processing is necessary to protect vital interests.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services or meet legal obligations. These parties may act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and hosting providers: for secure storage, email, booking systems, and data backups.
Payment processors: for secure handling of card or electronic payments.
Accountancy and bookkeeping providers: for invoicing, financial administration, and compliance.
Customer service or communication tools: for managing messages, follow-ups, and records.
Subcontracted movers or logistics partners: where needed to complete a move or specialist service.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and claims handlers: where necessary to manage risk or legal matters.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, keep it confidential, and process it only on our instructions. They are not permitted to use your data for their own purposes unless they are acting as an independent controller.

We may also disclose data to public authorities, regulators, courts, or law enforcement where required by law or to protect our rights, staff, customers, or property.

7. Data Retention

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

Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason for processing. In general:

Quote and booking records are retained for a reasonable period to manage customer service, business records, and future reference.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint, dispute, and claims records may be retained for longer where needed to establish or defend legal claims.
Data collected with consent is retained until consent is withdrawn, unless another lawful basis applies.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it or anonymise it securely.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, data minimisation, and staff confidentiality obligations.

Although we take reasonable steps to safeguard data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will assess the risk and take appropriate action in accordance with applicable law.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to certain conditions and exceptions, these may include:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to complain to the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concerns.

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 customer???s move and is provided by an adult with responsibility for that arrangement. Where children???s data is involved, we process it only as necessary and with appropriate care.

11. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections, as required by law.

12. 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 protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available.

13. Summary of Key Commitments

We only collect personal data needed to provide removals services and run our business responsibly.
We use data under valid lawful bases, including contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, consent, and where necessary, vital interests.
We share data only with trusted processors and partners who help deliver services or meet legal obligations.
We keep data only as long as necessary and then delete or anonymise it securely.
We respect your rights and aim to respond to requests in accordance with data protection law.

This Privacy Policy is intended to give customers a clear understanding of how Shepherdsbush Removals handles personal data and the safeguards in place to protect it.