Privacy Policy - Removal Company Waterloo

This Privacy Policy explains how Removal Company Waterloo collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving and removal services. It applies to all Removal Company Waterloo customers in the area, including individuals, families, landlords, tenants, and business clients who request or receive our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable UK data protection laws.

1. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to arrange and deliver our services, manage enquiries, meet legal obligations, and improve our operations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and phone number.
Service information such as moving date, collection and delivery addresses, access details, inventory notes, and property instructions.
Billing and payment information such as invoicing records and payment status.
Communication records such as messages, quotations, service updates, complaints, and feedback.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic device or usage data if you interact with our digital systems.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and only if you provide it to help us deliver the service, for example, information about mobility needs or access requirements.

We do not intentionally collect more data than is needed for the specific purpose. If you choose to provide additional information, we will handle it in line with this policy and only where there is a lawful basis to do so.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To plan, schedule, and carry out removal services.
To communicate about bookings, changes, and service updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and manage accounts.
To handle complaints, claims, and customer service requests.
To comply with legal, accounting, and tax obligations.
To maintain records for operational, security, and business management purposes.
To improve our services and customer experience.

We only use data in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected, unless we are legally permitted or required to use it for another purpose.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Removal Company Waterloo relies on the following lawful bases depending on the context:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you. This includes arranging removals, providing quotations, and completing moving services.

Legal Obligation

We may process data when necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax record keeping, accounting requirements, fraud prevention, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business operations, maintaining service records, protecting against misuse, and improving our services.

Consent

Where required, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or for specific processing of special category data that you have chosen to provide. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, but only when necessary and with appropriate safeguards in place. These may include:

Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who support financial administration.
IT and cloud service providers who store or secure business data.
Communication service providers who help us send emails, texts, or booking updates.
Insurance providers or claims handlers if a claim must be assessed.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers.
Subcontractors and operational partners involved in delivering a service, where needed.

Where a processor is used, they are only permitted to process personal data on our instructions and must protect it with appropriate technical and organisational measures. They are not allowed to use the data for their own purposes.

We may also disclose personal data where necessary to comply with legal requirements, protect our rights, prevent fraud, or safeguard the safety of customers, staff, or property.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. The retention period depends on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Enquiry and quotation records are kept for a period necessary to manage business follow-up and customer service.
Contract and service records are retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and invoice data is kept in line with statutory accounting and tax retention requirements.
Complaint, dispute, and claim records may be retained until the matter is resolved and for an additional period where necessary.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. We apply data minimisation and storage limitation principles to ensure information is not kept longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and the use of trusted systems and suppliers. While no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we work to protect data using measures appropriate to the risks involved.

7. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing:

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

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with GDPR timeframes and requirements. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

8. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals, unless we clearly inform you and the use is lawful. If this changes in future, we will provide appropriate information about the logic involved and your rights.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in connection with a service arrangement and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

10. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK or European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protections permitted by law.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, business practices, or service arrangements. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made effective. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Removal Company Waterloo is committed to respecting privacy and protecting the personal data of every customer in the area. We only collect data that is necessary, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We also recognise and support your rights under GDPR, and we aim to handle all personal data with care, transparency, and accountability.