Privacy Policy
Croydon Removals Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Croydon Removals collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data belonging to customers and prospective customers in our service area. It is intended to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. By using our services, requesting a quote, or interacting with us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all customers and prospective customers of Croydon Removals within our operating area, including individuals and businesses who contact us for quotations, make bookings, or otherwise use our removal, packing, storage, or related services. It also applies to individuals who visit our website or interact with us through other communication channels, where personal data is collected.
Data Controller
Croydon Removals is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with applicable data protection laws.
Categories of Personal Data We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data, depending on your relationship with us and the services you request:
Identification and contact details, including name, postal address, service address, email address, and any other contact information you provide to us.
Booking and service information, including details of your move, such as property type, access information, inventory lists, origin and destination addresses, preferred dates and times, special instructions, and any communications relating to your booking.
Payment and billing information, including information necessary to process payments and issue invoices. We do not store full payment card details; payment processors may handle this data in accordance with their own policies.
Communication records, including emails, online enquiry forms, and any other correspondence with us, as well as notes from telephone calls and in-person discussions that are relevant to providing our services.
Technical and usage data, including basic information collected when you visit our website, such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited, where permitted by law and where necessary to ensure the security and proper functioning of our website and services.
How We Collect Your Personal Data
We collect personal data in a number of ways, including:
Directly from you when you contact us by telephone, through our website, by post, or in person to request a quote, make a booking, or ask a question.
When you complete forms or provide information for the purposes of planning and carrying out your removal or related services.
From third parties where necessary and lawful, for example from comparison or referral services that you have used to request removal quotations and that pass your details to us with your consent.
Automatically when you visit our website, through the use of standard logs and similar technologies that help us maintain security and improve our website.
Lawful Basis for Processing Your Data
We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under data protection law to process your personal data:
Contract. We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide you with a quotation, confirm a booking, carry out removal services, or manage payments and billing.
Legal obligation. We may process certain information to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, such as tax and accounting requirements, recordkeeping obligations, or responses to lawful requests from public authorities.
Legitimate interests. We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes activities such as managing and improving our services, preventing fraud, safeguarding our property and staff, and responding to enquiries and complaints.
Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of direct marketing where required by law. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.
Purposes for Which We Use Personal Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
To provide quotations and respond to enquiries about our services.
To plan, organise, and carry out removal, packing, storage, and related services you request.
To manage your account and relationship with us, including confirming bookings, sending service-related communications, and handling changes or cancellations.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain appropriate financial and transaction records.
To improve our services and operations, including training staff, monitoring performance, and analysing common issues or service needs.
To maintain the security of our systems, premises, vehicles, and personnel.
To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including bookkeeping, taxation, and responding to lawful requests.
To send you information about our services or related offerings where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
Sharing Your Personal Data and Use of Processors
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with trusted third parties only where necessary and lawful, including:
Service providers acting as data processors, who provide services such as IT support, hosting, secure data storage, communications services, and payment processing. These processors are contractually required to use your data only in accordance with our instructions and to protect it appropriately.
Subcontractors and partner removal or storage companies, where required to fulfil your booking or provide specialised services. In such cases, we share only the information necessary for them to perform their role.
Professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary for our legitimate interests and compliance obligations.
Public or regulatory authorities where we are legally required to do so, or where such disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety or that of our customers, staff, or the public.
International Transfers
Our primary operations and data storage are intended to remain within the United Kingdom or jurisdictions with equivalent data protection standards. If it becomes necessary to transfer your personal data outside of these locations, we will ensure that adequate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms, in accordance with data protection law.
Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
In general:
Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a limited period to follow up on requests and maintain business records.
Booking and contractual records, including invoices, may be retained for periods required by tax and accounting laws, which typically require retention for several years after the end of the relevant financial year.
Communications relating to complaints, disputes, or claims may be retained for longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
When personal data is no longer needed for these purposes, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise removed from our systems.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are subject to certain conditions and legal exemptions. They include:
Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation that we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you, along with certain information about how we use it.
Right to rectification. You have the right to request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you be corrected or updated.
Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you have the right to request the deletion of your personal data, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent and there is no other lawful basis for processing.
Right to restriction of processing. You can request that we restrict our processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we consider a request to rectify or erase your data.
Right to data portability. Where processing is based on your consent or on a contract and carried out by automated means, you may have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
Right to object. You have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including profiling, and to object at any time to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
Exercising Your Rights
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us using your usual communication channels with Croydon Removals and clearly state the nature of your request. We may need to verify your identity before responding, to protect your privacy and security.
We aim to respond to all valid requests within the timeframes required by law. There is generally no fee for exercising your rights, although we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to act on a request if it is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures may include secure storage, access controls, staff training, and regular review of our security practices. While we strive to protect your personal data, no system can be completely secure, and you should take care when transmitting information to us.
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. Any changes will be effective when we publish the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.
The continued use of our services after any changes to this Privacy Policy are posted will signify your acceptance of those changes, to the extent permitted by law.
