Privacy Policy - Bow Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Bow Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal and related services. It applies to all Bow Removals customers in the area, including individuals who request quotes, book services, receive delivery or collection support, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our services.

1. Who We Are

Bow Removals is a service provider that handles customer information in order to arrange, manage, and complete removals and associated logistical services. We are committed to processing personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Depending on the service requested, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity details such as name and, where relevant, business or household details.
Contact information including telephone number, email address, and postal address.
Service information such as moving dates, property access details, inventory items, packing requirements, and delivery instructions.
Billing and payment information needed to process charges, issue invoices, or confirm payment status.
Communication records such as enquiries, complaints, notes from discussions, and service confirmations.
Technical information where applicable, such as limited device or browser data if information is submitted electronically.
Special category data only if you voluntarily provide it and only where it is necessary for a specific service requirement, for example access needs or health-related considerations affecting the move.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed. Please do not provide unnecessary sensitive information unless it is directly relevant to the service.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and assess service requirements;
to arrange, schedule, and complete removal services;
to communicate with customers about bookings, changes, and service updates;
to prepare invoices, process payments, and maintain records;
to manage customer support, queries, complaints, and follow-up actions;
to maintain internal administrative records and service quality;
to comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations;
to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, and operations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or other unlawful activity.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that we need to use it for a compatible purpose.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract – where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract for removals services.
Legal obligation – where we must keep or disclose information to meet legal, tax, accounting, or regulatory requirements.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service administration, record keeping, fraud prevention, and improving operations.
Consent – where we ask for your clear permission for a particular purpose, such as optional marketing communications or the handling of special category data where required by law.

When we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and take appropriate safeguards. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing of Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary to deliver our services or meet legal obligations. These third parties may act as processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.

Processors We May Use

IT and cloud service providers that store or support our systems and communications.
Accounting and invoicing providers that help manage financial records.
Payment service providers that process transactions securely.
Customer management tools that help organise bookings and service records.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, to use it only on our instructions, and to comply with applicable data protection laws. Where data is shared, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to prevent serious harm, protect rights, or address suspected unlawful activity.

6. Data Retention

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

Service records are typically retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle follow-up queries or disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Enquiry records may be retained for a limited period if no booking follows, to help manage communication and service administration.
Consent-based data is kept until you withdraw consent or the purpose no longer applies.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to help protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our handling practices.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect information, no system can be guaranteed as completely secure. We therefore encourage customers to share only information that is necessary for the service.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These may include:

The right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
The right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
The right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability – to request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
The right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

In some cases, we may be unable to comply fully with a request if we have a lawful reason to retain or process the information, such as a legal obligation or a legitimate need to defend a claim.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use personal data for fully automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects without human involvement. If this changes, we will update this policy and ensure any required safeguards are in place.

10. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will only do so where appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the information in accordance with applicable law. This may include using approved contractual protections or transferring data to countries recognised as providing adequate protection.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated.

12. Summary of Key Points

Bow Removals collects only the information needed to provide removals services, communicate with customers, manage payments, and meet legal obligations. We process data on lawful bases including contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where appropriate. We share data only with trusted processors and other parties when necessary, retain it only as long as required, and respect your data protection rights.

This policy applies to all Bow Removals customers in area.