Removal Scotland Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Removal Scotland collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers within our service area. It is designed to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and applicable UK data protection laws. By using our services, requesting a quotation, or otherwise providing your personal data to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all individuals and businesses who contact Removal Scotland, request a quotation, enter into a contract with us, or otherwise use our removal and related services within our operating area. It covers personal data collected through our website, in person, over the phone, by post, and through any other communication channels we use.

Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that we reasonably need to provide our services, manage our business, and comply with legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details such as name, postal address, service address, billing address, and other contact details such as communication preferences.

Service information such as details of your property, access details, inventory or item lists for removal, preferred moving dates and times, special handling instructions, and related information needed to deliver our services.

Contract and transaction data such as quotations provided, acceptance of our terms, service agreements, invoices, payments received, payment method type, and records of services delivered.

Communication records such as correspondence, enquiries and complaints, notes of telephone conversations, and any feedback you provide about our services.

Technical data such as basic information about how you use our website or digital services, which may include device information, approximate location data, and information captured through strictly necessary cookies or similar technologies where used.

Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Data

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following legal grounds:

Performance of a contract. We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into and perform a contract with you, for example to provide removal services, prepare a quotation, schedule a move, and manage payments.

Legitimate interests. We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. This may include managing our relationship with you, improving our services, handling enquiries, and maintaining business records.

Legal obligations. We process certain personal data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax, accounting, insurance, and health and safety obligations.

Consent. In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of optional communication or where not otherwise justified by another lawful basis. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Personal Data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

To provide quotations for removal and related services and to respond to your enquiries and requests.

To plan, manage and deliver removal services, including arranging site visits, organising logistics, and coordinating any additional services.

To manage our relationship with you, including handling changes to bookings, dealing with complaints, and providing customer support.

To administer our business operations, such as maintaining records, managing accounts, processing payments and refunds, and managing insurance and claims.

To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting, and reporting obligations.

To protect our rights, property, and safety, and to prevent and detect fraud or other unlawful activity.

Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting and reporting requirements. In determining appropriate retention periods, we consider the nature and sensitivity of the data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process it, and whether those purposes can be achieved by other means.

In general, we keep records related to quotes and completed services for a number of years that aligns with statutory limitation periods and accounting requirements, after which the data is securely deleted or anonymised. Some information may need to be kept for longer where required by law or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Sharing Personal Data and Use of Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and in compliance with data protection law.

Service providers. We may engage third party processors to support the delivery of our services and to help operate our business. These may include providers that offer IT and hosting services, secure data storage, payment processing, vehicle tracking, and administrative support. These processors only act on our instructions, are subject to confidentiality obligations, and must implement appropriate security measures.

Subcontractors and partners. Where necessary to fulfil your contract, we may share relevant personal data with subcontracted removal teams or specialist service providers, for example for specialist transport or storage.

Professional advisers and insurers. We may share personal data with professional advisers, such as accountants, auditors, legal advisers, and insurers for legitimate business purposes.

Public authorities. We may disclose personal data where required to do so by law, regulation, or court order, or to respond to lawful requests by public authorities.

Whenever we use processors or share data with third parties, we take steps to ensure that your personal data is handled in a manner that is consistent with this Privacy Policy and with applicable data protection law.

International Transfers

Where we use service providers or systems that are located outside the United Kingdom, or which store data in other countries, we take appropriate safeguards to protect your personal data. These safeguards may include ensuring that the destination country has been recognised as providing an adequate level of protection or entering into contracts that incorporate recognised data protection clauses.

Security of Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include limiting access to personal data to those staff and processors who have a business need to know it, using secure systems where appropriate, and training staff on data protection responsibilities.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a range of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply subject to certain conditions and exemptions:

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation that we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of the data we hold about you.

Right to rectification. You have the right to ask us to correct or complete personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected. We may not always be able to comply, for instance where we have legal obligations to retain data.

Right to restriction. You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we are verifying its accuracy or considering an objection.

Right to object. You have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds or the processing is required for legal claims.

Right to data portability. Where processing is based on your consent or on a 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 for specific processing, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that we have not complied with data protection law.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, changes in the law, or other operational or regulatory reasons. Any changes will be effective from the date the updated version is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we process your personal data.

Contact and Further Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Removal Scotland handles your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our website or through any of our usual communication channels.