Tooting Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Tooting Removals collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data in connection with our removal and related services. It applies to all Tooting Removals customers and prospective customers located in our service area, as well as anyone who contacts us to request information or a quotation. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and handling your personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and applicable data protection laws.

1. Who we are and scope of this policy

Tooting Removals is a removals and relocation service provider operating in the Tooting area and surrounding locations. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller in relation to the personal data we collect and process about you. This Privacy Policy covers all personal data processed about our individual customers, business contacts, and website or enquiry channels that relate to our services in the area we serve.

2. What personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. The categories of personal data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details: name, title, postal addresses for collection and delivery, contact addresses, and any other address details you choose to provide for the service, such as key collection or delivery points.

Communication data: information you provide when you contact us by phone, in writing, or through other communication channels, including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and any other correspondence.

Service details: information about your move or related services, including property access details, inventory lists or descriptions of items, dates and times of the move, special handling instructions, and any photographs or notes you choose to provide to help plan the service.

Contract and billing information: records of quotations, contracts, invoices, payments, and details about the services you have purchased, including payment status and methods used. We do not retain full payment card details, but limited transaction references may be processed via our payment providers.

Technical and usage data: when you visit our website or use our online forms, we may collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type, device identifiers, and general usage information to help us maintain and improve our services. This may involve the use of cookies or similar technologies where permitted by law and your browser settings.

Sensitive categories of data are not intentionally collected. If, in rare circumstances, you choose to provide any such information, it will be handled with additional care and only where strictly necessary for the requested service.

3. Lawful bases for processing your personal data

We only process your personal data where we have a valid lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Performance of a contract: to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, such as providing a quotation, and to fulfil our contract with you when you book a removal or related service. This includes organising and carrying out the move, handling payments, and providing customer support.

Legitimate interests: to pursue our legitimate business interests, provided that your rights and freedoms are not overridden. This may include managing and improving our services, responding to general enquiries, maintaining accurate records, preventing fraud, and ensuring the security of our premises, vehicles, staff, and customers.

Legal obligations: to comply with legal or regulatory requirements, such as record keeping, tax and accounting obligations, responding to lawful requests from authorities, and complying with health and safety requirements.

Consent: where required by law for specific activities, such as certain types of direct marketing or the use of optional cookies. Where consent is relied upon, you have the right to withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

4. How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, arrange surveys where needed, and discuss the details of your move or related services.

To plan, manage, and carry out your removal service, including scheduling, routing, and coordinating with staff and third parties where necessary.

To manage our relationship with you as a customer, including handling enquiries, complaints, or claims, and providing after-service support.

To administer billing and payments, maintain financial and transaction records, and perform accounting and audit activities.

To maintain and improve our business operations, website, and customer experience, including analysing service performance and internal reporting.

To protect our legitimate business interests and those of our customers and staff, including fraud prevention, security, and safeguarding measures.

To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from regulators, enforcement bodies, or courts where applicable.

5. Data sharing and use of processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes explained in this Privacy Policy, and only to the extent required. These third parties may include:

Service partners and subcontractors: such as removal teams, storage facilities, or specialist service providers who help deliver the service you have requested. They are only given the information they need to perform their tasks.

Professional advisers: such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers, where this is necessary for the management of our business and compliance with legal obligations.

IT and system providers: companies that provide or support our business systems, customer management tools, communication platforms, or website hosting. These organisations act as data processors and may only process personal data on our documented instructions and under appropriate contractual safeguards.

Payment service providers: organisations that process payments on our behalf, who will process transaction-related data to complete your payment securely.

Public authorities: where we are required by law to share data, for example with tax authorities, law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, or where ordered by a court.

Whenever we use data processors, we put in place contracts that require them to protect your personal data, keep it confidential, and process it only as instructed by us, in accordance with data protection laws.

6. Data retention and storage

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet any legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the context of our relationship with you.

Enquiry and quotation records are typically retained for a limited period after our last interaction, to respond to follow-up questions and maintain continuity if you decide to proceed at a later date.

Customer and contract records, including billing and payment information, are generally retained for a number of years after the end of our relationship, in order to comply with tax, accounting, and legal requirements, and to manage any potential disputes or claims.

Technical and website usage data is retained for shorter periods where possible, and is often aggregated or anonymised once no longer needed in identifiable form.

When personal data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with our data retention procedures.

7. International transfers

Our primary processing activities are based in the United Kingdom. If, in limited situations, personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as the use of standard contractual clauses or other mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

8. How we protect your data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and regular reviews of our procedures and systems. While no system can be completely secure, we work to ensure that the level of protection is appropriate to the risks associated with the data we process.

9. Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions. These rights include:

Right of access: you can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with certain information about how it is used.

Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct or complete any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you have withdrawn consent and there is no other lawful basis for processing.

Right to restriction: you can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we are verifying the accuracy of the data or assessing an objection you have raised.

Right to object: you can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as the lawful basis, particularly where the processing relates to direct marketing or profiling.

Right to data portability: where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to have it transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal but may affect our ability to continue providing certain services.

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

10. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the services we offer. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available and will supersede previous versions. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.