Privacy Policy - Richmond Upon Thames Movers

This Privacy Policy explains how Richmond Upon Thames Movers collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Richmond Upon Thames Movers customers in the Richmond upon Thames area, including individuals who request quotes, book services, receive removals or related moving support, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is written to help you understand what information we process, why we process it, and the rights you have over your personal information.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information needed to provide and manage our moving services safely and efficiently. Depending on how you interact with us, the personal data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name, title, and any relevant account or booking reference.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as move dates, property details, access requirements, inventory lists, packing preferences, and special handling instructions.
Payment and billing information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records such as emails, messages, notes from calls, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data such as basic device or browser information when you interact with digital systems used to manage bookings or enquiries.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and only if you voluntarily provide it, for example information relating to access needs or health-related moving requirements.

We aim to keep personal data accurate and relevant. We do not seek to collect unnecessary information, and we encourage customers to provide only what is needed for service delivery.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and respond to enquiries.
To plan, schedule, and carry out removal and moving services.
To manage customer accounts, invoices, and payments.
To communicate with you about your booking, changes, or service updates.
To assess access, safety, and logistical requirements for a move.
To handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests.
To maintain internal records, improve service quality, and train staff.
To comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, and record-keeping duties.

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes unless we have informed you and there is a valid lawful basis to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. The lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, delivering moving services, and managing related payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where required to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as accounting, tax, fraud prevention, insurance, or statutory record keeping.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service administration, customer support, internal record management, security, and quality improvement. When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and take appropriate safeguards.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly where processing is optional and not required for the contract or legal compliance. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for service delivery, business operations, or legal compliance. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment providers that process card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help manage financial records.
IT and hosting providers that store or support operational systems.
Communication tools used for sending emails, messages, or service notices.
Insurance or claims-related providers where required to manage incidents or damage claims.

Where we use processors, we require them to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information if required by law, a court order, or a public authority. If a third party receives data as an independent controller, they are responsible for their own lawful processing and privacy obligations.

5. 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, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up questions and business administration.
Booking, service, and invoicing records may be retained for contractual, accounting, and tax purposes.
Complaint or claim records may be retained for longer where needed to resolve disputes or demonstrate compliance.
Where data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise removed from active use.

We review retention periodically to ensure we are not keeping personal data for longer than necessary. Retention is based on necessity, not convenience.

6. 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, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited data access on a need-to-know basis.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect data, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore encourage customers to share only the information required for the service and to notify us promptly if they believe their data has been compromised.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits and exemptions, these rights may include:

The right of access to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.
The right to restriction of processing in certain cases.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent where we rely on consent for processing.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve the issue promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults arranging removals and related moving services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children for marketing or unrelated purposes. If child-related information is required as part of a household move, it is processed only where necessary and with appropriate care.

9. International Transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure an appropriate level of protection is in place. This may include contractual safeguards and assessments to confirm that personal data remains protected in line with applicable law.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, or our services. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or communicated, as appropriate. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Richmond Upon Thames Movers is committed to lawful, transparent, and secure data handling. We collect only the personal data needed to provide moving services, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, retain it for only as long as necessary, and protect your rights throughout. This policy applies to all Richmond Upon Thames Movers customers in the Richmond upon Thames area and is designed to ensure your information is handled with care and respect.