Privacy Policy - Swiss Cottage Movers

This Privacy Policy explains how Swiss Cottage Movers collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, packing, storage, and related services. It applies to all Swiss Cottage Movers customers in the area, including prospective customers, individuals requesting quotations, and any person whose personal information is provided in connection with our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Swiss Cottage Movers acts as a data controller for the personal data we collect and process in connection with our services. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing personal data. In some circumstances, we may also act as a data processor where we process data on behalf of another controller, such as a property manager, estate agent, or business customer.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for carrying out our moving and related services, responding to enquiries, managing bookings, and meeting legal or regulatory obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity data, such as your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
Contact data, including address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service data, such as move date, inventory details, special handling requirements, access information, and service preferences.
Payment data, such as billing details and transaction records. We do not normally store full card details if payments are processed through secure payment providers.
Property and location data, including pick-up and delivery addresses, parking instructions, floor levels, lift availability, and access notes.
Communication data, including emails, call notes, and messages exchanged with our team.
Technical data, such as IP address, device information, and website interaction data, where applicable.
Special category data only where you voluntarily provide it and where it is necessary for a specific service request, for example information about mobility needs or access requirements.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed for the service requested. We ask that you only provide personal data relevant to your move or enquiry.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you request a quotation, make a booking, communicate with our team, complete forms, or provide instructions relating to your move. We may also receive information from third parties acting on your behalf, such as family members, employers, landlords, estate agents, letting agents, or storage providers, when they are involved in arranging services with us.

In addition, we may collect data from publicly available sources or trusted service providers where necessary for business administration, payment processing, fraud prevention, or service delivery.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and respond to enquiries;
to schedule, manage, and complete moving and related services;
to communicate with you before, during, and after the service;
to manage billing, accounting, and payment processing;
to plan logistics, routes, staffing, and vehicle allocation;
to comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
to maintain records of services provided;
to deal with complaints, claims, or disputes;
to improve our services, internal processes, and customer experience;
to detect and prevent fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

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

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract – where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging and carrying out a move.
Legal obligation – where processing is required to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, or other legal duties.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms, such as service improvement, fraud prevention, record keeping, and operational management.
Consent – where you have given clear consent for a specific use, such as receiving certain marketing communications or sharing optional information.
Vital interests – in rare cases where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life or safety.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, manage our business, or comply with the law. These third parties may act as processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.

Categories of processors and recipients may include:

payment service providers and banking partners;
IT hosting, email, storage, and software providers;
customer management and booking platforms;
accountants, auditors, and professional advisers;
subcontracted movers or logistics partners assisting with a booking;
insurance providers and claims handlers;
legal, regulatory, or law enforcement authorities where required.

When we use processors, we ensure they are bound by written contracts requiring them to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection law. We do not sell personal data.

7. International Transfers

If any of our service providers store or process personal data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other approved transfer mechanisms. These safeguards are used to protect your data to an equivalent standard.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held.

In general:

quotation and enquiry records may be retained for a limited period to manage follow-up and service history;
booking, service, and billing records may be retained for several years to meet contractual and accounting obligations;
complaints, claims, and dispute records may be retained for as long as necessary to resolve issues and defend legal claims;
technical and security logs may be kept for a shorter period unless needed for investigation or protection purposes.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention procedures. We aim to retain only the minimum information needed for lawful business purposes.

9. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, password protection, and data minimisation practices.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and regularly review our safeguards to reduce risk.

10. Your Data Protection Rights

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

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in some cases, you may request deletion of your data.
Right to restrict processing – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request a copy of data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

11. Marketing Communications

If we send marketing communications, we will do so in accordance with applicable law. You can opt out of marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe option included in the communication or by contacting us through the appropriate available channels. Transactional or service-related messages, such as booking confirmations or updates, may still be sent where necessary for service delivery.

12. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided as part of a household move and only when necessary to deliver the service. If we become aware that we have collected child data without a valid reason, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or how we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how their information is handled.

14. Summary of Our Commitments

Swiss Cottage Movers is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, share it only when necessary with trusted processors, and keep it only for as long as required. We also respect your rights and will respond to valid data protection requests in line with applicable law.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Swiss Cottage Movers customers in the area and is designed to give you confidence that your information is handled with care, accountability, and respect.