Battersea Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Battersea Removals collects, uses, discloses and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Battersea Removals customers and users of our services in our operating area, including those who contact us for quotes, make bookings, or otherwise interact with us.

We are committed to processing your personal data in accordance with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and any other applicable data protection legislation.

Data Controller

Battersea Removals acts as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our removal, packing, storage, and related services. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed.

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 such as name, postal address, property addresses for collection and delivery, contact address, and other contact details necessary for service delivery.

Booking and service details such as requested dates and times, service type for example home removals, office removals, packing, storage, access information such as parking or building entry details, inventory details where you choose to provide them, and any specific instructions you give us.

Communication records such as information you provide when you contact us by any communication channel, request a quote, make a complaint, or provide feedback or reviews about our services.

Payment and transaction information such as payment method details limited to what is required for processing payments, billing address, invoice details, and records of payments made and received. We do not store full payment card data where we use third party payment processors.

Technical and usage data where applicable, such as device and browser information, IP address, and basic usage data collected through your interactions with our online content, used primarily for security, analytics and service improvement.

We may also collect any other information you voluntarily provide to us in the course of using our services, where it is relevant to fulfilling your request or booking.

How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect your personal data in the following ways:

Directly from you when you contact us to request a quote, make a booking, ask a question, or otherwise communicate with us.

During the provision of our services, when our team attends your property and records relevant operational information such as access instructions or items to be moved.

From third parties where you have authorised them to share your data with us, for example if a partner company or comparison site passes your contact or booking details to us so that we can provide our services.

Automatically when you interact with our online content, where we may collect limited technical data for security and performance reasons.

Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contractual necessity to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, for example providing a quote, and to perform a contract for removal, packing, storage or related services that you have entered into with us.

Legal obligations to comply with applicable laws, tax and accounting requirements, and to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate interests to operate and improve our business, manage and develop our customer relationships, prevent fraud and misuse of our services, secure our systems, and handle enquiries, complaints and disputes. When we rely on legitimate interests, we assess that our interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Consent where required by law, for example for certain types of marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Personal Data

We may use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide removal, packing, storage and related services, including quoting, scheduling, coordinating and completing your move.

To manage our relationship with you, including handling enquiries, confirming details of bookings, updating you on the status of your move, and responding to your questions or complaints.

To process payments, issue invoices and receipts, and maintain appropriate financial records.

To improve and develop our services, including service quality monitoring, staff training, and analysing trends in customer requests and feedback.

To send you important information about your bookings, changes to our terms and conditions, or updates to this Privacy Policy.

For security and fraud prevention, including verifying identity where necessary, protecting our staff and property, and safeguarding our IT systems.

For direct marketing purposes, such as informing you about relevant services or offers that may be of interest to you, where permitted by law and subject to your right to opt out.

Data Sharing and Processors

We may share your personal data with third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, and only to the extent required. These may include:

Service providers acting as data processors who provide services to us such as IT hosting, payment processing, accounting support, communication platforms, and customer management systems. These providers are bound by contractual obligations to protect your personal data and may not use it for their own purposes.

Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, legal advisers and insurance providers, where necessary for the operation of our business, to obtain professional advice, or to manage claims.

Public authorities and law enforcement agencies where we are legally required to do so, or where such disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, the rights of our customers, or the safety of individuals.

Any third party involved in a business transaction such as a merger, sale or reorganisation involving Battersea Removals, in which case we will ensure that appropriate data protection safeguards are in place.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

International Data Transfers

Where we use service providers or systems located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, your personal data may be transferred internationally. In such cases, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as the use of standard contractual clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms, so that your personal data continues to be protected to a standard consistent with UK data protection law.

Data Retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we retain:

Core customer and booking records for a period required by applicable tax and accounting laws after the end of the relevant financial period.

Communication records, complaints and feedback for a period necessary to manage our relationship with you, resolve issues, and demonstrate compliance with our obligations.

Marketing data for as long as you choose to receive marketing communications from us, or until we determine it is no longer accurate or relevant. You can opt out at any time, after which we will retain only minimal information needed to respect your opt out decision.

When personal data is no longer required, we will take steps to delete or anonymise it securely.

How We Protect Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures may include access controls, secure storage systems, encryption where appropriate, staff training, and regular review of our security practices.

While we take reasonable precautions, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. However, we are committed to maintaining and improving our security measures to protect your personal data.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These may include:

The right of access to obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and, if so, to receive a copy of that data along with information about how it is used.

The right to rectification to request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data about you is corrected.

The right to erasure in certain circumstances, for example where the data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing.

The right to restrict processing in certain circumstances, such as when you contest the accuracy of the data or object to our processing and we are considering your request.

The right to data portability to receive certain personal data you have provided 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 to processing where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, including profiling based on those interests, and an absolute right to object to direct marketing.

The right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, where that decision produces legal or similarly significant effects on you, unless specific conditions are met.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our main customer communications or website. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request, and we will respond within the time limits set by data protection law.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office ICO or with your local data protection authority if you are based outside the United Kingdom.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or other factors. When we make changes, we will revise the effective date at the top of the policy or otherwise indicate that the policy has been updated. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we process your personal data.

Your continued use of our services after any changes to this Privacy Policy will be treated as acceptance of those changes, to the extent permitted by law.