Removals Croydon Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Removals Croydon collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to its customers and prospective customers in the Croydon area. It also sets out your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all services provided by Removals Croydon to individuals and businesses located in or using our services in the Croydon area.
Data Controller
Removals Croydon is the data controller for the personal data processed in connection with our removal, packing, storage and related services. As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with applicable data protection law.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us and which services you use. This may include:
Identification and contact details such as name, postal address, property addresses for collection and delivery, billing address, and other contact details you provide to us.
Communication details such as information you provide when you contact us by phone, in writing, or via online forms, including the content and date of communications and any follow-up correspondence.
Service and contract information such as details about your move, inventory or item lists, access details for properties, preferred dates, quotations, booking confirmations, invoices, payment history and contract documentation.
Payment related information such as limited payment details required to process transactions, excluding full card numbers or security codes where these are handled directly by a secure payment processor.
Usage and technical data such as basic information generated when you visit our website, including the pages visited, time and date of visit, and general device or browser information, to the extent that these constitute personal data.
Optional data such as feedback, reviews, testimonials or survey responses that you choose to provide about our services.
How We Collect Personal Data
We collect personal data in several ways, including:
Directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, contact us by phone or in writing, or provide information at a property visit.
Automatically, when you visit our website, through basic analytics and log information.
From third parties where necessary, such as referral partners, comparison services or business partners who lawfully pass your details to us so that we can provide our services.
Lawful Basis for Processing
We process your personal data on one or more of the following lawful bases:
Contractual necessity: To provide you with quotations, to enter into and perform a contract for removal or related services, to manage bookings, deliver items, issue invoices, and handle payments.
Legitimate interests: To manage and improve our business operations, respond to your enquiries, keep records of transactions, protect our property and rights, prevent and detect fraud, and ensure the security of our services, provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override these interests.
Legal obligations: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax and accounting obligations, and to respond to lawful requests by public authorities where required.
Consent: Where required by law, for example for certain types of marketing communications, we will obtain your consent before processing your data for that purpose. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
To provide quotations and estimates, based on the details you provide about your property, items, dates and specific requirements.
To plan and deliver removal, packing, storage and related services, including coordinating logistics, property access and delivery schedules.
To communicate with you about your enquiries, bookings, changes to services and other service-related matters.
To process payments, manage invoices, handle refunds where applicable and maintain accurate accounting records.
To manage customer relationships, respond to feedback or complaints, and provide aftercare support.
To improve our services, conduct internal analysis and training, and enhance the safety and efficiency of our operations.
To send service-related information and, where permitted, marketing communications that may be of interest to you. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.
In most cases, records relating to completed services and associated financial information are kept for a minimum of six years after the end of the relevant financial year, in line with legal and tax obligations.
Enquiry and quotation records that do not lead to a booking may be kept for a shorter period, typically up to two years, unless we need to keep them longer to resolve disputes or where you agree to ongoing marketing communications.
When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.
Data Processors and Third Parties
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These may include:
IT service providers, including hosting, software and support services used to manage our website, booking systems and communications.
Payment service providers that process payments securely on our behalf.
Professional advisers and consultants, such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary for our legitimate business operations or to meet legal obligations.
Subcontractors or partner companies involved in delivering part of the removal or related services, where necessary to fulfil your contract.
These processors are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and are required to implement appropriate security measures to protect your data. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
International Transfers
Our primary operations are based in the United Kingdom. Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or other lawful mechanisms, to protect your information.
Security of Your Data
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training and regular review of our security practices. However, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These include:
The right of access: You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with certain information about how it is used.
The right to rectification: You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
The right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you have the right to request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing.
The right to restrict processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we are investigating a complaint about accuracy.
The right to data portability: In some circumstances, you have the right to receive personal data that you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to have that data transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.
The right to object: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as the legal basis, including for direct marketing. We will stop processing for marketing purposes upon request.
The right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your data, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
Exercising Your Rights and Complaints
You can exercise your data protection rights or raise questions about this Privacy Policy by contacting us using the usual communication channels you use for our services. We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests to ensure your data is protected.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data or with our response to a request, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection authority, the Information Commissioners Office. Details on how to do this are available directly from the Information Commissioners Office.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or data protection practices. Any significant changes will be communicated through our usual channels, and the updated policy will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.
