Privacy Policy - Removal Companies Greenwich

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected, used, shared, stored, and protected by Removal Companies Greenwich when providing removal and related services. It applies to all Removal Companies Greenwich customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and businesses that request quotes, make bookings, receive services, or otherwise interact with us. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Removal Companies Greenwich refers to the removal service provider operating in Greenwich and surrounding local areas. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we collect and process in connection with our services, unless we clearly state otherwise. This means we decide why and how your personal data is used.

We only process personal data where we have a valid legal basis and only for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes. We take privacy seriously and aim to collect only the information necessary to deliver our services effectively and responsibly.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us:

Identity information such as your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
Contact details including address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details such as property access information, move dates, inventory details, item descriptions, and special handling requirements.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records. We do not store full card details where payment processing is carried out securely by a payment provider.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, feedback, and complaint details.
Technical data if you interact with us online, such as IP address, browser type, and device information.
Verification and security information where needed to confirm identity, prevent fraud, or protect our operations.

In some cases, we may also process special category data only if you voluntarily provide it and only where lawful and necessary. For example, this could include information relating to health or access needs that helps us carry out a move safely and appropriately. Such data is handled with extra care and limited access.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and assess service requirements.
To manage bookings, schedules, and route planning.
To deliver removal, packing, storage, and related services.
To communicate with you about your booking, updates, and service changes.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, and support requests.
To improve our operations, training, service quality, and customer experience.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
To prevent fraud, misuse, and security incidents.

We do not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, have informed you accordingly.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes providing quotations, confirming bookings, and carrying out removal services.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where needed to comply with legal requirements, such as accounting rules, tax obligations, record-keeping duties, or lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and interests do not override them. This may include improving our services, managing customer relationships, protecting our business from fraud, and maintaining internal records. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and whether it is reasonable for you to expect it.

Consent

In some cases, we rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications or where special category data is involved and no other lawful basis applies. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with trusted third parties that support our business operations. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers.
IT and cloud storage providers.
Customer relationship management systems.
Email and communications service providers.
Accountants and bookkeeping software providers.
Scheduling, routing, and operational software providers.
Storage and logistics partners where relevant to your move.

We require our processors to handle personal data only on our instructions, to maintain appropriate security measures, and to respect confidentiality. Where data is shared with independent third parties, such as insurers, legal advisors, or regulatory bodies, they will be responsible for their own data handling practices.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes unless we have your permission or are otherwise lawfully permitted to do so.

6. International Transfers

Some of our processors may store or process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses, to protect your personal data to a standard that is essentially equivalent to UK requirements.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of record and the nature of the service provided.

Quotation and enquiry data may be retained for a limited period after the enquiry ends, so we can manage follow-up, business records, and service improvement.
Customer service and booking records are retained for the duration of the service and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Complaint and dispute records may be kept longer where necessary to resolve claims or defend legal rights.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention procedures. We do not keep personal data longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

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

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection that is appropriate to the risk presented by the processing.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under the UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, these may include:

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

To exercise your rights, you may make a request in accordance with our internal procedures. We will respond within the time limits required by law unless the request is complex or we are legally permitted to extend the timeframe. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not intended for children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a legitimate service-related purpose and is provided by a parent, guardian, or responsible adult. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you are concerned about how your personal data is handled, we encourage you to raise the issue through our internal complaint process first so we can investigate and address it promptly. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters.

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 privacy practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated to you. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your data is used.

13. Summary of Our Commitments

In summary, Removal Companies Greenwich collects only the personal data needed to provide reliable removal services, uses it on a lawful basis, keeps it no longer than necessary, and shares it only with trusted processors or other authorised parties. We aim to be transparent, secure, and respectful of your privacy at every stage of our service.

Removal Companies Greenwich customers in the area can be assured that their personal data will be handled with care, lawfully and fairly, and in line with UK data protection requirements.