Shepherd's Bush Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Shepherd's Bush Removals collects, uses, stores and protects personal data for all customers and prospective customers within our service area. We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and all applicable data protection laws. By using our services or contacting us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Shepherd's Bush Removals customers and potential customers in our operating area who request quotes, make bookings, use our removal and related services, or otherwise communicate with us. It covers personal data we collect directly from you, from your use of our services, and from certain third parties where relevant to providing those services.

Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services and running our business. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details such as your full name, postal address, email address, and contact preferences. Service-related information such as current and destination addresses for removals, property type and access details, inventory or item lists, preferred dates and times, instructions about your move, and any relevant notes you provide. Communication records such as enquiries, quotes, booking confirmations, feedback, complaints and any correspondence you send to us. Transaction information such as services ordered, dates of service, charges, payment status and basic billing details. Website and usage information such as basic technical data provided by your browser or device when you visit our website, limited to what is necessary for security and basic functioning.

We do not intentionally collect special category data such as health information, unless you voluntarily provide it because it is directly relevant to arranging or safely carrying out your move. If you choose to provide such information, we will handle it with additional care and only use it for the specific purpose you provided it.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations for our services, including assessing the size and complexity of your move and preparing a price estimate. To set up, manage and carry out your booking, including planning routes, scheduling staff and vehicles, and ensuring we can safely access both collection and delivery locations. To communicate with you about your enquiry, quote, booking, or any changes to our services, including confirmations, reminders and follow-up messages. To manage payments, invoicing, and accounting records for our legitimate business needs and to comply with legal and tax obligations. To handle queries, feedback, and complaints, and to improve the quality and safety of our services. To maintain the security of our systems, prevent fraud, and comply with legal or regulatory requirements.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data under one or more of the following lawful bases set out in the UK GDPR:

Contract. We need to process your personal data to enter into and fulfil a contract with you, such as when you request a quotation or book our removal services. This includes using your information to provide services you have requested and to manage your account and bookings.

Legitimate interests. We process certain data because it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and these interests are not overridden by your rights. This includes keeping basic records of past jobs, improving our services, responding to general enquiries, and maintaining the security of our operations.

Legal obligation. We may need to process and retain some personal data to comply with legal obligations, for example in relation to tax, accounting, insurance, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent. In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, such as where you ask us to keep your details to contact you about future moves or other services. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting us, and this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before withdrawal.

Data Retention Periods

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and to meet legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. In general:

Enquiry and quotation data that does not lead to a booking is usually retained for a limited period, after which it is securely deleted or anonymised, unless you ask us to keep it for future reference. Booking and service data, including contact details and job records, is typically kept for several years after the service is completed, to comply with legal, tax, and insurance obligations and to help resolve any disputes or queries that may arise. Financial and transactional records are retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting laws.

When we no longer need your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected and there is no legal requirement to keep it, we will delete it or irreversibly anonymise it.

Sharing Your Personal Data and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and in accordance with data protection law. These third parties may act as data processors on our behalf and only process your data under our instructions and for our specified purposes.

Examples of such processors and recipients include payment processing and banking providers that handle payments and refunds, IT and system support providers that host or maintain our business systems or communication tools, and professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where disclosure is necessary for legitimate business reasons or legal requirements.

We may also share your personal data with insurance providers, regulators, law enforcement or other authorities where we are legally required or permitted to do so, for example to prevent fraud, protect our rights, or respond to lawful requests.

Where any of our service providers are located outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include limiting access to personal data to staff and service providers who need it for their roles, using secure systems for storing and processing data, and providing guidance to staff on handling personal information correctly and safely.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your personal data, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed as completely secure. You are also responsible for taking reasonable precautions when communicating with us and for the accuracy of the personal data you provide.

Your Rights Under Data Protection Law

Under the UK GDPR and related laws, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions. These include:

The right of access. You can request confirmation of whether we hold personal data about you and obtain a copy of that data, together with certain information about how we use it.

The right to rectification. You can ask us to correct inaccurate personal data about you and to complete incomplete information.

The right to erasure. In some circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected and we do not have a legal obligation or overriding legitimate interest to retain it.

The right to restrict processing. You may ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.

The right to object. You can object to certain types of processing, including processing based on our legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will then stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds or need to process the data for legal reasons.

The right to data portability. Where processing is based on consent or contract and is carried out by automated means, you may be entitled to receive the personal data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. In the United Kingdom, this is typically the Information Commissioner's Office. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concerns directly.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or how we handle personal data. When we make material changes, we will take appropriate steps to inform you. The most recent version of this Privacy Policy will apply to our use of your personal data.