Privacy Policy - Westkensington Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Westkensington Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Westkensington Removals customers in area, including individuals who request quotes, make bookings, receive removal services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our business. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and any other applicable data protection laws.

Important: This policy is intended to be read alongside any service agreement, booking terms, or related notices provided at the time of service.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process personal data that you provide directly to us, data we receive from third parties, and data generated during the course of providing removal services. The categories of data we collect may include:

Identity data such as your name, title, and, where relevant, the names of household members or authorised representatives.
Contact data such as postal address, email address, and telephone number.
Service and booking data such as quotation requests, survey details, moving dates, inventory information, property access details, and special handling requirements.
Payment and billing data such as invoice records, payment status, and transaction references. We do not intentionally store full card details where payment processing is handled securely by a third party.
Correspondence data such as emails, messages, call notes, complaint records, and any other communications with us.
Operational data such as route planning notes, delivery instructions, and records of service performance.
Technical data such as device, browser, and usage information if you interact with digital systems we use to manage enquiries or bookings.

We may also process limited special category data if it is necessary and appropriate in relation to your move, for example where you choose to tell us about health, mobility, or access needs so that we can provide a safe and suitable service. We only collect such information where it is necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

2. How We Use Your Data

Westkensington Removals uses personal data only for legitimate business and service purposes. These include:

providing quotations and responding to enquiries;
planning, managing, and delivering removal services;
confirming bookings, schedules, and service requirements;
processing payments, issuing invoices, and maintaining accounting records;
communicating with you about your move, including service updates and operational changes;
handling complaints, claims, and dispute resolution;
meeting legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property;
improving our services, internal processes, and customer experience.

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

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our lawful bases may include:

Performance of a Contract

We rely on this basis where processing is necessary to provide a quotation, manage a booking, perform removal services, or take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, insurance, fraud prevention, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service administration, business record management, quality control, complaint handling, and protecting against misuse or unlawful activity. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and apply appropriate safeguards.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need to process optional information that is not required for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests and Public Interest

These grounds are unlikely to apply in most removal service situations, but they may be relevant in exceptional circumstances, such as protecting someone’s life or responding to a serious emergency.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the information and the reason it was processed.

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up questions, service administration, and business records.
Contract and service records are generally retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a further period where needed for claims, insurance, or legal purposes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaints and dispute records may be retained until the matter is resolved and for an additional period if necessary to defend legal claims or meet compliance duties.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner. We review retention on a regular basis to ensure data is not kept longer than necessary.

5. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide services. Where such third parties process data on our behalf, they act as processors and are required to follow our instructions and maintain appropriate security measures.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and cloud storage providers that host business systems and records;
email, communications, and scheduling service providers;
payment processing and invoicing providers;
accountants, auditors, and professional advisers;
insurance providers and claims handlers;
subcontracted operational partners where needed to support the delivery of removal services.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Westkensington Removals, our customers, staff, or others.

Where data is transferred to a processor or third party, we take steps to ensure that appropriate contractual and security protections are in place. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to help protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, staff training, data minimisation, secure storage, and controlled sharing procedures.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. We therefore encourage customers to share only the information necessary for the service and to notify us promptly if they believe any information has been compromised.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access - to request confirmation of whether we process your data and obtain a copy of it.
Right to rectification - to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure - to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction - to request that processing is limited in specific situations.
Right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability - to request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format where the legal conditions are met.
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent, to withdraw it at any time.

Some rights may not apply in every situation, for example where we need to retain data to comply with legal obligations or establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. If you make a request, we may ask for information to verify your identity before responding.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has not been handled properly. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are not generally directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to arranging or carrying out a household move and the information is necessary for the service. Where such information is provided, it will be handled with care and only for relevant service purposes.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is protected and used.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Westkensington Removals is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and in line with applicable data protection law. We collect only the data needed to provide and improve our services, process it on appropriate lawful bases, retain it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your rights and aim to handle all personal data with fairness, transparency, and care.

This policy applies to all Westkensington Removals customers in area.