Catford Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Catford Removals collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and applicable data protection laws. It applies to all Catford Removals customers and prospective customers in our local service area, including those who visit our website, contact us for quotes, or use our removal and related services.

Who we are and scope of this policy

Catford Removals provides household and commercial removal and related services in the local Catford and surrounding area. This Privacy Policy covers all personal data we process about individuals who are customers, prospective customers, recipients of our services, or individuals who contact us with enquiries.

By using our services or contacting us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We may update this Policy from time to time and will apply the current version to all new interactions.

Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing our business, and complying with legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details: name, postal address, previous and new property addresses, contact preferences.

Service and booking information: details of the property and access, inventory or description of goods to be moved, required dates and times, additional service requirements such as packing or storage, and job notes relating to your booking.

Payment and transaction data: information about payments made and received, payment method used, invoices and receipts, and relevant financial records. We do not store full payment card details; these are processed by our chosen payment processor.

Communication data: information included in communications you send to us, such as enquiries, feedback, complaints, and any phone, written, or electronic correspondence.

Technical data: limited technical information that may be collected when you visit our website, such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited, to help maintain and improve our website and services.

How we collect your data

We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by phone, online enquiry forms, post, or other communication channels, when you request a quote, make a booking, or use our services, and when you provide feedback or make a complaint.

We may also receive personal data about you from third parties where it is necessary and lawful to do so, for example from comparison or referral services if you have asked them to connect you with removal providers, or from business partners involved in related services such as storage providers, where you have consented to the sharing of your data.

Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Performance of a contract: where processing is necessary to provide a quote, book and perform a removal service, or manage your account and related services.

Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This may include managing and improving our services, responding to enquiries, protecting our business and property, and preventing fraud.

Legal obligation: where we must process your data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as maintaining tax and accounting records or cooperating with lawful requests from authorities.

Consent: where we rely on your explicit consent, for example for certain types of marketing communications. You can withdraw your consent at any time where we are relying on consent as the lawful basis.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, confirm availability, and respond to enquiries about our services.

To arrange, manage, and carry out removal and related services, including planning routes, staff allocation, and logistics.

To issue invoices, process payments through our payment processors, and maintain accurate financial records.

To communicate with you before, during, and after the provision of services, including sending booking confirmations, service updates, and relevant service-related information.

To manage complaints, queries, or disputes and to handle insurance-related matters if applicable.

To improve our services and internal processes, including quality control, staff training, and service development.

To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from public authorities where required.

Data sharing and processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with third parties where this is necessary to provide our services, manage our business, or comply with the law. These third parties act either as data processors on our behalf or as separate data controllers, depending on their role.

Typical categories of third parties include:

Payment processors who handle card and electronic payments securely on our behalf.

IT and hosting service providers who support our systems, website, and data storage.

Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers, where necessary for legitimate business purposes and legal compliance.

Insurance providers where cover or claims are required in connection with the services we deliver.

Regulators, law enforcement bodies, and other public authorities where we are legally required to share data.

When we use data processors, we ensure appropriate contracts and safeguards are in place to require them to process your personal data only in accordance with our instructions and with appropriate security measures.

International transfers

Our primary processing activities take place within the United Kingdom. Where any of our service providers or their systems are located or store data outside the UK or European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms recognised under data protection law, to protect your personal data.

Data retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting requirements.

In general, we may retain basic customer, contract, and invoice information for a number of years after the end of our relationship, to meet legal and accounting obligations and to handle any future queries or disputes. Data held for marketing purposes will be retained for a shorter period and reviewed regularly, and you can ask us to stop using it at any time.

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

Security of your personal data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include restricting access to personal data to staff and service providers who need it for their role, using secure systems and storage solutions where feasible, and applying internal policies and training designed to support data protection and confidentiality.

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 may include the right to:

Access your personal data and obtain a copy of the information we hold about you.

Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Request erasure of your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

Request restriction of processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests and you believe your rights and freedoms override those interests.

Object to the use of your personal data for direct marketing at any time.

Request the transfer of certain personal data to you or to a third party in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format where technically feasible.

Where we rely on consent to process your data, withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Exercising your rights and complaints

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have questions about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our website or in your service documentation. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable data protection law.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe that your rights have been infringed or that your personal data has not been handled in accordance with the law. We encourage you to contact us first so we can seek 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 practices, services, or legal requirements. The updated version will apply from the date it is published. You are encouraged to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.