Bow Removals Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Bow Removals collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal data relating to existing and potential customers in our service area. It also explains the lawful bases we rely on under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the EU General Data Protection Regulation, how long we retain personal data, how we work with third party processors, and the rights you have in relation to your personal data.
This Privacy Policy applies to all Bow Removals customers and prospective customers in our service area, including individuals who contact us for quotes, make bookings, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our removal and related services.
Data Controller
For the purposes of data protection law, Bow Removals is the data controller in respect of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with applicable data protection legislation.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you request. The categories of data we may collect include:
Contact details: Your name, address, previous address, future address, and any other address relevant to your move, as well as any other basic contact details you choose to provide in communications with us.
Service and booking information: Details about your requested removal services, such as type and size of property, inventory or volume of items, access details for properties, preferred dates and times, special instructions regarding your belongings, and records of quotes we provide.
Payment and billing information: Information required to process payments and invoices, such as the amount charged, method of payment and billing records. We do not retain full payment card details when payments are processed via third party payment providers.
Communication records: Copies of communications between you and Bow Removals, including information provided by phone, in person, or in writing, along with any notes made in the course of providing quotations or services.
Website and technical data: If you visit our website or interact with online forms, we may collect technical information such as IP address, device information, browser type, pages visited and time spent on site, as well as information submitted through contact or quote forms.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To provide services: Managing enquiries, preparing and issuing quotations, making and confirming bookings, planning and carrying out removals, arranging packing, storage or related services, and communicating with you about your move.
To manage our relationship with you: Responding to questions, requests and complaints, keeping records of your interactions with us, sending updates about booked services, and providing aftercare where appropriate.
To process payments and accounting: Issuing invoices, processing payments or refunds, managing accounts and financial records, and maintaining appropriate documentation for taxation and audit purposes.
To improve our services: Monitoring service quality, training staff, reviewing customer feedback, and analysing how our services and website are used in order to improve efficiency, safety and customer experience.
To comply with legal obligations: Fulfilling our legal and regulatory obligations, including record keeping and responding to lawful requests from competent authorities.
To protect our business: Preventing and detecting fraud, misuse of services or property damage, managing disputes, and establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.
Lawful Basis for Processing
We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under data protection law when processing your personal data:
Contract: Processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example when you request a quotation, make a booking, or we provide removal or related services.
Legal obligation: Processing is necessary for us to comply with legal obligations, such as maintaining accounting records or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.
Legitimate interests: We process certain data based on our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests include running and managing our business, improving our services, preventing fraud and dealing with complaints or disputes.
Consent: In limited circumstances, we may ask for your consent to process your data for a specific purpose, such as certain types of marketing. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us.
Data Retention
We keep personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.
In general, we will retain data associated with quotations, bookings and completed removal services for a period appropriate to the nature of the services and the limitation periods for potential legal claims. This typically means we will keep records relating to your move and our contract with you for several years after the end of our relationship, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
Communication records and technical data may be kept for shorter or longer periods depending on the purpose for which they were created, any legal obligations and our legitimate business needs. When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
Data Sharing and Processors
We may share your personal data with selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and where permitted by law.
Service providers and processors: We use trusted third parties to help us operate our business and deliver services, such as payment processors, IT and system support providers, secure data storage providers, vehicle tracking or logistics services, and document management or shredding services. These third parties act as data processors and only process personal data on our instructions and for the purposes we specify.
Professional advisers: We may share data with our professional advisers, such as accountants, legal advisers or insurers, where this is necessary for advice, auditing, insurance or to manage or defend legal claims.
Public authorities and law enforcement: We may disclose personal data where we are legally required to do so, or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety or the safety of others, or to detect or prevent fraud or crime.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties. Where we share data with processors, we take steps to ensure they provide appropriate safeguards and comply with applicable data protection requirements.
International Transfers
If it becomes necessary to transfer your personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will do so only where appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses approved by relevant data protection authorities. We will take steps to ensure that your rights continue to be protected.
Data Security
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage, staff training and procedures for handling personal data. While we strive to protect your personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and you should take care when sharing information with us.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain legal conditions and exemptions, and we may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.
Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, along with certain other information about how it is processed.
Right to rectification: You can request that inaccurate personal data be corrected and that incomplete personal data be completed.
Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent and no other lawful basis applies.
Right to restriction of processing: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as where you contest the accuracy of the data or object to our processing.
Right to data portability: For data you have provided to us and that we process by automated means on the basis of consent or contract, you may request that we provide it to you in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, or that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.
Right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as the lawful basis. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or where processing is required for legal claims.
Rights in relation to automated decision making: We do not carry out automated decision making or profiling that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. In the United Kingdom, this is the Information Commissioner's Office. If you reside in the European Economic Area, you may contact your local data protection authority.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or the services we offer. Any changes will be effective when the updated Privacy Policy is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.
Contacting Bow Removals About Privacy
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we process your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, you can contact Bow Removals using the contact details available on our usual customer communication channels.
