Privacy Policy - Pimlico Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Pimlico Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Pimlico Removals customers in our area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with us in relation to a booking, quotation, or service enquiry. We are committed to handling personal information 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. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for us to provide our services effectively, respond to enquiries, manage bookings, and meet our legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service details such as moving dates, property access information, inventory notes, and service preferences.
Payment and billing information where required for invoicing, deposits, or account administration.
Communications data including emails, messages, call notes, and any feedback or complaints you provide.
Technical data if you use our online services, such as IP address, browser type, and device information, where applicable.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where it is necessary to deliver our services, such as letting agents, landlords, estate agents, solicitors, or other parties involved in a move, provided they have a lawful basis to share that information with us.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to operate our business and provide removal services in a professional and efficient way. Typical uses include:

Providing quotations and confirming service arrangements.
Planning and completing removals, packing, storage, and related services.
Communicating with you before, during, and after a move.
Processing payments, issuing invoices, and managing records.
Handling complaints, claims, and service issues.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance requirements.
Improving our services, training staff, and maintaining business records.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was originally collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis before processing personal data. Pimlico Removals relies on the following lawful bases depending on the situation:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging removals, delivering services, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We process information where needed to comply with laws and regulations, including tax, accounting, employment, and insurance obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, such as improving services, maintaining security, preventing fraud, managing internal administration, and dealing with customer enquiries, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for certain marketing activities or optional communications. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as long as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the nature of the service provided.

In general, we retain:

Customer and booking records for the period needed to manage the service and any follow-up matters.
Financial and tax records for the period required by applicable accounting and tax laws.
Complaints and claims records for as long as necessary to resolve disputes and protect our legal position.
General communications only for as long as needed to respond to your enquiry or maintain an accurate service history.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or dispose of it.

5. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when it is necessary to provide our services, comply with the law, or run our business. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

IT and cloud storage providers.
Accounting and bookkeeping services.
Payment processing providers.
Customer relationship management and communication tools.
Professional advisers, such as legal or insurance advisers, where necessary.

Where a processor handles personal data on our behalf, we require them to act only on our instructions, keep information secure, and comply with applicable data protection law. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, by a court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Pimlico Removals, our customers, or others.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and staff training. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain appropriate protection for the information we hold.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the legal basis for processing and the circumstances of the request.

Right of access ??? you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification ??? you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure ??? in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing ??? you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability ??? you can request transfer of certain data where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to object ??? you can object to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent ??? where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

We encourage you to let us know if you believe any information we hold is inaccurate or if you wish to exercise any of your rights. We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. We will respond within the time limits required by law.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

9. Marketing Communications

We may send marketing communications only where permitted by law. You can opt out of marketing at any time. Where we rely on consent, we will ensure that any preference you express is respected. We will not send unnecessary communications and will only contact you in a manner that is proportionate and appropriate.

10. Children???s Data

Our services are directed at adult customers and businesses. We do not intentionally collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a move or other service arrangement and is provided by an adult with authority to do so. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without proper authorisation, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any updates will apply from the date they are published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Pimlico Removals treats your privacy with care and respect. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. All Pimlico Removals customers in area are covered by this policy, and we remain committed to protecting your rights, maintaining confidentiality, and handling your data in line with the principles of lawfulness, fairness, and transparency.

This policy is intended to help you understand how we process personal data and the choices available to you.