Privacy Policy - Aberdeen Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Aberdeen Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in relation to our moving, relocation, storage, and associated services. It applies to all Aberdeen Removals customers in the area, including individuals, families, landlords, tenants, and businesses who request or receive our services.

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect information that is necessary for the services we provide and we take appropriate steps to keep it secure.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data when you enquire about, book, or receive our services:

Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your organisation or business.
Contact information such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including move date, collection and delivery addresses, property access information, inventory details, and special handling requirements.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records. We do not intentionally store full card details if payment is processed by a third-party payment provider.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, complaints, and service updates.
Operational information such as staff notes, estimated volume of goods, parking arrangements, and instructions needed to complete the job safely and efficiently.
Technical information where relevant, such as IP address, device details, or cookies used on our online systems, if applicable.

We generally collect data directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, communicate with us, or otherwise engage our services. In some cases, we may also receive information from third parties such as estate agents, landlords, solicitors, employers, insurers, or people acting on your behalf.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only where we have a valid reason to do so. The main purposes for which we process your information include:

Providing quotes, confirming bookings, and managing move arrangements.
Planning and delivering removals, storage, packing, and related services.
Communicating with you about your service, schedule changes, access requirements, or issues affecting the move.
Processing payments and maintaining financial records.
Handling complaints, queries, and customer support requests.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
Preventing fraud, protecting our business, and ensuring safe operations.
Improving our services, administration, and internal processes.

We do not sell your personal data. We also do not use your information for unrelated purposes unless you have been informed and there is a lawful basis to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Aberdeen Removals relies on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes at your request, arranging services, completing a move, and managing payment-related administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process information where required to comply with laws and regulations, including tax, accounting, health and safety, and insurance-related requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include improving service quality, maintaining business records, protecting against fraud, and managing customer communications.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where specific optional marketing communications are involved. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties, but only when necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards. These may include:

Payment processors who handle secure payment transactions.
IT and system providers who support our booking, communication, storage, or record-keeping systems.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, legal advisers, and auditors.
Subcontractors or partners who assist with moving services, storage, or specialist handling.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, safety, or property.

Where we use third-party processors, they are only permitted to act on our instructions and must protect your data appropriately. We choose processors that provide sufficient guarantees regarding security and compliance. We require processors to use personal data only for the agreed service and not for their own purposes.

5. International Transfers

Where any service provider or system used by Aberdeen Removals involves processing outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure that your data is protected to an equivalent standard. This may include the use of approved contractual safeguards and other security measures designed to keep your information safe.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. The exact retention period depends on the nature of the information and the reason for processing.

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up, service history, and business administration.
Customer and booking records are retained for the duration needed to deliver services and deal with post-service matters.
Financial and tax records are retained in line with legal obligations.
Complaint and dispute records may be retained longer where required to resolve claims or defend legal rights.

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

7. Security of Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of service providers.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection that is appropriate to the risks involved. Only personnel who need access for legitimate business purposes will be able to view your data.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These include:

The right of access to request a copy of the data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing in certain situations.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
The right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent where consent is the legal basis for processing.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data has not been handled properly. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can attempt to resolve the issue.

9. Children???s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals and related services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in the context of a household move and where an adult has provided the information. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal obligations. Any updated version will apply from the time it is published. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your data is used.

11. Contact and Further Information

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your rights, or the way Aberdeen Removals handles personal data, you may request further information through the usual business communication channels used for our services. We will respond to legitimate privacy requests in accordance with applicable law and within the required time limits.

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide a clear explanation of how Aberdeen Removals processes personal data and to support lawful, fair, and transparent handling of information for customers in the area.