Privacy Policy
Swiss Cottage Movers Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Swiss Cottage Movers collects, uses, stores and protects personal data when providing moving and related services. It applies to all customers and prospective customers of Swiss Cottage Movers within our service area, including individuals, households and business clients.
We are committed to handling your personal data in a lawful, fair and transparent manner, and in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and applicable data protection laws.
1. Data Controller
The data controller is Swiss Cottage Movers. This means that we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data when you interact with us, request a quote, enter into a contract, or use our services.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, you may contact us using the contact details provided on our website or in your service agreement.
2. Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data processed by Swiss Cottage Movers in connection with:
Provision of moving, packing, storage, and related services to customers in our operating area.
Enquiries, quotation requests and bookings made via our website, by post or in person.
Communications with suppliers, partners and business contacts, where these involve personal data.
This policy does not apply to third party websites or services that may be referenced in our materials, as those are governed by their own privacy policies.
3. Personal Data We Collect
The categories of personal data we may collect and process include:
Identification and contact information, such as name, postal address, moving address, email address and other contact details you provide to us.
Service and contract information, such as details of the services you request, inventories of items where needed for the move, dates and times of moves, and any special instructions.
Billing and payment information, such as invoicing details and records of payments, as necessary for processing transactions and maintaining accounts.
Communication records, such as emails, letters, and notes of telephone conversations or in-person discussions relating to enquiries, quotations, service delivery or complaints.
Technical data, such as basic information about how you interact with our online forms or digital tools, where applicable, for example date and time of contact and device or browser type, to ensure the security and proper functioning of our services.
We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.
4. Purposes and Lawful Bases for Processing
We process your personal data for specific and lawful purposes, and only where we have a valid legal basis under data protection law. The main purposes and corresponding lawful bases include:
Providing quotations and responding to enquiries. We process identification and contact information, together with service details, so that we can respond to your request for information or a quotation. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in responding to potential customers and taking steps at your request prior to entering into a contract.
Performing a contract with you. When you book a move or related service, we process your personal data to plan and complete the move, communicate with you, manage changes, and address any issues. The legal basis is the performance of a contract to which you are a party.
Billing and accounting. We process billing and payment data to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain appropriate financial records. The legal basis is the performance of a contract and our legal obligations relating to accounting and tax.
Customer service and dispute resolution. We may process communication records and service details to handle complaints, resolve disputes or respond to queries about past services. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in managing our business and maintaining customer relationships.
Security and fraud prevention. We may process certain data to protect our staff, vehicles, property and systems, and to prevent or detect fraud or misuse of our services. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in ensuring security and protecting our business.
Legal and regulatory compliance. We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as responding to lawful requests from authorities or meeting record-keeping requirements.
5. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. The specific retention period may vary depending on the type of data and the applicable legal or business requirements.
In general, we observe the following guidelines:
Quotation and enquiry data may be kept for a limited period after the enquiry, so that we can follow up and understand demand for our services. If no contract is formed, this data will be deleted or anonymised when it is no longer needed.
Contract and service data, including invoices and essential records of work carried out, may be retained for a number of years to meet legal, tax and accounting requirements and to allow us to respond to any later questions or disputes related to the service.
Communication records and other supporting documents are retained in line with our internal retention schedules and then securely deleted or anonymised.
When personal data is no longer required, we will ensure it is securely erased or irreversibly anonymised.
6. Data Processors and Third Parties
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties acting as data processors or, where applicable, as independent controllers. These third parties are only given access to the data they need to perform their functions and are required to protect your data in accordance with data protection laws.
Categories of recipients may include:
IT and hosting providers that supply and maintain our business systems, data storage and security solutions.
Payment and accounting service providers that assist with processing payments and managing financial records.
Subcontracted movers or logistics partners, where necessary to carry out your move or provide related services, under appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations.
Professional advisers such as legal or accounting professionals, where required for advice or to protect our legal interests.
Public authorities or law enforcement agencies, where required by law or to protect our rights, property or safety.
Where we use data processors, we enter into written agreements requiring them to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it confidential, and to implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures.
7. International Transfers
Swiss Cottage Movers primarily processes personal data within the United Kingdom and European Economic Area. If in the course of providing our services it becomes necessary to transfer personal data to a country outside these regions, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms, in accordance with data protection law.
8. Data Security
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access.
These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, data minimisation, and regular review of our security practices. While no system can be completely secure, we strive to protect your information and to respond promptly to any suspected data incidents.
9. Your Data Protection Rights
Under the GDPR and applicable data protection laws, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and legal limitations, but we will always respond to any request in line with the law.
Your rights include:
Right of access. You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and, if so, to receive a copy of that data and certain related information.
Right to rectification. You have the right to request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data be corrected or updated.
Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you may request that we delete 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 no other legal basis applies.
Right to restriction. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.
Right to object. You may object to processing based on our legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is required for legal claims.
Right to data portability. Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller, where technically feasible.
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 carried out before the withdrawal.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact details provided on our website or in your service documentation. We may need to confirm your identity before responding to your request.
10. Complaints
If you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the country where you live, work, or where the alleged infringement took place. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you approach a supervisory authority, and we encourage you to contact us first.
11. 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 protection practices. The latest version will always be available on our website or upon request. We recommend that you review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we process and protect your personal data.
